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Corton Charlemagne Masterclass – November 2019
An educational evening of Corton Charlemagne masterclass covering both principal and “up and coming” producers from both negotiant and own domaine grapes. The key takeaways from the Corton Charlemagne dinner was: Never fully rely on producer reputation (Jadot > Meo & Chandon Briailles > de Montille) Reductive new oak modern style are popular (Dugat Py and Pierre Vincent Girardin) Coche is Coche Aperitif – Dom Perignon 1996 The 1996 Dom Perignon is drinking superbly today. A rich and exuberant nose of zingy ripe orchard fruit, creamy biscuit and hints of brioche. Medium bodied with great acidity. (92/100) Flight 1 Louis Jadot Domaine des Heritiers Corton Charlemagne 2012 From own Domaine…
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Domaine Heitz Lochardet 2017
My first visit to Domaine Heitz Lochardet and Armand Heitz welcomed us warmly. Most of the 2018 were not ready for tasting so we went through most of the 2017 whites and reds as well as the entry level 2018. In 2017, Armand Heitz made a superb portfolio of 2017 whites and surprisingly delicious 2017 reds, the 100% whole cluster style in their Pinot Noir matched the vintage characteristics really well – elegant and flamboyant, offering plenty of pleasure to drink young. A producer to keep an eye out for both their whites and reds! Winemaking 100% wholecluster in all their reds in 2017 since they didn’t have a destemmer…
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Domaine Bruno Colin 2018
2018 was a fruitful vintage for Domaine Bruno Colin. Their whites are open-knit and charming, and their reds were better than I had expected. Harvest started on the 1st of September, they managed to make some rich and flashy wines in this vintage. Bruno Colin has a strong market in France, 50% of the production are sold within France and 50% exported, US is their biggest market. Winemaking Whites spends 12 months in oak and around 3 months in stainless steel tank. Some battonage on the whites. Reds were 100% destemmed with 1 week of cold maceration. Tasting Notes Bourgogne Blanc 2018 A blend of their Domaine grapes and purchased…
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Domaine Leflaive 2018
Overall 2018 whites were much better than anticipated from a warm and dry vintage. Domaine Leflaive made a superb portfolio of white wines in 2018. From Macon to Chevalier Montrachet, their wines showed good energy and generous body with crisp acidity. The generic village Puligny Montrachet is linear and delightful, and as usual the highlight was the 1er Cru Pucelles and mighty Chevalier Montrachet, crystalline purity and expansive minerals 2018 was the most generous yield for Domaine Leflaive since 1982, on average 50hl/ha. Harvest between 26th of August to 1st of September. Since 2014 Domaine Leflaive has been using DIAM corks and has reduced the dosage of sulphur at bottling…
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Domaine Pierre Damoy 2018
Pierre Damoy targets deep maturity in his wines, and he made some rich and heavy reds in 2018. Pierre started harvesting on the 11th of September and took 11 days for the harvest. 70% destemmed. Overall yield: 30-40hl/ha. Unusually this year I find most of his village and Premier Cru wines overripe and too alcoholic, fortunately some of his Grand Crus were rich but not too overripe. Buyers will need to be careful on picking his wines in 2018 to avoid overripe wines. Tasting Notes Bourgogne Blanc 2018 Grapes purchased from Fixin. Rich and expressive array of ripe tree fruits and pears. Sweet fruits with upfront oak spices. Big-boned Bourgogne…
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Domaine Faiveley 2018
In the picture is the newly renovated fermentation room at Faiveley, with the design reminiscent of historical train station in tribute to Faiveley’s transport business. In my opinion the room looks very much like a cathedral (my type of cathedral!) Faiveley has improved their quality significantly in the past decade since they changed their vinification methods from 2006 to 2009. Gone were the days of tannic and extracted wines, in 2018 their reds are transparent and fragrant with good ripeness. An impressive performance in the context of the size of this estate. (owns more than 120ha across Burgundy). Faiveley started harvesting on the 27th of August. Winemaking Style Most cuvees…
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Domaine Bachelet 2018
2018 was a hot and dry vintage, many vines suffered hydraulic stress and natural alcohol level reached up to 15% (rumoured some even higher!). In this tricky vintage, Denis and Nicolas Bachelet managed to retain freshness, acidity and alcohol balance superbly. They started harvesting one week earlier than anticipated, on the 5th of September. Their cuvee with the highest alcohol content was their Bourgogne Rouge, reaching a mere 13.4%, the rest including their flagship Charmes Chambertin was lower. One of the freshest and well-balanced 2018 red Burgundy I have tasted. Winemaking Style The winemaking style and techniques remained the same as 2017. 100% destemmed in all cuvees, aged in 20-50%…
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The Comprehensive Guide to Pierre Yves Colin Morey
Pierre Yves Colin Morey is one of the most highly regarded producer in Chassagne Montrachet, known for their reductive and leesy Chardonnay that can age for staggering amount of years. They also have a very low risk of premature oxidation (premox). Winemaking Pierre Yves aged all his wines in 350L barrel since 2007. According to Pierre Yves, ageing wines in 350L barrels gives the wines more energy and freshness and less creamy notes and oak spices. Recommendations PYCM wines are distinctive and stands out from most white Burgundies from their potent leesy, reductive notes. Their signature style is stamped across all their white wines, from the generic Bourgogne Blanc to…
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Domaine Georges Noellat 2017
Maxime Cheurlin marked a new milestone for Domaine Georges Noellat in 2017, volume has never been higher at the Domaine as Maxime bought new vineyards and signed new contracts in the past few years. In 2017 Maxime added a new cuvee to the portfolio – Beaune 1er Cru Clos de la Mignotte, a darker shade of fruits compared to his Vosne Romanee. Winemaking Style 2017 is Maxime’s seventh vintage as the winemaker of Domaine Georges Noellat after moving down from Champagne in 2010. All the grapes are destemmed (except for Echezeaux, which sees 15-20% whole cluster) but the wines are brilliantly elegant, bright and perfumed (think Domaine Duroche). In general,…
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Chassagne Montrachet En Remilly & Gevrey Chambertin Clos Saint Jacques
Two months ago I hosted a horizontal blind tasting of Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru En Remilly and Gevrey Chambertin 1er Cru Clos St Jacques, two of my favourite Premier Crus respectively in Chassagne Montrachet and Gevrey Chambertin. The En Remilly in Chassagne Montrachet is a tiny 1er Cru vineyard (1.6ha) located next to Chevalier Montrachet and below Saint Aubin En Remilly. Most producers are lesser known apart from PYCM, most participants are new to almost all the producers in this prime vineyard. The highlight for me was the Bruno Colin, it showed superior concentration and winemaking skills in this tiny vineyard. PYCM needs no introduction, textbook reductive leesy nose and…
