2015 vintage continued

I've been to two wine tastings within seven days! These were follow-ups to the Burgundy Portfolio's big January tasting. While that one is always very exciting, there's a lot to get through and it can be overwhelming to a mere amatrice, so I was happy to get a chance to taste some of the same wines again in a more leisurely setting at the Highbury Library wine bar up near Arsenal stadium.

Last week we concentrated on whites, and I forgot to bring my camera. There were eight of us around a square table and we started with Chablis. Both growers, Nathalie et Gilles Fèvre and Céline et Frédéric Gueguen, had managed to pack plenty of acidity into their wines and the premier crus Vaulorent from Fèvre and Vaucoupin from Gueguen were showing particularly well. Premier cru level is where Chablis gets exciting, after all. The consensus was that the Fèvre wines were very elegant, and the Gueguen ones perhaps a bit richer.

Probably the highlight of the evening, however, was the white Beaune from Domaine de la Roseraie which had already impressed me back in January. This was deep and complex and will need time to open up - the drinking window is estimated as 5-15 years. Can't wait!

We also tried an amber wine, made by Pierre Fenals at Maison en Belles Lies, which we were almost forbidden to pour ourselves as it's so precious that ACC needed to keep some back to show the following day. This was made in a very traditional way in an amphora and was very interesting but probably wasted on me!

Then, on Wednesday night, it was back to the same location to try some reds. Word must have got round as this time there were 18 of us sitting around the table so it was quite a crowd.

We began with a brace of Beaujolais - the Brouilly and the Cote de Brouilly from Trichard. For my money, the Brouilly was drinking nicely now with cherry fruit, while the Cote is richer and more complex and will keep longer.

Other highlights, for me, included three wines from Domaine de la Roseraie. First we had the Bourgogne Rouge, which has already sold out, and on the evening I confidently reported that I had bought it already but now checking my trusty spreadsheet I see this is not the case! I should have done. I have however got some of the red Beaune and the Eponyme, which is only available in magnum. The Beaune is a lovely expression of the terroir with the classic perfume, elegance and length, while the Eponyme is the jewel in the crown of the domaine and had massive cheek-coating tannins, wild fruit and generally a grand cru feel to it. What's that coming over the hill? It's a monster... wine and ACC suggested it will be drinking in 7 to 20 years so we could be looking at 60th birthday celebrations rather than 50th, if I make it that far.

We also tried some wines from Microcosmos Chai Urbain, which is a very small winery in Marseilles. I drank a couple of bottles of the Marvin rose (on the left in the photo above) last year and it was wonderful in the very warm summer weather.

It's made from mourvedre, and it has a certain grapey quality and is dangerously drinkable given that it's 14.5% alcohol. I took the opportunity to grab a case. The name always makes me think of Marvin the Paranoid Android in the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which is no bad thing.

We also tried some reds from the same domaine and I was particularly impressed by the Tempete, which was powerful and intense with black fruits and liquorice. It turned out that this is made from syrah, which explains everything. Apparently 2015 is a great vintage for Rhone - well, this will do me nicely.

Thanks very much to ACC for a pair of fascinating tastings!

This week's drinking

The other night, G came round to my place and we drank this Chambolle Musigny 1er cru Derriere la Grange 1988 from Maison Roche de Bellene, which he had brought back from his recent trip to Burgundy.

It turned out to be a case of Down On the Farm With Old Muck Spreader as the nose was distinctly pungent. There was also a hint of the sugar bag, and something else going on which I said was chemical but G corrected this to medicinal and said it reminded him of chartreuse. I'm not a massive chartreuse drinker but that seemed accurate. On the palate it was relatively light and smooth and more elegant than the nose, but we both thought we wouldn't have guessed it was Chambolle blind. It was fascinating to try it, and we gave it a low 8 on the PCP (premier cru project) - as opposed to TCP - scale. Thanks G for bringing it back and sharing it with me.

Then last night it was over to the wilds of SW2, particularly challenging when the Lord Mayor's Show gives an excuse for the entire London transport network to shut down, but it was worth it as ACC had some goodies in store. We began with this Chablis 1er cru Vaucoupin 2013 from Domaine Gueguen. This was on absolutely top form, with a lovely weight, and ACC detected some spice. Available from the Burgundy Portfolio.

I contributed this 2007 Pommard La Croix Blanche from Domaine Parent, which came out of storage fairly recently and has been positively guzzled since. This was my penultimate bottle and it was as good as ever, rich and sweet and generally very drinkable indeed. It's the kind of wine I can't imagine anyone not enjoying. The word "international" was mentioned, which was fair enough, but this has been one of my favourite wines of the year.

To go with our sticky toffee pudding, we had this 1986 Moulin a Vent which ACC brought back from the same trip, the same shop in fact, as the Chambolle above. Sometimes old Beaujolais can turn a bit raisiny, but that did not apply in this case, and it was drinking very well especially bearing in mind that it was 30 years old. Thanks very much ACC for a great evening!

Chablis tasting, 10th May

On Tuesday, I made my way over to Highbury Library (a wine bar) for a tasting of wines from the Yonne hosted by the Burgundy Portfolio.

Once again, we were in the downstairs room and the buzz of a party happening upstairs was audible as we commenced with a glass of Cremant de Bourgogne blanc de noirs from Domaine Gueguen. This is made from pinot noir and gamay and was refreshing and enjoyable. The Gueguens have only been making wine for a couple of years but already they are already very accomplished.

Next up was a Saint-Bris from the same domaine, which is made from sauvignon blanc grapes. This was quite soft, not as bracing as some sauvignons from the New World, which some of us may regard as a good thing!

Then it was on to Chablis proper - a comparison of the 2014 Petit Chablis and Chablis from Domaine Nathalie et Gilles Fevre. I've been a fan of this domaine for several years and one of the highlights of my visits to Burgundy was our day trip to this domaine in September 2013 which I wrote about here.

ACC explained that the appellation "Petit Chablis" refers to the classification of the vineyards and is not a qualitative assessment as such. This wine is completely unoaked and was very drinkable with good acidity. The Chablis itself was a step up, as you'd expect, with a heavier mouthfeel and was smart and polished. It went down very well at my office Christmas party last year and hopefully we'll be doing the same this year, when it will have an extra year on it. It was clear that the 2014 vintage was excellent.

Then we moved higher up to the scale, to a pair of wines from the premier cru Mont de Milieu vineyard - the 2014 and the 2013. I tried the 2014 first. This had a delicious, mouth-watering citrus core down the middle and an extraordinary finish which went on for minutes. I had to wait some time before I could move on to the 2013, which was easier drinking at this stage, softer and more knitted together. I did think there was a discernible similarity between them though, a certain honeyed quality. ACC waxed philosophical, telling us that we can never step into the same river twice, and when you're judging wines from different vintages you have to consider the fact that one wine is older than the other in addition to the characteristics of the vintages themselves. I think in a few years the 2014 will be spectacular and I can't resist adding some to my cellar even though G tells me I already have too much wine. I don't think family and friends will object to helping me out with it in five years' time...

Finally, we tasted the premier cru Vaucoupin 2013 from Gueguen next to the premier cru Vaulorent 2012 from Fevre. The Vaucoupin was excellent, I got a hint of mushrooms on the nose, and ACC made us hungry by talking about veal, chicken and guinea fowl at this point (fortunately the food came out shortly afterwards). It was very accomplished with great finesse.

But Vaulorent occupies a special place in my heart - more on that in the next blog post - and for me the 2012 was the highlight of the evening. ACC described it as more brooding and referred to preserved lemons. It's complex and based on recent experience could perhaps do with even longer to develop. There has been awful weather in Burgundy lately casting a big shadow over the 2015 vintage and prices are sure to rise in future, so I'm very tempted to grab a couple of bottles while I still can.

There was a competition at the end to identify this mystery bottle. I identified it as a Fevre but not as the Mont de Milieu 2010. I'd given up making notes by this stage but in retrospect I could see that it had that distinctive honeyed quality. It's not for sale, but was another opportunity to step into the Mont de Milieu river. Thanks ACC for another very educational and enjoyable tasting!

Burgundy Portfolio tasting, 16th Feb

Last Tuesday I found myself on an impromptu tour of Highbury before I belatedly found the venue for that evening's wine tasting, the Highbury Library, opposite the Arsenal stadium. I assume that the name is a jolly jest as it didn't look much like a library!

Upstairs seemed pretty lively but I spotted some familiar faces in the downstairs room and headed down to join them where I was greeted with a glass of Chablis by ACC. This was a tasting of 2014 en primeur "Burgundies". The main Burgundy Portfolio en primeur tasting took place back in January at the Town Hall Hotel in Bethnal Green, which was very enjoyable but difficult to blog about with at least 80 wines being shown. This evening was a more in-depth focus on some of ACC's relatively new discoveries.

The 1er cru Vosgros from Domaine Gueguen was our aperitif, It was drinking already but would keep, with good acidity, citrus and white flowers. It was unoaked and elegant, and seemed popular with everyone.

Then it was on to another 1er cru Chablis, this time from the Vaucoupin vineyard. This seemed more serious, and might need more time. ACC mentioned gunflint. My notes record more detail about the Gueguen's gite for two with swimming pool, which sounds like a great place for a retreat in the Chablis countryside!

We had a bonus tasting of this bottle of Bourgogne Blanc, which was also very good and retained the minerality of the house style.

Then, with a single bound, we leapt from the north of Burgundy to the south, with this Beaujolais Blanc from Domaine des Josephins. This spends 9 months in barrel and was distinctly richer. It was very quaffable and good value for money at £105 for a case of 12 in bond.

This Bourgogne Blanc from Domaine de la Roseraie went down very well. It's made in Puligny Montrachet, by the chap ACC went to visit in October while I wandered round the village taking photos. Only 100 cases were made and apparently a lot of it goes to Parisian restaurants. It wasn't ready yet, still not fully integrated, but Baron McG and I succumbed and decided to split a case between us.

This Viognier from Domaine des Josephins was a little bit different, with white peach, and seemed like a wine that would age well. It was was well-balanced and stylish, something for those who like something different to Chardonnay occasionally.

Food appeared at this point, some charcuterie and cheese, and we cheerfully dived in.

Then it was on to the reds. This Gorge Rouge from Domaine des Josephins is basically a Bourgogne Rouge, made from pinot noir. The name refers to a robin. It had lovely light strawberry fruit and was only 12.5%. I snaffled a case.

The same domaine also makes this Tete Noire - which apparently is some other sort of bird, not the rather unfortunate direct English translation! This is made from the gamaret grape, which is a cross between gamay and reichensteiner. It was much darker in colour and almost brooding. Some detected liquorice. I quite liked it, but suspect it divided the audience.

We moved on to a trio from Domaine de la Roseraie - a Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Beaune, a Maranges and a Beaune "Montee Rouge". These ascended in terms of power and complexity.

The Montee Rouge in particular was very interesting but still quite closed and possibly the sort of wine one would come back to in 6 years. It was serious stuff, complex and concentrated with black cherries going on. Some of us were keen to have a tasting with some older vintages so that we could see how it would evolve.

Overall, it was great to consider some new arrivals in more depth and I look forward to drinking my new acquisitions in due course!

Recent drinking round-up, 5th Sept

It has been a quiet August on the drinking front, as G was away for two weeks and I managed a record-breaking 11 days on the wagon in his absence, With our livers now squeaky clean and raring to process some alcohol, I arranged for some wine to come out of storage.

Last Saturday I took this bottle of Oroncio Pouilly-Fume Les Palefreniers 2008 over to ACC's for lunch. It went down well. It's quite unusual, a sauvignon blanc given the full Burgundy treatment, and is rich and grapefruity and generally rather wonderful and delicious. I ordered it nearly 3 years ago at the Maison Romane dinner (here) and am very happy with it!

Then, on Sunday evening, to celebrate G's successful trip away, we had this 2008 Vosne-Romanee Aux Reas from Alain Guyard. I bought a case of this some time ago and noticed it was in two six-packs so thought it was time to see how it was getting on, and indeed I think it's starting to drink now. It was perhaps on the light side for a Vosne but none the worse for that.

As it was a bank holiday Monday, I made a terrine and we pushed the boat out with a bottle of 2006 Meursault 1er cru Gouttes d'Or from Moret-Nomine. I snapped this up in a recent bin-end sale from the Burgundy Portfolio and had slightly wondered if it might be over the hill, but no, it was fabulous! Big, rich and nutty, all the things I like about Meursault. It's certainly drinking now but there is no particular rush and I'm sure getting through the other 5 bottles won't pose any sort of problem.

Then, on Thursday, a last-minute arrangement was made for ACC to join us for dinner with a selection of goodies which had been presented to a certain restaurant earlier in the day. Who were we to turn down such an invitation? This proved a fascinating tasting as it enabled us to see how certain things are getting on and generally congratulate ourselves on previous purchases.

Starting with the whites, we tried a 2014 Bourgogne Blanc from Domaine Celine & Frederic Gueguen, who are based in Chablis. Although this wasn't a Chablis, G and I both thought it shared a similarity in style. It was quite brisk, with good minerality, and made a refreshing aperitif. although perhaps on the young side. While on the subject of Chablis, it was terrible to hear about the hailstorm which hit many of the vineyards a few days ago, just before the harvest, and our thoughts go out to the growers affected.

We moved on to the 2010 Meursault from Vincent Perrin, which is always an enjoyable drop, with good typicity. G and I are more familiar with the 2008 vintage which we think may be slightly heftier, but then 2008 was a great vintage for white burgundy. Guess they can't be like that all the time.

Then came a real show-stopper, this 2011 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er cru En Remilly from Domaine Bouard-Bonnefoy. Comparisons were made to Batard-Montrachet. It had benefited from judicious use of oak and just generally came across as expensive and ambitious with a lovely weight and richness. I'm delighted to see that I have some of the 2012 in my cellar! We thought the 2011 was drinking now but might benefit from another year, which suggests that waiting five years is the way forward for these wines.

Of the reds, first we tried a 2011 Monthelie 1er cru Les Riottes from Florent Garaudet, which was very pure with juicy, clean fruit and showed that these wines need time to open up and reach their full potential. Then a 2010 Beaune 1er cru Les Reversees from Jean-Claude Rateau, which was a lovely, elegant expression of Beaune, but might be even better in a couple of years' time.

Finally, we tried this 2011 Morey-St-Denis from Domaine Audiffred. This was astonishing, with a nose of passionfruit, blackcurrant and possibly even mango. Normally I associate Morey with black forest gateau, but this was more like a tropical fruit pavlova. It was quite remarkable and we loved it.

Fascinating stuff and merci to ACC for sharing them with us!