Value for Quality Delicious Burgundy

17 Jun 2012: I just spent a week in the region of Bourgogne (Burgundy), attending a course organised by BIVB (the Burgundy Wine Board).  It was an intensive programme, packed with activities which were designed to immerse the attendees into the wine culture of Bourgogne, starting from the rich and colourful history, the geology that began hundreds of millions of years ago, the climate, the microclimate that would feature as many aspects and exposures as possible in the smallest plot of vineyard, the expressive grape varieties, and lastly but not least the evolution of viticultural and vinfication knowledge and skills from father to son, from generation to generation.  I have always found learning about Burgundy wines a most humbling experience and this sentiment was reinforced in the strongest sense during this programme.  We met many wonderful men and women of Bourgogne, all working with such dedication, passion and conviction about the quality of their wines, and yet they were for the most part, lesser known than the 'big names' we're familiar with in Hong Kong.  We were also introduced to the lesser known communes where fabulous wines were produced, at a sensible price!! 

I brought back home to share with Richard the bottle of welcome gift: 2009 Pernand-Vergelesses Clos de La Croix de Pierre, Louis Jadot.  It was absolutely delicious!  Brilliant and clear, with white gold reflections.  The nose was elegant and expressive, with notes of fresh citrus fruit, pear, lime blossom and almonds.  Further aeration intensified the aromas and rendered more complex notes.  It was a lively and fresh attack on the palate.  Medium body, showing a very good level of acidity, balancing the richness of the vintage, giving a linear structure, highlighting purity of fruit, minerality, tension and lovely complexity.  Lovely dry crisp finish, with a good length.  This youthful village wine can certainly benefit from a couple more years of cellaring but is already drinking very well.  Richard and I totally loved it and we enjoyed it over a dish of deep-fried pomfret with chilli and sweet soya sauce.  Divine! (We had dinner with a representative from Jadot last week and she very kindly brought a just-bottled 2010 Beaune-Bressandes blanc - beautiful!  And we did a comparison between 2001 Beaune Clos des Ursules and Beaune Boucherottes......the Clos des Ursules would be my pick, with a more robust structure, more density, concentration and length - really gorgeous and went beautifully with the confit de canard!).  

I am so in love with the village of Pernand-Vergelesses at the moment.  So many great wines, red and white, reasonably priced, can be found here.  One of the domaines we visited was Domaine Dubreuil-Fontaine where we tasted some excellent 2010 white wines, including Aligoté, Pernand-Vergelesses Blanc, Pernand-Vergelesses Sous Frétille, the monopole Clos Berthet and an absolutely gorgeous Corton-Charlemagne.  We were treated to a nice surprise: a 1976 Pernand-Vergelesses Ile de Vergelesses....the wine was still full of energy and elegantly evolved.  Great address! 

Other communes really worth exploring include: Marsannay (I particularly recommend Marsannay Champ Perdrix, Huguenot), Mercurey (Domaine du Meix-Foulot), Saint-Aubin, Auxey-Duresses, Le Mâconnais (Do try the Pouilly-Fuissé, Pouilly-Vinzelles and Saint-Véran at Domaine Thibert!) and also red Chassagne-Montrachet (we tried a 2009 village by Jouard - really delicious and great with food  - I had been sceptical but there I was convinced about the quality of red Chassagne!). 

I also brought back to share with Richard a bottle of the 2009 Pouilly-Fuissé Les Ménétrières, Thibert.  Domaine Thibert is now run by brother Christophe and sister Sandrine.  This Les Ménétrières is a single vineyard wine. The robe is pale gold, brilliant and limpid.  The first nose was one of purity and elegance, very pleasant with ripe fresh fruit and subtle toasty, spicy notes.  Further aeration enhanced the complexity (pear, exotic fruit, toast, nuts and floral) and gave more weight to the wine. Supple, with very nice viscosity and lively acidity.  Very good freshness for this sun-baked vineyard area.  This is a compelling and expressive wine, with a lingering spicy finish.  Drinking beautifully now with some aeration but will benefit from another 12 - 18 months of cellaring.  Excellent quality.  This would make a lovely pairing with pan-fried foie gras , veal/chicken in cream sauce, or braised abalone in oyster sauce, and not to forget, the Abbaye de Citeaux cheese that I brought back, for example.  I believe this is applying for Premier Cru status and deservedly so!

During the week in Burgundy, we also visited a crémant-producer, Domaine Parigot-Richard and tasted some really high quality crémants, including a beautiful Cuvée Prestige 2009 made with 50% Chardonnay and 50% Pinot Noir, both from very old vines.  I couldn't resist buying a bottle of the 2008 special bottling of 'OR', a rosé  crémant made from 100% Pinot Noir, saturated with gold leaves!  Simply delightful and it would make someone very happy! 

Drinking good quality Burgundy does not have to be expensive -  we just need to be more open-minded.  But more importantly, we need local importers to help play the part......

I recently enjoyed an article entitled "Affordable White Burgundy" by Stephen Brook in the July edition of the Decanter magazine, where he recommended a number of alternatives to Corton Charlemagne, Meursault, Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet.  While I do not believe in generalising about communes, the article made very interesting remarks about finding value in Burgundy and also gave some very good recommendations.  Such is the rich tapestry of Bourgogne that there is a wine for everyone, and quality and ageworthy wines do not have to be expensive!  Explore and  you shall not be disappointed!!!

1971 Savigny-les-Beaune Les Dominodes, Drouhin

17 Jun 2012: Inspired by my very nice experience of a 1976 Pernand-Vergelesses Ile des Vergelesses, Dubreuil-Fontaine, we thought we would try out the 1971 Savigny-lès-Beaune Les Dominodes, Joseph Drouhin, that we've had in our cellar for quite a while.  The label was largely torn, but we managed to tape together what was left. 

Garnet robe, with slightly brick rim. The initial metallic taint dissipated rather rapidly on aeration in the glass.  A most elegant tertiary nose showing leather, wet stones, meaty, mushroom, with plenty of red fruit.   On the palate, supple with a very silky texture.  The wine could be compared to a well-aged old lady, graceful, elegant, with a fine bone structure, red cherry, raspberry, rose petals and truffle.  Lingering finish.   A Burgundian classic, a beautifully-aged wine, with finesse and purity transcending the generations.  Simply gorgeous.  This wine is drinking at peak but will keep drinking well for another 5- 6+ years, depending on storage.   How about steamed chicken with Chinese dried mushrooms or a medley of braised mushrooms in oyster sauce?  Yummy!!

We're totally dumbfounded by how wonderful this wine is showing......18/20

La Conseillante Dinner

29 May 2012:  I attended the La Conseillante dinner organised by the HK Club and Watson's Wine Cellars.  We tasted the vintages of 2007, 2006, 2004, 2000 and 1998.  The best wine of the evening was unquestionably the 2000 vintage, which still tasted very youthful, with plenty of energy and minerality, underneath the notes of plum, black cherry, blackberry, liquorice and smoke. A very elegant effort that seduces with its voluptuous texture and rich aromas, and impresses by its concentration and intensity of flavours.  While we certainly enjoyed the 2000 vintage at this dinner, it would probably benefit from a couple more years of cellaring.  The 2000 vintage included a much higher percentage of Merlot (I believe more than 90%), compared to normal vintages.  However, given the elevated price of the 2000 vintage, the 2006 would offer a superior price-quality balance.  The 2006 was at once seductive and charming, with firm ripe tannins, good acidity and some classic ripe cassis fruit, savoury, spicy and mineral notes.  Drinking very well today, but will definitely benefit from further development. Harmonious balance of texture, structure and fruit concentration.

I liked the 2007 vintage for drinking now, but it had this herbal, slightly herbaceous character which I didn't quite like.  The 2004 vintage seemed a little angular, lacked charm, even though it demonstrated some lovely dark fruit and spicy character.  The 1998 vintage lacked intensity and weight for me.  However, it seems that some of us preferred this to the 2000 vintage - perhaps there was some bottle variation??    

La Conseillante (http://www.la-conseillante.com/) is surrounded by some rather illustrious neighbours, including Pétrus, Cheval Blanc, Vieux Château Certan and L'Evangile.  The vineyard does not completely lie inside Pomerol, and includes around 4 ha in Saint-Emilion.   A typical blend would be 80 - 85% Merlot and 15 - 20% Cabernet Franc.  The château saw some remarkable vintages in 1982, 1985, 1989 and 1990 and then went through a low before returning to form since the turn of the millenium, particularly marked by 2000, 2005, 2008, 2009 and 2010 vintages.  The second wine Duo de Conseillante was released from the 2007 vintage.

1924 and 1926 Lafite

31 May 2012: A few weeks ago, we decided to pull the corks of a couple of old Lafite bottles, which had lost their labels (and in today's wine market, probably most of their value!) over the years.  Fortunately for us, they had been properly identified so that we still knew what they were!!  We invited a few good friends to share these bottles with us. Charles said (a couple of days ago) that it was rather unfair of us to open these bottles without warning when he was expecting a casual Sunday supper! Wouldn't life be a little dull if we had looked for too many excuses??!!

We started the evening with a 1979 Ampeau Meursault Perrières.  It revealed a golden robe, with a gloriously ripe and mature bouquet of honey, hazelnuts, fig, guava, building up to spicy notes of liquorice making a marvellously layered complex nose.   We were totally in awe of the agelessly fresh acidity, combined with the layered complexities,  giving a gorgeously lengthy finish.  Superb stuff and great demonstration of the ageability that Chardonnay could be capable of!



Corks from the 24 and 26 Lafite Bottles

After this glorious start, we were well-prepped for the long awaited pair of 1924 and 1926 Lafite.  A very good sign that both corks were pulled with a very promising 'plop' and revealed a very robust form.  And the wines?  The 1924 was unquestionably the 'better-kept' of the two old ladies.  We were all in awe of the rather fruitful character at this grand age - black  and blue fruit, cherries and berries, lifted by some peppery and smokey/earthy notes.  Very well held together in a firm but elegant frame, with lovely acidity and fully-integrated soft tannin.  Though not terribly concentrated, the underlying material was certainly of high quality and ageworthy.  Nice long length.  Certainly drinking very well now at peak........and could continue to give pleasure for a few more years if well-stored!  17/20     

As for the younger sister, unfortunately time hadn't been so kind and the bouquet was decidedly tertiary but still aromatically rather enticing, with leather, dark chocolate, earthy, tobacco, underbrush and musky notes.  Rather bland and hollow mid-palate, which didn't really improve over the course of the dinner, followed by short length and a drying finish.  Well past drinking at its best......and not very exciting.  15/20 

For those of you who have enjoyed a few old bottles, you will appreciate how quickly these wines disappeared!  We had prepared a bottle of 1952 Pétrus as follow-up.  This demonstrated great mature Pomerol notes of prunes, mocha, chocolate and violet.  Lovely weight in a mid-sized frame, still showing great acidity.  Drinking very well at peak now, with a lengthy finish.  17.5/20

Great wines generally leave you speechless.  These were by no means great wines from great vintages, but it was simply mindblowing how gracefully they had aged, in some cases still retaining charming remnants of their more youthful and vigorous selves. 

1955 Haut Brion and 1999 d'Auvenay Criots

26 May 2012: To celebrate our first proper meal at our new home,  we opened something special.  1955 Haut Brion.  This was preceded by a 1999 d'Auvenay Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet.  First the white wine.  A quiet wine, subtle and elegant, in a very elegant and linear frame.  Lime blossom, citrus, spice, and plenty of minerality.  Incredibly fresh for its age, delighting the palate with very pure flavours, much tension and energy, and a lovely finish.  17.5/20

The level of the 1955 Haut Brion was Very Top Shoulder.  Ruby-garnet hue.  A very enticing nose of wet pebbles, tobacco, cigar box, lead pencil, leather and violet.  Very silky palate, with a hint of lovely sweet fruit on entry, now showing a thoroughly harmonious balance, with a very lengthy finish.  Perhaps slightly lacking in intensity, density and weight to reward a higher rating, but nonetheless a remarkable effort for an unfashionable vintage.   18.5/20 

Accademia del Barolo in HK

28 May 2012:  It was really a privilege to be invited to a Masterclass tasting of the 2007 vintage with the distinguished members of the Accademia del Barolo, which counts 14 producers amongst its members:  Azelia, Michele Chiarlo, Conterno-Fantino, Damilano, Poderi Luigi Einaudi, Gianni Gagliardo, Franco M. Martinetti, Monfalletto-Cordero di Montezemolo, Pio Cesare, Prunotto, Luciano Sandrone, Paolo Scavino,  Vietti and Roberto Voerzio.  This is the first time the Accademia's members visited Hong Kong. All except 2 (Luciano Sandrone and Roberto Voerzio) of the members sent in a representative (family member or the winemaker himself) or wine samples and in most cases, both!  The mission statement of the Accademia is to spread the word about Barolo and improve the overall public's knowledge of this King of wines (and wine of Kings).  Great kudos to Debra (and Sarah) who convinced the producer members to come visit HK during Vinexpo, to spread the word about Barolo to HK wine-lovers, and even better to bring their best bottles! 

All the wines showed amazingly well, each extremely expressive of the style of the producer, the character of the Nebbiolo grape and that of the terroir. Some were made in a more 'rustic', slightly more austere style,  while others showed more extraction (albeit retaining much elegance) wrapped in a more modern, readily approachable style.  It would be very hard to rank the wines because they were all so delicious.  Debra encouraged us to taste and re-taste the wines in the glasses, once they had had time to flourish and develop with aeration. All showed gorgeous ripe fruit and depending on the style, either floral or spicy, with chocolate/liquorice notes. All were extremely well balanced and beautifully structured.  My favourites were: Vietti Barolo Brunate which was feminine and voluptuous, Monfalletto-Cordero di Montezemolo Barolo Enrico VI which was aristocratic, lush and concentrated, and the Michele Chiarlo Barolo Cerequio which was very stylish, with great character and seductive aromas.....but I also admired very much the Paolo Scavino Barolo Bric del Fiasc (great aromatics, powerful and concentrated), the Pio Cesare Barolo (harmonious and elegantly balanced) and the Gianni Gagliardo Barolo Cannubi which was ever so ethereal, with silky tannin and very fresh fruit! 

The 2007 vintage line-up - absolutely gorgeous wines!!!

Debra and Patrick also very generously organised a private dinner for a few wine-loving friends with this distringuished group of wine producers on the previous evening, so that we would have the opportunity to speak to them in more casual setting.  Not only were we treated to some great bottles with some age, we were also regaled with a sumptuous buffet of fine cuisine prepared by Patrick (I loved the stuffed peppers - an unusual stuffing with pig's livers)!  The immaculately orchestrated procedure was rather annoyingly interrupted by an onslaught of flying termites which went on for almost an hour and a half before they retired to bed at 9 pm. I slightly lost track of what I tasted or not.....however, from memory, we tasted a very fine 2001 Vietti Barolo Brunate and a gorgeous 2006 Michele Chiarlo Barolo Cerequio with great intensity and depth.  The 1998 Paolo Scavino Barolo Riserva Rocche dell'Annunziata was definitely a favourite of mine, still flaunting so much vigour, concentration and firm structure.  Debra and Patrick were incredibly generous, as were our friends from Barolo, who were all incredibly friendly and so willing to share their passion and love of Barolo with us! 

We were all warmly invited to visit Piemonte which, like Burgundy of France, offers great food and great wine!!!  Let's drink more Barolo because it truly deserves to be celebrated!!

A Not So Random May Day Gathering

1 May 2012: Public holiday in HK. A few of us had gone to an amazing 30th birthday party the previous night where we were treated to a generous showing of very high quality burgundy wines (my most memorable being 1984 Ramonet Montrachet, 1999 Coche-Dury Corton Charlemagne, 1996 Lafon Meursault Perrieres, 1997 Leroy Corton Charlemagne and the 1970 magnum of Rousseau Chambertin Clos de Beze that we brought!  Richard said he tasted a very nice 1962 Leroy Musigny.....but unfortunately I didn't get that far!!).  We were having a few friends home to a casual supper with a few bottles.  We hadn't quite planned the wines for the evening but one thing led to another and we went down a rather slippery path of indulgence!

2000 Pontet Canet. Deep ruby colour.  Bouquet of chocolate, blackberry preserve, spices, underbrush,  truffle, smoke and mineral.  A wine of masculine proportions, with gorgeous tannic structure, and plenty of ripe phenolic substance. This wine has just started to unfold its big and brooding structure.  It will reward the patient.  17.5/20

I looked around the cellar and thought the 1990 L'Evangile would be a worthy successor. A seductive wine, sensual and shapely.  Smokey, cedar, blueberry, mocha, floral and leather characterise the very attractive bouquet. A wine that boasts great balance, concentration, depth and complexity on the palate, with a very long finish.  A classic Pomerol beauty.  18.5/20

Then Richard quite fancied the look of the 1966 Vieux Chateau Certan.  Cedar, meaty and leather bouquet.  Glorious tertiary aromatics. A little disappointing on the palate, which was still relatively fresh but devoid of fruit character, with a somewhat bothering astringent aspect.  A wine that would never quite resolve its elements!  16/20

After that, there was no return......out came the 1955 Graham's: Viscous and concentrated.  Caramel, dried fruit, walnuts, dark cherry pie, with hints of chocolate. A rich and unctuous nectar that had very little difficulty slipping down our throats! Quite a spirity finish.  19/20