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| Tasting notes from a 2003-04 Burgundy tasting - Saturday, February 25, 2006, at the Wine Exchange in Orange, CA. Twenty wines were poured for a fee of $39. The wines were half-decanted several hrs prior to the tasting. Pricing shown is as it was at the Wine Exchange on the above date. Overall impressions: the tasting began with 6 white Burgundies, and progressed on to 14 reds, more of less ordered by their intensity and price structure. Nearly all of the wines exhibited a nice ripeness - some bordered on over-ripe, but all of them seemed very well balanced. Bargains? Well... yes... even though this is Burgundy, there were some very nice wines at "reasonable" prices. First off, there was a sleeper of a white Burg. The Domaine Dupont-Fahn Bourgogne was quite a surprise for $23. We were told that this property ought to have been classified a Meursault, but the owner mis-filed the papers. Truth or marketing ploy, the wine's a winner, and a bargain to boot! In addition, 4 of my top favorites in the tasting were under $60, including my favorite, the fabulous Dom. Fourrier Chambolle Musigny. Want some very nice Burgs under $40? Try the Dominique Laurent Beaune Vielles Vignes, or the Dom. Dupont-Fahn Bourgogne Chaumes des Perrieres, or the Dominique Laurent Santenay Vielles Vignes, or the Bernard Dugat-Py Bourgogne, and finally the Vincent Girardin Rully 1er Cru Les Cloux at $22. Disappointments? The Louis Jadot wines all seemed to be pushing the ripeness envelope. I don't know if this a "house style" with Jadot, but each of the 3 Jadot wines in the tasting exhibited this quality, in varying degrees. The Jadot Clos St. Jacques Gevrey Chambertin seemed to wear it best, while the Savigny les Beaune was a bit more disappointing. |
Blanc 2004
Dom. Talmard Macon Chardonnay. $6.99. Light
yellow color. Nose of light citrusy fruit, but a toasted nut quality
seemed to predominate. Lightly sweet mouthfeel, initially tasty
if not overly complex. Comes across as something of a thinner KJ
Chard. 2004
Laurent Tribut Chablis. $16.99. Light
yellow color. Nice fruit-driven nose of citrus, apple and floral
tones. Off-sweet mouthfeel, very nice balance, medium-long interesting
finish. 2004
Vincent Girardin Rully 1er Cru Les Cloux. $21.99. Light
yellow color. Minerals, diesel, along with clover and violets lend
an interesting accent to the fruit. Lots of fruit on the palate,
juicy acids, very nice balance and finish. 2004
Dom. Dupont-Fahn Bourgogne Chaumes des Perrieres. $22.99.
Medium
yellow color. Slightly restrained aromatics, but seems to have a
deep fleshy-fruit quality in the nose. Lovely mouthfeel, very plush
on the palate, slightly sweet chewy fruit, excellent balance and
very long finish. Quite nice! (Apparently, this property is inches
from being in the Meursault appellation.) 2004
Jean Boillot & Fils Puligny Montrachet. $45.99. Medium-light
yellow color. Fleshy fruit in the nose, with a nice toasty component
in the background. Off-sweet mouthfeel, nice lemon-based slightly
mineral flavors, very goood balance, long finish. 2004
Philippe Colin Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru La Maltroie.
$57.99. Medium
yellow color. Lots of floral, smoky and mineral scents accent the
nice fleshy fruit. Off sweet mouthfeel, packed with mineral-laced
fruit, very nice balance, and slightly soft long finish. Rouge 2003
Nicolas Potel Savigny les Beaune Vielles Vignes. $25.99.
Medium
ruby garnet color. Light floral scent to the cherry fruit, with
a hint of toast in the background. Off-sweet mouthfeel, nice cherry
fruit and spice, moderate body, good balance and finish. 2003
Louis Jadot Savigny les Beaune 1er Cru Clos des Guettes.
$29.99. Medium
ruby garnet color. Ripe and slightly singed in the nose, with notes
of gunpowder and minerals dominating the light cherry fruit. Good
mouthfeel and body, ripe cherry flavor - maybe too-ripe, long slightly
gripping tannic finish. 2003
Dominique Laurent Santenay Vielles Vignes. $31.99. Medium
ruby garnet color. Nose of cherry and black cherry, with a bit of
smoke. Chewy mouthfeel, lots of cherry fruit with a smoked meat
quality, very nice balance, nice long finish. 2003
Dominique Laurent Beaune Vielles Vignes. $35.99. Medium-dark
ruby garnet color. Nice slightly sweet black cherry and spice in
the nose. Off-sweet dark cherry fruit, mouthfilling and lush on
the palate, with a fabulous mid-palate, and nice long finish. 2003
Louis Jadot Beaune 1er Cru Theurons. $36.99. Light-medium
ruby garnet color. Nose of ripe, slightly singed cherry fruit, with
a toasted grain-like scent, and a chocolate/mocha note. Swirling
seemed to help these scents blow off, and the fruit underneath was
more appealing with its fleshy and floral notes. The flavor profile
seemed to follow the nose, with ripe cherry fruit, and something
of an old-vine "viney" taste. 2003
Dom. de Courcel Pommard 1er Cru Les Rugiens. $59.99. Medium-dark
ruby garnet color. Fascinating earthy and floral wet leaf quality
to the dark cherry fruit in the nose. Initially somewhat coarse
on the palate, but the off-sweet fruit smooths out through mid-palate
to a long meaty finish, and a delicious aftertaste. |
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2003
Dom. Tollot-Beaut Corton Bressandes Grand Cru. $62.99. Medium-dark
ruby color. The gorgeous fruit practically jumps out of the glass.
Loaded with dark cherry, and notes of flint and floral tones. Juicy
mouthfeel, lots of fruit and spice, great balance, and long seamless
finish. Beautiful! 2003
Bernard Dugat-Py Bourgogne. $34.99. Medium-dark
ruby garnet color. Lots of dark cherry in the nose, with hints of
floral and toasty aromas. Off-sweet fruit, touch of bitterness on
the bing cherry/cranberry side, but seems to sweeten up on the long
finish. 2003
Thibault Liger-Belair Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les St. Georges.
$54.99. Medium-dark
ruby garnet color. Lovely nose of spicy dark cherry fruit, with
toast and mineral notes, and a touch earthiness. Most of the aromatics
come through nicely on the palate, terrific fruit, excellent balance,
gripping mouthfeel, and very long finish. 2003
Hudelot-Noellat Vosne Romanée 1er Cru Les Malconsorts.
$64.99. Medium-dark
ruby garnet color. Nose of ripened dark cherry, minerals, toast,
and a earthy forest-floor quality. Packed with dark fruit and light
spices, bit of minerality to the slightly sweet mouthfeel, terrific
balance, and very long finish. Very nice! 2003
Dom. Fourrier Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru Les Gruenchers Vielle
Vigne. $59.99. Medium-dark
ruby garnet color. Gorgeous nose of black cherry, wild strawberry,
cinnamon, toast and rose petal. Beautiful dark fruit on the palate,
slightly sweet mouthfeel, meaty and very juicy, with a lovely balance,
and seamlessly plush long finish. Wow! 2003
Georges Roumier Morey St. Denis 1er Cru Clos de la Bussiére.
$54.99. Medium-dark
ruby garnet color. Nose of strawberry and cherry, with hints of
minerals, rose stem and bittersweet chocolate in the background.
Fleshy fruit, elegant yet moderately concentrated and a bit soft
in mouthfeel, very nice balance and delicious juicy finish. 2003
Louis Jadot Gevrey Chambertin 1er Cru Clos St. Jacques.
$106.99. Medium-dark
ruby garnet color. Ripe dark spiced cherry, with meaty and floral
aromas, and some flint or minerality in the background. Off-sweet
mouthfeel, with more of a bing cherry and cranberry quality. Very
nice balance, elegant and slightly soft on the palate with a juicy
sweet-sour taste. The cherry elements become more strawberry-like
on the long finish. 2003
Dom. St. Martin Bonnes Mares Grand Cru. $89.99. Medium-dark
ruby garnet color. Gorgeous nose of dark cherry, nutmeg and cinnamon,
with touches of earth and mineral. Slightly sweet mouthfeel, beautiful
balance, juicy acidity, with a long seamless finish. |
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No original material may be reproduced without written consent Mail & Comments - Eric Anderson |