Category Archives: Imported – Wine Review

Red Burgundy Master Class

14 April 2010

The last few months have seen our Italian correspondent, Brendan Jansen, back in Perth. To assist with his Master of Wine studies, Brendan has been running a series of tastings aimed at exploring the differences that are experienced across various regions. These have included White Burgundy/Chablis and The Rhone Valley. The last tasting in this series was the Red Wines of Burgundy.

Brendan arranged a cross section of wines from various villages throughout the Cote d’Or. The challenge was to try and identify what characters were synonymous with pinot noir from Burgundy and what characters were unique to specific villages within Burgundy.

An interesting observation was that most of the wines were recommended by Ross Duke. We came to the conclusion that if Ross recommends a Burgundy, then it is most likely to be good. The only caveat would be to choose the better vintages.

Tasted (In Order)

Domaine Du Meix-Foulot – Mercury 1er Cru – Clos du Chateau de Montaigu – 2006 (16.9). Somewhat meaty characters to start, in a solid frame-work. Some lovely cherry fruit leads on the palate, with earthy characters to follow. Not complex on the finish, but very more-ish and good drinking now.

Domaine Marquis D’Angerville – Volnay – 2005 (16.7). Denser colour, and more density to the fruit on the nose. Savoury notes with spice and red (strawberry) fruits on the palate. Souring finish adds interest. Again lacks fruit weight on the finish, but there is enough structure to improve for a few years. Quite linear but not as generous as the Mercury.

Domaine Machard De Gramont – Beune 1er Cru – Aucoucherias – 2005 (17). Cold. Lighter style and quite pretty. The palate builds intensity. Some pepper and spice on the palate. A pretty, even floral, wine that gets better with time. This really improved over the evening.

Albert Morot – Beaune – Cent Vignes 1er Cru – 2004 (17.2). More of the earthy/meaty characters on the nose, but really interesting and succulent. Fruit is more to the plum spectrum with spice. Complex, spice especially cinnamon. Plums and some cedary notes on the palate. Long and savoury finish, but with plenty of grip. Sweet plum fruit. This was delicious with dinner the next night.

Domaine Follin-Arbelet – Aloxe Corton 1er Cru – les Vercots – 2006 (17.4). Quite dumb to start. The palate is fresh and vibrant, silky yet with plenty of structure. The fruit and oak tannins are very fine and tight, but get powdery on the close. This needs quite a few years to open up.

Rapet Pere et Fils – Pernand Verglesses – 2005 (16.5). Fruit tending to the cherry spectrum, with a touch of menthol and medicinal aromas. These continue on the palate. Opens with time, but not my style. (Received stronger support from others.)

Domaine Digioia-Royer – Chambolle Musigny – 2005. (17.5). Earthy, complex nose with dark fruit. The palate is dense, and quite powerful, with good fruit weight. This wine is all about fruit, with minimal new oak influence. Chewy and long, an impressive village wine. Pretty and quite feminine. A mid weight wine.

Earl Domaine Castagnie – Gervrey Chambertin – 2004 (17.3). More developed than the Royer, perhaps reflecting the vintage. Plumy fruit with some cedary oak characters. There is some cooler fruit character on the nose, but this does not detract. Good line and very good length. Does evolve and build spice. Drink in the next few years. (If this has a touch of Volatile Acidity, then it adds complexity).

Domaine Bart – Marsannay – Les Echezois – 2005 (17.8). Balanced and complex nose. This is seductive and ripe. Silky and enticing palate with fruit in the cherry spectrum . Denser fruit than all so far, this is textured and rich. Surprising quality for a village wine, and will improve further.

Bruno Desaunay-Bissey – Vosne Romanee – Villes Vignes 2005. (16). A somewhat meaty wine that is plump and ripe, but perhaps a bit flat. An almost sea-water flavour on the finish. Opens and improves. Firm tannins.

J Cacheux – Vosne Romanee 1er Cru – Les Chalandins – 2006 (18.2). A pretty wine. Feminine and floral, but with spine. Wow, lovely wine with very floral fruit. There is rose water and gentle cinnamon as well as strawberry fruit characters. Very silky, but still with structure. Superior. Interesting to see a fresh sea-water character.

J Cacheux – Vosne Romanee 1er Cru – Les Chalandins – 2005 (18). More structured than the 2006. Similar fruit characters, (i.e. pretty fruit), but more structured and a touch of pepper. The tannins are palpable on the finish. Smart, but will need more time to start drinking well. More masculine, and will score higher in time.

Caves de Pommard – Clos Vougeot – Grand Cru – 2005 (17.5). More weighty, but with poise and balance. Warmer and with some oak influence that is obvious. Dense fruit that is really long and fine. This is a powerful wine but not as identifiably burgundian. Some unusual, almost cooked characters. I was the only one that did not rate this very highly.

Scorpo – Pinot Noir – 2005 (17.9). Has the same spectrum of characters as the burgundies, but everything is turbo charged. Meaty/earthy characters dominate the nose. The palate is a flood of ripe fruit in the cherry spectrum. This is really long and really dense. The ripeness and density of the fruit is reflected in the (slightly) higher alcohol. One for lovers of shiraz, but very good all the same. Tangy acid to close. Interestingly, this evolved into a more feminine wine with airing.

Carrick – Pinot Noir – 2006 (18). Much closer in style to the burgundies, but still with new world fruit characters. Very nice wine with cherries and gentle spice. This is delicate but long and fine. Good length.

Last Sunday Tasting Group

Reviewed: 1 September 2012

A fantastic line up of wines, this was a superb tasting.

Reviewed

Domaine Vincent Bouzereau – Meursault – 1er Cru – Les Charmes – 2008 (18.6). If possible, even better than the Le Poruzot. Finer, better balanced and the acid is fresher. Youthful and racy, this is on its way to stardom. There is a steely edge to the fruit and the length is superb.

Domaine Faury – Shiraz/Viognier – Cote-Rotie – 2006 (18.4). Lovely sweet fruit with plum and spice. This has rich and ripe fruit with real power. Silky, big and powerful, the fruit and oak tannins are firm yet deliciously fine. A Fantastic wine, the floral highlights are courtesy of the 15% Viognier

Chateau Pouget – Margeaux – 4th Growth – 2002 (18.3). Licorice, spice, dark fruit and hints of red fruits over a touch of varnish. Gorgeous fruit on the palate, this is sublime. The wine evolves on the tongue and is textured, long and very fine. Lingers and builds. Pierre Gaillard – Banyuls – Domaine Madeloc – 2005 – Fruit cake and spice here, Sweet, rich, ripe, this does not taste overly alcoholic. Long and fine, the sweetness balances the fruit and structure.

Domaine Vincent Bouzereau – Meursault – 1er Cru – Le Poruzot – 2008 (18.3) Developing honeyed notes on the nose, this is textured, long and rich. The power and intensity of the fruit is apparent in the mouth. This is very long and intense, yet round and generous with a savoury minerality. Fantastic.

Christian Moreau– Chardonnay – Vaillons – 1er Cru – 2009 (18+). Rich, creamy, buttery, generous, viscous, long. Remarkably tight finish, with creamy oak holding the fruit back, but this is in no-way looking overdone. Lemony acid freshens the finish beautifully. Give it a few years.

Chateau Couhins-Lurton – Pessac Leognan – Graves – 2006 (18). Wow. Superb nose with hints of pineapple fruit, the power and intensity are the standouts. Fresh acidity really drives a finish that is creamy, textured, long and fine. The worked characters make this wine.

Domaine Jean Tardy – Pinot Noir – Vosne Romanee – 2004 (18). Richer and dense. More complex and almost a touch of funk. Excellent structure.Silky, yet slightly chewy. The firm finish suggests that food would complement this well. A remarkable effort.

Domaine Gardies – Blend – Cote du Roussillon – Les Falaises – 2009 (17.9). Intense fruit here. Cassis, ripe berries, blueberry and spice. Chewy and firm, this is very structured and tight. The high quality oak and refined tannins stop the fruit from expressing, but with air, you can sense the quality. Licorice, spice and cedar, with a hint of varnish. Good mouth-feel to boot.

Louis Michel & Fils – Chardonnay – Les Clos – Grand Cru – 2007 (17.8).Rich, textured, oily, nutty, long and dense. Apricot, honey on a palate that has superb length. Textured oak to close, this is a lovely wine.

Jean – Louis et Didier Amiot – Pinot Noir – Morey St Denis – 1er Cru – Aux Charmes – 2004 (17.5). Touch of pong, yet this is fragrant, elegant and refined. Feminine and deliciously textured and fine. Not the most complex or dense, but quite this is delicous.

Robert & Bernard Plageoles – Shiraz (Syrah) – 2010 (17.5). Another intense wine. Berry and plum, but with textural spice and firm oak. Chewy and textured plum and spice, the finish is long, dense and textured. Need years. From Gaillac

Tardieu–Laurent – Cote-Rotie – Les Seize Galets – 2008 (17).

Vintage Cellars – French Tasting

Reviewed: 16 July 2012

Here are my highlights from a recent tasting put on by Paul Stephenson at the Shenton Park store.

Reviewed

Pierre Gimmonet – Crus 1er Cru – NV (17.3). Lovely nose that has complex, yeast and autolysis nose. The palate is quite drying, but there is a degree of richness that is very attractive. Not as dense as some, this is a good aperitif style.

Henry Pelle – Sancerre – La Croix Au Garde – 2010 (17.5). This is quite fresh, with lifted fruit. Quite linear, but builds richness and complexity on the palate. Hints of lanolin, apricot, lots of minerals and hints of spice. This really opens up with air. A great alternative to New Zealand sauvignon blanc.

Saint Cosme – Shiraz – Cotes du Rhone – 2009 (17). Surprisingly rich and complex for a Cote du Rhone. Pretty, perfumed fruit with plenty of pepper. The palate is fresh and vibrant, with spicy fruit and slightly grippy tannins. Quite good length, with enough acid to carry the palate. No oak to speak of, it is unusual for a Cotes du Rhone to be 100% shiraz.

Saint Cosme – Grenache – Gigondas – 2009 (17.5). Lovely sweet fruit over sweet vanillin oak. The palate is grippy and the tannins are quite assertive. The tannins are quite fine though, so they should balance out with the fruit with a few years in the bottle. As it opens, the fruit becomes more floral on the nose and expressive on the palate, whilst the tannins come in to balance. Give it at least a few years to show its best. 100% Grenache.