Our selection this month (January 15, 2013) included all Grand Cru and Premier Cru Burgundies: two Cortons, two Gevrey Chambertins, and one each of Morey-St-Denis, Clos de la Merechale, Volnay and Vosne-Romanée, all from well-known producers.
Guest speaker for the evening was Julia Tingarov of Halpern Wine. The group at least agreed with her on one of the wines!
HOW THE WINES RANKED
THE WINES
2006 Dubreuil-Fontaine, Corton Clos du Roi Grand Cru $79
“Medium colour. Intense, focused red fruit. In the mouth it’s full and powerful and there’s plenty of obvious tannin. At this stage the balance seems in favour of the structure, yet the clean flavours linger very nicely. Needs at least 6-8 years in the cellar I’d say.” Bill Nanson, www.burgundy-report.com, March 2009.
2006 Antonin Guyon, Corton Clos du Roi, Grand Cru $90 Domaine Antonin Guyon is one of the most prestigious estates in the Côte d’Or, as well as one of the largest family-owned wineries in the region. “A more complex, serious and brooding nose of ripe and earthy dark berry fruit complements perfectly the concentrated, powerful and intense big-bodied flavors that are classic Clos du Roy in both structure and character, all wrapped in a wonderfully long and moderately austere finish.” 91-93pts. Allen Meadows, www.burghound.com, April 2008.
2006 Domaine de la Vougeraie, Gevrey Chambertin, 'Les Evocelles’ $55 “Full colour. Slightly reduced on the nose but quite fat underneath. Medium to medium-full body. Rich and mocha-ish on the palate. Good fruit but it lacks a bit of grip and finishes short. An attractive wine though. Good plus. From 2013.” 15.5/20. Clive Coates, www.clives-coates.com, 2009.
2006 Louis Boillot Gevrey, Gevrey Chambertin, 'Les Evocelles’ $69 “In a sort of study in cherries, high-toned maraschino and almond extract along with fresh morellos fill the nose from Boillot's 2006 Gevrey-Chambertin Les Evocelles (which I last tasted from tank just before bottling). Dark berry juices and smoked meat with stony underpinnings and tinged by peat and black pepper pungency inform a finely-tannic palate, and this finishes with cut and clarity, as well as vibratory pungency, leaving the tongue aquiver and mineral and spice nuances prominently on display. Neither this wine's stoniness nor its abundant tannins pull it in an austere direction. It is an excellent example of its vintage's and site's talents, and should merit following for at least 6-8 years.” 90-91pts. David Schildknecht, Wine Advocate, December 2009.
2006 Pierre & Jean-Louis Amiot, Morey-St-Denis 1er Cru, 'Les Ruchots’ $75 Tasting notes not available. Morey St.Denis sits neatly between Gevrey-Chambertin and Chambolle-Musigny, yet has little of the renown of those villages. Pierre Amiot has now retired and two of his sons, Jean-Louis and Didier have taken over this winery. Yields have now been cut following more severe pruning and green harvesting, and quality has subsequently improved along with consistency. The brothers also now use >30% new oak.
2006 Domaine Jacques-Fréderic Mugnier Nuits-St.-Georges, Clos de la Maréchale, 1er Cru $94 “Representing the third Mugnier estate-bottling of this monopole (long leased to Faiveley), the 2006 Nuits-St.-Georges Clos De La Maréchale boasts deep, sweet black raspberry and dark cherry fruit tinged with vanilla; a plusher texture and at the same time greater clarity to nuances of peat, crushed stone, fruit pit, and mineral salts than exhibited by the 2005; and a long, soothing, yet refreshing finish. I suspect this will be worth following for the better part of a decade. It received 20% new wood, incidentally, no differently from Mugnier's other (including his grand-) crus.” 91pts. David Schildknecht, Wine Advocate, December 2009.
2006 Joseph Voillot, Volnay 1er Cru, 'Les Champans’, $69
“Typically for its site, a 2006 Volnay Champans smells richly of sautéed mushrooms as well as of meat stock and fresh red berries wreathed in wood smoke. This displays quite evident but relatively fine-grained tannins and a sense of stuffing surpassing that of the other Volnay crus in this year's Voillot collection. The alternation of brightness with suggestions of meat and mushroom reduction is fascinating rather than at all jarring.’ 89pts. David Schildknecht, Wine Advocate, December 2009.
2006 Alain Hudelot-Noellat, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru, Les Beaumonts, $114 Tasting notes not available. Vosne-Romanée holds an exalted status in the minds of burgundy worshipers. Robert Parker also goes on to rate Hudelot-Noellat as one of the best producers of Vosne-Romanée. “The proprietor, Alain Hudelot, has an impeccable winemaking technique…these are clearly wines worth the effort to search out” – Robert Parker, Burgundy. Alain Hudelot destalks at least two-thirds of the crop, vinifying the wine in large stainless-steel vats at a moderate temperature, and macerating the skins and the grape juice for at least three weeks or longer if possible. He avoids excessive cuvaision, which can cut aromas short.