28 November 2010: Ruby-garnet hue. Magnificent bouquet of blueberry, figs, violet, rose, tobacco, leather, chocolate and cedar. Sweet fruit on entry. More liquorice, spices, leather, cedar, eucalyptus and chocolate on the palate. Tannin much softened but still not yet fully integrated, showing some acidity. Balanced and complex. Lacks the concentration and persistence of the wine from this chateau from a great vintage but nonetheless a well-crafted wine with some very attractive and classic elements. Ready to drink now, and for next 6-8 years. Best to decant it for 30 - 45 minutes as the wine gains weight and complexity in the glass.
Robert Parker scored this wine 88. Based on my recent experience of this wine, I would score it 16.5/20 or around 91 using the 100 pointer system.
Sunday, 28 November 2010
White Truffle Dinner - Take 2
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| 2003 Yquem |
For this evening, we did not pair the dishes with Italian wines....instead, we opted for Bordeaux, one white burgundy and one champagne....our wines were:
1997 Haut Brion Blanc: Amber-gold colour. Marmalade, dried apricot, honey, biscuity. Full body and rich. Good acidity. Excellent with the risotto with foie gras. Drinking at peak now, if you like this wine with a fair amount of oxidative character. 16/20
1990 Bonneau du Martray Corton Charlemagne: Peach, melon, nutty, mineral, spicy (ginger, pepper), firm acidity. Fresh, rich, complex. Drinking well now, and for next 10+ years. 18/20
1996 Haut Brion: smokey, tobacco, gravel, mineral, blueberry, blackberry, blackcurrant leaf. Elegant, structured, very fine. Soft tannin. Builds weight and complexity in glass. 18/20
1989 Pichon Baron: herbaceous, bell pepper, mineral, tobacco, blueberry, violet, spicy. Grainy tannin. Silky texture, but a little weak in terms of concentration and depth. 17/20
1989 Palmer: much more elegant, showing character of chocolate, cedar, black fruit, but generally quite reticent for the evening. 17.5/20
2003 Yquem: pale golden colour. Complexity of peach, melon, honey, raisin, dried apricot, orange peel, ginger, cloves, cinnamon, brioche, caramel. Full body, fantastically balanced. Drinking perfectly now, not cloying at all, harmonious and pure. Just perfect. 20/20
Day of Reflection - Day 5 of Visit to Burgundy 2010
21 November 2010: After a fortifying breakfast of scrambled egg and rice pudding, we took to the road and headed for Lyon Airport. Our trips to Burgundy always feel a little too short. I was really sorry not to have time to visit Jean-Philippe Fichet on this trip. Jean-Philippe is our winemaker for our Meursault Les Clous. For me, Jean-Philippe represents a modern force in Burgundy, a generation fending for their existence and working hard to build something of their own. Chapeau! I would have liked to meet more winemakers like Domaine Lejeune, who represented what we found endearing about Burgundy in the first place….the modesty and dedication of the people, the rural charm and rustic quality about the cuisine and the culture.
As we drove towards Lyon, we found ourselves intrigued (and perturbed) by the thought of this land of men and terroirs succumbing to the powerful forces of commercialization, joining the globalization bandwagon. Should we shudder at this thought??
As we drove towards Lyon, we found ourselves intrigued (and perturbed) by the thought of this land of men and terroirs succumbing to the powerful forces of commercialization, joining the globalization bandwagon. Should we shudder at this thought??
Dinner at Lameloise, Chagny - Day 4 of Visit to Burgundy 2010
20 November 2010: What I love most about Lameloise (a hotel and restaurant) may not be its cuisine, but the warmth of the charming dining room, the ambiance, the very personal and professional service of the waiters, many of whom have become very familiar with us over the years, the perfectly-sized bedrooms and bathrooms!
For dinner I just went for a simple green salad, followed by a piece of very fresh turbot, with a sauce vierge and some razor clams. Richard had a langoustine and crab salad, which was not very convincing and a beautifully cooked first service of poulet de bresse. The second service was a rather redundant dish, a little clumsy in the presentation……The best part was actually the amuse bouche of steamed foie gras wrapped with potato slices, served with a rich truffle sauce. It went perfectly well with our half bottle of 2006 Chassagne-Montrachet Les Caillerets Fontaine Gagnard. The 2007 Charmes Chambertin David Duband unfortunately did not live up to the expectation of our sommelier who recommended it to us over our other choices. The wine had a metallic taste to it which only became more prominent with time in the glass. Probably slightly embarrassed, the sommelier offered us a half bottle of 2005 Nuits Saint Georges Les Saint Georges de l’Arlot. Tannin still a little astringent, this showed a modern approachable style wine, with lots of ripe fruit, spicy character, balsamic and wet leaves. Perhaps a little too fruit-forward for me….but nonetheless an improvement on the David Duband. No cheese this time, just two scoops of vanilla ice cream, for Richard!
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| Steamed foie gras wrapped with potato slices, in a rich truffle sauce |
Tasting at Domaine Roulot, Meursault - Day 4 of Visit to Burgundy 2010
20 November 2010: Fuelled by a couple of gougères being served at the Hospices de Beaune, we left Beaune promptly at 11:15 am to head over to Domaine Roulot, where we were again joined by a large group of keen tasters of the domaine’s wines. The 2009 vintage was another success for Jean-Marc, who spoke very good English and was very patient in answering all our questions. He started the harvest on 1st September with the Poruzots vineyard, with Les Luchets being the last to be harvested.
The first 2009 wine we tasted was one of the 4 Climats du Coeur, a Meursault wine assembled from different vineyards and estates. This was a charity group founded by Anne-Claude Leflaive of Domaine Leflaive, Jacques Lardière of Maison Louis Jadot, Véronique Drouhin of Maison Joseph Drouhin, Aubert de Villaine of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Erwan Faiveley of Masion Faiveley, Jeremy Seysses of Domaine Dujac, Jean-Marc Roulot of Domaine Roulot and Louis-Fabrice Latour of Maison Louis Latour, to make use of a portion of the plentiful supply of 2009 vintage in Burgundy to vinify the grapes assembled from different estates and then sell them in cases of 4 magnums of Premier Cru wines to raise money for local charities in Burgundy. The 4 magnums are Gevrey Chambertin, Vosne-Romanée, Meursault and Puligny Montrachet. The Meursault that we tasted was vinified using grapes from Maison Louis Latour, Dom Roulot, Dom des Comtes Lafon, Maison Deux Montille Sœur Frère, Maison Albert Bichot, Maison Bouchard Père et Fils, Maison Olivier Leflaive, Dom Albert Grivault and Dom Bitouzet Prieur. I thought this was a great wine and at EUR 1,000 a case (including VAT), it would make a very meaningful contribution towards some very good causes. For more information, please visit: http://www.climats-du-coeur.com/.
This was followed by the domaine’s Bourgogne Blanc (production of 20,000 bottles), Les Vireuils (nutty, melon, mineral), Mes Chevaux (240 -250 m altitude vineyard), Les Luchets (a lot of minerality), Les Tillets( ripe fruit, very persistent, still very closed), Les Tessons (more flesh and more persistence), and then the 4 Premiers Crus: Bouchères, Poruzots (more weight than the Bouchères), Charmes (nutty, creamy, less concentrated than the best Charmes as his Charmes is from the Charmes Dessous) and finally Perrières (smokey, ripe fruit, lots of minerality, subtle and complex, very refined, only 6 barrels were made for 2009, roughly 1,600 bottles). Jean-Marc said the domaine does not have the best plot for Charmes but certainly the best for Perrières. My favourites amongst the 2009 were Perrières, Les Tessons and Les Luchets.
After the barrel samplet tasting, Jean-Marc very generously took us through some bottled samples of back vintages: 2008 Les Tillets, 2007 Tillets (much more evolved), 07 Luchets (tighter on the palate, more substance in this wine), 2004 Tillets (full body ,very lively acidity – 2004 produced very lively wines according to Jean-Marc), 2003 Meix Chavaux (already a mature style showing nutty, honey, burnt sugar, smoke and ginger), 2002 Perrières and 1996 Tessons (great structure and complexity).
Jean-Marc started working in the domaine in 1989. He said that he had been following organic viticulture practices for 10 years but he had only just passed the first level of certification recently. He is not yet convinced about biodynamic viticulture at this point. He talked a bit about his winemaking and viticulture practices, such as no green harvest, but early and rigorous pruning (including shoot pruning), only bâtonnage for healthy grapes, etc. We even asked him about his activity in the movie industry and he divulged a tiny bit about his latest movie!
A member of the tasting group, Frank, then produced a bottle of 1961 Meursault from the domaine as a present to Jean-Marc. He said it was probably produced by his father, under supervision by his grandfather. Probably a Meix Chavaux, although it was not clear from the label. Frank was generous to share this with all of us. The wine was suddenly shocked into existence, from its deep slumber. After a bit of aeration to shake out the mustiness, it was a richly developed nose of barley sugar, toffee, marmalade, dried figs, dried apricots, marron glace and tobacco. Still well structured and an interesting wine, even if the prominence of acidity was highlighted by the absence of fruit character.
We waited till the rest of the group had left to try the wine from our barrel of Hospices de Beaune Corton Charlemagne, which we entrusted to Domaine Roulot for the élevage et mise en bouteille. Jean-Marc said it had been a very challenging project and he had difficulty balancing the acidity, as the Hospices team picked quite late and the wine did not quite have the right level of acidity that he would have preferred. He also had a few problems with residual sugar! Anyway, we said goodbye to Jean-Marc, assured that our wine is in good hands until it is in bottles!
We got back to Chagny before being blockaded by the marathon organizers. What brave people to go for a 42-km run in this miserable rain and winter chill! Reasonably inspired, Richard and I went on a 2-hour walk to get our appetite up for dinner at Lameloise, my favourite hotel and restaurant in the region.
The first 2009 wine we tasted was one of the 4 Climats du Coeur, a Meursault wine assembled from different vineyards and estates. This was a charity group founded by Anne-Claude Leflaive of Domaine Leflaive, Jacques Lardière of Maison Louis Jadot, Véronique Drouhin of Maison Joseph Drouhin, Aubert de Villaine of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Erwan Faiveley of Masion Faiveley, Jeremy Seysses of Domaine Dujac, Jean-Marc Roulot of Domaine Roulot and Louis-Fabrice Latour of Maison Louis Latour, to make use of a portion of the plentiful supply of 2009 vintage in Burgundy to vinify the grapes assembled from different estates and then sell them in cases of 4 magnums of Premier Cru wines to raise money for local charities in Burgundy. The 4 magnums are Gevrey Chambertin, Vosne-Romanée, Meursault and Puligny Montrachet. The Meursault that we tasted was vinified using grapes from Maison Louis Latour, Dom Roulot, Dom des Comtes Lafon, Maison Deux Montille Sœur Frère, Maison Albert Bichot, Maison Bouchard Père et Fils, Maison Olivier Leflaive, Dom Albert Grivault and Dom Bitouzet Prieur. I thought this was a great wine and at EUR 1,000 a case (including VAT), it would make a very meaningful contribution towards some very good causes. For more information, please visit: http://www.climats-du-coeur.com/.
This was followed by the domaine’s Bourgogne Blanc (production of 20,000 bottles), Les Vireuils (nutty, melon, mineral), Mes Chevaux (240 -250 m altitude vineyard), Les Luchets (a lot of minerality), Les Tillets( ripe fruit, very persistent, still very closed), Les Tessons (more flesh and more persistence), and then the 4 Premiers Crus: Bouchères, Poruzots (more weight than the Bouchères), Charmes (nutty, creamy, less concentrated than the best Charmes as his Charmes is from the Charmes Dessous) and finally Perrières (smokey, ripe fruit, lots of minerality, subtle and complex, very refined, only 6 barrels were made for 2009, roughly 1,600 bottles). Jean-Marc said the domaine does not have the best plot for Charmes but certainly the best for Perrières. My favourites amongst the 2009 were Perrières, Les Tessons and Les Luchets.
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| Jean-Marc Roulot |
Jean-Marc started working in the domaine in 1989. He said that he had been following organic viticulture practices for 10 years but he had only just passed the first level of certification recently. He is not yet convinced about biodynamic viticulture at this point. He talked a bit about his winemaking and viticulture practices, such as no green harvest, but early and rigorous pruning (including shoot pruning), only bâtonnage for healthy grapes, etc. We even asked him about his activity in the movie industry and he divulged a tiny bit about his latest movie!
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| 1961 Meursault Roulot |
We waited till the rest of the group had left to try the wine from our barrel of Hospices de Beaune Corton Charlemagne, which we entrusted to Domaine Roulot for the élevage et mise en bouteille. Jean-Marc said it had been a very challenging project and he had difficulty balancing the acidity, as the Hospices team picked quite late and the wine did not quite have the right level of acidity that he would have preferred. He also had a few problems with residual sugar! Anyway, we said goodbye to Jean-Marc, assured that our wine is in good hands until it is in bottles!
We got back to Chagny before being blockaded by the marathon organizers. What brave people to go for a 42-km run in this miserable rain and winter chill! Reasonably inspired, Richard and I went on a 2-hour walk to get our appetite up for dinner at Lameloise, my favourite hotel and restaurant in the region.
Hospices de Beaune Auction Tasting - Day 4 of Visit to Burgundy 2010
20 November 2010: A drizzly day. We started the morning with tasting of the wines for auction at the Hospices de Beaune. With a pen and the scoring sheet in hand, Richard and I went round the room, tasting the wines, organized into flights of 5. This is the 150th year of the Hospices de Beaune auctions and the organizers even flew to China to introduce to Chinese wine enthusiasts the diversity of the Hospices de Beaune wines. With the publicity it has already attracted, not least attendance by Chinese and French celebrities, one could only predict that the prices would go through the roof! So the tasting might just be as close as we could get to the actual barrels!
A bit of background on the Hospices de Beaune auctions. In 1443, Nicolas Rolin, then chancellor to Philippe Le Bon, the Duke of Burgundy, and his wife Guigone de Salins, set up the Hôtel-Dieu to look after the sick and the poor at a time of great famine and misery. The Hospital was fortunate to receive donations in the form of money, land, buildings and not least of all, vineyards. The first gift in the form of vineyard was donated to the Hospital in 1457 and this was followed by many over the centuries. The wine produced from the vineyards would be sold each year and the proceeds to fund the charitable activities of the Hospices. The sale by auction officially started in 1859. Traditionally, each lot was sold only after two flames (candles) had been extinguished. This tradition is now only applied to limited number of bids in the sale. Firmly established as the most famous charity wine auction in the world, the Hospices de Beaune engaged Christie’s to host the auction from 2005. 2010 marked the 150th auction with a couple of additions: a new cuvée Santenay Cuvée Christine Friedberg and the Corton Charlemagne Cuvée Charlotte Dumay renamed as Cuvée du Roi du Soleil, as a tribute to King Louis XIV.
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| Hospices de Beaune |
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| The tasting room |
A vertical tasting of 15 vintages of Denis Mortet Chambertin - Day 3 of Visit to Burgundy 2010
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| The vertical line-up |
19 November 2010: La grande journée – a vertical tasting of 15 vintages of Denis Mortet Chambertin, from 1985 to 2006! Not a great start for me….my nose was streaming and I was totally overcome with a severe cold. I rushed out to the pharmacy in anticipation of my cold worsening. At least I was able to participate in the tasting, nonetheless in a rather subdued state (so I did consult Richard about his tasting notes!). The domaine has a very small holding of Chambertin, 0.15 hectare and produces 2 -3 barrels of this wine a year….in other words highly sought after. Always a perfectionist, while he spared no effort in making wines that combined power, precision, balance and the ultimate smoothness, he was equally disturbed by the fact that he was unable to win the battle against nature - his wines were becoming much more concentrated than he had liked. He sadly took his own life in January 2006. 2005 was the last vintage he was involved in the making of the wines from his domaine.
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| The lunch spread |
This kind of tasting has become an annual tradition for Richard and me……however we couldn’t have made them happen without the generosity and help of a few people. David Boobyer for helping us transport the wines from our storage in the UK back to their birthplace, Burgundy! Jasper Morris for organizing the actual tasting. Becky and Russell for hosting and putting on a sumptuous lunch for us after the tasting. Also joining us this year were Anthony Hanson, Andrew Caillard and Bobby, his wife, Scott Paul, a winemaker from Oregon, and a couple of friends of Becky’s from Florida.
Russell cooked a delicious pintard au vin, accompanied by asparagus, a carrot and parsnip gratin and brussel sprouts. As Russell is a great cheese aficionado, no repas would be complete without a comprehensive cheese selection and he selected for us the following: le délice de Pommard, brillat savarin au truffe noir, reblochon, vacherin and salers! All very yummy! Thank you, Russell! (And please check out the problem at Abbaye de Cîteaux – such a shame not to be able to have even a morceau of this cheese on this trip!)
Here are my very modest notes on these grand wines from this vertical tasting:L'Hostellerie de Levernois, 1952 Musigny Comte Georges de Voguë and a 2007 Coche-Dury
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| 7-hour lamb at Levernois! |
We started with a 2002 William Deutz Amour de Deutz. Refreshingly complex nose of pear, citrus,marzipan, acacia, honey and toast, with racy acidity and creamy mousse. A very fine champagne! 17.5/20
Our white wine of the evening was a 2007 Coche-Dury Meursault Chevalières. Despite its youthful and restrained existence, the wine was able to open up a little in the glass to add complexity of smokiness to a very taut citrus and mineral character. A long life ahead, 15+ years. 17.5/20
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| 1952 Musigy de Voguë bottled by Drouhin |
It would be a hard act to follow after the 1952 Musigny…..so we picked a 2007 Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Procès Arnoux-Lachaux to go with our cheese course. Youthful and fresh in character, red fruit, mineral, floral and earthy……..a very well-made wine indeed! 17/20
Tastings at Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux, Vosne Romanée and Domaine Lejeune, Pommard - Day 2 of Visit to Burgundy 2010
18 November 2010: We drove from Joigny to Beaune, this time on the autoroute. We timed our arrival at Vosne-Romanée so that we could enjoy a small picnic lunch of ham and cheese bread rolls on the slopes of Vosne-Romanée, amongst the vineyards, before turning up at Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux for a tasting. We arrived at 2:30 pm and we were told to wait in a wine bar area until Pascal finished his previous tasting. Pascal came and fetched us at about 3 pm, rather apologetically for the delay. This is an incredibly busy week in Burgundy and every popular domaine is totally inundated with visitors. Our group became rather numerous when we finally got started. We were joined by 10 other people, 6 of whom from New York and the other 4 from France.
The domaine renamed in 2009 to Arnoux-Lachaux is now run by Pascal and Florence (daughter of Robert Arnoux), a very charming couple, with a good deal of business savoir-faire. Pascal led us down the steps to the cellars, which were in such immaculate and organized condition. We started with tasting of 2009 wines from the barrels. The first was Bourgogne Rouge, which was a nice simple wine with beautiful fruit. Following were 2 Villages level wines: Vosne Romanée and Chambolle Musigny. The average age of vines for the Vosne Romanée was 50 years old. He would rack this wine around end December and transfer to a stainless steel cuve before bottling around end of February. 20% of new oak was used for this wine. Premiers Crus would have around 40-50% new oak and 100% new oak for Grands Crus. The Chambolle Musigny tasted more tannic than the Vosne Romanée. Pascal said that his Chambolle Musigny vineyard was situated below the Premier Cru vineyard and as a result the wine did not taste as refined. Also, for 2009, they suffered from hail which reduced the yield by 40%. The grapes were smaller and the greater skin to pulp ratio gave the wine more concentrated phenolics. Next we tasted a few Premiers Crus, starting with the Nuits-Saint-Georges Clos des Corvées Pagets, very elegant, floral and beautiful fruit. The Vosne Romanée Chaumes was very approachable already, in a slightly more spicy style. The Vosne Romanée Les Suchots was a big step up, much more “flatteur”, concentrated, complex in style, with a nice long finish. Only 5 barrels were made. The first Grand Cru we tasted was Latricières Chambertin, which would typically spend 15 months in wood. A much more mineral style, more power than the Suchots, with much firmer acidity. Pascal finished the 2009 tasting with the Romanée Saint Vivant which was simply stunning! Aromatically incredibly complex, with a lovely balance between the “puissance” and finesse. Already a very harmonious structure with the grainy tannin, firm acidity and beautiful ripe fruit. Only 5 barrels made. (It seemed such a shame to be spitting out this gorgeous wine!) My favourites? Definitely the Suchots and the Romanée Saint Vivant, and I thought the Vosne Romanée villages and the Nuits-Saint-Georges Clos des Corvées Pagets were very fine indeed!
We were then shown some 2008 from bottles. Echezeaux (very mineral in style), Suchots (powerful, spicy, quite earthy and tannic), and the Romanée Saint Vivant (harmonious, powerful, balanced, and in a lovely mineral style). Minerality seems to be a common style amongst the 2008, while the 2009 was already very approachable from barrels!
According to Pascal, 2007 was a vintage with less acidity, less austere, and in some ways more approachable now than 2006 and 2008. 2008 was more restrained, more “tendu”. 2006 was somewhere in between 2007 and 2008. Pascal believes that if one likes to enjoy young burgundies with plenty of fruit, then they are best drunk in the first 3 – 5 years of their lives, and for those who appreciate the mature characteristics, best to wait after 20 years of age……
From the immaculate cellars of Arnoux-Lachaux, we next visited a very small domaine in Pommard, Domaine Lejeune. We were received by the winemaker Aubert Lefars. It was very refreshing to meet someone like Aubert, who in all modesty and sincerity, told us that he’s a novice in the world of winemaking, how he had learnt everything from his father-in-law, a former professor at the Ecole Viticole in Beaune when he left the engineering firm Schenker 5 years ago. His wife’s family have been winemakers at this domaine for 7 generations. The domaine has holdings in 3 Premier Cru vineyards: Les Rugiens (the domaine owns 0.25 ha out of the 5 ha vineyard), L’Argillières (clay-limestone soil) and Les Poutures (more clay). They also own some village level vineyard in Trois Follots, as well as vineyard on the plain, for the making of Bourgogne Rouge. Total production is 40,000 bottles, 20,000 of which are Bourgogne Rouge. Aubert was very enthusiastic in sharing with us his father-in-law’s winemaking philosophy. The domaine uses a mix of alcoholic fermentation and carbonic maceration for their wines. This means that part of the grapes would be crushed (foulage) and part of the grapes would be left in whole clusters for the carbonic maceration which would be completed in 7 – 10 days. His father-in-law believed that this would help reduce the acidity in the wine, but care would need to be taken in avoiding over-extraction of tannins from the stalks in the whole clusters. Maceration would vary between 15 and 25 days depending on the year. 60% new oak would be used for Les Rugiens, 25-30% new oak for L’Argillières and Les Poutures. Bottling of the 2009 would take place between March and June 2011.
We tasted the 2009 from barrels, starting with Les Poutures, which was in a supple style. L’Argillières was a more mineral style, more elegant, with firmer acidity. Les Rugiens was much more concentrated, complex, showing some spicy and chocolate character on top of the ripe red fruit. 5 barrels of Les Rugiens were made by this domaine. Yield for 2009 was around 45 hl/ha. 2010 was much lower, at 35 hl/ha.
We then tasted some wine from bottles including a 2008 Les Rugiens, which was really spicy, earthy and mineral, yet to develop its characteristic animal, gamey notes.
We actually visited Lejeune because we chose them as the éleveur for our barrel of 2009 Hospices de Beaune Pommard Cuvée Dame de La Charité, which we tasted from barrel. We were really pleased with the domaine’s work – the wine tasted very well, with a lot of finesse, suppleness, minerality and ripe red fruit wrapping around the soft tannins and firm acidity. Classy wine.
We drove away, very happy that we had just done two really good tastings at two very different domaines! One similarity was that they are now both run by a younger generation and both very impressive, in their own ways.
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| Pascal Lachaux |
We were then shown some 2008 from bottles. Echezeaux (very mineral in style), Suchots (powerful, spicy, quite earthy and tannic), and the Romanée Saint Vivant (harmonious, powerful, balanced, and in a lovely mineral style). Minerality seems to be a common style amongst the 2008, while the 2009 was already very approachable from barrels!
According to Pascal, 2007 was a vintage with less acidity, less austere, and in some ways more approachable now than 2006 and 2008. 2008 was more restrained, more “tendu”. 2006 was somewhere in between 2007 and 2008. Pascal believes that if one likes to enjoy young burgundies with plenty of fruit, then they are best drunk in the first 3 – 5 years of their lives, and for those who appreciate the mature characteristics, best to wait after 20 years of age……
From the immaculate cellars of Arnoux-Lachaux, we next visited a very small domaine in Pommard, Domaine Lejeune. We were received by the winemaker Aubert Lefars. It was very refreshing to meet someone like Aubert, who in all modesty and sincerity, told us that he’s a novice in the world of winemaking, how he had learnt everything from his father-in-law, a former professor at the Ecole Viticole in Beaune when he left the engineering firm Schenker 5 years ago. His wife’s family have been winemakers at this domaine for 7 generations. The domaine has holdings in 3 Premier Cru vineyards: Les Rugiens (the domaine owns 0.25 ha out of the 5 ha vineyard), L’Argillières (clay-limestone soil) and Les Poutures (more clay). They also own some village level vineyard in Trois Follots, as well as vineyard on the plain, for the making of Bourgogne Rouge. Total production is 40,000 bottles, 20,000 of which are Bourgogne Rouge. Aubert was very enthusiastic in sharing with us his father-in-law’s winemaking philosophy. The domaine uses a mix of alcoholic fermentation and carbonic maceration for their wines. This means that part of the grapes would be crushed (foulage) and part of the grapes would be left in whole clusters for the carbonic maceration which would be completed in 7 – 10 days. His father-in-law believed that this would help reduce the acidity in the wine, but care would need to be taken in avoiding over-extraction of tannins from the stalks in the whole clusters. Maceration would vary between 15 and 25 days depending on the year. 60% new oak would be used for Les Rugiens, 25-30% new oak for L’Argillières and Les Poutures. Bottling of the 2009 would take place between March and June 2011.
We tasted the 2009 from barrels, starting with Les Poutures, which was in a supple style. L’Argillières was a more mineral style, more elegant, with firmer acidity. Les Rugiens was much more concentrated, complex, showing some spicy and chocolate character on top of the ripe red fruit. 5 barrels of Les Rugiens were made by this domaine. Yield for 2009 was around 45 hl/ha. 2010 was much lower, at 35 hl/ha.
We then tasted some wine from bottles including a 2008 Les Rugiens, which was really spicy, earthy and mineral, yet to develop its characteristic animal, gamey notes.
We actually visited Lejeune because we chose them as the éleveur for our barrel of 2009 Hospices de Beaune Pommard Cuvée Dame de La Charité, which we tasted from barrel. We were really pleased with the domaine’s work – the wine tasted very well, with a lot of finesse, suppleness, minerality and ripe red fruit wrapping around the soft tannins and firm acidity. Classy wine.
We drove away, very happy that we had just done two really good tastings at two very different domaines! One similarity was that they are now both run by a younger generation and both very impressive, in their own ways.
La Côte Saint Jacques, Joigny - Day 1 of Visit to Burgundy 2010
Wednesday evening - a relatively quiet evening at La Côte Saint Jacques. Only 19 covers in one of the dining rooms. It was quite evident that the restaurant was less well staffed. We started with some canapés to go with our coupes de champagne. The most interesting one was the chef’s modification on jambon persillé – in a cube, with a soft boiled quail egg in the middle, which softened the sometimes aggressive garlic flavours for this dish. Richard had a glass of 1999 Pommery Cuvée Louise and I had a very refreshing glass of Louis Roederer Rosé Vintage 2006!
Once at the table, we were offered a small piece of smoked seabass which was very tasty. I skipped the first course while Richard enjoyed a green salad. For main course, I had a fusion creation: skate wing slowly cooked in a coconut milk and lemon grass emulsion, with some egg noodles underneath. I really enjoyed it - very fresh skate wing, refreshingly lightly-spiced broth, with wilted vegetables topping the fish and mopping up the sauce. My only criticism would be that the noodles were a little over-cooked, not so interesting texturally…….perhaps they could be replaced with courgette or cucumber spaghetti? Richard had the partridge, stuffed with truffle, foie gras and other goodies, cooked in a parcel of savoy cabbage. Perhaps a little undercooked, Richard thought the flavours were really intense and rich. Then we both had a cheese platter: the brillat savarin and the soumaintrain were both chalky but I thought the Brie de Meaux, Maroilles and Tomme de Brebis were all excellent. They served the cheese with these delicious preserved apricots and figs, bilberry jam and walnuts……which served equally well as dessert for me! Richard on the other hand, made a really good effort with the petits fours – I particularly liked the Dagmar – a signature chocolate here, mixed with caramel! Yummy!
My comment on La Côte Saint Jacques. Ideally situated along the river, with very well proportioned rooms. The chef, like all chefs in France, is keenly looking for ideas to add elements of innovation and creativity to his cuisine and the results have been quite impressive. Service was professional and reasonably attentive but the entire institution lacked energy and the dining room seemed tired and soulless. The waiters only seemed to be there to do a job, going with the motion - they did not quite carry with them a sense of pride, joy or ownership, hardly letting on a half smile. More disappointingly, we had tried on a few occasions to engage the sommelier in a discussion about the wine selection (or was it because we did not choose an expensive wine from the list??) and his views, without much success. He did not seem interested in discussing anything with us – which really surprised us. When I think about what it is about restaurants that leave a lasting impression on me: certainly the quality of cuisine matters, but it is also our interpretation of the service and ambiance – somehow I think the latter two are even more critical in giving us reasons to go back again and again……
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| View from our room at La Côte Saint Jacques |
17 November 2010: 17 November: Our annual visit to Burgundy. We landed this morning and picked up a hired car from CDG Airport. I input Joigny into the SatNav and we found ourselves meandering across the country along charming country roads (departmental roads)…..quite a change from the monotonous autoroutes. I have always found autumnal landscape mesmerizingly enchanting - a palette of rich and warm russet, golden and copper colours, enflaming the lush rolling hills, still green at this time of the year. This natural beauty has a magical power to lighten your heart and free the soul!
We stopped for a coffee-break at the town of Sens where we also bought a just-baked giant gougère from a boulangerie at a street corner. It was just one of those gratifying moments: biting into this warm cheese puff, crispy on the outside and slightly doughy on the inside……with intense cheese flavours……so yummy! It was our lunch! We arrived at Joigny and checked into La Côte Saint Jacques. With only a modest lunch, we are really looking forward to dinner at this 3 Michelin star institution headed by Chef Jean-Michel Lorain (who spoke very good English!).
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| Cocktail canapés |
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| Stuffed partridge, cooked in a parcel of cabbage |
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| Skate wing in a coconut milk and lemon grass emulsion |
Our white wine of the evening was a half of 2005 Beaune Clos des Mouches, Joseph Drouhin. It was made in a rich and slightly fat style, lacking the minerality that one would look for in a high quality white burgundy, the acidity level was also on the low side, to give the wine sufficient balance for the richness suggested by its full body and character layered with peach, lanolin, butter, nutty and honey. Almost New World in style. 15.5/20
The 2005 Volnay Taillepieds Marquis d’Angerville was well-made, lighter in style than the Champans or Clos des Ducs, fruit-focused, elegant and refined, without the complexity, fruit concentration and structure of an ageworthy wine. Raspberry, red cherry, hoisin sauce, balsamic, wet leaves and mineral. Very smooth mouthfeel. Middle palate was weak and finish was relatively short. Drinking perfectly well now and for the next 4 – 5 years. 16/20
Visit to Burgundy 2010
17 - 21 November 2010: Richard and I just returned from our annual visit to Burgundy and I have taken some notes........and have listed them based on the highlights of the day......
Tuber Magnatum Pico Charity Dinner aka White Truffle Auction Dinner
14 November 2010: Whatever it takes to motivate people to donate towards a worthy cause – what an ingenious idea to make them bid for the ephemeral aroma of white truffle….I say this because I do not believe shavings of white truffle add to the texture of a dish……..therefore the addition is ornamental and sensory. So it was at the revival of the annual White Truffle Auction Dinner in Hong Kong, in aid of Mother’s Choice, a local charity organization whose mission is to find homes for deserted babies and to provide support for distressed mothers, where this idea originated. For years this white truffle auction dinner took place at the Ritz Carlton Hotel where Chef Bombana presided over the cuisine at Toscana restaurant and built his fame upon producing delicious cuisine based on the white fungus, exuding heady aromas. This dinner migrated to other cities when the Ritz Carlton Hotel was demolished to make way for another office block in Central. Chef Bombana and his team have found a new home at Otto e Mezzo and it has instantly become a favourite of local gourmands, who just cannot get enough of Chef Bombana’s cooking!
This year’s White Truffle Auction Dinner took place on Sunday 14 November. We were all told to arrive early for our Spumante so that we could be promptly seated at 6:30 pm. The reason for the early start was to coincide with the local auction in Piemonte, and so that Piemonte and Hong Kong could compete for the prestige of paying more for the giant truffle, the finale of the evening, and the scene at either location was telecast to the other so that Hong Kong, with our stomachs filled with Bombana’s cuisine and the delicious wines from Piemonte, could wonder at the vigorous waving of arms and excited pitches of our fellow bidders in Piemonte. Apart from the giant truffle which weighed in at 600g, diners at Otto e Mezzo also had the opportunity to bid on the smaller lots, which were no mean affairs, starting at 250g, I think. The event was sponsored by the Piemonte government and we were very lucky to have some really delicious wines from Piemonte! Tickets were rather limited for this exclusive event – only 9 tables of 12 guests per table. Needless to say, we had lots of bankers, lawyers, bon-viveurs, wine connoisseurs and gourmands amongst us, and naturally our two home-bred Masters of Wine did not miss this marvelous event!
I thought the dishes were all delicious, but my favourite was the risotto, something very comforting about a plate of piping hot creamy and al dente risotto, topped with a few shavings of white truffle, filling your nostrils with whiffs of earthy, intoxicating aromas. The chicken dish was also quite delicious but the flavours were so intense that I felt they overwhelmed somewhat the rather delicate white truffle. Anyway, the menu (and the accompanying wines with my tasting notes) is reproduced here for the foodies amongst you- all the dishes came shrouded with generous shavings of white truffle:
This year’s White Truffle Auction Dinner took place on Sunday 14 November. We were all told to arrive early for our Spumante so that we could be promptly seated at 6:30 pm. The reason for the early start was to coincide with the local auction in Piemonte, and so that Piemonte and Hong Kong could compete for the prestige of paying more for the giant truffle, the finale of the evening, and the scene at either location was telecast to the other so that Hong Kong, with our stomachs filled with Bombana’s cuisine and the delicious wines from Piemonte, could wonder at the vigorous waving of arms and excited pitches of our fellow bidders in Piemonte. Apart from the giant truffle which weighed in at 600g, diners at Otto e Mezzo also had the opportunity to bid on the smaller lots, which were no mean affairs, starting at 250g, I think. The event was sponsored by the Piemonte government and we were very lucky to have some really delicious wines from Piemonte! Tickets were rather limited for this exclusive event – only 9 tables of 12 guests per table. Needless to say, we had lots of bankers, lawyers, bon-viveurs, wine connoisseurs and gourmands amongst us, and naturally our two home-bred Masters of Wine did not miss this marvelous event!
I thought the dishes were all delicious, but my favourite was the risotto, something very comforting about a plate of piping hot creamy and al dente risotto, topped with a few shavings of white truffle, filling your nostrils with whiffs of earthy, intoxicating aromas. The chicken dish was also quite delicious but the flavours were so intense that I felt they overwhelmed somewhat the rather delicate white truffle. Anyway, the menu (and the accompanying wines with my tasting notes) is reproduced here for the foodies amongst you- all the dishes came shrouded with generous shavings of white truffle:
1947 Cheval Blanc and 1999 Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet d'Auvenay
13 November 2010: I came home after teaching for the entire afternoon. James just left the house after an early evening cocktail with Richard. I was greeted with a rewarding glass of 1999 Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet by Domaine d’Auvenay (Lalou Bize) – tiny production, only 292 bottles made with 0.06 hectare of vineyard. This rare wine, after having been opened an hour, showed much freshness, minerality and rather restrained character of lemon, spice, wrapped around with hazelnut and buttery notes. Further time in the bottle would probably add more weight , complexity and length to the wine. 17.5/20
Richard then sat me down to guess our red wine of the evening. Medium ruby core, garnet at the rim. Complex and mature bouquet of violet, rose petal, black fruit, blueberry, blackcurrant leaf, tobacco, lead pencil, cedar, cigar box and coffee. Silky tannin, reasonable acidity (perhaps with a little addition of volatile acidity from the age of this wine). Robust yet elegant, incredibly complex, and finishes extremely long. I was very pleased with my guess of Right Bank Bordeaux and eventually Cheval Blanc, but I was miles out in terms of the vintage…..1947. The wine still tasted so fresh that it was just incredible that it was more than 60 years old! Drinking at peak now, and will continue to drink well for the next 10 – 15 years? Class act! And it was bottled by a negociant (Calvet-bottled)! Apparently quite a common practice in those days. 19/20
Richard then sat me down to guess our red wine of the evening. Medium ruby core, garnet at the rim. Complex and mature bouquet of violet, rose petal, black fruit, blueberry, blackcurrant leaf, tobacco, lead pencil, cedar, cigar box and coffee. Silky tannin, reasonable acidity (perhaps with a little addition of volatile acidity from the age of this wine). Robust yet elegant, incredibly complex, and finishes extremely long. I was very pleased with my guess of Right Bank Bordeaux and eventually Cheval Blanc, but I was miles out in terms of the vintage…..1947. The wine still tasted so fresh that it was just incredible that it was more than 60 years old! Drinking at peak now, and will continue to drink well for the next 10 – 15 years? Class act! And it was bottled by a negociant (Calvet-bottled)! Apparently quite a common practice in those days. 19/20
Friday, 5 November 2010
Discover Tunisian Wine at HK Wine Fair!
5 Nov 2010: I visited the HK International Wine & Spirits Fair this afternoon. I do not quite understand the way the organiser split up the fair into two exhibition halls. To be honest, my main purpose was to drop into the booths of a few friends from overseas. One of the booths I visited was the UCCV booth: Les Vignerons de Carthage (http://www.uccv.com.tn/), the largest wine producer in Tunisia. I spent some time with Dr. Belgacem D'Khili, the CEO and Chief Winemaker of the company and Monsieur Maher Toumi, in charge of export and marketing. Very charming gentlemen, passionate about their wine and their culture, and eager to share their passion with wine lovers in Asia. Their wines are now sold as much abroad as domestically, with France and Belgium being the most important European markets, and Japan as their first foray into Asia. Bravo!
Of the wines I tasted at their booth, I was most impressed by the traditional method sparkling wine: Le M, so well named. I tasted a very youthful 2008. A blanc de blancs based on Chardonnay, having spent 24 months on its lees before disgorgement. A lovely straw yellow colour, showing persistent and fine bubbles. On the nose, it was a complex mix of citrus, grapefruit, jasmine, almonds and toasty notes, overlaid with just a hint of oriental spice and some earthy character. An expressive and characterful wine, extremely well-made, balanced, and nice long finish. Drinking well now and will benefit from some bottle age over the next 5 - 8+ years. I also love the packaging and the design of the label - everything speaks of mystique and regal grace. Quite a revelation for me as one would never associate Mediterranean Tunisia with production of sparkling wine! Quite an achievement - this wine compares extremely well with commercial style champagne, the best Cava, and high end New World sparkling wine, and in some way tastes even better, when it is not packed with the rather pretty tropical fruit character I sometimes find in New World sparkling wine...... I did not enquire about the price but I know it will be marketed and sold in HK soon, and with a very competitive price tag!
Next I tasted the dry Muscat: Muscat Sec de Kélibia. Light golden in colour. An expressive wine, expressive of its terroir and its grape variety. Lovely floral and honey character, with a hint of spice and minerality. Medium body with just enough complexity, ripe fruit concentration and rounded character to make it an attractive food wine. It will go well with salads and seafood, such as scallops, oysters, mussels and clams, even better cooked in the "HK Typhoon Shelter style" - for the foodies amongst you!
Le Vieux Magon, AOC Mornag - 2/3 Syrah and 1/3 Merlot. Hand harvested grapes. 14 days of maceration to optimise the extraction of aromas and phenolic compounds. Aged in seasoned oak for 12 months before spending some time in bottle in the grottos for further refinement prior to release. I tasted the 2005 vintage. Dr. Belgacem recommended decanting for an hour before serving. Deep ruby core. Elegant and complex. Spicy, chocolate, black cherries, plums, liquorice and a hint of vanilla. Soft tannin, giving the wine a velvety texture. Well-crafted wine, balanced, complex, definitely a wine to go with Mediterranean and North African cuisine, but equally well with intensely flavoured braised dishes in the Chines cuisine. Drinking very well now and will continue to evolve over 4 - 5 years, with potential to age much longer.
All above wines will be available in HK soon! Watch out for these great value quality wines!
Congratulations to team UCCV! I am very confident they will succeed in educating our Asian wine lovers about their wine, culture and cuisine, given their drive and passion! This is what I love about the world of wine - you are constantly humbled by how much you have yet to learn about!
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| Le M |
Of the wines I tasted at their booth, I was most impressed by the traditional method sparkling wine: Le M, so well named. I tasted a very youthful 2008. A blanc de blancs based on Chardonnay, having spent 24 months on its lees before disgorgement. A lovely straw yellow colour, showing persistent and fine bubbles. On the nose, it was a complex mix of citrus, grapefruit, jasmine, almonds and toasty notes, overlaid with just a hint of oriental spice and some earthy character. An expressive and characterful wine, extremely well-made, balanced, and nice long finish. Drinking well now and will benefit from some bottle age over the next 5 - 8+ years. I also love the packaging and the design of the label - everything speaks of mystique and regal grace. Quite a revelation for me as one would never associate Mediterranean Tunisia with production of sparkling wine! Quite an achievement - this wine compares extremely well with commercial style champagne, the best Cava, and high end New World sparkling wine, and in some way tastes even better, when it is not packed with the rather pretty tropical fruit character I sometimes find in New World sparkling wine...... I did not enquire about the price but I know it will be marketed and sold in HK soon, and with a very competitive price tag!
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| The dry Muscat and Le Vieux Magon |
Le Vieux Magon, AOC Mornag - 2/3 Syrah and 1/3 Merlot. Hand harvested grapes. 14 days of maceration to optimise the extraction of aromas and phenolic compounds. Aged in seasoned oak for 12 months before spending some time in bottle in the grottos for further refinement prior to release. I tasted the 2005 vintage. Dr. Belgacem recommended decanting for an hour before serving. Deep ruby core. Elegant and complex. Spicy, chocolate, black cherries, plums, liquorice and a hint of vanilla. Soft tannin, giving the wine a velvety texture. Well-crafted wine, balanced, complex, definitely a wine to go with Mediterranean and North African cuisine, but equally well with intensely flavoured braised dishes in the Chines cuisine. Drinking very well now and will continue to evolve over 4 - 5 years, with potential to age much longer.
All above wines will be available in HK soon! Watch out for these great value quality wines!
Congratulations to team UCCV! I am very confident they will succeed in educating our Asian wine lovers about their wine, culture and cuisine, given their drive and passion! This is what I love about the world of wine - you are constantly humbled by how much you have yet to learn about!
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