Current Release
Reviewed: 17 January 2012
I had the privilege of sitting in on this high quality tasting of white Burgundy and a few champagnes. There were some tremendous wines, and a great value champagne in the Brut Origine from Tribaut Schloesser.
These wines have limited availability, so try your local fine wine retailer.
Reviewed
Tribaut Schloesser – Brut Origine – NV (17.7). Restrained, light and joyful, this is a great aperitif. Very youthful and quite restrained, this is a delightful drink. There are hints of minerality and a prettiness to the finish. Not overly complex, but who cares. (Try Lamont’s Cottesloe).
Vilmart – Grand Reserve – NV (17.9+). Very fresh, with subtle complexity, this is almost chablis-like on the finish. Good mid palate weight and texture, the lemony acid carries the finish. Give it a couple of years to show its best.
Pierre Peters – Blanc de Blanc – NV (17.8). Round, soft, relatively complex and balanced. A very good all-round champagne with lovely autolysis and bread dough characters. The length is impressive and the finish complex and with weight. Would work very well with lighter food.
Tribaut Schloesser – Cuvee Rene – NV (18.2). Fine, complex and alluring nose. Superb balance on the palate. This is a blend of freshness and just enough development to make the finish complex and very satisfying. Yes, this will improve for quite a few years in the bottle, but it is a great drink now. A very refined wine, with superb balance and length of flavour.
Etienne Sauzet – Chardonnay – Puligny Montrachet – 2008 (17.7). Subdued nose. The palate is quite rich and very typical of burgundy with hints of honey too. There is a lovely minerality running through the wine and the structure supports the fruit well. Good length, though not overly complex at this stage, this is very enjoyable. Very well made, with good depth and concentration, the quality oak and high acidity stop this from fully expressing itself right now. Give it a few years!
Philippe Chavy – Chardonnay – Meursault – Les Charmes – 1er Cru – 2009 (17.8). Quite restrained initially with a steely core of tight fruit. Lovely wine of some power, yet the balance is excellent. Beautiful mouth-feel, this is very long and very precise. There are hints of lemon and minerals and the texture/viscosity works very well. This will fill out and become a great all-round wine.
Thierry & Pascal Matrot – Chardonnay – Meursault-Charmes – 1er Cru – 2007 (18.2). Richer, with minerals, quality oak and ripe fruit in evidence on the nose. Seamless, balanced and integrated, this is tight and very restrained. Just a baby, the lemony acid and well judged oak flesh out the finish. Subtle viscosity with minerality makes the finish work, but it will be even better in 2-3 years.
Domaine Bernard Bonin – Chardonnay – Meursault-Charmes – 1er Cru – 2007 (17.7). Hints of pineapple to the fruit, suggesting a degree of ripeness. Vanilla, crème brullee, spice, honey and lemon curd – this has it all. Develops honey and toasty oak on the finish. A bigger, richer style with obvious appeal.
Blain Gagnard – Chassagne Montrachet – Les Caillerets – 1er Cru – 2009 (17.9). Reserved/restrained, but suggests potential. Wow, whilst the wine is cold (too long in the fridge) and closed, this has a near seamless palate with lemon, honeysuckle, and fresh acidity. The oak is very much in the background, integrating very well with the fruit. Really needs 5 – 10 yrs to show its best.
Thierry & Pascal Matrot – Meaursualt – Blagny – 1er Cru – 2005 (17.8). In a tasting, there are some wines that you actually have to drink to appreciate. This is delicate, subtle and silky. There is gentle honey, mead and floral notes. The amazing thing is how this builds on the finish with spice, espescially cinnamon and nutmeg.
Domaine Darviot-Perrin – Meaursualt – Perrieres – 1er Cru – 2006 (18.5+). This has both the power and the intensity of a great wine. Curry leaf minerality leads the nose and the palate, but there is so much more. Generous and round in the mouth, there is high quality oak to support the ripe fruit. Textured and complex… I love it. Superb fruit quality. Immense length. Elegance as well.
Domaine Darviot-Perrin – Blanchot-Dessus – 1er Cru – 2006 (18.5+/-). Another sensational wine, this is mouth-coating and viscous, yet alive and refreshing. The length is fantastic and the palate fans out. Not for the faint-hearted, but a wine that we should all try. Opens to show pineapple fruit that is powerful. One reviewer found a touch of marmalade that made them question whether there was a touch of botrytis.