the measly montrachet 2016 update – for #ChardonnayDay
Pierre Vincent of Domaine Leflaive, pictured posing with the amalgamated 2016 production of 6 owners in Le Montrachet – image from October 2017 I’m sure you all remember the story of the frost at the end of April 2016, it was particularly cruel on the Chassagne-side of Montrachet… Read More
Henri Rebourseau (reprise)
Tasted in Gevrey-Chambertin with Benigne, Louis and their father, Jean de Surrel, 09 March 2018 – this year I missed the dog. Domaine Henri Rebourseau 10 Place du Monument 21220 Gevrey-Chambertin Tel: +33 3 80 51 88 94 www.domaine-rebourseau.fr I last visited this domaine in… Read More
weekend corkscrew work – week 12 2018
A weekend away, not control over the glassware. The whites showed great, less-so the reds… 2009 Alex Gambal, St.Aubin 1er Murgers des Dents de Chien Half golden. The nose starts with a toast, ends with a riper fruit. In the mouth this has youth and freshness – much… Read More
weekend corkscrew work – week 11 2018
2013 Olivier Leflaive, Puligny-Montrachet A faint, slightly reductive, toast on this nose – the depth hinting at a little grapefruit – which becomes more and more overt with aeration and as the toast fades. Fresh but with a melting width over the palate rather than direction. The flavour… Read More
And 2015? – nearly 50 wines now bottled
Nice to see how the bottled wines now look – plenty of truly great reds, though much harder to find great whites – seemingly more success by domaine than by particular wines in the whites! The whites: 2015 De Villaine, Bouzeron A modest nose, quite tight. Full, saline, slowly… Read More
Vougeraie – 2016
Tasted in Premeaux with Sylvie Poillot and François Lecaillon, 14 November, 2017. Domaine de la Vougeraie Rue de l’Église Premeaux 21700 Nuits St.Georges Tel: +33 3 80 62 48 25 www.domainedelavougeraie.com The first tasting here since Pierre Vincent has moved-on to Domaine Leflaive. Read More
2016 White Burgundy Report
Whilst recent headlines shout that 2017 could be the lowest volume wine harvest in France since 1945, that’s not the case in Burgundy – that’s 2016. The 2016 crop was devastated by frost – a gelée noire or black frost – this is where the vines are frozen overnight… Read More
that’s what 5 hl/ha looks like
Pierre Vincent at Domaine Leflaive. Tasting 2016s this morning, there was this chance to see what a whole hectare of Montrachet delivered in 2016 – due of-course to the frost of 27 April. Six producers assembled all their grapes from 1 hectare of vines so there was enough… Read More
2017 Vintage – what we know in 2017 – and a few pointers…
This was my 14th consecutive harvest in Burgundy – triaging the grapes of multiple villages. I believe that this, together with questioning the winemakers, is the best balance of first-hand and third-party input required to comment on the vintage. If the frosted 2016 vintage was seemingly a case of quality… Read More