Domaine Fourrier Wine Tasting - Exceptional

We were delighted to have an opportunity to taste some great wines from Domaine Fourrier.

The wines tasted were in short, outstanding and remarkably approachable now considering these were 2010 and 2011 vintages. The vines are approximately 60 years old I was informed and the quality was very evident.

First was the Gevrey Chambertin 2010. This was ruby light red, very earthy and combines excellence in structure and balance and light and smooth finish with red fruit - superb.


Price versus quality 18/20. Overall 18/20.


Next was the Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru 2011 - great nose, wonderful structure and is approachable now. It is deep, full of vibrant red fruit, dense, smooth with a mid length finish. Price versus quality 17/20. Overall 17/20.

The Echezeaux Grand Cru 2011 was superb. Again deep red and black fruit, slight spice in the nose, powerful with mild oak. This has a very long finish and is going to do very well with time I am sure.

Price versus quality 17/20. Overall 18/20.

Domaine Faiveley Nuits St Georges 1er Cru Les Damodes 2007

Was very curious to try a wine picked up for a bargain at a leading wine store in Hong Kong. This was the Domaine Faiveley Nuits St Georges 1er Cru Les Damodes 2007. Overall impressions were positive.

The nose on this wine is exceptional. The mushroom, truffle and overall earthiness really stood out for me and was reminiscent of an aged Chambolle-Musigny or other wines from Nuits St Georges. Colour wise this is cloudy ruby red is how I would describe it. Slight smoky red fruit flavours greet you and on the finish a nice smooth finish though slightly short - the overall balance, elegance, and the lovely nose more than compensates. This from a lesser successful vintage for Burgundy Reds from 2007 as well is all the more impressive.

Price versus quality 18/20. Overall 18/20.

I suggest hunting this one down and getting a few bottles.

Leroy Bourgogne 1999

Leroy Bourgogne 1999 is a recently released wine from Maison Leroy. Price wise this on the surface looks like a good value wine with which to commence an exploration of this famous Burgundy winemaker's diverse range of wines.

The wine has a nice light scented rose smell to it and is elegant to taste being light, earthy with ripe red fruits and a lovely nose. Acidity is mild and the finish is smooth. In short a charming wine and worthy of purchase for this price regardless of it being a Leroy wine.

Price versus quality 17/20. Overall: 17/20,

Nicolas Potel Wine Dinner

It was a delight to attend a recent wine tasting featuring a number of wines from Nicolas Potel's Domaine de Bellene, Maison Roche de Bellene and from the treasure trove that is the Collection Bellenum. Maison Roche de Bellene is Potel's negociant business and the Collection Bellenum are collections of rare old Burgundy wines spanning six decades which he has acquired from various local sources in Burgundy. I was certainly eagerly awaiting this.



First up was a pleasant wine from Potel's own vineyards the Domaine de Bellene Savigny Les Beaune 2010. It was fresh, abundance of citrus with a smooth taste that was mild and easy to drink. It is elegant and offered at a great price. Price versus quality 18/20. Overall 17/20.

Second was the Maison Roche de Bellene Collection Bellenum Puligny Montrachet 1er Cru Les Combettes 1995. In short this was superb and those on our table were quite unanimous about our reaction on this wine - great wine, great price, a must. 1995 was a great vintage for Burgundy whites and it is apparent here. A beautiful nose gives way to a wine that is clearly at its finest and mature. Golden yellow with a honey nose, slightly sweet with its structure, minerality intact. A delight. Price versus quality 19/20. Overall 18/20.

Third was the Domaine de Bellene Savigny Les Beaune 1er Cru Les Haut Jarrons 2010. Decent wine, decent price, dark rosy red with a pleasant red fruit nose and nice finish. Its a good wine which will improve over medium term. Price versus quality 17/20. Overall 16/20.

Fourth was the Maison Roche de Bellene Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru Les Noirots. Still requires a few years yet before the classic nose of Chambolle Musigny comes to fruition. In the meantime what we have is good potential with slightly muted mushroom and truffle like aromas but a very satisfying finish. Keep an eye on this one. Price versus quality 17/20. Overall 17/20.

Fifth was the Maison Roche de Bellene Charmes Chambertin Grand Cru 2009. The perfumed nose on this was exceptional. Young and will improve. Based on this evidence a 18/20 on both counts though time will tell.

Back to the Collection Bellenum for the final two wines and first was the 1997 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru. I took one long breath and inhaled deeply. This is certainly a great wine. Red fruits are prominent - it was a little light on the palate and finish but the elegance is evident. Seemed slightly more closed than expected. Price versus quality 16/20. Overall 16/20.

The Collection Bellenum Latricieres Chambertin Grand Cru 1998 is another wine that fits the boat. Fine no doubt, a little closed off but class nevertheless same score.

Burgundy Wine Tasting - Various

We attended a highly enjoyable tasting of various white and red Burgundy wines recently.

Comments as follows:

2009 Meursault Poruzots 1er Cru Chateau de Puligny-Montrachet. Not too expressive yet rather closed - rather crunchy acidity. Not bad needs time. Price versus quality: 15/20. Overall 15/20.

2009 St Romain Chateau de Puligny Montrachet. Nice wine - decent nose of mild citrus like flavours. Price versus quality 16/20. Overall 16/20.

2009 Camille Giroud Meursault. This is impressive. A lasting nose of minerality and citrus is followed by smooth and long finish - the way I imagine good Meursault to be. Price versus quality 17/20. Overall 17/20.

2007 Echezeaux Grand Cru Domaine Jean Grivot. Famous wine maker, famous wine. Is this good? Lovely wet earth nose and classic minerality. Slightly un expressive. needs time. Difficult to judge this at this time.






Next was an impressive wine - the 2007 Vougeot Les Cras 1er Cru Domaine de la Vougeraie. Best nose of the night, this had intensity, smooth and approachable acidity all the way through. Recommended. Price versus quality 17/20. Overall 17/20.

 

 

Michelot-Buisson Meursault Charmes 1985 - Past It?

We tasted an old Meursault to assess whether Meursault wines of this type, one would normally expect to ordinarily be past its drinkability, would still be of an acceptable level to drink now.

This is the 1985 Meursault Charmes from Michelot Buisson.

First impressions were very positive - a pale but deep yellow colour was followed by a fresh nose that one would find in recent vintages of Meursault. In other words the nose was one of a young wine. On the palate again very smooth, tastes of young Meursault full of vibrant citrus and minerality. On the finish however the age became apparent - basically there is no acidity remaining and the taste is rather sour meaning this is clearly past it. Strong start but disappointing finish. Owing to the nature of this wine I won't be providing a score on this suffice to say the price this was acquired for was not worth bothering.

Chambolle Musigny Tasting - Roumier, Sirugue, Barthod

Tasted three wines from Chambolle Musigny. Overall impressions very positive. All wines stood out and there was not too dramatic a separation in quality or difference. Price was the only difference.

First was the Domaine G.Roumier 2002

Cloudy red colour, wet earth, ripe, mature strawberry, forest floor, mid level finish. The most expensive wine of the night but a delight. Price versus quality: 17/20. Overall 18/20.







Next was the Robert Sirugue Chambolle-Musigny Les Mombies 2010. This is a limited production wine of around 1700 bottles per year. Light, earthy red fruits, good mild short and sweet finish. Exceeded my expectations. Price versus quality 17/20. Overall 18/20.

Finally we tasted the Ghislaine Barthod Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Aux Beaux Bruns 2004. Darker in colour compared to the others, this was my favourite of the night. Out of the three this had lightest minerality but the wet earth ripe red fruit nose and one would expect. Out of the three price was in the mid range. Price versus quality: 17/20. Overall 18/20.

In conclusion there were slight degrees of difference in the earthiness, minerality and colour but all were very fine wines indeed.

Burgundy Wine Review

Vincent Girardin Chassagne Montrachet 2009

Tonight we tasted the Vincent Girardin Chassagne Montrachet 2009.

This was opened and poured gradually over a 2 and a half hour period.

First impressions were this was very closed with unexpressive nose that did not leave any distinct impression. Gradually however it started opening with citrus flavours beginning to show and minerality followed by a smooth but short finish. By the end of the evening its potential was increasing. Pale yellow in colour. Give this one time to open up before consuming. Price wise at retail stores this is quite reasonable.

Price versus quality: 16/20.
Overall: 15/20.

If allowed time to open up potentially increase score by a point or two.

Domaine Fontaine-Gagnard 2010 Tasting

I attended a wine tasting held at a Hong Kong retailer recently. The wines tonight were from Domaine Fontaine-Gagnard's 2010 vintage. I won't spend time to discuss the history of the estate - to do that, please visit their website direct here.

First up the Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Chenes 2010. Allen Meadows rated this 92. It has the quality and distinction one would expect from Volnay. Impressive red fruit with strength and well structured. This wine will go the distance. Price versus quality 17/20. Overall: 16/20.

Next the Pommard 1er Cru les Rugiens 2010. Allen Meadows rated this 93. I liked this - the upfront fruit one would expect from Pommard is evident. This is well made good structure again, piercing fruit of good quality. Price was, am very pleased too. Price versus quality 17/20. Overall 17/20.










On to the whites and first was the Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru Grandes Montagnes 2010. Robert Parker rated 90 and Allen Meadows 91. High quality wine, minerality showing, pale yellow in colour. Very good price for this. Classic citrus flavor. Impressive. Price versus quality: 18/20. Overall: 17/20.

Next the Criots Batard Montrachet Grand Cru. Parker rated 95 and Allen Meadows 94. Lovely Criots on display here - golden colour with striking minerality that gives way to deep, satisfying mid length finish. Of course price wise this is among the top end of the price range for Burgundy whites but among peers of Criots Batard Montrachet, the price is actually very decent so comes highly recommended.

Price versus quality: 18/20 (as far as Criots-Batard Montrachet goes).
Price versus quality overall: 17/20
Overall: 17/20




Finally the Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru. This is beautiful. It is floral, and minerality, has balance and charm, lovely smooth mid length finish, darker golden yellow in colour. Again top end of price range but as far as Batard-Montrachet goes, entirely reasonable pricing.

Price versus quality: 18/20 (as far as Batard-Montrachet goes). Price versus quality overall: 17/20. Overall: 17/20.

White Burgundy Tasting Featuring Wines From Olivier Leflaive and Francois Carillon

We tasted a series of wonderful white wines recently at an event held by Corney & Barrow. Unfortunately no photos were taken so all the better for this blog to serve as a permanent record of the wonderful wines tasted that evening!

Olivier Leflaive 2009 Meursault. This wine is one of my personal favourites in terms of price to quality  it is a superb daily drinking white which just so happens to be of outstanding quality. This has minerality, pleasant acidity and is well structured with citrus tones - it is fresh and Meursault of this level at its best. Price to quality: 19/20. Overall: 19/20.

Olivier Leflaive 2009 Puligny-Montrachet. Good wine - floral, smooth and leaves a good impression. Price to quality: 17/20. Overall 17/20.

Domaine Leflaive 2010 Macon-Verze. This was an outstanding wine - it has just about all the best things one would expect and desire from white Burgundy with the added bonus of being exceptionally well priced. It is yellow gold, has classic minerality and is well made. The tasting notes state that this will age well as well. It is a no brainer. Price to quality: 19/20. Overall 18/20.

Chassagne-Montrachet Clos Saint-Jean 1er Cru Domaine Francois Carillon 2010. This was a pleasant surprise and again passes my price to quality ratio with flying colours. It is pale gold, creamy, soft and smooth finish with a light and pleasant acidity to it. Wonderful. Price to quality 18/20. Overall 18/20.

Burgundy Wine Dinner Review

We tasted a series of wines at a leading restaurant in Hong Kong which had a specially prepared dinner and Burgundy wine pairing menu. We thought we would give this a try. While it is certainly worthy of discussing in detail the pairing itself  - especially as the food was outstanding, we opted to stick with the wine reviews themselves. Here we go:

2006 Henry Boillot Puligny Montrachet 1er cru La Mouchere monopole. Citrus with  strong mineral on the nose. Very impressive. A lovely finish and mineral deep gold yellow and slight honey best wine of the night without doubt. 18/20

2004 Chandon de Briailles Corton Grand Cru. Deep cloudy yellow. Closed with no strong view nor impression either way mild and unexpressive finish slightly flat. 13/20

2008 Michel Niellon Chassagne Montrachet 1er cru Les Vergers. Lovely nose of exotic tropical fruit and passionfruit. Excellent. Deep yellow. Lovely finish. 16/20.

Chandon de Briailles 2007 Corton Grand Cru Clos du Roi. Beautiful perfumed rose like nose followed by cherry and red fruit. Deep red in colour. This has power and was exceptional were my first impressions. It did have a weak finish however the minerality and earthiness was certainly felt. Mid finish excellent nevertheless. 16/20.

2007 Pascal Lachaux Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru Les Cras. Great floral rose nose followed by wet earth and minerality. Long red fruit finish. 16/20

Bruno Clair 2008 Tasting

We had a chance recently to taste a series of wonderful wines from Bruno Clair's 2008 range. The domaine was founded in 1979 and Bruno is descended from a long line of wine makers stretching back to the start of the 20th century.

We tasted four wines all from Bruno Clair's 2008 vintage.

In summary the best overall characterization of the wines are its wonderful nose backed by good structure, light acidity, and mid length finish. These will certainly improve with time.




1/ Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru.

This was my favourite of the night. A wonderful nose that grabs your attention comprising of lime, mineral, wet earth. This was fruit forward followed by light and long finish. Opened for a few hours prior to serving. Price versus quality: 17/20. Overall 17/20,

2/ Vosne Romanee Les Champs Perdrix. A lovely rose coloured wine with red fruit, cherry, chalky flavours and decent finish. Slight sourness - give this one time.

Price versus quality: 17/20. Overall 16/20 - needs time.

3/ Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos du Fonteny. This is a monopole.Classic upfront fruitiness such as expected from similar wines. Chalk, mineral, earthiness opens up to red fruit. Decent structure with good mid length balanced finish. Price versus quality 17/20. Overall 16/20.

4/ Bonnes Mares Grand Cru. Opened approx. 4 hours before tasting. Again impressive nose - slightly closed and not particularly penetrating but a good finish. Too early to rate this wine yet as needs time.

Collection Bellenum Puligny Montrachet 1er Cru Les Combettes 1993

The wine hails from a wine collection I am paying closer and closer attention to from Nicolas Potel's Collection Bellenum collection of older vintage Burgundy wines. This one I tried was the Puligny Montrachet 1er Cru Les Combettes 1993. I understand 600 bottles are available of which this is bottle 61.

In short, this is superb. It has the nose of freshness even today and although first impressions of taste appear to show it is reaching its age of 1993, that quickly gives way to freshness and minerality with slight honey like flavor with strong citrus overtones. Its structure has held and there is a decent length finish to this of mild acidity. What a wine and the collection's overall price point is very attractive given this quality. White Burgundy at this level at its very best.

Price versus quality 17/20

Overall 18/20

Burgundy Wine Review (BWR)

Louis Latour Meursault 1er Cru Goutte d'Or 2002

Louis Latour's Premier Cru Meursault Goutte d'Or or 'drops of gold' 2002 is in short a wine that exceeded my expectations. It is ripe and perfect to drink now. It has retained its minerality, structure, and has a nice gentle finish to it. Expect honey, light citrus, earth, and a touch of sweetness.

There is no need to wait - this is for drinking right now.

Price wise this is reasonable given the quality. Highly recommended.

Price versus quality:17/20

Overall: 17/20

Burgundy Wine Review (BWR).




To learn more about the wine visit: http://www.louislatour.com/pages/index.php?id_page=41&id_vin=76&millesime=2002