Monday, May 9, 2011

Terroir Hopping in Burgundy

The usual group of eight gathered to taste some Burgundies on Saturday evening. The focus was red Burgundies, with the appellations of Chambolle-Musigny, Morey St Denis, Meursaults, and Volnay represented. We began with the obligatory bottle of Champagne , the NV Larmandier-Bernier, a crisp bright wine that finishes with creamy leesy signature that makes this a crowd pleaser. First course was salmon paté paired with two Meursault from Roulot. The 2002 Roulot Meursault les Tillets showed very slightly paler in color than the 2002 Roulot Meursault les Luchets, with finely etched flavors of bitter and saline citrus and a whiff of quinine and tidal pool on the nose. The slightly darker Luchets was also a bit more advanced in its evolution, with nut and honey flavors and aromas dominating here over the citrus character. A couple of us jumped on this as maybe being too advanced, but in fact it is in a perfect spot, as the wine held its character with over ½ hour in the glass. Two quite elegant Meursaults from high on the slope that give a good idea of what can be achieved here even below the Premier Cru level.

Next up was a single bottle of 1999 Mugnier Chambolle-Musigny Fuées paired with escargots. Maybe we should have stuck with the white Burgundy theme with the escargots, but certainly the Fuées more than held its own, and in fact took firm command of the course. Dark ruby red in color, this is still a firm and structured wine that could benefit from some more bottle age, but displays even now a powerful perfumed nose of dark flowers and black cherry. In the mouth, equally suave and harmonious, with the inner mouth perfume of the wine vying with rich black raspberry flavors for dominance. While this has many years ahead of it, it is already irresistible for its Zen-like harmony and balance and its ethereal floral character.

Next up were two 2002 red Burgs that we thought might serve to contrast the disparate terroirs of Chambolle and Volnay when paired with wild mushroom risotto. The2002 Marquis d’Angerville Volnay Clos des Ducs was certainly sacrificed before its time, but still managed to give a good idea of the precision and elegance that the appellation is capable of. Sharply etched, even laser-like in its delineation, with predominantly red fruit flavors that fade to a strong mineral finish, this should be great in 8-10 years or so. Alongside it was the 2002 Barthod Chambolle-Musigny Cras, which was perhaps not quite as good a foil for the Volnay as the Fuées was if the objective was to show off the elegant floral character of Chambolle. In contrast to the floral Fuées, the nose on the Cras is dominated by very ripe, almost decadent red Pinot fruit. Drinking it in the evening, it was clear that 8 hours of aeration had helped to reduce a bit the impression of the tannins that are still prominent when first opened. Rich and dense, and as I said, very ripe, this straddles the line between red and dark fruit, and should again show very well a few years down the road.

Next up were two Bonnes Mares from the 1998 vintage. The 1998 Dujac Bonne Mares was perhaps about where you would expect it to be in its development, with some slightly hard and angular elements still present on this as yet unfinished wine. The nose is dominated by red fruit and some dark stemmy elements that ought to harmonize nicely in the coming years, especially given the overall powerful character of the wine. In contrast, the 1998 Vogue Bonne Mares was out of this world, even today, with dark flower and smoky black cherry and raspberry aromas providing the perfect counterpoint to each other. In the mouth, even more powerful, deep, and dense than the Fuées, this nonetheless managed to display an ethereal, shape-shifting character that wowed the entire table. Certainly a great wine…

Last up were two Dujac wines from Morey St Denis, the 1988 Dujac Clos de la Roche and the 1988 Dujac Clos St Denis. Sadly, the Clos de la Roche was badly corked, although several of us could convince ourselves that we recognized the CdlR signature lurking behind all of that TCA. As a contrast, the 1988 Clos St. Denis showed the characteristic very pale red color of older Dujacs that belies the fact that their flavor intensity is remarkable. The wine showed very bright red fruit, with an almost sweet candied aspect despite the transparency of the wine. Maybe a touch less complex than a 1990 Dujac Clos St. Denis consumed some years earlier, this demonstrated nonetheless what the vineyard is capable of in the right hands.

Wine Of The Night for most was the 1998 Vogue Bonnes Mares, although at least in my mind, the 1999 Mugnier Chambolle Musigny Fuées was not all that far behind.

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