Alan’s Vintages April, 2008 Burgundy 05-06 Offer Tasting Notes

Vintages recent 2005/2006 Burgundy tasting was a hoot. For a price tag of $79.00, one could sample eighty wines ranging in quality from decent to extremely tasty wines from twelve of the regions producers.

Burgundy is without doubt the most complicated and disjointed wine region in the world. It has close to 30,000 growers and around 700 appellation controlles. The key to buying these wines is to get to know the producers and to learn what each does best. This was a great opportunity to get to know a dozen of them and taste their wares.

The venue was Toronto’s Le Royal Meridien King Edward Hotel. My colleagues, Albert Cipryk and Peter Blakeman and my longtime friend and Burgundy lover, Marty Frietas, accompanied me.

Hats off to the kitchen, the foods served, chosen to work with the wines, did the job well. A shellfish buffet of oysters, tuna carpaccio, deftly cooked plump shrimp, smoked fish and steamed mussels complemented the whites.  eds wines were paired with bundles of tiny crepes filled with coq au vin or wild mushrooms with truffle scented veal stock. The casserole of Escargot in a rich velvety glaze provided a true regional food and wine match.

2005 was touted as a quintessentially perfect season for growing grapes.
The summer was exceptionally dry, temperatures were not extreme and the sun shone less than normal. Due to the severe lack of water, grapes were tiny, thick skinned and potentially packed with flavour.

The summer of 2006 was a month of extremes. July was a month of excessive dryness and heat and August was unseasonably wet and cool, resulting in an extended veraison and uneven ripeness. Fortunately Mother Nature came to the rescue providing fine weather during the harvest.
It appears 2005 is the vintages for Pinot lovers while 2006 produced many excellent whites.

Stylistically I felt the wines in general pushed more for elegance than power. The wines seemed softer and some donned a New World style. I recall tasting 1990 Burgundies when they were first released. That vintage showed darker coloured wines with way more depth and concentration. The wines from these two recent vintages displayed a lighter robe and a softer structure.

I should not be surprised. After all, I have seen the food industry go through many changes, new phases and different styles of presentation. Winemakers can change their style too, although I must confess to missing those wines of the late sixties and early seventies that seduced me into the world of Pinot Noir.

It was tough to get to all the tables in the allotted time of two and a half hours. I did however manage to get some notes scribbled down. Here is the deciphered version of my impressions.

Please note - these wines are slated to arrive in Ontario in late summer, 2008.  Some are currently available in the U.S.

J. MOREAU & FILS

CHABLIS MONTMAINS 2006 1er Cru 77529 $39.00
Aromas of dried banana, linalool, stony mineral and white tree fruit, nice balance, good lingering finish. Find this wine

CHABLIS VAUDÉSIR 2006 Grand Cru 77552 $69.00
Quite robust, deep concentration, lots of mineral and shingle. Palate is subtle, releasing little, nice acidity. Find this wine

CHABLIS TASTEVINÉ VAUCOUPIN 2005, 1er Cru 77537 $39.00
A richer nose, showing sweet notes, plenty of lemon and lime notes, again the palate is tight.
Find this wine

JEAN-CLAUDE BOISSET

MEURSAULT LE LIMOZIN 2006 77289 $79.00
Earthy notes of wet stone mix with sweet caramel. Hints of preserved Meyer lemons, nice silky mouth feel, touch of vanilla, great balance. I like. Find this wine

MEURSAULT LES CHARMES 2006 1er Cru 77305 $119.00
A tight nose slowly reveals sweet baking spices, white tree fruit and subtle oak. Palate is quite full, lots of white peach, apricot and apple. Find this wine

SANTENAY 1ER CRU MALADIÈRE 2006 1er Cru 77354 $49.00
Earthy beet, red fruit, rhubarb, iron and mineral characters. Palate shows nice red fruit, tannin creeps up to show who is boss. It should be nice with sort term aging. Find this wine

BEAUNE LES GRÉVES 2006 1er Cru 77347 $75.00
A combination of wet damp soil and raspberry, tight and astringent on the mid palate, turns creamy on the finish focusing on red fruit with a touch of chocolate. Great potential. Find this wine

CLOS DE LA ROCHE 2006 Grand Cru 77339 $175.00
Very forward nose, tons of fruit, nice background of earthy dried mushroom. A solid palate, tightly wound, needs time to focus. Find this wine

GEVREY-CHAMBERTIN 2006 77313 $69.00
Not a lot on the nose. Palate has a rich and creamy texture with a heavy dose of vanilla, ripe and rich fruit shows well, but is soon overpowered by toffee and oak notes. Find this wine

BOUCHARD AÎNÉ & FILS

CHASSAGNE-MONTRACHET MORGEOT CUVÉE SIGNATURE 2006 1er Cru 77453 $79.00
A nose showing iodine, seaweed, a touch of hay and a solid layer of apple and pear aromas. The taste is rich and buttery, with just enough of that new world approach. The finish has citrus acidity and plenty of power. Find this wine

GEVREY-CHAMBERTIN CUVÉE SIGNATURE 2006 77479 $54.00
A spicy full-blown wine of blackberry and dark fruit. Palate appears lighter than the nose suggests, it has firm tannins, the fruit does show through, but it is a little awkward right now. Find this wine

ALBERT BICHOT

POMMARD CLOS DES URSULINES DOMAINE DU PAVILLION 2005 76679 $49.00
Rustic and spicy, dark berry and plum, traces of pencil shaving and pie dough. Palate is clumsy; there is good fruit with a kiss of vanilla on the close. Find this wine

CLOS DE VOUGEOT DOMAINE DU CLOS FRANTIN 2005 Grand Cru 76687 $150.00
Aromas of dried meat, bacon and red fruit. Its flavour profile is meaty and fleshy, good acids, fruit is in the background just waiting for the day. Find this wine

LOUIS LATOUR

MEURSAULT-PORUZOTS 2006 1er cru 77123 $75.00
Steely with lots of white fruit, almond and baking spice. Balance is fine, the finish is tight and cloying.
Find this wine

PULIGNY-MONTRACHET LES FOLATIÈRES 2006 1er Cru 77131 $129.00
Toasty and elegant with notes of bees wax, baked pear and vanilla. Great concentration, fruit dominates, acids do their job and the lengthy finish ends with a lick of crème brulée. Find this wine

CHASSAGNE-MONTRACHET 2005 1er Cru 77115 $84.00
Rich and ripe with honey, hazelnut, lilac, clay and sandstone. It shows great balance, a nice creamy palate with lots of chewy fruit. Find this wine

SAINT AUBIN 2005 77107 $39.00
Nice notes of mineral, straw and terroir. It is quite full on the palate showing lots of apple and pear fruit with a pleasing nutty note. Well-balanced and fun to drink. Find this wine

ALOXE-CORTON LES CHAILLOTS 2005 1er Cru 77164 $69.00
Red fruit candy, stewed rhubarb and toffee. The mid palate offers plenty of fruit; the tannins are discernable and turn to bitter chocolate on the finish. Just needs some time. Find this wine

BEAUNE-PERRIÈRES 2005 1er Cru 77156 $59.00
Plenty of ripe red berry, clove, a twist of pepper, leafy arugula and floral notes on the nose. The palate has good fruit, nice acidity and a touch of tannin. Find this wine

CORTON CLOS DE LA VIGNE AU SAINT 2005 Grand Cru 77172 $109.00
Layers of pure red and black fruit coulis give way to notes of cooked beet and earthy notes of white mushroom. It has decent structure and the finish has a refreshing kick of red cherry acid. Find this wine

NUITS-SAINT-GEORGES 2005 77149 $75.00
A spicy nose of Thai basil and mint with a touch of green apple. The palate shows a high degree of acid, some red fruit and metallic flavours with a thin finish. Find this wine

DOMAINE DE LA VOUGERAIE
For me the wines of this producer really stood out from the pack. Stylistically Vougeraie wine’s were darker and more concentrated than most. Their prices are not exorbitant when one accounts for the quality of these wines.

BEAUNE LA MONTÉE 2006 77818 $42.00
A promising nose of rich dark fruit, a hint of lavender, lilac and Moroccan spice. A serious palate, chalky and tannic, but fruit is laying in wait. Find this wine

CÔTE DE BEAUNE LES PIERRES BLANCHES 2006 77784 $39.00
Mineral and earthy notes, plenty of pleasing dark fruit, some liquorish and plum. The balance is superb; there are layers of dusty tannin and plum on the finish. Find this wine

GEVREY-CHAMBERTIN LES ÉVOCELLES 2006 77792 $55.00
Blackberry fruit, spicy cardamom, a chalky texture and a palate loaded with dark fruit. Find this wine

NUITS-SAINT-GEORGES LES CORVÉES PAGETS 2006 1er Cru 77826 $79.00
Floral and lavender notes with a touch of cherry, mocha and plenty of dark fruit. The most tannic of the group, it certainly needs time. Find this wine

VOUGEOT LES CRAS 2006 1er Cru 77834 $89.00
Exotic aromas of violet, plum and cardamom lead to a palate laced with sweet spice, black cherry and shavings of dark bitter chocolate. Find this wine

LABOURÈ-ROI

POUILLY-FUISSÉ RÉSERVE 2006 76893 $35.00
Toasted almonds with a hint of canned asparagus. There is not much fruit to be found, the palate is thin and dreary. Find this wine

CHABLIS LES CLOS 2006 Grand Cru 76927 $95.00
Closed nose and little on the palate. Perhaps it needs time to show. I really don’t know. Find this wine

MEURSAULT PORUZOT CHÂTEAU LABOURÉ ROI 2006 1er Cru 76919 $59.00
More attractive aromas of roasted almond, sugar candies, lemon grass and lime. Acids keep the palate clean, it is a lighter style of wine, but well focused. Find this wine

CHASSAGNE-MONTRACHET MORGEOT BLANC 2005 1er Cru 76901 $69.00
A waft of rose petal with notes of apple, spiced pear and medicinal lozenges. A few sweet tree fruits on the palate, but it lacks acidity. Find this wine

JOSEPH DROUHIN

BEAUNE CLOS DES MOUCHES BLANC 2006 76968 $109.00
Possibly the best white wine of the show, should be though, it is well over a hundred bucks. Aromas of honey and almond, a powerful layer of tree fruit and a kiss of vanilla. Great depth and concentration, fine acidity and balance. Find this wine

CHASSAGNE-MONTRACHET MARQUIS DE LAGUICHE 2006 76950 $99.00
Ripe fruit aromas of muskmelon with lamp oil and mineral. The palate is thick and creamy, the fruit is closed, but the concentration is evident. Find this wine

SAINT-ROMAIN BLANC 2006 76935 $26.00
Toasty oak, nice peach and apple flavours, well balanced. Nice subtle flavours. Tasty right now.
Find this wine

CHOREY-LÈS-BEAUNE 2006 77081 $29.00
A spicy red showing notes of wet stone, iron and mineral. The palate has a velvety texture with hints of plum strawberry and baking spice. Find this wine

NUITS-SAINT-GEORGES RICHEMONES 2005 1er Cru 77057 $109.00
Starts out by showing marshy, wet stone and cinnamon notes that quickly subside to release dark fruit and blueberry aromas. The palate is tight, the fruit is there, but it is shy. Should be tasty in a few years. Find this wine

VOSNE ROMANÉE LES CHAUMES 2005 76992 $109.00
Pure ripe dark fruit and sweet vanilla. A silk laden mouth feel, plenty of dark luscious fruit and sweet spice. Find this wine

LOUIS JADOT

CORTON-CHARLEMAGNE 2006 Grand Cru 77636 $195.00
Marty always reminisces about drinking Jadot’s 1976 Corton, it was, he claims, his epiphany into the world of great white Burgundy. He was really excited to be able to meet with winemaker Jacques Lardiere and talk about the progress of other vintages Marty has, and will share, in his cellar. It is powerful; the nose shows baked macaroon, baking spice, Bosc pear and mineral. The palate shows a little of its potential right now and already the finish is long and tasty. Find this wine

CHASSAGNE-MONTRACHET 2005 77602 $65.00
Notes of white peach and nectarine, the palate is full, quite elegant and nicely balanced. Find this wine

ECHÉZEAUX 2006 Grand Cru 77594 $209.00
Pretty notes of strawberry, raspberry and cherry. The palate has good structure, it is elegant, but it lacks the taste of Echezeaux terroir I remember from earlier vintages. If I paid the asking price of this wine, I would be disappointed. Find this wine

BEAUNE LES COUCHEREAUX 2005 1er Cru 77578 $49.00
Earthy notes of mushroom and beet, some red raspberry and dark chocolate. Palate shows balance, some tannin and lively acidity. Find this wine

CHAMBOLLE-MUSIGNY LES SENTIERS 2005 1er Cru 77586 $89.00
A dark robe, a nose of milk chocolate, plum, black raspberry and red fruit. Palate is rich, but backward. It is a full-bodied wine that given time should be brilliant. My favourite on the table.
Find this wine

SAVIGNY-LÈS-BEAUNE 2005 77560 $39.00
A smoky and spicy wine showing red fruit, black cherry, damson and plum. The alcohol runs across the palate leaving the fruit thin and the tannin is the number one contender on the finish. The nose is decent; maybe time will change the structure of the wine. Find this wine

Many of these wines are still available from Vintages.

All in all it was a great night.

Cheers
CZ

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