BEAUJOLAIS
Just forget Beaujolais Noveau. The Beaujolais wine area has much more to offer than short-lived mode flip wines, which aren't at all representative of the quality of Beaujolais.
Beaujolais is a wine area south of Burgundy, and its northern neighbor is Macon. Its AOC is divided into Beaujolais, Beaujolais Villages, and ten Beaujolais Crus. Here, red wines are made from Gamay grape variety, an early ripening one. It produces a big yield when young and then significantly decreases when it reaches age around 50 years old.
Thanks to massive investments and talented and focused winemakers, the quality of Beaujolais Crus has considerably risen in recent years. Several winemakers make wines as good as the village wines from Cote de Beaune, Cote de Nuits, and Vosne Romanée.
While posting tasting notes in August 2021 on a Bordeaux wine blog, one of its members strongly encouraged me to try something different than Bordeaux, and by that, he meant Chateau Thivin in Odenas, Cote de Brouilly. This producer specializes in Cote de Brouilly wines and has produced these since the 19th century. Their website - https://www.chateau-thivin.com/en/
I tasted two wines from the 2018 vintage beginning in August 2021. Maybe Gamay is not a famous grape variety like Pinot Noir, but it truly shines here at Chateau Thivin! It was quite a discovery, eye-opener, and proof that Beaujolais can offer wine lovers wines of high quality.
Some terrific Beaujolais wines were tasted in August 2021!
Cote de Brouilly Les Griottes de Brulhie 2018
This wine originates from a 5-hectare vineyard located in the heart of the Brouilly hill. Manual harvest, vinified partly in whole bunches and aging in large oak foudres for 7-9 months. Griottes refer to morello cherries, and it's no surprise that their flavor and aroma are much more recognizable in the wine. A delicate nose of morello cherries and black cherries, accompanied by dried herbs, wild strawberries, and redcurrants. Mineral on the palate with discreet acidity, velvety, and delicate taste. Tannin keeps itself in the background, allowing the wine to express its freshness and fruitness. Fine in length with a silky finish. My first encounter with this producer, and I'm thrilled to have tasted this expressive and well-made wine! 91-92p.
Cote de Brouilly Godefroy 2018
This wine is produced from a single plot (28.3 hectares) of 80-100-year-old vines located on the lower slopes of Brouilly. Manual harvest, vinified partly in whole bunches and aging in large oak foudres for 7-9 months. I tasted this wine alongside Les Griottes de Brulhie, which had different flavors and aromas than LGdB. Fatter and with more intensity and concentration. The nose was filled with the scent of black cherries and had a rose-like aroma. It was mineral on the palate with wild cherries, freshness, vibrancy, and bright acidity. Tannin was almost unnoticeable. It's a complex wine with flowing midpalate and great length. Sublimely lingering finish. Terrific and impressive stuff. 93+p.
Cote de Brouilly "La Chapelle" 2019
This cuvée comes from the vineyard right on the top of Brouilly mountain. Superb wine, pure and polished, wild strawberries but no cherries, violets, crushed stones, and some minerality. Potent and with nuanced complexity. It kept well until the next day and revealed more acidity. Lovely effort. 92p.
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More excellent Beaujolais wines tasted during the summer of 2022!
Following the excellent experience with Chateau Thivin wines in Cote de Brouilly, I turned my attention to Morgon wines from brilliant winemakers like Jean Foillard and Jean-Marc Burgaud, Guy Breton, Marcel Lapierre, Louis Claude Desvignes, and Mee Godard. I purchased their Morgon Cote de Puy and the single vineyard/luxury bottlings, mainly in vintage 2019. I did taste a basic Morgon 2019 from Jean Foillard, which was terrific. I was also encouraged to try wines from Coudert's Clos de Roilette from Fleurie.
In June 2022, I did a Morgon and Fleurie comparative tasting of the single vineyard wines + plus luxury cuvees from different producers, 13 wines in all, including Thivin's Cuvee Zaccharie from Cotes de Brouilly as a kind of reference wine. Mostly 2019 vintage and some 2018. Almost all the wines were a wonderful experience.
Jean-Marc Burgaud - has a diploma in enology and wine growing and began making wines in 1989. Today, there are 19 ha of vines, and Morgon counts for 13 ha. He practices complete carbonic fermentation and whole cluster vinification, including stems. No sulfur is added during the vinification, but a little is added to the wine before the bottling.
I tasted his luxury cuvees, Javernieres and James, in vintage 2019, an which are incredible value for money. Powerful with dense dark fruit, concentrated, vibrant, and sophisticated with perfect acidity and complexity. 30 Euros per/bottle!! 96p rating for both.
Guy Breton - Morgon P’tit Max 2019. It comes from 1 hectare of 100+-year-old vines in the lieu-dit of Les Charmes in Cote de Puy. The wine is aged for ten months in used barrels from Domaine de la Romanée-Conti and then bottled without fining or filtration. Elegant and delicate, yet concentrated, with notes of cherries and violets. Impressive. 93-94p.
Alain Coudert - Produces powerful Fleuries from the Clos de La Roilette vineyard bordering the Moulin-a-Vent district. Because of this location, his Fleuries tend to be more potent and concentrated than other producers' wines from this commune. He makes three cuvees, standard Fleurie, Fleurie Vendange Tardive, and Fleurie Griffe de Marquis. I tasted the latter in two vintages: Eighty-year-old vines and one year of aging in Burgundy oak barrels. Both 2018 and 2019 were sensual, mineral, and highly seductive. Milk chocolate and mashed wild cherries. Delicacies! Incredible value for the money! 95p rating for both wines.
Jean Foillard - a cult producer in Beaujolais, crafts wines of great elegance, finesse, and richness. His Fleuries are so delicious and seductive. Wow. 2018 - 92+p, 2019 - 93+p. Morgon Corcelette 2018 had a refined and elegant nose of spicy cherries and strawberries, bright acidity, splendid structure, and a vibrant, stony, mineral palate, with a long finish. Excellent stuff. It's worth cellaring for at least ten years. 94p. His Morgon Corcelette 2019 offered a more refined touch, elegance, depth, mid-palate, and length than in 2018. Gorgeous effort! Please keep it for at least ten years. 94+p.
Mee Godard -The owner, Mee Godard, is from South Korea, and she settled in Beaujolais in 2013. She's a talented winemaker who produces deep, concentrated, and intense wines for long-term keeping.
Her basic Morgon Cote de Puy wines in 2018 and 2019 vintages represented excellent value for money when tasted in April 2022. Juicy, packed with fruit, intense and complex. 94p for both wines.
2019 Morgon Passerelle 577 is the blend of the best cuvees selected from Cote du Puy. Powerful stuff, yellow plums (mirabelles) and morello cherries on the nose, crushed rocks, spicy, strong structure, and backbone, long finish. Superb stuff to be cellared for 8-10 years. 95+p.
Marcel Lapierre - Morgon Cuvee MMXIX. It's produced from a small selection of Cote du Puy mountain parcels, with no use of sulfur during vinification. This 2019 was fabulously refined on the nose and palate. Cherries wrapped in milk chocolate have minerality and bright acidity, are complex, flowing midpalate, have great structure, and have a long, velvety finish. The result is a stunningly beautiful wine that surely will benefit from further cellaring. 96+p.
Louis Claude Desvignes - this producer has his headquarters in in the Morgon village. The style is a lighter and more refined version of Beaujolais compared to top producers here. The wines are aged in concrete vats, and they don't see oak of any kind.
The 2019 Morgon Javernières (from 60-year-old vines) was very cherry and floral, with notes of peony, seductive and elegant. However, the aftertaste was a bit too short, and the wine, overall, was somewhat light and lacked complexity. A wine made from such high-quality grapes must be aged in oak barrels; otherwise, it's a missed opportunity to create something extraordinary. 91p.
Thivin - a cult producer in Odenas, Cote de Brouilly. Zaccharie cuvée is the property's flagship and comes from the best plots in the vineyards of La Chapelle and Godefroy, situated on the slopes of Côte de Brouilly. Fifty-year-old vines, manual harvest, vinified partly with whole bunches, aged nine months in French oak. 2019 vintage tasted like Burgundy wine of excellent quality, coming from Chambolle Musigny, Nuits St. Georges, or Vosne Romanée. Expressive nose of black cherries, complex, vibrant, luscious, and creamy. Long-lasting finish. Sheer beauty. Awesome stuff! 96-97p.
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All wines were double decanted, poured into a carafe and back into the bottle, and stayed there for 1-1.5 hours. All wines were tasted with labels visible. There were 11 participants.
Last year I tasted 2018 and 2019 vintage from producers listed below, except Yvon Metras, Yann Bertrand, Domaine Anita, and Yohan Lardy. This time, it was mostly 2020 vintage to taste. For the sae of comparison, I added wines from these four highly acclaimed producers mentioned above in vintages 2019, 2020, and 2021 to the tasting.
FLIGHT 1:
YVON METRAS FLEURIE ”LES PRINTEMPS” 2019
He is one of the most recognized producers of Beaujolais, especially for his Fleurie cuvées, which he produces biodynamically. Handpicked grapes, vinified in whole bunches. He uses semi-carbonated maceration at a very low temperature without sulfur, using only native yeasts. Small quantities and huge demand mean that the price of his wines is extremely high. Since 2014, his son Jules has taken over the winemaker's duties.
Sadly, I couldn’t find many positives in this wine. It was a boring intro, flat and lacking complexity, nerve, vigor, and length on the palate. Weak on the nose, light on the palate with just “a couple” of strawberries. It was our tasting's most expensive wine (50 Euros), so we got very little in return. Maybe it is too young to taste now. Big disappointment. 85p.
ALAIN COUDERT FLEURIE CLOS DE LA ROILETTE GRIFFE DE MARQUIS 2019
Alain Coudert is considered one of the finest producers in Beaujolais. His property, Clos de la Roilette, a hamlet in the village of Fleurie, covers nine hectares of one of the best slopes in this Beaujolais Cru. The vineyard is located very close to the border of the Moulin-a-Vent appellation. The soil here is atypically rich in clay (25% in contrast to the rest of the appellation, which is all granite) and manganese. This clay is only found in a radius of 50 hectares, and the result is a more structured wine, somewhere between a "typical" Fleurie (floral and elegant) and a Moulin-à-Vent (structured and muscular).
Alain Coudert vinifies in a more Fleurie style because he wants freshness and fruit. Vinification is the traditional, semi-carbonated Beaujolais style with maturation in large wooden barrels. He makes three cuvees, standard Fleurie, “Vendange Tardive,” and “Griffe de Marquis.” The latter is made from grapes coming from eighty-year-old vines and aged one year in Burgundy oak barrels.
This wine lambasted its competitor in this flight. Fresh black cherries, blackberries, and strawberries are paired with milk chocolate on the nose. The wine exhibits delicate complexity, a great midpalate, and a long finish. The texture is seamless, displaying great finesse and a creamy finish. This is an impressive effort. 94p.
FLIGHT 2:
YANN BERTRAND (LES BERTRANDS) FLEURIE OLIVIA CUVEE CHAOS 2020
Born in Fleurie, Yann Bertrand never thought he would become a winemaker. He briefly studied commerce at a local university and then traveled around the French Alps for a few years. On his return to Beaujolais, Yann began to learn from the circle of famous producers, including renowned winemakers such as Jean Foillard, Yvon Metras, and Marcel Lapierre.
Domaine Les Bertrands is a 7.5-ha vineyard, mostly in Fleurie and a little in Morgon. The vineyard is packed with old vines – the youngest is 30 years old, and the oldest is 110 years old, planted on extremely fine sandy granite soil. He practices whole bunch fermentation developed in Beaujolais, with no added SO2 and natural yeast. The grapes spend a night in a cold cellar and are fermented in large concrete tanks using 100% carbonic maceration. They stay there for 25 days and mature in small wooden barrels for 7-10 months.
Something was fascinating about this wine. It had a special flavor of dried herbs (thyme was evident) and morello cherries mixed with blueberries, peonies, and rosebush. The palate was elegant with finesse, complex, tasty, and refined. Stylish and superb effort from this emerging star in Fleurie, Yann Bertrand! 93+p.
ALAIN COUDERT FLEURIE CLOS DE LA ROILETTE GRIFFE DE MARQUIS 2020
It was similar to its one-year-old sister or brother, with a bit more complexity and length. It is a bit more bombastic in fruit intensity as well. Still, it’s excellent quality wine here! 94-95p.
FLIGHT 3:
JEAN FOILLARD MORGON COTE DE PUY 2020
Founded in 1981 by Jean and Agnès Foillard. Most of Domaine Jean Foillard's organically grown vineyards are planted on the old volcano, Côte du Py, outside Villié-Morgon village. The vines cover around 14 hectares and range from 10 to 90 years old.
Vinification is traditional, with whole bunch fermentation during 3-4 weeks. No chaptalization is done. The wine is then aged 6-9 months in used oak barrels and bottled without fining or filtration.
It was an excellent Morgon wine with an intense nose of cherries, raspberries, and strawberries mixed with grated chocolate. It possessed grace, vibrancy, fabulous complexity, excellent mid-palate, and a sensually delicate finish. Wow! 95+p.
MEE GODARD MORGON COTE DE PUY 2020
The domain is located in Villié-Morgon. Originally from South Korea, Mee Godard was adopted by a French couple in 1977. After studying biology and biochemistry, she traveled to Oregon for three years. Back in France, she worked in Champagne and Burgundy. In 2013, she bought 5 ha of vines in Morgon from a retired farmer. Today, she has 5.4 hectares in Morgon divided between Corcelette, Grand Cras, and Côte de Puy and 1.1 ha at Moulin-à-Vent. She works according to the principles of organic farming without certification.
The harvest is done by hand, in boxes, to prevent damaging the bunches. Most of the crop (70 to 100%) is vinified with whole bunches. Fermentation is carried out at a low temperature, adding yeast if necessary. Aging of 11 to 12 months is carried out in a combination of neutral casks, tuns, and 600 l oak casks. The style here is dark, deep, concentrated, and intense wines with great keeping potential.
This wine matched perfectly with the other competitors in the flight, so to say, to the last meter. However, the style was different. Mee Godard’s had darker fruit (black cherries and blackberries), a stronger backbone, and more concentration on the palate. This excellent wine can easily be kept for at least ten years and probably even longer. 95p.
FLIGHT 4:
Corcelette is a single vineyard located on a granite hill in the southeastern part of Morgon with sandy soil and old vines.
JEAN FOILLARD MORGON CORCELETTE 2020
This wine was similar to Morgon Cote de Puy on the previous flight, with slightly more elegance and finesse. Superb quality once again. 95p.
MEE GODARD MORGON CORCELETTE 2020
It's a more complete, nuanced, and longer finish here than her Cote de Puy. Plenty of dark cherries and blackberries. 95-96p.
FLIGHT 5:
MEE GODARD MORGON GRAND CRAS 2020
Grand Cras is a parcel located at the foot of the old volcano, Cote de Puy, and the soil here is blue granite.
Once again, we were presented with a stunner wine from this incredibly talented producer. Aromatic black cherries and dried herbs (anis), great intensity on the nose, creamy palate with great complexity, vibrancy, and meaty finish. 96p.
YANN BETRAND (LES BERTRANDS) MORGON BIO DYNAMITE 2020
The grapes come from a tiny plot of 60-year-old vines situated right on the border of Fleurie and Morgon, with soil composed of granite and clay.
It had a great combination of elegance, finesse, intensity, power, refinement, drive, and a sumptuous finish. It was a super-exciting effort. 95p.
FLIGHT 6:
MORGON JAVERNIERES 2020
This wine is made from grapes from a small parcel, "Javernieres", on the eastern side of the old inactive volcano Côte de Py, with approximately 55-year-old vines. Usually, only 2-3 casks of this top Beaujolais are produced and aged 12 months in newer French oak casks before bottling.
We had here a wine oozing with sheer class, style, and fabulous craftsmanship. A full-blood Beaujolais with great density and plenty of aromas very reminiscent of young, first-class Burgundy wines. Black cherries and blackberries on the nose, great concentration, acidity, minerality, Sophisticated, vibrant, and with great midpalate. It can easily hold for at least 15 years in the cellar. Totally awesome stuff. 96-97p.
MORGON JAMES 2020
This wine is made from grapes coming from a minuscule ½-ha parcel on top of the ancient volcano, Côte du Py, where the 55-year-old vines give minerality, intensity, and concentration to the wine. It’s aged for 12 months in newer French oak barrels before bottling. This cuvee is named after Jean-Marc's favorite film with Pierce Brosnan as James Bond.
It is similar to Javernieres with a little more complexity and length. We are talking about “millimeters in difference”. It was as riveting and impressive. Fantastic effort. 97p.
FLIGHT 7:
A cult producer in Odenas, Cote de Brouilly. The soil here is a mixture of stone and clay. Godefroy is a small 0.70-ha plot in the lower part of the Cote de Brouilly. 80-100 year old vines. The Zaccharie bottling is the estate's flagship and comes from the best plots in the vineyards of La Chapelle and Godefroy, located on the mountain of Cote de Brouilly. Fifty-year-old vines. Godefroy and Zaccharie are manually harvested and vinified partly with whole bunches, nine months in French oak. These are highly aromatic, complex, and refined wines that, tasted blind, could be mistaken for a Premier Cru from Cote de Nuits.
COTE DE BROUILLY GODEFROY 2020
It was very aromatic with black cherries and discrete acidity. Vibrant on the palate with great acidity, complexity, and midpalate. Luscious cherries and raspberries. Seamless and long creamy finish. It's very similar to the 2019 version but more polished. Stupendous effort. 96p.
COTE DE BROUILLY CUVEE ZACCHARIE 2020
Understandably, there was more intensity and complexity here compared to Godefroy. It’s one of the finest wines from Beaujolais you can get, and it is pretty affordable. 96+p.
FLIGHT 8:
DOMAINE ANITA MOULIN-A-VENT “COEUR DE VIGNERONNE” 2021
Since 2015, Anita Kuhnel, a former cyclist, has produced wines from 6 Beaujolais appellations: Moulin à Vent, Morgon, Chénas, Fleurie, Beaujolais, and Beaujolais-Villages. Her bestseller wine, Coeur de Vigneronne, comes from the village Chenas les Caves, which has granite soil and granitic subsoil with a high amount of manganese. The vineyard has an east-south/east exposure, is cultivated at a high altitude (220 meters), and the vines are, on average, 45 years old.
Vinification is 20% whole clusters and 80% destemmed grapes. Total maceration takes ten days. The wine is aged for 11 months in oak barrels, mainly from Burgundy, and spends five months in the bottle before being released.
This wine was recently rated 100p (!) by Stuart Pigott, who writes about Beaujolais for James Suckling. I couldn’t relate to his overly enthusiastic description of it, and I think his perfect rating is misplaced. Flowery with roses, OK, weak aromas, no freshness, some complexity, and acidity, but the flavors were artificial, as f.i. bubble gum with banana flavor. Off bottle or too young to taste now?? 87p.
YOHAN LARDY MOULIN-A-VENT (1903) 2021
A young Beaujolais winemaker who owns a few hectares of old Gamay vines on plots planted in 1911 and 1950 on the heights of Cru Moulin-à-Vent in the "Les Michelons" climate. The harvest is manual, and the vinification takes place in whole bunches with native yeasts. Moulin-à-Vent Vieilles Vignes 1903 comes from Gamay vines planted in 1903 on a micro terroir of 75 acres of sand, pink granite, and white quartz. No herbicides or synthetic products are used in cultivating the vineyard. The wine matures for 12 months in large wooden barrels.
This wine was praised a lot by the same Stuart Pigott (see above). However, it crashed during the tasting and was more or less a complete disaster. No freshness and no fruit present, green flavors, and tasted mostly of cucumber peel. How in the world you can’t produce a great wine from such old vines! Absolutely nothing indicated that this wine was from Beaujolais. Off bottle or too young to taste now?? For now, 80p.
FINALE:
Trust your taste, and don’t rely 100% on what wine critics tell you. This is the lesson I got from the tasting above, which was a terrific insight into what Beaujolais Crus can achieve in terms of quality!
It confirmed my personal choice of favorite producers (Jean Foillard, Mee Godard, Alain Coudert, Jean-Marc Burgaud, and Thivin). A new and exciting addition has been the young winemaker Yann Bertrand (Les Bertrands), whose two wines participating in the tasting had a very personal style but were still very Beaujolais.
The 2020 vintage is excellent for Beaujolais, and it rounds up the run of three superb vintages in a row!
A side note. One month ago, I tasted 2022 vintage at a wine merchant in Copenhagen, from Jean-Louis Dutraive, Domaine de La Grand Cour in Fleurie. Among the seven wines tasted, my cherry pick was Grand Cour, Fleurie Lieu-dit Champ*gne 2022. Aromatic with morello cherries, sappy, well-composed with elegance and finesse on the palate, fine acidity, well-structured, and delicate finish. 93p. One of the tasters asked him about the longevity of J-L. Dutraive wines, and he responded by taking a 2013 Fleurie Clos de la Grand Cour. Even though this vintage belongs in the “average” category, it was a delicate, subtle, and elegant wine that kept its stride at the age of 10 years. It tasted very much of strawberries and was quite reminiscent of aged Burgundy. 92p.
BURGUNDY
Tasting dinner with Domaine Perrot Minot wines, Bistro Boheme, Copenhagen, 29th January 2020
It was a great display of wines from a very established producer in Morey-Saint-Denis, Domaine Perrot-Minot, at the end of January 2020. Løgismose Vin arranged the tasting at a cozy restaurant, Bistro Boheme, which served delicious food. Christophe Perrot-Minot and his wife came to Copenhagen in January 2020 with a range of wines to taste during the wine dinner.
Thilde Maarbjerg, the chef sommelier at Løgismose and, before that, in the same function at restaurant Kong Hans, was present at the tasting and so kind and generous to add two wines to taste to already announced six wines for the tasting. It was 2016 Morey-St. Denis La Rue de Vergy and 2016 Vosne-Romanée Les Champs Perdrix.
Domaine Perrot-Minot is 100% organic, owns 12.5 ha, vinify with up to 60% whole clusters, and uses a maximum of 20% new oak for his wines. He practices zero fining and zero filtration in his wines. The style is elegance, finesse, pure expression of Pinot Noir, great style, intensity, and sophisticated touch. You can't feel the tannin – his wines are so perfectly balanced! The wines are sensual!
Wines from Perrot-Minot aren't cheap – you pay well and more for very high quality.
Christophe Perrot-Minot
We started with two vintages of Morey-Saint-Denis, La Rue de Vergy, in 2015 and 2016. It's a 1.5-ha big stony vineyard with rocks on the top of a famous Grand Cru vineyard, Clos de Tart. It brings minerality, elegance, and finesse to the wines.
2015 - mineral, ripe raspberries, subtle, elegant, and stylish. A dense structure on the palate and a meaty finish. Very attractive and delicious. 93p.
2016 – late harvest, 50% of production lost due to frost. Very similar to 2015, but perhaps with a bit more complexity, depth, and intensity. Subtle. 93+p.
Then we tasted two wines from Vosne Romanée, both in vintage 2016.
Vosne Romanée Vieilles Vignes – more clay, resulting in more concentration, 0.9 ha, including two parcels with 45-year-old vines. Black cherry fruit creamy has excellent acidity and is stylish, deep, and long. Impressive. 93+p.
Vosne Romanée Les Champs Perdrix – more limestones here, 0.7 ha on the top of La Romanée and La Tache. It is a very stylish and sophisticated wine with extraordinary purity, complexity, decadently fruity, and long finish. 94p.
The next flight included the following wines:
2014 Chambolle Musigny 1. Cru Les Fuées – vineyard close to Bonnes Mares, vines planted in 1945, only 0.23 ha. Creamy and potent stuff, great complexity, purity of fruit, and sophisticated, long, and persistent finish. Sublime wine. 94+p.
2014 Nuits St. Georges 1. Cru La Richemone Vignes Centenaires (Ultra) – 0.65 ha with vines originating from 1902. Very intense and creamy on the palate and utterly aromatic on the nose, with pure spicy cherry and raspberry fruit, impressive depth, complexity, and a sophisticated touch. Stunning effort. 95+p.
Then, to round the tasting up, we were treated to the following wines:
2012 Griotte Chambertin – situated close to another Grand Cru vineyard, Clos de Beze, 60-year-old vines and grapes obtain full ripeness quite early due to the vineyard facing south and getting a lot of sun. Immensely expressive wine with remarkable complexity and depth, sublime and striking elegance and finesse. 96p.
2007 Chambertin Clos de Beze – Christophe Perrot-Minot doesn't own this vineyard. He buys grapes from his very good friend Pierre Damoy, who owns 5 ha of different Grand Cru vineyards in Chambertin. Christophe Perrot Minot vinifies the purchased grapes in his way. An immense, big concentration of dark fruit, but if you expect a hammer blow, you will be disappointed. You get creamy, sophisticated, and sublime stuff with stunning elegance and finesse. Utterly expressive wine! 96+p.
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In January 2020, Danish merchant Philipson Wine arranged a similar Burgundy tasting in 2018 (read below), with 2016 in red and 2017 in white. More than 60 wines in all.
I tasted many reds but only a few whites as I needed more time.
Henri Boillot:
To many Burgundy experts, Henri Boillot is one of the best white wine producers in the area.
2017 Puligny Montrachet 1. Cru Clos de la Mouchere (Monopole) - a very mineral wine with great freshness, acidity, and complexity. Intense, concentrated, refined, and impressive in length. Made from 50+ years old vines. Better than the 2016 version of it. Simply brilliant! 96p.
2017 Corton Charlemagne is an imposing and sophisticated wine with excellent acidity, complexity, and structure. Multi-layered and rich in nuances. Long, long finish. 96+p.
Marquis d'Angerville:
Famous domain in Volnay with its clone of Pinot Noir.
2016 Volnay Champans 1. This wine is somewhat behind the 2015 version and not as exuberantly fruity and attractive. However, it's still a lovely wine with pure fruit expression, pleasing complexity, and balance. 92p.
Domaine Frederic Esmonin:
A family-owned estate based in Gevrey Chambertin. They started producing estate-bottled wines in 1987. Prices are very consumer-friendly here.
2016 Pernand-Vergelesses Les Boutieres – fruity and aromatic, fine structure and nice finish. Very good quality for the money. 89p.
2016 Cote-de-Nuits Villages - more intensity here than in PVLB, pleasant cherry aroma, smooth and inviting, round on the palate, silky tannin, and pretty lovely fruity finish. 90p.
2016 Gevrey Chambertin Vieilles Vignes – an aromatic and tasty mix of raspberries and cherries, a potent vine with splendid complexity, depth, and length. 91p.
2016 Gevrey Chambertin 1. Cru Estournelles St.Jacques - you feel and taste the elegance and finesse combined with delicate balance, purity, structure, and style. To be kept for several years. 92p.
2016 Charmes Chambertin – potent, with great complexity and length, intense fruit, and long caressing finish. To be kept for at least 10+ years. 94p.
Lucien Boillot:
2016 Gevrey Chambertin – charming and tasty wine, round and attractive. On the light side. 87p.
2016 Gevrey Chambertin 1. Cru Les Cherbaudes - more intensity and concentration here than in Village wine. It is more complex, more profound, and has a long finish. 88-89p.
Domaine Henri Felletig:
Grapes come from many parcels situated in Cotes de Nuits.
2016 Bourgogne Rouge - OK, light, charming, elegant, and tasty wine. 86p.
2016 Chambolle Musigny Vieilles Vignes - slightly better on the nose and palate than 2016 Bourgogne Rouge, but still a bit light for my taste and with a short finish. 87p.
2016 Chambolle Musigny Clos Village – similar to CM VV, maybe slightly longer on the finish. 87p.
Hudelot Baillet:
Based in Chambolle Musigny.
2016 Bourgogne Rouge – round, pleasant, tasty wine to be drunk quickly. 86p.
2016 Chambolle Musigny – a bit more of everything here than in Bourgogne Rouge, but still slightly four-square wine, in my honest opinion. It's very different from an excellent 2015 vintage of the exact wine. 87-88p.
Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux:
This estate has existed for over 150 years and is close to Vosne Romanée village, where some of the best Burgundy wines are made. Impressive range of wines.
2016 Bourgogne Rouge Pinot Fin - a pure, forward, ripe cherry fruit that is very nicely composed. It's quite nice wine with strong consumer appeal. 88p.
2016 Nuits St.Georges - more elegance and better structure here, pure style, elegant and well-knitted, maybe a bit more spicy and aromatic wine here. 91p.
2016 Vosne Romanee - strong cherry perfume, refined with splendid complexity, seductive with silky tannin, outstanding balance, and depth. 92p.
2016 Echezeaux – excellent aromatic intensity of cherries and raspberries, excellent complexity and balance, thick texture, fat and creamy. Great prospects. 94-95p.
Domaine Fourrier:
2016 Gevrey Chambertin Vieilles Vignes – very expressive and aromatic wine, tasty, deep, and creamy on the palate with a smooth finish. Clever winemaking here. 92p.
Domaine de La Vougeraie:
2016 Bourgogne Pinot Noir Terres de Famille – aromatic, round, and attractive, on the light side, pleasant, and with a soft fruity aftertaste. For early drinking. 87p.
2016 Gevrey Chambertin – more intensity and structure here compared to Bourgogne PN, same aromatic picture, tasty, and with a good bite. Fruity finish. 88p.
2016 Gevrey Chambertin 1. Cru Bel Air Eco – very similar to village wine. It is slightly more concentrated and with a long finish. 88-89p.
2016 Clos de Vougeot Eco – I have expected more from this Grand Cru. This wine has elegance, finesse, and nice complexity. It tasted light and uninspired for the quality, but maybe this is an awkward stage. We hope it'll improve with time. 91+?p
Domaine Perrot Minot:
Based in Morey St.Denis and run by Christophe Perrot-Minot since 1993. Old vines here - 40-100 years old, max: 20% new oak, careful vinification, no fining, and no filtration. Creamy and refined wines with great depth and intensity impress a lot.
2016 Morey St. Denis La Rue de Vergy - late harvest, 50% of production lost due to frost. Very similar to 2015, but perhaps with a bit more complexity, depth, and intensity. Subtle. 93+p.
2016 Gevrey Chambertin – fabulous stuff, pure expression of Pinot Noir, so stylish and complex, great length and depth. 94p.
2016 Charmes Chambertin is a huge, deep, utterly concentrated wine with stunning purity and complexity, finished with fat fruit and a very classy touch of oak. Awesome stuff. 97p.
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Danish merchant, Philipson Wine, arranged this Burgundy Prestige tasting at the end of November 2018
I recently went to a tasting of 60 Burgundy wines, red and white wines, and found myself enjoying these. A large number of excellent wines and exactly my taste! I haven't tasted wines from the producers listed below, so it was a true thrill. 2015 vintage in red and 2016 in white. Red 2015 is a very ripe, exuberantly fruity, and delicious vintage.
I'm not a newbie to Burgundy as I have tasted a reasonable amount of these through all these 34 years my wine writer work has lasted until now (2018). However, I haven't visited this famous wine-producing area yet, but I hope to do it in 2019 or 2020.
They were pouring delicacies!
Henri Boillot:
To many Burgundy experts, Henri Boillot is one of the best white wine producers in the area. Reds are steadily improving as Henri Boillot's son, Guillaume, focuses on improving the quality.
2015 Volnay Les Chevrets 1. Cru - fresh, energetic, aromatic nose of cherries and red fruit, elegant with finesse, delicate complexity, discrete oak, and grained tannin. Sublime wine. 92p.
2016 Bourgogne Chardonnay - freshness, charming, tropical fruit, tasty. Enjoyable. 88p.
2016 Meursault - so typical for Chardonnay grape aroma of melted butter, clean and intense, fine acidity and nerve. Complex with great distinction and length. Not bad at all. 92p.
2016 Puligny Montrachet Villages - excellent wine with fine acidity and energy, aromatic and well-knitted palate. Good intensity and length, 92p.
2016 Puligny Montrachet 1. Cru Clos de la Mouchere (Monopole) - a very mineral wine with great freshness, acidity, and complexity. Intense, concentrated, refined, and impressive in length. Made from 50+ years old vines. Simply brilliant! 95+p.
Domaine Y. Clerget:
Little family estate in Volnay is run today by the 28th generation of the Clerget family (since 1268). 2015 Volnay showed great intensity, strong backbone, good depth, and refined, elegant style. A gentle dose of oak here works well together with ripe fruit. Stylish wine. 92p.
Marquis d'Angerville:
Famous domain in Volnay with its clone of Pinot Noir planted.
2015 Volnay Champans 1. Cru is a vigorous, creamy ripe fruit with great intensity and concentration, delicate, complex, and refined balance. Long meaty finish. Excellent wine. 94p.
Domaine Frederic Esmonin:
A family-owned estate based in Gevrey Chambertin, and started first to produce domain bottled wines in 1987. Before that, all production was sold to Jadot and Leroy. I was impressed by the elegance and finesse, underlying intensity, and power of tasted wines. Prices are very consumer-friendly.
2015 Gevrey Chambertin Vieilles Vignes - Elegant wine, silky fruit, and tannin, delicate balance, already quite accessible and pleasant to drink. Catchy elegance here. I will keep it for several years. 91p.
2015 Gevrey Chambertin 1. Cru Les Champonnets - more intense and acidity here, very cherry, smooth and inviting, round, silky tannin, and a fine fruity finish. 91-92p.
2015 Gevrey Chambertin 1. Cru Estournelles St.Jacques - even more of everything than in Les Champonnets. You feel and taste the elegance and finesse combined with virile and energetic cherry fruit. I will keep great for the next 10+ years. 92-93p.
2015 Ruchottes Chambertin - thick and intense cherry nose, big ripe tannin greatly cooperating with dense and ripe fruit. Great depth, complexity, and length. Very long and persistent cherry finish with some touch of almonds. Just a riveting performance. Long, long life. 95p.
Lucien Boillot:
2015 Gevrey Chambertin - lovely fruity nose of ripe cherries and strawberries, charming, but a bit four-square and with a short aftertaste. On the light side. 87p.
2015 Gevrey Chambertin 1. Cru Les Cherbaudes - significantly more intensity and concentration here. More complex, with more depth and length. 89-90p.
Domaine Henri Felletig:
Wines are made from the estate's many parcels in Cotes de Nuits.
2015 Bourgogne Rouge - Ok wine, light, charming, and tasty. 85p.
2015 Chambolle Musigny Vieilles Vignes - far better on the nose and palate than 2015 Bourgogne Rouge, still a bit light for my taste and with a bit short finish. 88p.
2015 Chambolle Musigny 1. Cru Les Carrieres - very similar to Vieilles Vignes, but here you get much more intensity, complexity, and length. Very stylish wine. 91p.
Hudelot Baillet:
Based in Chambolle Musigny. Old vines.
2015 Chambolle Musigny - nice ripe cherry flavors on the nose and palate, nice complexity. Very fruit-driven and tasty. Smooth and well-balanced. Splendid effort. 92p.
Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux:
This domain has existed for over 150 years and is close to Vosne Romanée village, where some of the best Burgundy wines are made. Impressive range of wines.
2015 Bourgogne Rouge Pinot Fin - lovely dark cherry nose, attractive, well-polished palate with tasty fruit. Quite nice wine with strong consumer appeal. 89p.
2015 Chambolle Musigny - almost identical to Hudelot Baillets Chambolle Musigny, but I have found slightly more complexity and depth here. A gentle dose of oak works just fine with ripe fruit. Very stylish wine. 92p.
2015 Nuits St.Georges - same story here as in Chambolle Musigny, maybe a bit more spicy and aromatic wine here. 92+p.
2015 Vosne Romanee has a strong cherry perfume, refined and splendid complexity, seductive, silky tannin, and great balance and depth. This wine catches your attention immediately. 93p.
2015 Latricieres Chambertin - thick texture, fat and creamy, too young to enjoy now because of strong tannin and minerality. It needs time to soften. 94-95p.
Domaine Perrot Minot:
Based in Morey St.Denis and run by Christophe Perrot-Minot since 1993. Old vines here - 40-100 years old, a mix of modern touch and careful vinification. Creamy and refined wines with great depth and intensity impressed me greatly. You pay here well for excellent quality.
2015 Bourgogne Rouge Vieilles Vignes - fruity, smooth, silky, delicious, accessible, and charming. Drinks well. 89p.
2015 Morey St. Denis La Rue de Vergy - mineral, ripe raspberries, quite elegant and stylish. A dense structure on the palate and a meaty finish. Just splendid. 93p.
2015 Chambolle-Musigny Vieilles Vignes - potent and strong, splendid acidity and complexity. Impressive cherry, raspberry nose, palate, creamy fruit, and well-trimmed tannin. Splendid depth and length. Textbook Burgundy. 93+p.
2015 Gevrey Chambertin - as impressive as C-M VV. Same intensity and creaminess combined with silky tannin, perfectly ripe fruit, and great length. A winner. 94p.
2015 Charmes Chambertin Grand Cru - a big scaled, deep, utterly concentrated wine, masculine, excellent purity and complexity, finishes with a gentle kiss of oak and fat fruit. Awesome stuff. 96p.
