Day 5-The south of Burgundy

Sorry I've been lax in posting....it's been a busy week of selling French wine! Today was a little easier on the palate, mostly because we had about a three and a half hour drive to Avignon. Still a long day though, nonetheless. Our first stop was a small producer from Savigny-les-Beaune. Only two wines from this winery and then we tasted Guillemot. Very good, very inexpensive wines. I liked the Macon Farges better, but it will be easier to sell the Macon Village and it's cheaper.

Tasting order:
2008 Domaine Henri Perrusset Macon Village-easy drinkability, nice minerality, nice label, hand harvested, no pesticides, low yields, natural compost, natural yeast, a year on the lees in stainless.
2008 Domaine Henri Perrusset Macon Farges-same as above, but with a much better nose


2008 Domaine Pierre Guillemot Savigny-les-Beaune Blanc-70% Pinot Blanc, 30% Chardonnay, 10% used barrel. Lush, white flowers, tropical...fermented in 600L barrels, 3x the size of normal barrels
2008 Dom. Pierre Guillemot Bourgogne Rouge-Really light in color, high acidity, smoky wood and strawberries, bright fruit in the mouth
2008 Dom. Pierre Guillemot Savigny-les-Beaune Rouge-single vineyard, super dry and meaty
2008 Dom. Pierre Guillemot Savigny-les-Beaune 'Narbantons' 1er Cru-More depth and color than previous wines, much deeper and more complex
2008 Dom. Pierre Guillemot Savigny-les-Beaune 'Jarrons' 1er Cru-Really, really tannic
2008 Dom. Pierre Guillemot Savigny-les-Beaune 'Serpentieres' 1er Cru-Named Serpentieres either because of snakes or because of a certain kind of limestone named Serpentiere. This was super elegant and refined...incredible structure.
2008 Dom. Pierre Guillemot Corton Grand Cru-Really, really pretty nose
1974 Dom. Pierre Guillemot Savigny-les-Beaune 'Serpentieres' 1er Cru-plenty of tannins left...tea like nose.


Domaine Robert-Denogent in the Maconnaise

I tasted this domaine in San Francisco in May and hung out with Nicolas for a bit. Really like him and his wines. We tasted their wines in their home and that didn't hurt, but I really liked his wines in San Francisco as well. They make a lot of Pouilly-Fuisse in the Maconnaise and own the vineyards they make the wine from. Pouilly-Fuisse is allowed around 4 tons an acre yield. These guys crop at 2 tons an acre...however, '07 & '08 were cropped at around a ton an acre. Miniscule quantities. Barrel ageing is done for two years. Long barrel ageing helps the wine settle naturally. They have a one year cellar and a two year cellar. The cellars are at 40 degrees, which slow fermentation and help clarify the wine slowly.

Tasting order:
2007 Macon-Solutre 'Clos des Bertillonnes' - Reminiscent of Neyers Carneros Chardonnay which Nicolas helped out with. Really good minerality. There was more minerality in '07 all around.
2007 St. Veran 'Les Pommards' - 45yr old vines-clay soil-20mos. in full oak barrel-much rounder and fuller than previous...honey butter
2007 Macon-Fuisse 'Les Taches'-15yr old vines-soil is strong-apricot nectar, caramel and butter. Round and lush in mouth.
2007 Pouilly-Fuisse 'La Croix'-Blue Schiste, very unusual in soil-finally moved away from the butter-much more crispness and acidity. Lighter in body han the last few. Does have caramel qualities.
2007 Pouilly-Fuisse 'Les Reisses'-a ton and a half/acre yield...75 yr old vines-limestone, clay soil...beautiful nose. Just drank the 2004 yesterday and it was beautiful...ages very well
2007 Pouilly-Fuisse 'Cuvee Claude Denogent'-80-85yr old vines-really juicy fruit on this wine...love it
2007 Pouilly-Fuisse 'Les Carrons'-more than 90yr old vines-very small parcel...very, very honeyed wines with butterscotch
2008 Macon-Village 'Les Taches'-definitely a fruitier vintage-lots of ripe orchard fruits
2008 Pouilly-Fuisse-no sulfur added...apples and pears
2008 Pouilly-Fuisse 'Cuvee Claude Denogent'-more pineapple than previous




Nicolas Denogent


Robert Denogent



Upstairs

Cool Bookcase

Day 4-Burgundy-Overview

We tried a staggering 82 wines before dinner and if you include dinner, a whopping total of 94 different wines for the day. Wow. I mean, wow. Not as bad a day as yesterday. Jet lag was mostly gone and I got to try some incredible wines today. Chevillon was one of my favorite producers, simply because his wines were powerful and dark and I felt, really outdid some of my favorite Oregon producers. Berthau was one of my favorites because of the incredible grace and elegance his wines put forth. Just like with Jobard the previous day, I have never smelled anything like that in a wine in my life. Such perfume and elegance and balance. Truly amazing stuff. Finally, I was really impressed with Gachot-Minot, because not only is he making affordable Pinot's, but they're really well done and I want to sell his wine.

Day 4-Burgundy-Dinner at Bistro d' Hotel

Right before dinner we tasted one of Kermit's Champagne producers at the hotel. J. Lassale. Joules Lassale is the founder and his widow took over and she asked her daughter to help with the winemaking. Her granddaughter helps run the business today, so it is a female run Champagne house.

Tasting order:
Brut Reserve N/V Cachet D'or-only made for US-means gold-blend of '05 & '04
N/V Imperial Preference-blend of '04 & '03
Brut Rose-really good-85% Pinot Noir
2002 J. Lassale Blanc de Blanc-also good
2002 Special Club Late Disgorged-comes in an old school bottle-60% Chardonnay/40% Pinot Noir
N/V Blanc de Blanc-aged in wood and undergoes malolactic fermentation
N/V Blanc de Blanc Xtra Brut
N/V Grand Reserve Brut-80% Chardonnay/20% Pinot Noir-base of '06 w/ 20-30% '05 & '04
1985 Brut Rose
N/V Cuvee R
2002 Blanc de Blanc-Pure chalk soil
2002 Cuvee 'Angeline'-60% Pinot Noir/40% Chardonnay

Dinner tonight was at a quaint restaurant in Burgundy that the group always goes to. They allow us to bring our own wine and we each winemaker we have visited thus far has donated some older vintage stuff to drink. Before dinner, we had some free time, so I wandered around Beaune, (almost getting lost). Beaune is a great shopping city and has a lot of interesting shops. I picked up a couple Cuban cigars today and smoked one after dinner in the courtyard of the hotel. It started snowing heavily while I was smoking, so I moved to an inner courtyard with a roof to finish smoking, which must be really nice in the summer. I had an Escargot Pot Pie, essentially, and some grilled scallops for dinner.

Wines at the table:
2006 Domaine la Cadette La Chateleine
2003 Domaine Savary Chablis
1997 Domaine Lavantureux
2000 Bernard Raveneau Montee de Tonnerre, 1er Cru
2003 Gomaine Gachot-Minot Cotes de Nuits Village
2002 Lucien Boillot Gevrey-Chambertin Les Evocelles
2002 Meo-Camuzet Vosne-Romanee 'Les Chaumes' 1er Cru
2001 Maume Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru
2000 Domaine Francois Berthau Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru
2000 Domaine Robert Chevillon Nuits-St-George 'Les Perrieres'
1989 Pierre Guillemot Savigny-Les-Beaune 'Les Serpentiere'
2005 Bizot Vosne-Romanee Vielles Vignes

Day 4-Burgundy-The Characters

Have you ever heard someone say that you can see the winemaker's personality in their wine? Well, the next three winemaker's we visited (all at their homes and cellars) were examples of just that. Each one had a very unique personality that carried through to their wines.

Domaine Maume

Bertrand Maume was a very eccentric fellow. Our translater and driver told us he like Maume's wines better than other Burgundies because they were so unique. Other people from our group, however, did not feel the same way, and chose to stay in the car. I will not regale you with the stories they told me (which were pretty shocking), but instead tell you my impression. I am on the one hand being told this guy is a genius and on the other being told he's a creton. I think both apply. As we walked into his house, which was very unkept compared to the other houses we had visited, I could smell wet dog everywhere. In the room we tasted, there was a large fire lit to keep us warm. Maume, himself, was a very quiet, meek man, but obviously very passionate about his wine. He is one of Kermit's longest relationships and has been buying his wine for over thirty years. I'm going to give my tasting notes first and talk more about them in the end, because I left this tasting confused.

Tasting order:
2008 Cote de Nuits-Big fruit, powerful, very unusual nose
2008 Bourgogne Rouge-pinecones on the nose-single parcel from Gevrey-Chambertin
2008 Gevrey-Chambertin-15 parcels, 7 above the village and 8 at village level-30-70yr old vines-the oak really comes through the nose-gamey, leather, but in a sweet kind of way
2008 Gevrey-Chambertin 'Aux Etelois'-sits up against a Grand Cru and a 1er Cru-35yr old vines-still getting an underlying char smell or evergreen spice...red fruit in mouth
2008 Gevrey-Chambertin 'En Pallud'-70yr old vines-not my favorite, but still had lots of spritz from being pulled out of barrel
2008 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru-cuvee of Perrieres, Champeaux, and Cherbaudes-only 100 cases made-bright, spicy red fruits
2008 Gevrey-Chambertin 'Lavaux St. Jacques' 1er Cru
2008 Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru-only 2 barrels made
2008 Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru
2009 Gevrey 'Noveau' barrel sample cuvee to get an idea of vintage
2007 Gevrey-Chambertin 'Lavaux St. Jacques 1er Cru-tart cherries-bottled six months ago-a little closed off right now
2007 Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru-Earthy, mushroomey nose
2005 Pommard 'Argiliere' 1er Cru-Cranberries

The next day we were talking about these wines and finally figured out that the char and oak and pine cones I kept getting on the nose came from the fire...His fire was interfering with my sniffer. Go figure.






Bertrand Maume


Domaine Francois Bertheau

This guy, as you can see from the picture, brought to mind all sorts of comparisons...let's see, Mr. Burns, the Heatmiser from Rudolph the Red Nosed Reindeer, or the next Dark Arts teacher on Harry Potter-regardless of how much we made fun of his crazy hair and high-heeled boots, this dapper looking gentleman made some of the most powerful, elegant Pinot Noir's I have ever had the pleasure of tasting. Chambolle-Musigny is often known as the Velvet Fist and I understand why with this particular winemaker. Such beauty and grace from a wine, I have never experienced.

Tasting order:
2008 Chambolle-Musigny-beautiful color-perfumey, cedar cherry aromas
2008 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru-cuvee of four vineyards...simply unbelievable
2008 Chambolle-Musigny 'Les Charmes' 1er Cru
2008 Chambolle-Musigny 'Les Amoureuses' 1er Cru-top 1er Cru in Chambolle, this one was simply phenomenal. The second time in two days I've been left speechless by the grandeur of the wines I'm drinking-Grace, elegance, poise (just like the winemaker) with plenty of structure to carry the fruit through
2008 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru-Grape Koolaid on the nose for just a second-these wines are ethereal, heavenly, complex floral aromas intermixed with candied fruit and an elegant structure
2007 Chambolle-Musigny
2007 Chambolle-Musigny 'Les Amoureuses' 1er Cru-crystal clear, translucent with juicy, juicy fruit






Francois Berthau


Or Mr. Burns...you decide







Domaine Gachot-Minot

Our last stop of the day was at Damien Gachot's winery. A very amiable gentleman, he always had a smile and his wines were very amiable as well. Hand-harvested, this fifth generation wine-maker is eccentric about quality. Mostly Nuits-St-George, these wines were great for the money and very approachable.

Tasting order:
2008 Cote de Nuits Village-good, rich color, round and smooth on the palate, a good drinking wine
2008 Bourgogne Rouge-Tasted this right out of the tank and I thought it was excellent for the money
2008 Nuits-St-George-It's good, but it's not wow me good
2008 Nuits-St-George 'Aux Crots'-50yr old vines-much better than the last wine, very much worth the money
2008 Nuits-St-George 'Les Poulettes'-50yr old vines-This was the best of the bunch.

Then Damien pulled out a really moldy bottle:

1989 Cote de Nuits Village-there is no reason for this wine to still be viable-color is still great, structure is stll great and the nose is absolutely incredible...completely floored by this wine.




Damien's attempt at a pose for the camera and my feeble attempt to capture it.


Damien Gachot



The 1989 full of mold

Day 4-Burgundy-Gevrey-Chambertin

After Bouvier we drove to Gevrey-Chambertin to the town hall to meet Pierre Boillot, son and winemaker of Domaine Lucien Boillot et Fils. This was a great way to taste the appellations side by side from the Cote d'Or from village to village because Pierre has his hands in it all. We had lunch while we were here. This is the first meal in which we had raw vegetables in the way of a salad. We were all fighting over the lettuce. I also had the spiciest (therefore the best) mustard I've ever tasted in my life. We have represented several of these wines in the past and thought they were phenomenal, it was great to taste this staggering line-up of white and red Burgundy.

Tasting order:
2008 Puligny-Montrachet 'Les Perriers' 1er Cru-honey, custard, apples, cinnamon
2008 Les Grandes Poisots Pinot Beurot (another name for Pinot Gris)-never had a Burgundian Pinot Gris before-one of the last vineyards of Pinot Gris left in Burgundy. Pinot Gris originated in Burgundy before heading to Alsace. Really nice structure and body-round ripe apple fruits
2008 Bourgogne Rouge-Fresh, clean, bright, clear, very good structure
2008 Volnay-same parcel as the Pinot Berot, very good, same nose as '05
2008 Volnay 'Brouillards' 1er Cru-Big structure, juicy fruit. This was really good and will age nicely
2008 Volnay 'Les Angles' 1er Cru-takes its name from the triangular shape of the vineyards
2008 Volnay 'Caillerets' 1er Cru-tasted and smelled like freshly baked cherry pie
2008 Pommard-Black or bing cherry, rhubarb. I usually don't like Pommard, but I liked this one, great color.
2008 Pommard 'Fremiers' 1er Cru-more earth and oak in this one than the others, nice juicy fruit in mouth, love the palate, not the nose.
2008 Pommard 'Croix Noires' 1er Cru-80yr old vines, heavenly nose, love the nose on this one, but not the palate.
2008 Gevrey-Chambertin-not as earthy as '05, this is really, really good
2008 Gevrey-Chambertin 'Les Evocelles'-this is not a 1er Cru, however, Pierre and other vignerons bottle it separately because they believe it should be 1er Cru...delicate nose, light cherry pie in nose and mouth
2008 Gevrey-Chambertin 'La Perriere' 1er Cru-comes from name Pierre which means rock or stone-soil is very rocky w/ limestone, so a lot of minerality in nose, very firm structure-bruised apple in nose and mouth
2008 Gevrey-Chambertin 'Les Corbeaux' 1er Cru-means crow, light, strange nose, really tannic
2008 Gevrey-Chambertin 'Les Cherbaudes' 1er Cru-Generally thought to be the top 1er Cru in Gevrey...80-90yr old vines-gamey, earthy, musty on nose with delicious red currants in the mouth
2008 Nuits-St-George 'Les Pruliers' 1er Cru-100yr old vines-nice herbality to it...perfect balance between fruit and tannins
2007 Volnay 'Les Angles'-mmmmmmmmm






Pierre Boillot




Pierre and his lovely wife, Sophie

Day 4-Burgundy-Marsannay

Domaine Regis Bouvier

Our next stop was the home of Regis Bouvier where we tried his wines. Marsannay has very similar terroir to Fixin and Gevrey-Chambertin. Regis Bouvier is farmed sustainable and certified organic. He is celebrated for his rose's.

Tasting order:
2009 Marsanny Rose-this hadn't finished malolactic fermentation yet and was bright, bubblegum pink. Fantastic nose with a lush, textured body.
2009 Marsannay Blanc-Really good weight and refreshing acidity.
2008 Marsanny Les Longeroies Blanc 1er Cru-Really good, nice structure and good fruit with notes of honey-small harvest because of a hail in spring that damaged flowering.
2008 Marsannay Clos du Roy Blanc-not a 1er Cru in 2008, but will be soon.
2008 Regis Bouvier en Montre Cul Bourgogne Rouge-en Montre Cul means 'show your ass'-it comes from a phrase used in the 19th century from a vineyard that is the farthest north in Dijon on a really steep hill and the women would have to climb it and pick the grapes....the men would be at the bottom of the hill and of course yell up, 'en Montre Cul'
2008 Marsanny Clos du Roy Rouge-light on the mouth, cherry fruit, incredibly low yields, but I was not impressed.
2008 Marsannay Les Longeroies Vielles Vignes 1er Cru-60 year old vines, bright kool aid aromas, super dry...didn't like this one either
2008 Fixin-nice, deep, rich color....this is really, really good
2008 Gevrey-Chambertin-cherry lifesaver candy, this was really good, but too expensive
2008 Morey-Saint-Denis-love, love this appellation





Regis Bouvier

Day 4-Burgundy-Nuits-Saint-George

Domaine Robert Chevillon

Today started off with a bang. We met Bertrand and Deni Chevillon in their winery, (Robert is retired). This is considered the benchmark property of the appellation and I could see why. The reds were so concentrated and dense, they completely wowed me. I have loved Burgundy for a long time, but have always appreciated them for their finesse. These were powerhouses of concentration, some of these Pinot's were so dark, I couldn't even see through the glass. The fruit just burst forward and these completely blew away any Oregon Pinot I have ever tried, (and that's saying a lot). Not only that, but they were so velvety going down. Perfection in a bottle. Even the aged wines were delicious. I bought quite a bit of this winery's wares and they will be here later this year. I also bought with my own money a bottle of Marc de Bourgogne, a brandy the brothers had made from grapes and stems.

Tasting order:
2008 Aligote Bourgogne Blanc-this was really quite good for the money
2008 Chardonnay Bourgogne Blanc-I thought this was fantastic for the money as well and brought some in.
2008 Nuits-Saint-George Blanc-this was a Pinot Blanc, Chardonnay blend...very unusual for Burgundy
2008 Bourgogne Rouge Passetoutgrain-1/3 Gamay and 2/3 Pinot Noir, light, but with good color
2008 Bourgogne Rouge-Great balance between fruit and minerality
2008 Nuits-Saint-George-strawberry, rhubarb, cherry, wee bit smoky, absolutely awesome
2008 Nuits-Saint-George 'Les Bousselots' 1er Cru-Really good concentrated fruit and great structure
2008 Nuits-Saint-George 'Chaignots' 1er Cru-Really, dark beautiful color. Spicy raspberry, black cherry, cola and leather
2008 Nuits-Saint-George 'Roncieres' 1er Cru-Deeper and darker in color than the last wine
2008 Nuits-Saint-George 'Perrieres' 1er Cru-More and more concentrated with each one with darker berries each time. Juicy, mouth-filling fruit
2008 Nuits-Saint-George 'Pruliers' 1er Cru-Big, black and spicy
2008 Nuits-Saint-George 'Les Cailles' 1er Cru-This is considered a Super Premier Cru, it was so dark I couldn't see through it.
2008 Nuits-Saint-George 'Les St. Georges'-75+year old Pinot vines. You tell me.
2008 Nuits-Saint-George 'Les Vaucrains'-100+year old Pinot vines. The big daddy of all Pinot's
2007 Nuits-Saint-George 'Les Cailles'
2007 Nuits-Saint-George 'Les Saint George'
2007 Nuits-Saint-George 'Les Vaucrains'
1995 Nuits-Saint-George 'Les Saint George'-This still had power, intensity and grace. These wines age really well.




Bertrand Chevillon


Deni Chevillon

Day 3 Overview

Well, on the plus side, I got to buy some Cuban cigars today. This was one of two extremely intense days of tasting. We tasted 71 wines before dinner. Seventy-one wines!!!! Ouch. Dinner was great and relaxing and we get to wake up and do it again tomorrow! The wine of Meursault, I'll say it again, just really floored me. I have never tasted such pure, clear wine like I tasted from the producer's I tried on this day. I just got through reading an article in a wine magazine today about Meursault, which reaffirmed my experiences there.

Day 3-Burgundy-Dinner

Dinner was at Le Gourmandin tonight in Beaune. I sampled some local fare (much better than the Beef Bourgogne) tonight. Tried some escargot still in the shell and had to dig them out with the little escargot fork. Super yummy. Our french counterpart told me to let the goo drip on the bread and eat it all together. It was perfect, especially with the Chablis we were drinking. My first course was Poached Eggs in Red Wine Sauce, a true Burgundian classic. This was absolutely delicious and amazing. Next up was a Duck Breast in a Fig Red Wine Sauce, which went fabulous with the Red Burgundies we were drinking.

Wines of the evening:
2006 Bernard Ravenaux 'Butteaux' 1er Cru
2006 Bernard Ravenaux 'Blanchot' 1er Cru
2006 Domaine Roulot Meursault 'Les Luchets'
2007 Marcel Lapierre Morgon
2005 Claude Dugat Gevrey-Chambertin
2006 Domaine des Lambays Morey-Saint-Denis

Day 3-Burgundy-Meursault

This part of the day still has me mystified. I keep trying to tell myself it was the romance of being in France that made these wines seem so unearthly and magnificent, but when I look at it realistically, by this time in the day I am suffering from the worst of my jet lag, it's freezing cold, and my tongue is tired after tasting the last 24 wines from lunch. Today, however, the light bulb went on. My passion for a grape I had only previously appreciated, but never sought was ignited during this part of the trip. I know what good Chardonnay tastes like, but never do I try to seek it out and purchase it or drink it. The next three producers, all three from Meursault, not only re-introduced me to an appellation that I had no idea I liked this much, but introduced me to a style of wine-making that can only be spoken of as godly.

Domaine Arnaud Ente

Arnaud started his domaine in 1992 and has some of the smallest yields in Burgundy. He is meticulous about growing grapes and making wine and it shows in the glass. These wines woke my pallet up and said 'hello, pay attention to us'. 1997 was his first vintage and all his vineyards are farmed biodynamically.

Tasting order:
2008 Aligote-spicy, lively wine
2008 Bourgogne Blanc-very full-bodied, strong, heady Chardonnay in the nose, but with finesse and elegance on the palate.
2008 Meursault-unbelievable beautiful nose, chalky, minerally. This wine is blended from 3 Clos vineyards that are not 1er Cru
2008 Meursault 'Clos de Ambres'-55yr old Chardonnay vines-this wine was spectacular with a mushroomey nose followed by intense tropical fruits
2008 Meursault 'Les Petits Charrons'-very similar exposition and angle to 1er Cru vineyards, much more elegant and acidic than previous 2 wines
2008 Meursault 'La Goutte d'Or' 1er Cru-this had a nose of sweaty socks
2008 Meursault 'La Seve de Clos'-120 yr old Chardonnay vines- lowest yields, 1 ton/acre, lots of citrus fruits with an incredible underlying minerality
2008 Puligny des Referts 1er Cru-Tropical instead of citrus, this vineyard is on the Meursault side
2006 Meursault 'La Seve de Clos'-an incredible balance between minerality and fruit
2008 Bourgogne Rouge-100% Gamay from 100yr old Gamay vines-his dad likes this wine so much, that his allocation is larger than for the whole US
2008 Volnay 'Les Santenots du Milieu' 1er Cru Rouge-fascinating wine




Arnaud Ente and his wife


Inside of a wine barrel


One of Arnaud's vineyards


Domaine Francois Jobard

While I liked Ente's wines, Francois Jobard, to me, is famous. He is actually mentioned in Kermit's book, 'Adventures Along the Wine Route' and here I am, standing in his cellar. Francois takes steps in the vineyards that few winemakers take the time to do. His wines are organic and only use natural yeasts found in the cellar. New oak is kept to a minimum and he neither fines nor filters his wines. He lets fermenation stop in the winter when it gets cold and resumes again naturally when it gets warmer out. He releases his wines a full year after everyone else, and we are talking about Chardonnay, mind you. We were tasting '07's out of the barrel. Wtf. No wine or winery stands out more in my mind from the trip than these heavenly wines. I started out taking notes and had to stop, because I lacked the words to properly describe what it was I was experiencing. I was able to purchase some of these wines and am very much looking forward to introducing them to Oklahoma.

Tasting order:
2007 Bourgogne Blanc-crystal clear, almost luminescent, unbelievable nose, so viscous and perfectly balanced-I got some of this
2007 Meursault 'en la Barre'-this is not 1er cru, but is the vineyard behind his house (see pic below)-I got some of this too
2007 Meursault 'Tillets'-it's nose is so exquisite it's like perfume
2007 Puligny-Montrachet 'Le Trezin' 1er Cru
2007 Meursault 'Blagny' 1er Cru
2007 Meursault 'Poruzots' 1er Cru
2007 Meursault 'les Genevrieres' 1er Cru
2007 Meursault 'les Charmes' 1er Cru
2006 Meursault 'en la Barre'-this had a lot more structure than the '07
2006 Meursault 'les Poruzots' 1er Cru
2006 Meursault 'les Genevreieres'

At this point in the tasting Jobard, who never spoke a word, except maybe for Bonjour and Merci, disappears to the depths of his cellar and comes back with this bottle


1985 Meursault Blagny-I actually smelled tangerines coming out of this wine. So beautiful.




The man on the left is Monsieur Francois Jobard


Jobard's wine casks-where the magic happens


Old bottles of Meursault covered in mold in his cellar


More moldy bottles, look at the one on the left. You can only see the impression of the bottle in the mold. He knows what vintage each one of these wines are.


1996 Meursault Poruzots


en la Barre Vineyard

Domaine Roulot

Jean-Marc Roulot has been involved in his family's wine business his whole life and his family has been active in Burgundy since 1827. Low yields, organic farming, natural yeasts in cellar all lead to one of the most sought after Burgundy producers on the market. He was the first wine-maker in Meursault to bottle according to village vineyard sites, even though they weren't Premier Cru. Roulot's vineyards are adjacent to Coche's, whom I'll talk about shortly. A different style of wine-making than Jobard, but his wines were every bit as expressive as Jobard's. I think my palate is dying at this point, but we'll see.

Tasting order:
2008 Bourgogne Aligote
2008 Bourgogne Blanc-really nice minerality, perfume-like, almost floral like the soap you get in a hotel room
2008 Meursault 'Vireuils'-tangerines, perfume and lavender on the nose
2008 Meursault 'Les Meix Chavaux'
2008 Meursault 'Luchets'
2008 Meursault 'Tillets'
2008 Meursault 'Tessons'
2008 Meursault-Boucheres 1er Cru-sweet, ripe oranges
2008 Meursault-Charmes 1er Cru
2008 Meursault-Perrieres 1er Cru
2004 Meursault-Charmes 1er Cru
2008 Bourgogne Rouge-strawberries, rhubarb and cola
2008 Monthiele Rouge-really concentrated clean fruit, spicy backbone and good minerality-we should be getting some of this
2008 Auxey-Duresses-love this appellation, a lot!!!


Jean-Marc Roulot






Wall of Roulot









Domaine Coche-Dury

Jean-Francois Coche-Dury aka Coche (koash) is one of the most sought after Burgundy producers in the market today. He makes miniscule quantities and very few cases come to the US. His annual production is 4500 cases, but he makes 30 or 40 different kinds of wine. In France, you can tell if a restaurant is Coche approved because it will have his wine on the list at affordable prices. Anywhere else in the world and your paying 4 to ten times as much. I felt very fortunate to have the opportunity to taste these exquisite examples of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

Tasting order:
2007 Meursault-very aromatic, zesty green apple and citrus
2007 Puligny-Montrachet 'Les Enseigneres'-Pineapple and coconut
2007 Meursault 'Les Rougeots'
2007 Meursault 'Les Perrieres'
2007 Corton-Charlemagne-Grand Cru-I wrote down that this is the best of the day, but little did I know what was coming down the pike!
2007 Auxey-Duresses Rouge
2007 Pommard Vaumuries(?)-this had been bottled the day before
1999 Meursault 'Les Rougeots'-this wine is still bristling with acidity ten years later
1997 Monthelie Cote de Beaune-still young, vibrant and healthy. This woke our tongues back up even though this is the 70th wine of the day. At this point Coche runs out of the room and comes back with this bottle.
1996 Corton-Charlemagne-Grand Cru-by far the best wine of the entire day...words cannot express the magnificence of this glass of wine, I quit spitting a long time ago.


Coche






Coche's cellar