Côte Chalonnaise Blanc – 2016
Tasted at the BIVB Technical Centre in Beaune, 30 May 2018. All the wines were tasted blind, only matching the name to wine a couple of weeks later. An exercise that puts on show my full confidence in the 2016 vintage – the Côte Chalonnaise has fully delivered… Read More
Clos de Vougeot – 2008-1989
The same procedure as each of the last two Grands Jours – the Syndicat of Clos de Vougeot producers pour some more mature bottles. This year there were some super interesting bottles, but they were, sadly, in the minority. Only four of these 18 bottles I would be excited… Read More
Grands Maisons – Grands Crus – Edition 2018
Tasted in the Clos Frantin cuverie in Nuits St.Georges, 15 March 2018. This year heralded a new format for this ‘not to miss’ tasting. Previous years saw a blind tasting of ‘Maison’ wines in Clos de Vougeot – and no time for chatting or you wouldn’t have the time to… Read More
DIAM and the eventual triumph of empiricism…
A discussion of why I believe DIAM to be my closure of choice for white burgundy. For a number of years I’ve recommended here in Burgundy Report that you either drink your white burgundy young – let’s say within 3-5 years of release – or that you buy… Read More
entering 2018 with 4x 2002s…
How to both end 2017 and start 2018? I think I’ll ‘uncork’ some 2002s… 2002 Domaine des Varoilles, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Clos des Varoilles Deep, some impression of dark oak, herb and eventually a silky dark fruit. Ooh, this has a lovely impact in the mouth – super volume… Read More
a lunchtime corton
1997 Bouchard Père et Fils, Le Corton After a run of corked wines from the same case, here one that’s just right. Medium, medium-plus colour. A nose of pinched florals and spice above, and below a wider macerating-plum depth. A big wine in the mouth – with… Read More
some christmas bottles…
1997 Bouchard Père et Fils Le Corton My last bottle of this – during The September Report’s look at 1997s, 20 years on – was completely corked. This cork, looks fine but was as hard as concrete – still, had it protected not corrupted the wine this time?… Read More
The 1997s – 20 years on…
It seems that it has been 14 years (!) since I took a look at this vintage. Back then, 20 years sounded about right for good vineyards from an ‘early maturing’ vintage. So let’s do it: For the last 10 years, or more, the… Read More
Beaune 1er Clos de l’Ecu, Monopole – A Vineyard Profile
Foreground is the Clos de l’Ecu, below on the left is Cent Vignes, on the right is Bressandes… The monopoly of the Clos de l’Ecu was bought by Domaine Faiveley in 2003 from the heirs to what was left of Maison Jaboulet-Vercherre – the vines previously having been… Read More