Fine Wine Reviews
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Chateau Trotanoy
A superb tasting of Chateau Trotanoy from the best vintages between 1998 to 2018. Edouard Moueix the third generation of Moueix family came to London Landmark Hotel and illustrated the terroir of Trotanoy, vintage styles, and the modern approaches (post-2005 vintage) brilliantly. Overall, I find their style very masculine and structured – Plenty of intense dark fruits, mocha, with structured tannins that requires extensive cellaring. Trotanoy has lots of similarities with Petrus (both made by the same winemaker), as well as masculine with lush dark fruits, though I find Trotanoy more tannic. My favourite vintages of Trotanoy are 2005, 2009, 2015, 2016, and 2018. Though I wouldn’t mind as pour…
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Domaine Leroy / d’Auvenay & Bizot Dinner
The Leroy / d’Auvenay wine night finally happened! It was Charles Lachaux’s (from Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux) 30th birthday and he was in London for his 2017 release. The timing couldn’t be better for this dinner – A once in a lifetime experience to taste an incredibly rare collection of Domaine Leroy / d’Auvenay & Bizot wines in double blind. No participants knew when their wines were being poured and all the wines were revealed at the end of the night, so we were not distracted on guessing who brought what and working out which bottles were ours. Everyone brought two bottles (as minimum) and wines were served in flights of 4…
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Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé 2003
Revisiting the 2003 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé with Jean-Luc Pépin. A roller coaster vintage with some outperformer and many hit and miss bottles due to the extreme heat. 2003 is one of the most unusual vintages in Burgundy that growers and drinkers will remember vividly for a long time. The 2003 Bourgogne Blanc is drinking at its peak and tasted like a Northern Rhone Blanc. Interestingly there were no acidification in their Musigny, Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru (mini-Musigny) and Les Amoureuses. My favourite of their 2003 was Les Amoureuses, not much heat or clumsiness, showing gently spiced floral notes. Jean-Luc blinded us on a bottle of 1989 Musigny, which…
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Dujac 2016
Healthy yield and crop in Morey Saint Denis 2016 was an excellent vintage especially for Pinot Noir, but many producers suffered from a small crop this year due to frost and mildew to some extend. The overall Burgundy production in 2016 was 1.223 million hectoliters, 18% less from 2015 vintage. Many less fortunate producers’ crop were down by 1/3 in 2016. Domaine Dujac as well as many other grape growers in Morey Saint Denis were blessed with almost no intervention by the frost in 2016, hence their crop was mostly very healthy and higher than average. Even Dujac’s Clos de la Roche achieved 40 hl/ha in this vintage. Screenshot taken…
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Bollinger Vieilles Vignes Francaises 2006
The Vieillies Vignes Françaises Blanc de Noirs is the prestigious cuvée of Bollinger, made exclusively from two single vineyards in Aÿ, Chaudes Terres and Clos St Jacques. These are the only two remaining vineyards of Bollinger that are untouched by phylloxera, 100% Pinot Noir, a total size of 0.36 hectares. Tasting Note Tasted blind – An intriguingly complex and vibrant profile of rich berries, exotic fruits, spiced brioche and vanilla. There is so much depth and concentration already just from the nose. Pinot driven flavours of red fruits, toasted nuts, and a lifted bouquet of spiced wood. Serious intensity and latent energy that resonates on the palate. Only 3,300 bottles…
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Domaine Ramonet
Domaine Ramonet is one of the finest producers in Burgundy, known for the Chardonnay from Chassagne Montrachet village to Montrachet Grand Cru. Domaine Ramonet has been producing consistently high quality Chardonnay in Chassagne Montrachet for 3 generations, it is difficult to talk about Chassagne Montrachet without mentioning Ramonet. Brief History Pierre Ramonet came to Burgundy in the late 1920s with nothing more than a knapsack, he started off buying grapes and vinifying them, then later buying his first vineyard in the 1930s. Domaine Ramonet gained a lot of attention very soon after bottling his first wines in his estate. Clive Cotes even wrote ‘Ramonet in white is the equivalent of…
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Pol Roger Cuvee Sir Winston Churchill
Prestige Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill is the flagship wine of Pol Roger Champagne. It is one of the highly regarded prestige Pinot Noir driven Champagnes. Brief History Winston Churchill met Madame Odette Pol-Roger in Paris over lunch at the British Embassy a few months after the liberation of Paris, Pol Roger 1928 (allegedly one of the best vintages of the century in Champagne) was shared and friendship was born. Pol Roger Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill was created in 1975 and first released in 1984 in honour of Sir Winston Churchill, who was a devotee of Pol Roger Champagnes. Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill are only released in great vintages, at the…
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Domaine Leflaive 2015
An extensive tasting note on 2015 Domaine Leflaive from the midweek-drinking Macon-Verze to the highly regarded Chevalier Montrachet Grand Cru. It was a pleasure to taste the 2015 Domaine Leflaive wines with Brice de La Morandière, the managing director of Domaine Leflaive. Brice is also the nephew of the late Anne-Claude Leflaive, he was appointed position by shareholders after the death of Anne-Claude Leflaive. Vintage Note 2015 was a warm and sunny vintage in Burgundy, most producers made excellent wines from Pinot Noir. White wine producers had to work hard this year to avoid making flabby and overripe wines. Since World War II, there has only been three vintages where…
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The Disappearing Jacky Truchot
Domaine Jacky Truchot, or sometimes seen as Domaine Truchot-Martin is one of the legendary producers in Burgundy. Jacky Truchot is famed for producing incredibly pure and fragrant Pinot Noir from Morey Saint Denis as well as a few Gevrey Chambertin and a Chambolle Musigny. Sadly Jacky Truchot retired after the 2005 vintage and sold all except one of his vineyards to David Duband through an investor. Jacky kept a small section of his Morey Saint Denis 1er Cru Les Sorbes for his own consumption. 2005 was the last vintage of Jacky Truchot wines that are commercially available, his wines are as rare as hen’s teeth. Brief History Jacky Truchot joined…
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Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande
Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande ( Pichon Lalande) is the best second Growth Chateau in Pauillac. The style of wine Pichon Lalande is atypical of Pauillac, generous amount of Merlot in the blend with a moderate use of new oak, one can say it is a feminine Pauillac. Originally Comtesse de Lalande was part of a large property called Chateau Pichon Longueville, since the death of Baron Joseph de Longueville Lalande in 1850, the property was divided into two Chateaux, Chateau Pichon Longueville Baron and Chateau Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande. Since then, Chateau Pichon Lalande stayed in the same family for more than 250 years. In 2007, May-Eliane de Lencquesaing…
