1989 La Tache

1 May 2016:

1989 La Tâche: Richard chose this for the long weekend. Initially, it was rather ungenerous, with just tertiary character of leather, mushroom and sous-bois, overlaid with a hint of volatility. The structure concurred it was a wine of pedigree and finesse, but the palate seemed a little tired, lacking in concentration and depth and finishing dry. We were relieved that after about 2 hours, it started displaying signs of life and vibrancy. The fruit notes returned, together with dried rose and cardamom character, and the mid palate also filled out nicely, leading to an elegant finish. It seemed a wine in its prime, at the plateau of its drinking and would continue to drink well for 8 - 10+ years. 17/20 (Richard gave it 92.)

Varietal Confusion!

28 April 2016:

I had been waiting to try them side by side....and finally found the opportunity to enjoy them with a friend and a big supporter of all things Swiss! They were both by Jean-René Germanier and from the 2009 vintage. Previously I had only tried Cayas Syrah from this estate, so I tried to research a bit as to what to expect. Both red, and both wines had been aged in barriques for 12 months. I looked up "Wine Grapes" and it says that Humagne Rouge is actually Cornalin. I was left a bit confused for a little while.  But to my rescue, I was really pleased to have this explained to me by one of the co-authors, Dr. José Vouillamoz.

I quote Dr. Vouillamoz's explanation here:

"Humagne by Jean-René Germanier is the Valais name for Cornalin from Aosta Valais, described in "Wine Grapes" under Cornalin.

Cornalin by Jean-René Germanier is different from Cornalin from Aosta Valais (hence from Humagne Rouge) and it is described under the name Rouge du Pays in "Wine Grapes". The unfortunate name change occurred in 1972 when it was decided in Valais to rename Rouge du Pays to Cornalin, by "borrowing" the name of an ancient variety from the neighbouring Aosta Valley. Hence the confusion."

Confusion indeed! But they were both really delicious, and very distinct in style!

2009 Humagne, Jean-René Germanier: Ruby core. Red berries, cherry, mineral, crushed stone with gamey and spicy nuances. Some hints of black pepper. Silky tannin. Soft acidity. Enjoy now and over next 4 - 5 years.


2009 Cornalin, Jean-René Germanier: Ruby core. Plum, dark cherry, blackberry, vanilla, smoke, gamey, herbs, sweet spice. Fine but robust structure, firm velvety tannin balanced with vibrant acidity. Enjoy now or over next 8-10 years.

Thank you Damien (Fleury) for introducing them to me: www.theswisswinestore.com

Under-rated Ageing Potential of South African Iconic Reds

One of the more interesting wine tastings during the South African Wine Festival 2016 was a tasting of 5 back vintages from the library stock of 4 iconic wineries, hosted by Hong Kong’s wine merchant Northeast Wines. 

The first vintage (1995) of Hartenberg Wine Estate Gravel Hill Shiraz, under current winemaker Carl Schultz, had been produced exclusively for the 1997 Cape Winemakers Guild auction and this marked the first of 14 vintages sold at the CWG auction.  The quality of the low-yielding (about 3 tons/ha) single vineyard Shiraz is largely due to its unique soil composition. The thin topsoil (30-50 cm gravel) overlies the subsoil of metres deep of clay performing the function of water regulation.  The winter rain filtering through the gravel is trapped in the fissures in the subsoil, forming the water reserve to feed the growing season.  As the summer heat subsides and rain arrives, the clay swells to prune the roots, limiting vigour of the vines during the ripening period.  The wine spends about 7 – 8 years at the winery before release.  The vertical tasting showcased the 5 vintages from 2005 to 2009, its most recent release.  Retail price of the 2008 vintage is HK$ 575 (or US$ 74).  The family-owned Hartenberg Wine Estate was established in 1692.  Its vineyards on the slopes of Bottelary Hills bordering Stellenbosch are renowned for high quality Shiraz. (see: www.hartenbergestate.com)

Kanonkop Estate has long been known as the First Growth of South African wines. With vineyards on the lower slopes of the Simonsberg Mountain in Stellenbosch, Kanonkop is a fourth generation family estate.  The estate was originally purchased by JW Sauer, a cabinet member in the parliament of the Union of South Africa.  Here 5 vintages of the Cabernet Sauvignon-dominant Bordeaux blend Paul Sauer, including the award-winning 2009 vintage, was showcased at this special tasting. Retail price for the 2011 vintage is HK$ 321 (or US$ 41).  (See: www.kanonkop.co.za)

Hannes Myburg, 8^th generation owner of Meerlust Estate, presided over the pouring of Meerlust Rubicon wines, spanning the vintages 1998, 2001, 2005, 2009 ad 2012.  Meerlust was established in 1756.   The first vintage of Meerlust Rubicon was 1980. Hallmarks of Rubicon are intensity, harmony, vibrancy and complexity. The complexity is further enhanced with 1% addition of Petit Verdot from the 2009 vintage.  The wines are released after 4 years in the winery and the magnums are released after 10 years.  Not every vintage would produce a Rubicon.  The last 40 years saw gaps in 1985, 1990, 2002 and 2011, according to Myburg. The 2012 vintage retails at HK$ 294 (or US$ 38). (See: www.meerlust.co.za)

Traditional basket presses are used to craft this elegant Syrah, with grapes from 3 parcels in Stellenbosch.  Low yields, carefully selected fruit and gentle extraction give rise to this special cru from one of Stellenbosch’s oldest winery.  Originally known as ‘Bellinchamp’ (pretty fields), the Bellingham story began in 1693 when Hollander Gerrit Janz van Vuuren and his French Huguenot wife planted the first 1000 vines on the estate. When Bernard and Fredagh Podlashuk (“Pod”) purchased the derelict farm in 1943 and set about to restore it, thus began the modern renaissance of the Bellingham Estate in Franschhoek.  “Pod” was a pioneer and Bellingham was the first to release a single varietal Shiraz in 1956.   The 5 vintages of Bellingham Bernard Series Basket Press Syrah showcased were 2007, 2009, 2010, 2011 and 2012.  (See: www.bellinghamwines.com)

South African native and long-time HK resident, Greg De’eb, who also heads fine wine storage facility Crown Wine Cellars, believes that beautifully aged South African Bordeaux blends, Syrah and Pinotage are where Napa Cabernets were 20 years ago.  They were under-appreciated (and under-priced at the time) but possessed the ability to age gracefully and effortlessly, that only took decades to reveal.  De’eb was referring to the mature Napa reds from 60s, 70s and 80s that he was able to buy at sensible prices before the prices sky-rocketed.  De’eb particularly treasures his collection of South African reds, “The Cabs and Bordeaux blends are particular cause for celebration because of their distinctly old world/French character which means with age comes the very best of mature claret.” At a recent dinner at a private home in Hong Kong, De’eb’s host produced a magnum of 1986 Kanonkop Cabernet.  Not one of the connoisseurs present spotted its South African origin, most thought it could only be a first or second growth Bordeaux.

Based on the online retail prices for the wines showcased, one might do well by following the wisdom in De’eb’s advice.

Sarah Wong, wine columnist for local newspaper, SCMP, believes that the ageing potential of the wines is under-rated.  Wong says, “All the wines shown seem so youthful still, that they seem to have years, if not decades, ahead.”

While the 1998 Rubicon has now reached the plateau of its drinking window, Myburg says, “The ageing profile of South African wines is like the country’s famous Table Mountain!” He expects the 1998 Rubicon will stay in this plateau phase for a very long time.

A Rhone Evening: 1989 vs 1990 Cote Rotie La Turque and 2006 Henri Bonneau Cuvee Marie Beurrier!

15 April 2016: Once in a while, we need a wine theme that's not Bordeaux or Bourgogne (wish it were a joke!). This time the Rhone theme made it to the short list! (A friend did sneak in a couple of non-Rhone bottles.)

2010 Condrieu, Tardieu-Laurent. Golden in colour. Oily texture with a lightness. Honey, candied apricot, honeysuckle, frangipani. Soft acidity. This went rather well with the Thai pizza starter.

2008 Châteauneuf du Pape Blanc, Tardieu-Laurent. Also golden in colour. More lively acidity. Grapefruit, nutty, lanolin, fruit peel.

1989 Côte Rôtie La Turque, GuigalSpice, pepper, liquorice, black berry jam, with nuances of leather, smoke. Very long finish. Quite brûlee in character. Layers of complexity with richness and depth. This wine kept evolving throughout the evening. Extremely long finish. More flamboyant in style.

1990 Côte Rôtie La Turque, GuigalLuscious, bright fruit character, youthful, with lively acidity. Smooth velvety texture. More classic in style. Shorter finish than the 1989.  

(La Turque is approximately 93% Syrah and 7% Viognier.  42 months in new oak.)

2006 Châteauneuf du Pape, Cuvée Marie Beurrier, Henri Bonneau

Plum, white pepper, spicy, fruit cake notes. Velvety texture. Soft acidity. Finished long and a very fine wine! Went very well with five spiced braised beef. 

This cuvee started in 1988. It took the name of Bonneau's aunt. The blend is made from 90% Grenache and 10% Mourvèdre, with small portions of Syrah, Counoise, Vaccarèse occasionally. No destemming normally. Vinification in traditional, concrete tanks. Ageing in a combination of old foudres and barriques.

2007 Châteauneuf du Pape Cuvée Reservée, Domaine du PegauPlum, red fruit, slightly jammy note. It was delicious and correctly made but did  not have the same depth or level of complexity as the previous wine.

2008 Mitis, Amigne de Vétroz, Reserve, Jean-René Germanier (18 months in new oak.) Mango, dried apricot, ripe pear and marmalade with notes of macadamia. Long finish. The wine could do with a bit more acidity. But it's voluptuous and a beautifully balanced drop.

Nuits Saint Georges: an overlooked commune

16 April 2016: It might not be the most fashionable theme but for an evening amongst Bourgogne aficionados with a home-cooked supper, it turned out to be a theme that elicited interesting discussions and interests.


From the heights of giving its name to the Côte de Nuits, and being the birthplace of the Confrérie des Chevaliers du Tastevin, Bourgogne’s most famous wine-brotherhood, in 1934, why don't the wines from Nuits-Saint-Georges share the same attention and glamour as those from their illustrious neighbouring commune Vosne-Romanée? True, there is no Grand Cru here.


Nuits-Saint-Georges can be divided into 2 parts: the northern end is adjacent to Vosne-Romanée, and the southern sector straddles Nuits-Saint-Georges the town itself and the commune of Premeaux-Prissey. The northern end boasts some excellent wines, with almost the same degree of finesse as those from Vosne. Examples of which are Aux Boudots and Les Damodes. South of Nuits-Saint-Georges, the Premier Cru climats tend to be fleshy, rich and powerful. Examples are Les Saint-Georges, Les Cailles and Les Vaucrains. Into the Premeaux commune, the wines are more delicate and over-extraction could result in excess and the less refined tannins that will take years to soften. Examples are Clos de la Maréchale, Les Argillières and Les Forêts.

There are in total 41 Premier Cru climats in Nuits-Saint-Georges. In terms of red and white production, reds account for 297.06 ha (including 136.32 ha Premier Cru) and whites occupy 9.78 ha (including 6.79 ha Premier Cru). The whites are rare indeed!


For our evening, we started with a Nuits-Saint-Georges Blanc, followed by 3 premier cru wines from different winemakers.

2010 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Clos de L'Arlot Blanc

The terroir of the Clos de l'Arlot blanc is rugged and rocky (brown soil on limestone, about 90 cm of top soil). The hillsides are so steep that all work on the vines, often performed with the help of machinery, is done by hand here. Such painstaking work is necessary and worthwile for this vineyard of unique quality and character.

The grapes which come from young vines are vinified separately and make up a cuvée labelled La Gerbotte, Nuits Saint Georges Blanc.

My tasting note: Pale gold in colour. Intense notes of honey, white flowers, pastry and liquorice. The medium weight belies a vinosity and oily texture that makes it almost Condrieu-like, if it hadn't been for the bright acidity. It is definitely a food wine and it paired very well with the oily texture of the salmon tartare prepared by our host. It was a lovely surprise to our friends who had not tasted Nuits blanc before.


1996 Nuits-Saint-Georges Clos des Forêts Saint Georges, Domaine de L’Arlot

The Clos des Forêts Saint Georges (monopole) covers a surface of 7.20 hectares, all in one piece. It is a unique terroir in a privileged location which right from its origin has made one of the greatest Nuits Saint Georges wines. The top soil which reaches 50 - 60 cm, consists of clay-limestone gravel, over another 50 cm of small stones, before reaching the cracked limestone mother-rock.

Clos des Forêts Saint Georges is only made with grapes from its oldest vines. This means that grapes from the younger vines are not used for the Clos des Forêts but vinified separately to make Les Petits Plets Nuits Saint Georges 1er Cru.

My tasting note: Garnet-ruby hue. Notes of raspberry, dried rose petals, and spice, with just a hint of sappy nuance (possibly from the use of stems at the domaine then). Bright minerality threads through the palate, with silky tannin. Aeration in the glass brought a very elegant integration to the delicate style of the wine. Hint of volatility detected, but it was not enough to detract from the elegance and quality of the beautifully evolved wine. This wine will drink well for another 3 - 4 years.


2002 Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Saint-Georges, Domaine Robert Chevillon
One of the oldest climats, this place was already planted in the year 1000. In 1023 it was given by Humbert, archdeacon of Autun, to the Saint-Denis chapter in Vergy; a barony to which Nuits was attached. It is said to have belonged to a Saint-Georges brotherhood founded by the Barbier de Peulle family in 1470. At the end of last century, Nuits was authorised to join its name to the name of the famous "Saint-Georges" vintage.

Exposure east. Altitude is about 245-260 metres. Surface area is 7 ha 52. All berries destemmed at this domaine.

My tasting note: A deep crimson colour. Very intense notes of black fruit preserve, prunes, with some subtle hints of red fruit, musk and some animal notes. Loads of rich concentration, with ripe velvety tannin and bright acidity giving this a very powerful structure. A wine still very primary and will take another 5 - 6 years to unfold its fullest potential, with a long life ahead. A great wine in the making.


2006 Nuits-Saint-Georges Clos de la Maréchale, Domaine J-F Mugnier
The Clos de la Maréchale (monopole) has a surface of 9 hectares, 76 ares. It is the largest monopole in the Côte d'Or. The average age of the vines in 2009 is about 45 years old.

The geological stratum on which the Clos de la Maréchale is situated plunges well below the surface of the soil further south, marking the end of the Côte de Nuits, only to reappear in Le Montrachet between Puligny and Chassagne. This would explain the qualities of power and longevity in the wine.

On the first of November 2003, Domaine J-F Mugnier increased from 4 to 14 hectares. The Clos de la Maréchale, under the sole ownership of the Mugnier family since 1902, reverted to the Domaine when the farming contract with Faiveley ended after 53 years.

My tasting note: Beautiful bright ruby. A stylish wine, with elegance and harmony. Notes of red fruit, white musk, with nuances of spice and just beginning to take on some animal notes. A class act with a very long finish. Probably not a wine for the very long haul, but very delicious now and for the next 6 - 8 years.

Could we conclude much?  I would say not much apart from that the wines are Nuits are often overlooked in favour of other wines from Côte de Nuits.  So much can influence the quality and our enjoyment: the ambiance, the vintage, the climat, and above all the winemaker.  And I didn't even find out whether it was a fruit or root day in the biodynamic calendar!

And finally we finished with a preview of our friends' new wine from their New Zealand winery: a bottling of just 37 rows of their oldest vines planted in the best site.  It is not ready for commercial release yet but for sure, it will turn heads when it does reach the shelves (and the palate)!  Hopefully, not too soon as it will benefit from some cellaring.

1999 Lafon Volnay Santenots vs Meursault Charmes

14 April 2016: The Volnay Santenots-du-Milieu boasts a firm structure, with abundance of ripe fruit (with hardly any tertiary signs), velvety textured tannin and beautifully integrated acidity, that gave the wine a very youthful impression, full of energy. Unfortunately, we could not say the same of the Meursault-Charmes.  Once warmed up, the oxidative characters gave the wine a rather sluggish and heavy feel, lacking lift in the aftertaste.  It could have been been a good accompaniment to cheese.  The Meursault-Charmes definitely saw better days and the Volnay Santenots was simply spellbinding and should have a life of 8 - 10+ years ahead if well cellared!

Les Grands Jours de Bourgogne 2016

21 - 25 March 2016:

This is our second visit to Les Grands Jours de Bourgogne. This time the growers mainly featured the 2014 vintage. This was not a plain-sail vintage, despite the warm and dry spring, early budbreak, timely flowering in early June. The hailstorm on 28th June caused widespread damage to Volnay, Pommard, Meursault and Beaune. Crop was short, as much as 50% for most of the growers in these villages.  Wet and cold weather persisted throughout the summer, until the arrival of warmer and drier conditions with plentiful sunshine around mid-August. The north wind was a big help to Chardonnay, despite some rot issues with Pinot Noir that got dealt with on the sorting table.  Localised outbreaks of Suzuki fly infestation caused a few growers to pick rather too early, at the expense of phenolic ripeness.

Tasting of Macon wines at the Palais des Congres

Based on what we tasted, notwithstanding all the hype over the whites, 2014 turned out to be a fantastic vintage for the reds from the Côte d’Or, from Fixin to Saint Romain: the wines showed great balance, concentration, finesse, terroir expression and generally well-judged extraction.  They were a joy to be tasted now. The whites, as their reputation attests, equally showed great concentration, freshness, a lovely minerality with perfect ripeness. The reds from Côte Chalonnaise showed more variation, with some picking a bit too early to avoid the havoc wreaked by the Suzuki flies. In the right hands, the Mâcon whites were expressive with a good dose of freshness.  We missed the first day which was Chablis but from what I managed to taste subsequently, Chablis did rather well, showing a classic style.

What about the prices? A Pommard grower assured us that he only just managed to break even for 2013 and 2014, due to the extremely short crop. He decided to maintain the prices for 2014, rather than elevating them to make up for the small production. He lamented the spiraling increase in prices experienced by some appellations and amongst the Grands Crus, to satisfy the ever-increasing demand against the unpredictability of nature. Another grower also spoke about the rising prices of grapes for his négociant business, such that 2015 just became rather too expensive. We tried to do the maths for the grapes from a Côte de Nuits village appellation based on the higher prices, and it was impossible to make a bottle ex-cellar price to come within the normal 30 - 35 Euros per bottle, after including the brokerage fee and all the élévage and packaging costs. After that you have to factor in the distribution and shipping costs to get to the shelf price in London or Hong Kong. He said that Bourgogne wine is expensive now because of the distribution system, that the domaines do not sell direct. Perhaps buying own vineyards is the only solution but sales are few and far between, and opportunities might come at a time when one was strapped for cash through other winery investments.

Illustrating Pommard through its soil compositions

How about the much-discussed potential promotions? I spoke to a Nuits Saint Georges producer and they seemed optimistic about Les Saint Georges’s application to be promoted to Grand Cru. On the another hand, the growers in Pommard were not confident that the promotion of Les Rugiens in its entirety would be successful.

The famous Les Rugiens-Bas

There was an upbeatness about the Mâcon region, in anticipation of the promotion of some climats to Premier Cru. The Mâcon presents great options for vignerons who wish to expand their vineyard holdings plus it’s a very nice place and it would be wonderful to give Mâcon wines their deserved status. The wines here have never been better. Chablis has this very established brand that makes it a great by-the-glass wine choice on wine lists; Pouilly-Fuissé does not seem to brandish this same degree of recognition, nor does Saint-Véran or Viré-Cléssé. Would a Mâcon-Vergisson or Mâcon-Uchizy be able to make it to top restaurants’ by-the-glass programme? That would be a great development for this region.

Every year, the quality of the lesser appellations gets higher and more consistent. I was rather impressed by the emerging appellations I tasted this week. Here are some examples of the domaines and their wines that I particularly enjoyed (sorry not much on Chablis, as explained earlier, though I was pleased to catch up on some at the tasting hosted by Diva):

Chablis

Sébastien Dampt: Chablis 1er Cru Beugnons 2014, Chablis 1er Cru Côte de Lechet 2014

Daniel Dampt: Chablis 1er Cru Les Lys 2014, Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons 2014



Côte de Nuits

The wines by Rene Bouvier

Arlaud: Clos Saint Denis 2014

Arnoux-Lachaux: Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Chaumes 2014, Echézeaux 2014

Rene Bouvier: Marsannay Le Clos Blanc 2014, Marsannay Clos du Roy 2014, Gevrey-Chambertin Racine du Temps 2014, Charmes Chambertin 2014

Chauvenet-Chopin: Côte de Nuits Villages 2014, Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Aux Chaignots 2014

Robert Chevillon: Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Roncières 2014

David Duband: Clos de La Roche 2014

Jean Fournier: Marsannay Les Longeroies Rouge 2014, Marsannay Clos du Roy 2014

Comte Liger-Belair: Vosne-Romanée La Colombière 2014, Echézeaux 2014

Rossignol-Trapet: Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Petite Chapelle 2014, Chambertin 2014

Georges Roumier: Chambolle-Musigny 2014, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Cras 2014



Côte de Beaune

The wines by Jean-Marc Bouley

Bouchard: Beaune-Grèves Vigne de L’Enfant Jéus 2014

Blain-Gagnard: Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Caillerets Blanc 2014, Bâtard-Montrachet 2014, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos Saint Jean rouge 2014

Jean-Marc Bouley (Thomas presented the wines): Volnay Clos de La Cave 2014, Volnay 1er Cru Caillerets 2014, Pommard 1er Cru Rugiens 2014

Coste-Caumartin: Pommard La Rue au Port 2014, Pommard 1er Cru Les Fremiers 2014, Pommard 1er Cru Clos des Boucherottes 2014

Fontaine-Gagnard: Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru La Boudriotte 2014, Bâtard-Montrachet 2014

Alex Gambal: Saint Romain Blanc 2014 and Beaune 1er Cru Les Grèves 2013

Henri Gouges: Nuits-Saint-Georges Clos des Porrets Saint-Georges 2014, Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Pruliers 2014, Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Vaucrains 2014, Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Saint-Georges 2014

Lejeune: Pommard Les Trois Follots 2014, Pommard 1er Cru En Largillière 2014, Pommard 1er Cru Les Rugiens 2014

Lafon: Meursault 1er Cru Charmes 2013, Volnay 1er Cru Santenots du Milieu 2013

Laleure-Piot: Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Cru En Carradeux Blanc 2014, Corton-Charlemagne 2014, Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Cru Ile des Vergelesses Rouge 2014

Benjamin Leroux: St Romain Sous Le Château Blanc 2014, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Embazées 2014, Volnay 1er Cru Clos de La Cave des Ducs 2014

Marchand-Tawse: Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Cailles 2014

Des Perdrix: Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les 8 Ouvrées 2014, Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Aux Perdrix 2014

Henri et Gilles Remoriquet: Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Saint-Georges 2014, Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Damodes 2014

Jean-Charles Rion: Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru blanc Les Terres Blanches 2014 (he only does whites)

Roulot: Meursault à Mon Plaisir Clos du Haut Tesson 2014, Meursault 1er Cru Clos des Bouchères 2014

Etienne Sauzet: Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Perrières 2014, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatières 2014, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Combettes 2014

Thierry Violot-Guillemard: Pommard 1er Cru La Platière 2014, Pommard 1er Cru Les Rugiens 2014

Joseph Voillot: Volnay 1er Cru Fremiets 2014, Volnay 1er Cru Champans 2014

Côte Chalonnaise
Aladame: Montagny 1er Cru Les Vignes Derrière 2014, Montagny 1er Cru Les Maroques 2014

Paul et Marie Jacqueson: Rully 1er Cru Blanc Grésigny 2014, Givry 1er Cru Rouge Les Cloux 2014, Mercurey 1er Cru Rouge Les Champs Martin 2014

Lumpp: Givry 1er Cru Clos Saint Paul 2013, Givry 1er Cru Clos du Cras Long 2013, Givry 1er Cru La Grande Berge Blanc 2014

Masse and their négociant business, Roland et Fabrice Masse (with a great trio of whites: Givry en Choué, Montagny 1er Cru Les Terroirs and Mercurey Les Terroirs)

The new label from the Masse uncle-nephew team

Thenard wines

Thénard: Givry 1er Cru Clos du Cellier aux Moines Blanc 2013, Givry 1er Cru Clos Saint Pierre Rouge 2012 (and Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Cru Ile des Vergelesses Rouge 2012 and Montrachet 2013)




Le Mâconnais
Château de Beauregard: Pouilly-Fuissé Vers Cras 2013, Pouilly-Fuissé 2014 (a mix of 50 parcels!)

Héritiers du Comte Lafon: Mâcon-Milly-Lamartine 2014, Mâcon-Chardonnay Clos de La Crochette 2014 , Viré-Clessé 2014

Saumaize-Michelin: Pouilly-Fuissé Clos Sur La Roche 2014, Pouilly-Fuissé Vignes Blanches 2014, Pouilly-Fuissé Les Ronchevats 2014


Some 2015 wines were also shown. I thought the Chablis 2015 showed a nice balance in youth, with more rounded fruit quality. I tasted one 2015 red from Côte de Beaune (a Pommard Premier Cru) and thought it tasted rather extracted with a slight jammy quality at this stage. 2015 has been described as the new 2005, great for both whites and reds, but with more suppleness than 2005 in youth. I need to taste more to get a balanced view.

Bourgogne is exciting because of the diversity that arises from the multitude of appellations, that a Volnay does not taste like a Vosne-Romanée, and from the different levels of appellations, that there is a choice for different occasion, different budget, different mood, even. It would be very boring if you have the same tasting note for each bottle of Bourgogne. Bourgogne is also exciting because there are a growing number of young passionate growers, whether new to the region or returning to assist their parents, who are putting new energy into their craft. All this excitement has attracted much international attention, inspiring the burgeoning number of wine bars in Beaune and elsewhere (we have never seen so many before and all very high quality), and great dining options from bistro to fine dining. I just wish the wine prices can be kept in perspective, that we don’t suddenly find a village Ladoix retailing at more than 30 Euros a bottle, or that we cannot find a village Chambolle at less than 30 Euros a bottle. That would be very lamentable.


In Hong Kong, there is a common social stigma associated with serving an alternative red Bourgogne at dinner parties, that is not from the 3 famous communes in the Côte de Nuits (namely Vosne, Chambolle or Gevrey and it needs to be Premier Cru level at the minimum)….or a white that is not Meursault, Puligny or Chassagne. We are rather spoilt here. Our top restaurants are not helping the cause as they do not list the lesser-known appellations by the glass or on the wine list, because they believe that nobody will order them. Our deeply ingrained entertaining culture is partly a key driver of this phenomenon. So the stigma continues to be nurtured. Fortunately, there is a counter movement going on - the opening of bistros and more casual wine bars (usually by French nationals living in HK) is helping the promotion of other appellations and their growing popularity is a sign that we (or a small ‘we’) are perhaps maturing as a wine community…but we need to do more. We need to be able to pull the cork of a Saint Aubin, Pommard, Monthélie, Saint Romain, Pernand-Vergelesses, Savigny, Rully, Givry, Pouilly-Fuissé at home with family and friends too!

Santé!