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The wines of Burgundy are the focus of this February 17th release. I found few wines to get overly excited about, which is fine as Burgundies have been known to stretch my pocket book beyond its limit. Most of the wines I tasted were from the 2004 vintage.

2004 was not the easiest growing season for the region. Many areas reported a cooler start to the season and in May and June the lack of sun slowed down the initial growth spurt and flowering was delayed by about two weeks. Once the flowering occurred, growers believed the potential crop was going to be huge. July saw humidity, hail and thunderstorms. The weather hit the Côte de Beaune with more severity where hail storms took their toll on the fruit.

Growers had to manage the size of the crop during the season with de-budding, deflowering and green harvesting in order to manage the quality. Warm weather and plenty of sunshine in September helped ripen the fruit and dry out the vineyards. The quantity was very good but it was a season that required diligent sorting.

Those producers that worked hard produced wines with good structure and plenty of tannin. Quality appears to be more consistent in the Côte de Nuits than in the Côte de Beaune.

019364 LONG-DEPAQUIT CHABLIS LES VAILLONS 2004 1er Cru ALBERT BICHOT $32.95
Aromas of daffodil, nectarine, slate and mineral give way to a palate of unripe mango and apple. It offers a well balanced finish that shows flavours of wet stone and red grapefruit acidity. Find this wine

 

016758 HENRI REBOURSEAU GEVREY-CHAMBERTIN 2002 $49.95
An interesting mix of liquorish root, star anise, damson, plum, red currant and Turkish Delight. The palate shows plenty of fruit in the form of black cherry, blackberry and plum. It has earthy notes along with plenty of fruit and lots of dusty tannin that demonstrate the aging potential of this wine. Find this wine

016691 JEAN-PHILIPPE MARCHAND FIXIN LES HERVELETS 2004 1er Cru $32.95
Deep ruby colour leads to aromas of plum, cherry, sweet oak, dark chocolate and earth. It is dry with good balance between the fruit/acid/tannins. Medium full-bodied with a long, rich finish. Try this wine with a full roast beef dinner. Find this wine

Wines from the village of Fixin are similar in style to its neighbouring Gevrey-Chambertin, especially from the Premier Crus vineyards such as Les Hervelets.

980201 JOSEPH DROUHIN MOREY-SAINT-DENIS 2002 $55.95
Notes of dried cherry, anise, strawberry, morel, cedar and cinnamon. It has red fruit on the palate that mixes with hints of chocolate, beet and cinnamon on the finish. Well balanced with just enough tannin to hold it for a year or two longer. Find this wine

653022 ROBERT ARNOUX NUITS-SAINT-GEORGES 2004 $49.95
A pleasing sweetly spiced nose with plenty of blackberry, beet, smoke and geranium. It is medium bodied with licks of red fruit and slate on the mid palate. The balance seems fine, there is decent structure to keep it a while and its finish is tasty. Find this wine

014902 BOUCHARD PÈRE & FILS BEAUNE CLOS SAINT-LANDRY 2004 1er Cru $54.95
I liked this unusual, but enticing wine that delivers aromas of leafy arugula, dried apricots and green apple. The palate is rich, creamy showing flavours of white peach chutney, honeydew melon and butter.  Find this wine

945741 CHARTRON ET TRÉBUCHET PULIGNY-MONTRACHET 2002 $51.95
The nose shows toasted nut, clay, honey, lychee and pear. It is quite full bodied, the palate shows maturity, but it is by no means over the hill. Find this wine

520213 CHÂTEAU DE MEURSAULT 2004 $45.95
This starts by showing some hefty aromas of sweet pastry, apricot, almond oil and honeydew melon. Although the palate has layers of white tree fruit, pear and decent acidity, it does little to excite. It lacks regional character and complexity. Find this wine

014951 BOUCHARD PÈRE & FILS BEAUNE CLOS DE LA MOUSSE 2004 1er Cru $45.95
A floral nose backed up by lavender, red fruit and black cherry. The palate is silky and it shows a degree of elegance. The finish however is more focused on alcohol and acid. Perhaps time will allow the fruit to reign supreme. Perhaps! Find this wine

714998 BOUCHARD PÈRE & FILS CÔTE DE BEAUNE-VILLAGES 2005 $24.95
A wine that starts out with some plum, pepper, liquorish and beet that turns astringent on the palate. The fruit just does not show. There is plumy fruit on the finish, a touch of vanilla, but the steely acids take centre stage. Find this wine

007609 DOMAINE DE LA VOUGERAIE BEAUNE LA MONTÉE ROUGE 2003 $44.95
Right from the get go this wine shows heaps of concentrated red fruit coulis, a perfectly accented quantity of poo, black cherry, flat cola and clove. The palate is equally as interesting as it shows plum, strawberry fruit, the right amount of oak, dusty chocolate and refined acidity. The heat of the 2003 vintage has worked well on structure without delivering an intensity of alcohol.  Find this wine

027755 BRUNO COLIN CHASSAGNE-MONTRACHET VIEILLES VIGNES 2004 $39.95
Some New World sweetness on the nose, the palate is sweet in comparison to others, yet at the same time it is a little green and leafy. The finish follows the same format. Find this wine

027771 MICHEL BOUZEREAU ET FILS BEAUNE LES VIGNES FRANCHES 2004 1er Cru $63.95
A dark coloured wine, brimming with toasty oak, earthy notes, leather, blackberry and black fruit aromas. The palate is fruit laden, well balanced, but very tight. Give this three or four years and one should find ample rewards. Find this wine

022848 PRINCE FLORENT DE MÉRODE CORTON LES BRESSANDES 2004 Grand Cru $65.95
Hits of mineral and fruit on the nose. The palate shows a good balance of earthy flavours, fruit and acid, but it is lacking in strength and character, especially for a Grand Cru. Find this wine


725549 ROGER BELLAND SANTENAY-COMMES 2004 1er Cru $32.95
Plenty of upfront sweet fruit, red candy, cherry and cranberry. It shows more of the sweet sticky fruit on the palate and nothing else. The finish is gone in seconds. Find this wine

 

007534 ROUX PÈRE & FILS POMMARD FREMIERS 2004 1er Cru $46.95
A nose that reflects regional character by offering red berry, damson, raspberry, roasted beet and true Burgundian terrior. It shows some oomph on the palate, there are plenty of chunky chocolate tannins, good fruit and lively acids. Find this wine

007583 SIMON BIZE & FILS SAVIGNY-LÈS-BEAUNE LES BOURGEOTS 2004 $48.95
I am not sure about this wine, it smells of red fruit, earthy, wet leaves, but there is an annoying yeasty note that distracts. The palate has red fruit, but it is spritzy on the tongue. Find this wine

007559 TOLLOT-BEAUT CHOREY-LÈS-BEAUNE 2004 $36.95
Pleasing aromas of dried Chinese mushroom, rhubarb, plum, cassia and forest floor. The palate is disjointed right now, but there is plenty of fruit, a layer of red berry acidity, dark bitter chocolate and earth. It should be a good bottle of wine a few years down the road. Find this wine

016733 LA BUXYNOISE GIVRY 2004 1er Cru $18.95
A wine that shows notes of butter, mineral, and lime. The palate mimics the nose adding flavours of apple, white peach and vanilla. It is fairly priced for a sampling of honest Burgundian flavour. Find this wine

947994 CHÂTEAU DE MEURSAULT CLOS DU CHÂTEAU BOURGOGNE CHARDONNAY 2003 $24.95
A toasty, fat and very New World styled wine showing Asian pear, a touch of peach and little else to thrill. Find this wine

657387 BLASON DE BOURGOGNE PINOT NOIR BOURGOGNE 2005 $17.95
A light pink cherry coloured wine with notes of sweet cherry, medicinal candy, violet and rhubarb. The palate is youthful and full of red fruit and acid. Find this wine

001545 FLAT ROCK PINOT NOIR 2004, Niagara Peninsula $19.95
A clean and well focused Pinot showing plenty of varietal flavours, strawberry, cola, nutmeg and a touch of orange zest. There is plenty of spice and fleshy flavours on the palate. The well balanced finish renders cinnamon and lip smacking red cherry. Find this wine

025189 MERIDIAN CABERNET SAUVIGNON 2003, California $18.95
Value is the focus of this well made and pleasing Cabernet. It carries the expected sweet upfront fruit without being over the top. The palate and finish both have a creamy texture and lots of blackberry fruit. Find this wine

0154953 3 RINGS SHIRAZ 2005, Barossa Valley, South Australia $21.95
Although sweet and creamy, the nose also offers aromas of horse barn, lilac, black tea and plenty of spice. The 15.5 degrees of alcohol is discernable on the palate, but flavours of sweet coconut, blueberry and dark fruit are not overpowered by its presence. Two more years to settle down and this will be a treat. Find this wine

606301 WOLF BLASS GOLD LABEL SHIRAZ/VIOGNIER 2004, Adelaide Hills, South Australia $30.95
I rarely get excited about the wines of Wolf Blass, but with this bottle, I will make an exception. The nose is a mix of creamy café au lait, blackberry, blueberry, dark chocolate, lavender and flowers. There is no heavy oak, the palate shows good balance and the finish leaves me wanting more. Find this wine

972331 M. CHAPOUTIER CHÂTEAUNEUF-DU-PAPE LA BERNARDINE 2004 $39.95
An elegant Chateauneuf, exhibiting layers of black fruit, garrique, coffee grounds, pepper and violets. The palate is enticing, well balanced, silky and fruit focused. The finish is astringent now, but that should soften with time to expose a stunner. Find this wine

989665 PAUL JABOULET AÎNÉ GIGONDAS PIERRE AIGUILLE 2005 $23.95
A youthful nose of swamp water, perfume, liquorish, dark berry, moss and pepper. Its concentrated palate is very tight and the finish shows vanilla, Szechwan peppercorn, blackberry and sweet oak. If you buy this, leave it alone to develop for two years at least! Find this wine


019521 TOSCOLO CHIANTI CLASSICO 2004, $18.95
A new world example of Chianti with smoky liquorish, creamy fruit and soft red fruit acid, that delivers little if any pleasure on the finish. Find this wine

021519 ROQUEVALE TINTO DA TALHA GRANDE ESCOLHA SYRAH/TOURIGA NACIONAL 2004 $17.95
How strange, the nose shows notes of mud, cooked and wet leaves, yet the palate is a different wine, being laden with red fruit, cream soda, oak and tannin. Currently it is very disjointed. A faulty bottle, maybe, it certainly is one I would like to try again. Find this wine

141697 ANGOVE'S PREMIUM PORT 1999 South Australia $16.95
Lots of power to this Aussie Port. It shows notes of dusty cacao, prune, banana skin, hazelnut praline and nutty chocolate bar. It has a voluptuous mouth feel, a trifle hot right now, but not a bad deal when you look at the price. Find this wine

Cheers
CZ

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