2007 Red Burgundy - So Easy to Like!

4 Feb 2010: Chinese New Year Day 2 - the focus of the dinner was the line-up of 2007 red burgundies that Paul very generously offered to share with us.  It was the perfect kind of dinner party when we divided the kitchen and cellar responsibilties amongst ourselves.  Eric and Rachel brought crab salad (with homemade mayonnaise), lobster bisque and tarte au citron - all extremely yummy.  Paul brought the red wines and a white 2001 Raveneau Les Clos. I took care of the main course of roast rack of pork, with celeriac puree, braised carrots and roast potatoes and the cheese platter (Ossau Iraty, Comté, Coulommiers and Tomme de Savoie).  We supplemented a few more bottles to Paul's selection. 

After a game of tennis, much delayed by the New Year traffic, we huddled around the heater for a glass of 2002 Drouhin Chassagne Montrachet Marquis de Laguiche, followed by the 2001 Raveneau Chablis Les Clos.  We sat down to dinner with the 1992 Meursault Charmes by Comtes Lafon, which tasted very fresh still, showing great balance of richness, complexity, rounded character and firm acidity, and a lengthy finish.  

The line-up of 2007 red burgundies as follows:
2007 Ghislaine Barthod Chambolle Musigny Les Cras
2007 Mugneret-Gibourg Ruchottes Chambertin
2007 Bachelet Charmes Chambertin
2007 Rousseau Gevrey Chambertin Clos Saint Jacques
2007 Drouhin Grands Echézeaux
2007 Drouhin Musigny
2007 Hospices de Beaune Corton Cuvée Docteur Peste (élevage et mise en bouteille par Faiveley)

Perhaps I should have organised a tasting sheet for everyone, but that would make it too formal for a meal amongst friends?  We therefore decided to let everyone pour for him/herself.  Distracted by the kitchen duties, I was a bit slow in tasting the wines.  However, we could draw one conclusion which was that all the wines showed distinct characteristics of the vintage and of their respective appellations.  We've all heard that 2007 vintage favoured the whites more than the reds in burgundy.  While the reds now tasted youthful, fresh, elegant and very "pretty" with lovely red fruit character, with no evidence of harsh tannin and sharp acidity, the lesser quality wines tasted perhaps a little light in body and lacking in substance for long-term cellaring.  However, the higher quality 2007s, such as the Rousseau Clos Saint Jacques and the Drouhin Musigny in this tasting, would benefit from some mid-term cellaring to deliver further complexity with the development of tertiary aromas, complexity and further integration and harmonisation.  To illustrate, there was still a quarter bottle of 2007 Hospices de Beaune Corton left, which I kept for the following evening.  I thought it tasted even better the second day, with just the needed aeration to help it evolve into its next phase, with more complex bouquet and a more filled out body.

We then pulled the cork of a 1990 Clos Vougeot Musigni, Gros Frère et Soeur, which showed concentration, class and elegance, albeit enjoyed at a rather rapid pace!!! ("Musigni" being a "lieu-dit" in Clos Vougeot.)

After cheese and lemon tart, the evening took on a change of ambiance - the burgundies had our love of France confirmed!  There was dancing and singing to Charles Trenet's Douce de France, with the chorus led by Thibault.........and even a late night attack on a packet of "haggis and black pepper" flavoured crisps, washed down with some single cask whisky (and Marshall enjoying the last drops of Laphroig directly from the bottle!) and more of the 1900 Calvados, a splendid gift from Russell and Becky when we last visited them in Burgundy!

A great party and the arrangement was perfect!  Cannot wait to do it again....and the next time we will start with the haggis flavoured crisps and the whisky before the tennis......!