2006 Simon Bize Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Aux Guettes (France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru)

Had this with sushi at Tomo on Saturday night. Just a wonderful bottle of wine. Intense, yet very elegant, precise, and well defined. Sappy and full of bright cherry, earth, leather, smoky and meaty flavors and spice. Finishes magnificently. In my opinion, Bize is the best affordable Burgundy anyone can buy these days. Highly recommended.

2007 Jean-Marc Brocard Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre (France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru)

ovely Chablis. Young, stern, citrus, minerality, a touch of saltiness and youthful, light texture. I paired this with Linguini in a light tomato white wine sauce with Shrimp. Delicious and a perfect pairing. 

2003 Domaine de Montille Beaune 1er Cru Les Siziés (France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Beaune 1er Cru)

Very enjoyable wine. It's not as complex as one would hope and the fruit is maybe a little too much indicative of the hot 2003 vintage, but with the right food, this is still a very good wine. The texture is velvety rather than silky (silky being what I associate with great red burgundy), but there's depth, flavor, and length enough to make me happy. Cherry, blackberry, earth, and peat moss. Good, but not great. 

2006 Simon Bize Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Les Marconnets (France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru)

Truly great wine. I pulled this to be served with dinner. When first poured (without decant), the wine was ferociously tannic. With some air, the wine came into balance and showed incredible complexity, sappiness, freshness, and silky fruit. Long finish. On the following nights, the wine just got better and better. The last sips from this bottle gave a hint at just how good this is likely to be when it's fully mature many years in the future. Truffles, earth, wet leaves, autumn in the air. Tremendous wine with amazing potential. This is one that every value conscious buyer of Burg should have in his/her cellar. Highly recommended.

2004 Domaine des Lambrays Clos des Lambrays (France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos des Lambrays Grand Cru)

Wine #3 with sushi and second Grand Cru Burgundy in as many weeks. What am I doing? This one was certainly worth it. Very powerful red Burgundy that shows cherry and red berries, leather, earth, leafy flavors, pepper, and a touch of greenness. In my opinion, the green streak in this wine was very minimal, and I thought it actually enhanced the wine's complexity. That said, I also love Chinon, so bear that in mind to benchmark your palate to mine. Just a pleasure to drink this, and it was a great wine to finish our sushi night off with. Again, I wish I had more of this, but it was my last bottle.

2004 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Clos de la Roche (France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos de la Roche Grand Cru)

The third and last bottle of Valentine Day's weekend. And what a fine finale. Some may find this a waste to drink with roasted chicken, but I think this was a delicious pairing. The Rousseau was all finesse and elegance and had great balance. Nothing stood out other than its silky texture and flavor complexity. The fruit was red with raspberries and strawberries and some cherry. From the much maligned (by some) 2004 vintage, this did not show any vegetal/green flavors. I wish I had lots more, but this was unfortunately my last.

2007 Jean-Marc Brocard Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre (France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru)

Another winner in my book. Like its lesser (VV Sainte Claire) and leaner (Mont de Milieu) siblings, this wine is made from the same cloth. Stony minerality, an almost saline component, lemon/citrus and amazing freshness. Unlike the Sainte Claire and Mont de Milieu, the Montee de Tonnerre is a little richer and rounder and pairs better and more harmoniously with delicate fish (like fresh Cod). Fantastic structure, balance, and finesse. Lovely wine. Recommended.

2007 Jean-Marc Brocard Chablis 1er Cru Mont de Milieu (France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru)

I opened this to accompany grilled squid and Florida rock shrimp this weekend. If you like lean, mean Chablis, this will be for you. Very vervy wine that beckons with citrus and astounding minerality. As I usually do, I followed this over the course of a few nights, and it just keeps getting better. As much as I liked it on day one, it has mellowed out substantially and come together better with more air. For $27, this was a great buy in my book.

2007 Jean-Marc Brocard Chablis Domaine Sainte Claire Vieilles Vignes (France, Burgundy, Chablis)

Had this on Saturday night with Oysters and dungeness crab. At $22, this wine is a steal. It's pure, focused, zingy minerals and lemon apple flavors, and bone-dry. It tastes like Champagne without bubbles and far outperforms its $22 price tag. A wine that should be in Chablis lovers' cellar by the case lot. Although the premier and grand crus should thrill even more, this is the perfect everyday Chablis.

2005 Domaine Michel Lafarge Bourgogne (France, Burgundy, Bourgogne)

Had this the other day with dinner. Tremendously delicious wine. Sappy and fresh, but with good weight, silky texture, plum and raspberry fruit and a nice dose of earth, forest floor and autumn aromas. For a Bourgogne, this might be close to as good as it gets. If it was still available around $25 quid, this would be my house wine, as I can see it pairing with a wide range of dishes.

Lobster Fest Chez Pelz With a Quartet of Fine Wines

Lobster is in season right now, and our local grocery store had Maine lobster on sale for a laughable price, so I decided to invite friends over for dinner to cook up some lobster and enjoy it with some good wine. So I ventured out 30 minutes before dinner and got a hold of 6 nice lobsters and prepared them three ways.

With Appetizers

- Sheep's Cheese Puffs (Thanks Shannon and Dave - delicious)
- Lobster Salad

• N.V. Jacques Selosse Champagne Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs Brut - France, Champagne
  Lovely Champagne. Started the evening with this gem. Elegant, finesse Champagne that shows a certain airy-ness. Super fine mousse, apple, blanched almonds, brioche, and raw dough. Only thing that detracts ever so slightly from its greatness is that is seems very sweet on the finish, so I wonder what the dosage levels of this wine are. But I am not complaining.

• N.V. Pierre Peters Champagne Blanc de Blancs - France, Champagne, Le Mesnil Sur Oger, Champagne
  L012007. Best bottle yet. Diametrically opposed in style to the Selosse we enjoyed 30 minutes earlier. Seemingly big and brawny with lemon zest and massive minerality. Fresh and structured and with lots of bubbles. This particular bottle is showing the first signs of mellowing out though as the fruit is sweeter than I remember it, and the wine isn't as angry as it used to be. Quite good and in its price class, this has to be one of the leaders for folks like me who like their Champagne super-low dosage.

With Main Courses

- Lobster in the Rough
- Lobster Broiled

• 2004 Vincent Girardin Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Caillerets - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru
  As usual, this was very reliable. Fairly ripe, it shows apple, a touch of lemon rind, limestone rock, and some buttered popcorn. The oak stands out just a touch. I might be wrong, but this seems ready to drink and I'm not sure I'd want to hold these too long...I don't know if this has enough acidity to go the distance.

With Dessert

- Chocolate cream pie (Thanks Shannon and Dave)

• 2004 Eddie Feraud Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
  This wine continues to impress me. It's all about the wonderful Grenache fruit. In my opinion, this is a clean version (less bretty) of Pegau. Similarly traditional texture and fruit profile. Dark plum and blackberry fruit with some meat juice, provencal herbs, and licorice. Doesn't get much better than this for cuvee tradition in CdP.

2001 Hospices de Nuits Nuits St. Georges Les Didiers Cuvée Jacques Duret Méo-Camuzet (France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges)

We had this last night with home-made Sushi. Fantastic wine. It's still incredibly young, but it's deep, layered, interesting, and silky in texture. Red fruit profile, but much darker color. Sappy and fresh. Although I don't think it'll ever be a profound wine, this will get much better, still with another 5-10 years of age on it. Loved every sip of this. Even my wife remarked that this was incredibly tasty, and she's the most picky palate in our household.

2005 Nicolas Potel Volnay 1er Cru Santenots (France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru)

Exactly what I was looking for tonight. Served with Cornish Game Hens marinated in garlic and herbs. Pretty dark red color. Completely translucent. Nice structure and acidity, but the fresh, crushed berry flavors and aromas along with nice minerality are what makes this wine special. Sappy. Nice elegance in the wine, but it also shows just a hint rustic. A nice contradiction here. I opened it early, and it's got a way to go, but this wasn't infanticide and it wasn't a waste. Lovely wine that can be consumed with very high enjoyment right now.

2001 Domaine Pavelot Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Aux Gravains (France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru)

Translucent garnet red. Fantastic nose of crushed red berries, earth, eucalyptus and pine bark. Quite structured on the palate, but raspberry, plum, and cherry make for a sappy red fruit spectrum. Earth, herbs, and a touch of anise in the finish alongside the fruit. Lovely wine with beautiful elegance and power at the same time. Looks like it's not available in the US at retail, but if one can find it for less than $40, it's a definite buy.

2002 Domaine Georges Mugneret/Mugneret-Gibourg Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Chaignots (France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru)

I opened this to celebrate our 8th wedding anniversary. This wine definitely fit the occasion. Translucent red in the glass. Soaring nose of crushed berry, cherry, leather, tobacco, and damp earth. Silky texture. Cherry fruit expands across the palate with wonderful lightness. Loads of minerality and a very slight orange peel flavor on the finish. Lingers for a long time and keeps getting better with air. Still young, but this is exactly the kind of wine that excites me about Burgundy.

2003 Mommessin Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Suchots (France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru)

I've been re-tasting this for three days. I have really tried to like this...but it just isn't good. So fruity, oaky, and fat that it could seriously be guessed as a Cab in a blind tasting. Zero typicity at this point in my opinion. Coffee and bitter chocolate on the nose. Lush cherry and blackberry on the palate. Finish is clipped and acidity is too low. I know this was a very hot vintage, so mother nature is at least partially responsible for this abomination of a Burgundy, but the oak is human-infused, so the winemaker will have to take responsibility for that decision. I don't often dump out wine, but this deserved it. Stay away from this as far as you can.

2006 Simon Bize Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Aux Vergelesses (France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru)

• 2006 Simon Bize Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Aux Vergelesses - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru (6/20/2009)
  This was infanticide for sure. Nevertheless, I loved this wine and it's obvious it's got a lot of promise. Bright cranberry, raspberry, and earth on the nose. Fresh, bright crushed berry flavors on the palate. All red fruit and no black or dark fruit. Spice and black forest ham play on the palate as well. Amazing fruit purity and precision that sails right into and through the remarkable, silky textured finish. Very tannic and structured, still, and it's not giving up everything right now, but I can only imagine what this will be like in 10+ years.

White Burgundy Tasting - LeRoy, Ramonet, Bonneau du Matray and more

WHITE BURGUNDY TASTING - LEROY, RAMONET, BONNEAU DU MATRAY AND MORE - (6/14/2009)

Our monthly wine salon organized by Austin collector Brian Owens was hosted at Austin's Aquarelle restaurant yesterday afternoon. We tasted through 23 wines in almost exactly 4 hours. Yesterday's theme was white burgundy, so we tasted through a good number of the important villages/communes to get a feel for each, as well as the styles within. Before I get to the notes I took, I will take a moment and say that the number of oxidized bottles was absolutely shocking...and that's after the host had already opened and tasted, and subsequently replaced damaged and oxidized bottres. After tasting through the wines yesterday, I am resolved to drink white burgundy in its youth. Going beyond 10 years seems to be a crapshoot. Alas, here are the notes.

Entry Level and Pouilly-Fuisse White Burgundy

• 2007 Cave de Lugny Mâcon-Lugny Les Charmes - France, Burgundy, Mâconnais, Mâcon-Lugny
  First wine of the afternoon. Pale yellow to white color. Crushed rocks, zippy acidity, lemon juice, light custard, and white flowers. Very steely. At $10 per bottle, this is a nice wine for the price.

• 2007 Joseph Drouhin St. Véran - France, Burgundy, Mâconnais, St. Véran
  Pale color, crushed rock, seashells, softer than the Macon that preceded it. Lemon, stony, and egg white flavors. At $13 per bottle, this, too, is a good QPR.


• 1994 J. A. Ferret Pouilly-Fuissé Tournant de Pouilly - Hors classe - France, Burgundy, Mâconnais, Pouilly-Fuissé
  Oxidized. Gold color. Cider, caramel apple, butterscotch, popcorn, toasted nuts, honey. Good finish. Definitely past its prime.

• 1993 Domaine Valette Pouilly-Fuissé Clos Reyssié - France, Burgundy, Mâconnais, Pouilly-Fuissé
  Slightly oxidated. Minerals, sherry notes, fresh, zingy with lemon and minimal oak.

Joseph Drouhin Clos des Mouches Blanc

• 1997 Joseph Drouhin Beaune 1er Cru Clos des Mouches Blanc - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Beaune 1er Cru
  Oxidized. Cider, apple, lemon zest, beeswax. Fresh and broad.

• 1999 Joseph Drouhin Beaune 1er Cru Clos des Mouches Blanc - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Beaune 1er Cru
  Sulfur smell. Reductive. Very fresh, seashells, curing smoke, some toasty oak. Only deduction was the high glycerin texture. Someone mentioned it had a significant saline note.

• 2002 Joseph Drouhin Beaune 1er Cru Clos des Mouches Blanc - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Beaune 1er Cru
  By far my favorite in this flight. Bright, grassy, white flower blossoms, citrus, but also good roundness. This one had it all.

• 2000 Joseph Drouhin Beaune 1er Cru Clos des Mouches Blanc - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Beaune 1er Cru
  Bright color and palate. Honeywater, hey, straw and citrus. Somewhat non-descript character.

• 2001 Joseph Drouhin Beaune 1er Cru Clos des Mouches Blanc - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Beaune 1er Cru
  Slightly oxidized. Slight reduction, very sweet fruit, cut grass, fatter than the 2002. Good but in need of speedy consumption.

Chablis and Meursault

• 2007 Laurent Tribut Chablis 1er Cru Côte de Léchet - France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru
  One of my favorite young wines at this tasting. Cut grass, lemon juice, high acidity, slightly salty note. A lean, mean, mineral rich wine that's bone dry and in need of a couple of years in the cellar to soften up.

• 2000 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos - France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
  Very good Chablis with some age on it. Still fresh, lively, vibrant wine that's all liquid stones, but also a deep wine with layers of fruit and a softness that the previous wine lacked due to its youth. A little short on the finish for me. Very good, but not great. I would vebture to guess that the laurent tribut will be better than this at the same age.

• 2003 Thierry et Pascale Matrot Meursault 1er Cru Charmes - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
  Toasty oak, thin, watery, flat, flabby. Short finish and utterly forgettable.

Corton-Charlemagne

• 2001 Rapet Père et Fils Corton-Charlemagne - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
  My WOTN. This brought it all together. Peach, pear, round flavors, lots of minerality, a touch of cold smoke, but still bright, and young and full of promise. Loved this one.

• 1997 Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
  Oxidized. All butterscotch, round and soft texture, and high toast oak. Some said this is the house style, but something tells me that they don't intend to make their wine like this.

• 1998 Joseph Drouhin Corton-Charlemagne - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
  Beginning to oxidize. This one fit stylistically right in between the Rapet and Bonneau du Martray. It had great balance and was probably the best wine to drink now. Great food match to crab bisque. Needs to be consumed immediately though. This bottle was on the downslope.

Chassagne-Montrachet

• 1996 Domaine Ramonet Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Morgeot - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru
  Slightly oxidized. Extremely intense wine that has a wild and almost rustic palate of lemon zest, minerals, curing smoke and nuts. I liked this better than most, but again, this needs to be consumed asap.

• 1996 Blain-Gagnard Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru La Boudriotte - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru
  First bottle badly corked. Second bottle oxidized. Still drinkable but not very fun. Deep gold color and the smokey nutty, lemony flavors one would expect, plus, unfortunately some cider, caramel apple and butterscotch. I can see how this may have been really good at some point.

• 2005 Louis Jadot Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Morgeot Clos de la Chapelle Domaine du Duc de Magenta - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru
  Jeckyll and Hyde wine. The nose smelled of plastic and rubber and nothing else, but the palate was really nice. tasty, fresh, zingy, and with good length and great purity. Bizarre showing.

Puligny-Montrachet

• 2003 Etienne Sauzet Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Hameau de Blagny - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru
  Creme brulee and egg yolk. Some smoke and oak and noticeable crushed limestone. A bit short for my preferences. A drink now wine, but it was not oxidized.

• 2001 Château Génot-Boulanger Puligny-Montrachet Nosroyes - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet
  Excellent Puligny. Although a bit of oak on the entry, this actually shows lean with zingy lemon, smoke, and some custard. My favorite Puligny in the lineup.

• 1999 Maison Leroy Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Pucelles - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru
  To me, this was the most controversial wine on the table. Everyone seemed to love it, but I didn't. The good news is that it was definitely not oxidized, and it looked like an amazingly fresh and young wine. Pale color in comparison to all the other serious wines, and it just seemed pleasant and flat to me. No excitement factor. I thought the Genot was significantly better. No flaws I could detect.


• 2004 Vincent Girardin Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatières - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru
  Youngest wine in the lineup. Showed well and is richer in style than all but the Sauzet Pulignys. Light gold color and more tropical fruit. Smoke and a touch of oak. After tasting some of the other wines, this probably didn't stand out for me, but it was drinking good.

And for those of you who know your music, here's a goodie:

Thanks to Brian for organizing and thanks to the owners of Aquarelle for allowing us to do this tasting on their premises on their day off. Special thanks to John GL for the stunning Crab bisque. Amazing course with the Corton Charlemagnes. A truly amazing treat.

2004 Vincent Girardin Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Champs-Gain Vieilles Vignes (France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru)

• 2004 Vincent Girardin Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Champs-Gain Vieilles Vignes - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru (6/8/2009)
  Slightly smokey reductive nose. Gardenia, cotton flower, and mirabelles. Wet rock, apricot, apple, mirabelle, and a hint of melon. Very dry and long finish with a slightly saline feel to it. Needed some time in the glass to unfurl. I would give it 30 minutes to 1 hour decant next time around. Great wine with a number of different cheeses tonight.

Dinner Chez Rob & Lauryl

DINNER CHEZ ROB & LAURYL - (5/30/2009)

We were invited to eat and drink at our friends Rob and Lauryl's place last night. Food was amazing, and so was the company. Lovely wines, too.

Champagnes

With Hummus dip and tuna tartare in cucumber slices.

• 1999 Eric Rodez Champagne Grand Cru Brut Millésimé - France, Champagne, Ambonnay, Champagne
  Fantastic Champagne. Clearly from a cool site with nice layered fruit and some brioche. To me, the Chardonnay dominated in this wine, despite the fact that the blend is 50/50 Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Lovely wine that is drinking great right now.


• N.V. Krug Champagne Grande Cuvée Brut - France, Champagne
  Second bottle of Champagne last night. Mighty big wine that has just a ton of flavor. Maybe a little nutty and has some nice fruit. No need to hurry drinking this, but I don't know what the disgorgement date was. I loved it.

Reds

With lamb chops, sweet potatoes, and spinach.

• 2005 René Bouvier Marsannay Ouzeloy - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Marsannay
  Maybe a little too warm at first, but it showed very well overall. Extremely sappy and mouthwatering, this is drinking great. Some crushed berry, tobacco and earth, and the fruit is still pretty primary. Lovely Pinot that can be cellared for some time, I'm sure, but I liked the way it was drinking.


• 1978 Château Ducru-Beaucaillou - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Julien
  Great bottle as well. Took a few minutes to clean up after it came out of the bottle. Started really funky, but after it shook off the funk, the fruit was round and soft, and the tannins were barely there. Great freshness, and leather, cigar box, and a lot of minerality were all there. My runner-up WOTN last night.


• 1998 Domaine du Pégaü Châteauneuf-du-Pape Cuvée Laurence - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
  Best Pegau Laurence I've ever had. This wsa just loaded with garrigue and like the Cuvee Reservee, this also has loads of cherry juice / kirsch liqueur. Another taster said black pepper, and I can definitely see that in this wine, too. Spice and a touch of licorice. Phenomenal wine that is in no danger of decline anytime soon. It is drinking at peak though in my opinion, so no need to hold off further. My WOTN.


• 1999 Le Vieux Donjon Châteauneuf-du-Pape - France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape
  Just like the day before this was a very Burgundy-like CdP with berry fruit, spice, good minerality and solid structure. What I am missing here is a little more depth of flavors. Very good but not outstanding. Like the 1998 Pegau Laurence, I think this is drinking at peak.


• 2001 Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste - France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac
  Started out rough for me. Very primary still, and was in a weird place initially. After it had some air for an hour or two, this began to shine though. Classic pencil shavings, tobacco, earth, and some floral notes. Despite being medium bodied, this has very nice flavor intensity, and it ends in a good finish. Although it was delicious with the food last night, this will get much better with time. A definite winner.


• 2002 Olga Raffault Chinon Les Picasses - France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Chinon
  This wine is still so tannic and acidic that it was a shock to drink after the wines before it. Just massive structure despite low extraction. Has the funk that Olga Raffault is famous for. As with most of her Chinons, this is a finesse wine that has some serious green bell pepper and vegetable notes, so those who can't tolerate that will hate this wine. I predict this will be an amazing bottle of wine in 10 more years. Really not a wine to consume right now. The rest of my bottles go to the long term underground storage.

There were two stickies for dessert, but I barely tried one. I was done with wine and had moved on to coffee. Thanks to Rob and Lauryl for outdoing themselves last night, and thanks to all others for bringing some great wine.

Posted from CellarTracker