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| March 2007 Vintages Pre-Release Premium Tasting – Burgundy |
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| Thursday, 28 February 2008 | |
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Reported by Kate Parsons The March VPR tasting attracted a full house, and Joe Hatz orchestrated an enjoyable evening of discussion and debate. Joe started the group off with a Cremant de Bourgogne, which was meant as a light, effervescent entry to the evening’s tasting. While most tasters thought the varietal mélange of Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Aligoté was a pleasant enough sparkling for the price, a few found it “tinny” and overpriced.  The first flight of the evening featured three white Burgundies in distinctly different styles. The Jaffelin Bouzeron was not anyone’s favourite as most thought the Aligoté had received too much oak. Appreciation for the Paul Jacqueson Rully, with its tropical fruit notes, and the Roger Luquet Pouilly-Fuisse, with its lemon and mineral nose and palette, was roughly equal and sparked a bit of a debate as to which was the better wine. In the end, it was agreed that the former, while it had a shorter finish, was the better food wine, and that the latter was more elegant and a better sipping wine.Interestingly, votes for second flight favourite were split evenly among the three. All were thought to be wellmade wines that would pair well with food. The Domaine du Chardonnay Chablis Premier Cru was well balanced with good mid-palate weight. Its citrus and mineral notes were very pleasant, and no one had anything negative to say about this wine. The creamy texture and notes of oak of the Duvergey-Taoureau Meursault made it the favourite with a third of the group, but some characterized the flavour as being “hit over the head” with oak. It displayed a slight chemical smell that blew off, and it’s possible this bottle was slightly off. The lightest and most complex of the three was the Bouchard Pere & Fils Beaune du Chateau Premier Cru, with a decidedly floral nose complemented by aromas of flint. The two flights of reds inspired more discussion and debate than the whites. Tasters noted in particular that many of these wines kept evolving in the glass, and so it was sometimes difficult to pick a favorite. The easy favourite of the first red flight, however, was the popular Le Clos Jordanne, with its ripe cherry and raspberry fruit and solid tannins. Some thought that its fruit-forward style made this wine ready to drink now and allowed it to deliver on its aromas, unlike some of the other reds. That said, a number of people found it too sweet and even likened it to cherry cola. There was also disagreement over the Antonin Guyon Chorey-les-Beaune with those who liked it characterizing its intense bouquet as dominated by violet. One taster made the case that we’re unfamiliar with that aroma in this area and so mistake it for other things. Those who disagreed thought its bouquet had an artificial quality and smelled of alcohol or even mouthwash. Finally, the Domaine Charles Allexant et Fils Vosne-Romanee was thought to be the most concentrated and best-structured wine of the flight. While it displayed an unripe, vegetal/green pepper quality, it may fare better with some time in the cellar. The Adamas Nuits-St-Georges was a “classic Pinot” with pronounced cherry and mushroom on the nose and the palette. It received a mere two votes, but tellingly it was nearly everyone’s second choice for flight favourite. For the last flight, the majority of tasters initially preferred the Frederic Magnien Chambolle-Musigny, citing its rich earthiness, smooth texture, and tar and black pepper nose; however, several tasters noted its short, acidic finish, and many changed their votes after it had spent some time in the glass. Most tasters agreed that if they had had a second vote, they would have selected the Louis Max Gevrey-Chambertin, the most expensive wine of the evening. This wine had good acidity without being tart and displayed intense aromas of ripe berry fruit and earth. It was characterized as another classic Pinot, but was certainly more full bodied than the others in the flight. The lightest, by contrast, was the Domaine Vincent Sauvestre Grand Cru, but this wine was also thought to be best balanced with the longest finish. Some detected a note of brett on the nose at first but thought that it eventually blew off. The Domaine Doudet Aloxe-Corton Premier Cru was preferred by only a few who thought it was pleasant and well balanced with an unusual toasty aroma. There was disagreement about its aging potential, with 2-5 years being suggested by some and others expressing concerns that the toastiness (characterized as “carbon”) could present a problem for aging. Dufouleur Pere & Fils, Cremant de Bourgogne Brut 2004 AC, 47241 $19.95 Jaffelin Bouzeron 2005, AC, 51557, $24.95 Paul Jacqueson Rully, 2005 AC, 65045, $27.95 Domaine Roger Luquet Pouilly-Fuisse Terroir 2006 AC, 907931, $27.95 Domaine du Chardonnay Chablis Montmains 2006 AOC 1er Cru Chablis, 68106, $28.95 Duvergey-Taboureau Meursault 2005 AOC Meursault, 67124, $39.95 Domaine Bouchard Pere & Fils, Beaune du Chateau 2005, AC 1er Cru, 901207, $41.95 Le Clos Jordanne Village Reserve Pinot Noir 2005, Niagara, Ontario, Canada, 33894, $25.00 Antonin Guyon Chorey-les-Beaune, 2005, AC, 66431, $29.95 Domaine Charles Allexant et Fils Vosne-Romanee 2004 AC, 66506, $44.95 Adamas Nuits-St-Georges 2005 AC, 66605, $44.95 Domaine Doudet Aloxe-Corton, les Guerets, 2005 Vielles Vignes, AC 1er Cru, 66530, $44.95 Frederic Magnien Chambolle-Musigny Vielles Vignes 2005 AC, 66480, $55.95 Domaine Vincent Sauvestre, Corton Marechaudes 2005, AC, Grand Cru, 66472, $57.95 Louis Max Gevrey-Chambertin, les Azerottes, 2005 AC, 66589, $63.95 |
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| Last Updated ( Sunday, 06 April 2008 ) |
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