White Burgfest 2010 - a blind tasting of the Top 1ers and Grand Crus

I felt honoured and excited to join the White Burgfest tasting 2010 earlier this Spring. The event offered a rare chance to blind taste all of the top 1ers and Grand Crus white burgundies, from one vintage, over two and a half days. There was a crack tasting team of 10 people, made up of the UK’s top Burgundy buyers, aficionados and journalists. We tasted 162 wines, all from the famed 2010 vintage, in flights grouped by commune and then by vineyard or terroir.

Overall 2010 proved itself to be an excellent vintage. There will always be disappointments and variability in a one-off tasting of this magnitude, but by and large the standard was high. The brilliant quality of the tasting’s best wines in mind match anything we have seen from recent white Burgundy vintages. At time of release the vintage was famed for its mix of ripeness and racy intensity. Whilst acidities were high, they were nothing like as searing as in 2007, some wines performed better the longer they were open and will certainly benefit from being decanted but that said the tasting was far from tough-going. There was more evidence of botrytis and overripe fruit in the wines than I remembered from my barrel tastings, but in many cases this lack of “typicity” as some would call it did not bother me at all, where the wine was properly in balance. In fact I found this fruit exuberance extremely seductive.

My overall impressions were as follows:

There were 5 flights of Meursault, a big commune and therefore variable, but there were lots of very good wines, Roulot Michel Bouzereau, Boisson Vadot and Ente all shone, but pick of the bunch, and arguably producer of the tasting was Domaine des Comtes Lafon, his Montrachet was the top wine of the entire tasting and his Meursault Perrieres was the highest placed non Grand Cru. More generally, Genevrieres and Perrieres were a cut above the other vineyards

There was a big difference between the quality of the high, stony Chassagne vineyards where there were some excellent wines and the slightly more cumbersome, lower clay-dominated ones. This was the first year that the group had tasted St Aubin, the flight highlighted what outstanding value for money this less coveted area can offer and in general it was a more exciting line up than at least 3 of the 5 Chassagne flights.

In Puligny-Montrachet Pucelles, Caillerets and Combettes excelled, as should be expected, but there were also some good perfomances from Perrieres and Referts. Bachelet-Monnot, Jacques Carillon, Sauzet, Michel Bouzereau, Ente and most surprisingly of all, Vincent Girardin, were the best producers in my view. In fact Vincent Girardin performed consistently well throughout the tasting.

Next up were 22 Corton Charlemagnes, overall rather disappointing. However there was one wine more interesting than the rest, by a country mile, that of Domaine Rollin. It was so complete and harmonious, brimming with ripe fruit, mineral complexity and requisite freshness, a class act indeed – Remi and Simon, please take a bow!

The rest of the Grands Crus offered much more of what was hoped for, largely exhibiting that extra step of depth, intensity and refinement. Unsurprisingly the most exciting wines of all came from Le Montrachet and Chevalier-Montrachet. Lafon, Laguiche and Jadot's Chevalier Demoiselles were the best wines we tasted.

Perrot Minot - an exciting find in Burgundy

I am delighted and excited to finally be working with Christophe Perrot Minot. It is a Domaine I have been keeping an eye on for some time now with ever increasing interest but I was simply bowled over when tasting the final 2010 blends in Burgundy this Spring. After practising the profession of wine broker for seven years, Christophe Perrot-Minot took over his parent’s estate in 1993. As well as providing renewed vigour and a perfectionist’s approach to the winemaking, Christophe also succeeded in expanding the Domaine substantially by buying out the famous Pernin-Rossin estate in Vosne-Romanée, starting with the 2000 vintage. It took Christophe a while to find his way but in the last 5 years he seems to have settled on a style and really perfected it. The wines are ripe have a modern polish without losing their purity and combine intensity with elegance. They are far removed from the more structured Pinots of the Domaine’s early days. It seems that Burghound agrees, giving Perrot Minot some rave reviews over the last two vintages.

The greatness of a Domaine should always be judged on the quality of their wines in more “challenging” vintages. 2011 was not easy but any top Burgundian Domaine worth its salt should have made really seductive, attractive wines with enough structure to allow them to age well. I tasted Perrot Minot’s 2011s alongside the 2010s and was hugely impressed, they will no doubt rate as some of the vintage’s top wines. I can’t wait to get my hands on them!

A little overview of how Christophe goes about his work:
The viticulture is respectful to nature and terroir - no chemical fertiliser or herbicides are used. Low yields and Christophe’s eye for detail are fundamental to the great quality of the wines, in addition to the Domaine’s impressive army of old vines ranging from 40 to 100 years old. Everything is hand-picked, vine leaves and canopies are thinned during the season and sorting / grapes selections are rigorous. The grapes are, for the most part, de- stalked and after fermentation are aged in a maximum of 30-40% new oak. The wines are incredibly ripe, refined and concentrated, yet despite their almost modern intensity and polish they allow the nuances and character of terroir to come through strongly. A stellar Domaine.

A Marquis d'Angerville Masterclass

On Tuesday this week Guillaume d'Angerville came to London to present to journalists 16 of his wines at the Connaught Hotel. The tasting was kick-started by the thrilling 2010s. They were nothing short of magnificent even at villages level. 2010 is an excellent vintage and the Marquis d'Angerville wines are up there with the year's very best examples. The Domaine is steeped in history and has made great wines over decades but it is clear to me that, since taking over the reins in 2003, Guillaume is taking the Domaine to another level. This is not being done through wholesale changes, it largely respects the work of his father Jacques - hard vineyard work, minimal intervention in the cellar, a maximum of 20% new oak. The biggest change is the full conversion to biodynamic viticulture and this, together with Guillaume and his team's extreme rigour and attention to detail, are lifting quality through the roof.

Together with the 2010s, we were treated to a vertical of Clos des Ducs, one of the Cote de Beaune's great vineyards. 2008, 2007, 2002, 1999, 1998 and 1990.

Great wine or great winemaking rarely produces something flashy or immediate, to me it seems to be more about wines that are complex, develop in the glass and that show traits which can be attributed to terroir and vintage. There was no question that each of these 16 wines had its own and very clear cut personality - for me this is truely the magic of wine and the magic of Burgundy. My brief thoughts on the various vintages below, anyone still cellaring 1999s take note: Whilst this may be a vintage that closed down for far longer than anyone expected there are signs that, judging by Clos des Ducs at least, patience will reward you heavily.

2008 - Fresh, red fruited, so alive and uplifting, drinkable now and certainly less of the tannic structure than expected but with plenty left in the tank to age very well.

2007 - tender, fruity, sweet as a nut and absolutely perfect for drinking now over the next 5 years

2002 - closed, tightly wound and a little wild initially. After several hours this settled in the glass and some very clear crisp but ripe red fruit aromas and flavours surfaced, eventually this proved to be a beauty.

1999 - even more closed than the 2002, initially this was not my favourite wine of the line up but after 4 hours it opened up into the best wine of the flight, for me, by a distance. deep dark ripe so intense and complex. Stunning!

1998 - a little wild but none of the hard edges I was expecting, in fact this was the biggest surprise of the tasting, not the ugly duckling vintage many said it was, lively crisp characterful, intense but moreish

1990 - still a baby, the most powerful and intense wine of the lot, had not even awoken by the time the 1999 had come round.

Un Mot: Burgundy 2010 (part two)

The questioning continues...

Un Mot: Burgundy 2010 (part one)

In which we ask some of Burgundy's greatest wine makers the impossible question, namely, can you sum up your 2010s with a single word? Part two to follow...

Burgundy 2010 - Small is Beautiful

Burgundy may still be thick with fog, but there is something crystal clear here - 2010 is an excellent vintage.

I write this with one more tasting to go early tomorrow (friday) morning having spent two weeks here seeing circa 45 Domaines and tasting over 200 wines. Thats alot, but the fatigue is not too bad, in fact I even feel a gentle spring in the step. These have simply been easy, joyous wines to taste, red and white, which is amazing considering their concentration and racy acidities.

It largely all began with frost (for some) and uneven flowering (for all.) The resulting crop was to be one of the smallest on record for many, equalling that of 2003. A good thing, too, in the end, as the small crop ripened brilliantly despite the gloomy summer. Harvest was a good three weeks later than in 2009, fine but cool weather permitted growers the patience to wait for the perfect picking date. That said, towards the end of the harvest, some Chardonnay growers had to hurry as a dry electric storm suddenly accelerating ripening rapidly. The Reds are concentrated, they exhibit great freshness and high acidities, which you barely notice so smothered are they in pure ripe fruit. The tannins are present and fortifying but are so smooth that they do not jar. These are seamless, almost weightless wines of sheer brilliance and balance. The vintage might not have the out and out concentration of 2005, but they should be long-lived nonetheless and despite being the polar opposite of the lovely 2009, it is every bit its equal (and, for some, better!) Cote d'or whites are concentrated, very concentrated. Their acidities are as racy as those of 2007 but with a great deal more richness and depth. In both colours 2010 should go down as an absolute classic.

Such was the consistency accross the region's (top) growers it is very hard to pick out highlights. Those that immediately come to mind are Cecile Tremblay, Marquis d'Angerville, Follin-Arbelet, Chevillon, Sauzet, Bachelet Monnot, Liger Belair, Grivot, Bruno Clair, Rousseau, Roumier, Mugnier and not least Denis Mortet - young Arnaud Mortet has made a magnificent range that firmly puts him in the top tier of Burgundy producers.

For Reds, there seems to be no particular pattern save that I tasted many excellent wines from Clos de Vougeot. There were many excellent whites, too, but Corton Charlemagnes really stood out for their brilliance and consistency.

Keep an eye on the blog over the coming month for the growers views on the vintage in "un mot," a video to be posted here soon.

Burgundy 2010 - An update from Domaine Grivot

Following what could be called a genuine winter with frost and rain and especially the night of 19th December with a temperature of -20 degree Celsius; not only did many vines perish but the same fate befell a large number of fruit-bearing buds.

Growth started at the usual time and was consistent thanks to summer temperatures in late April. But 2010 was one of the rainiest years ever recorded during the vines’ growing period.
During the summer, the weather was very cool and vines and fruits growth up normal. These conditions played a predominant role in ensuring that the vines remained healthy.

At Domaine Grivot, we took the decision to use only organic products for vines in 2010 and we are very happy; for the first time, we saw how the plant was able to cope with all of these weather challenges without external assistance. The foliage stayed a glorious deep green, the skin of the fruit had incredible thickness and all the different elements ripened in perfect harmony. Very good news for the future!

We started grape-picking on 23th September in cool weather with a light northerly wind. We record 40% less production compared to a normal year. However, given the weather experienced during the vintage, this also explains the marvellous quality of the harvest. The vintage is promising.

The wines produced are superbly balanced, in the spirit of the 2000 vintage but with greater density. Colours are dense and luminous. A generous palate with an incredibly delicate finish. Tannins are silky and sophisticated. Without any doubt a great success and a tribute to all the hard work in the vineyards over the last few years.

I have a liking for the Nuits-Saint-Georges appellations this year. They are superb and have a great elegance, freshness, harmony, fineness and structure.

Concerning the 2011 vintage? Very early to ask about it!

But the high temperature, at the beginning of spring, gives the premonition of a precocious vintage. The vines are crazy!!
The third week of April, we recorded, in Vosne-Romanee, 22 days earlier than 2009…
At the middle of May, flowering was blooming. Just one week was required to pass this stage.

If we count like the ancients, one hundred days, we should harvest around of the 20th August in Vosne-Romanee and Nuits-Saint-Georges.
Hopefully the weather will be cool this summer.