Fine Vines Spring 2012 Portfolio Tasting

Thanks for inviting me, George!

• 2010 Olivier Merlin Mâcon La Roche-Vineuse Blanc - France, Burgundy, Mâconnais, Mâcon La Roche-Vineuse
  Tasting. Apple aromas and flavors all the way through, with some hints of pear. Not powerful, but well textured, clean, lean and precise. Very good overall for its level and price.
• 2009 Les Héritiers du Comte Lafon Mâcon-Milly-Lamartine - France, Burgundy, Mâconnais, Mâcon-Milly-Lamartine
  Tasting. Lush and ripe fruit aromas. Peach and ripe apple. Balanced with good acidity for the vintage, but still best for now. Very good for its level.
• 2009 Les Héritiers du Comte Lafon Mâcon-Chardonnay Clos de la Crochette - France, Burgundy, Mâconnais, Mâcon-Chardonnay
  Tasting. Aromas and flavors of apple with good spice. A slight step-up from the (also good) Milly-Lamartine also just tasted. Good energy, moderate power.
• 2009 Bret Brothers Saint Véran La Côte Rôtie - France, Burgundy, Mâconnais, Saint Véran
  Tasting. Floral start with good orchard fruit. Palate shows good textures and ripe apple and peach flavors. Good acid and minerality help bring good textures and length. Well done for its level and price.
• 2009 Domaine Bruno Clair Marsannay Blanc - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Marsannay
  Tasting. Floral start. Ripe apple aromas. Good length, just slightly flabby middle with a hint of bitterness at end.
• 2009 Benjamin Leroux Auxey-Duresses Blanc - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Auxey-Duresses
  Tasting. Lush and ripe peach with a hint of tropical fruit. Rich fruit is balanced with good acidity, giving it very good length and precision for its level in this vintage.
• 2009 Benjamin Leroux Puligny-Montrachet - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet
  Tasting. Floral start with big, ripe fruit aromas. Fruit-driven overall with good balance and acidity in support. Very good for its level, but a tough wine to buy when I see it priced at $60 or higher on Wine Searcher. (90 pts.)
• 2009 Jean Noel Gagnard Chassagne-Montrachet Les Chaumes - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet
  Tasting. Ripe apple and pear aromas with modest spice. Fat on palate with moderate length. This showed a little more complexity than what I recall from tasting the same wine last fall.
• 2009 Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
  Tasting. Floral aromas to start with ripe stone fruit. Powerful peach and apricot flavors, very ripe and fat, along with some apple hints. Moderate acidity and length vs. other vintages of this same wine. This will probably be best to drink young while holding its 2007 and 2008 counterparts in the cellar. (92 pts.)
• 2010 Maison Albert Bichot Chablis Domaine Long-Depaquit - France, Burgundy, Chablis
  Wine tasting. Precise and linear with apple and some citrus aromas and flavors with good minerality. Another very good 2010 Chablis that is mpressive for its level and price. (87 pts.)
• 2009 Maison Albert Bichot Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons Domaine Long-Depaquit - France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru
  Wine tasting. Lush fruit dominates nose and palate- apple, some peach. More 2009 vintage than classically Chablis. If tasted blind, I probably wouldn't have identified this as Chablis.
• 2009 Maison Albert Bichot Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos Domaine Long-Depaquit - France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
  Wine tasting. Ripe fruit aromas with good spice. Intense and ripe apple and peach flavors with good minerality, also more 2009 than Chablis Grand Cru, but a very charming wine. (90 pts.)
• 2009 Xavier Monnot Meursault Les Chevalières - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault
  Wine tasting. Floral start with ripe peach and yellow apple aromas. Palate is less interesting, mostly very ripe fruit with modest energy and acidity so slightly flabby on finish.
• 2009 Domaine Marc Morey & Fils Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Vergers - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru
  Wine tasting. Also showing ripe peach aromas with some apple in background. Palate also quite ripe but with good overall balance, acidity and textures, coming together for a finesse-driven finish with good length. (90 pts.)
• N.V. Camille Savès Champagne Premier Cru Brut Carte Blanche - France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru
  Wine tasting. Large scaled and robust fruit aromas and flavors, showing its Pinot Noir character prominently. Probably better in another few years.
• N.V. Vincent Carre Champagne Premier Cru Brut - France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru
  Wine tasting. Apple and some lemon on finish. Very clean and enjoyable, just slightly simple. (88 pts.)
• 2005 Maison Leroy Bourgogne - France, Burgundy, Bourgogne
  Tasting. Big red cherry aromas and flavors. Firmly structured, long and bulky finish for its level, with good cherry and baking spice. This will benefit from at least five years in the cellar.
• 2009 Camille Giroud Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Beaune Au Crétot Rouge - France, Burgundy, Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Beaune
  Tasting. Accessible red cherry aromas and flavors. Very easy and straightforward, most likely best to drink in the next few years.
• 2009 Benjamin Leroux Savigny-lès-Beaune - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Savigny-lès-Beaune
  Tasting. Red and black cherry with good spice. Firm and lean for now, better 2014 and later. Good for its level.
• 2009 Camille Giroud Maranges 1er Cru Le Croix Moines - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Maranges 1er Cru
  Tasting. Black fruit aromas, very dense. Same on palate, very firm and highly structured. I don't know exactly what to expect from Maranges 1er, but this will need at least 5 more years resting in the cellar.
• 2009 Jean Noel Gagnard Chassagne-Montrachet L'Estimee - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet
  Tasting. Godd red cherry on nose and palate. Firm tannins and assertive structure dominate with a rustic character.
• 2009 Benjamin Leroux Volnay - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay
  Tasting. Very bright red cherry aromas, accompanied by some black cherry as well on the palate. Ripe fruit with good structure and overall balance. Vibrant and long for its level. Very good Villages level.
• 2009 Domaine Michel Lafarge Volnay - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay
  Tasting. Slightly floral with lean strawberry and red cherry aromas. Linear and precise on palate with similar fruit, a bit simple for now but good substance, length and textures for its level. Better in a few years.
• 2009 Domaine des Croix Beaune 1er Cru Bressandes - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Beaune 1er Cru
  Tasting. Ripe black fruit on nose and palate. Firm, powerful and slightly rustic. A bit tannic on finish, needs time.
• 2009 Domaine Rodolphe Demougeot Pommard - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Pommard
  Tasting. My first experience with this producer. Charming red and black cherry aromas. Similar fruit on palate, not long but very good for its level. Meaty spice, firm textures.
• 2009 Domaine Bruno Clair Marsannay Les Vaudenelles - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Marsannay
  Tasting. Big and ripe black fruit aromas. Very good power and concentration for its level with some baby fat that needs time to soften a bit. Good for its level.
• 2009 Domaine Bruno Clair Vosne-Romanée Les Champs Perdrix - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée
  Tasting. Good cross-section of ripe red and black fruit aromas. Lush fruit on palate with good baking spice. Long, textured and fresh. Very good for its level.
• 2009 Domaine Lignier-Michelot Chambolle-Musigny Vieilles Vignes - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny
  Tasting. Bright red cherry and strawberry on nose and palate with a good floral, spicy edge. Fresh and charming with moderate power. Very good for next five years.
• 2009 Domaine Lignier-Michelot Morey St. Denis Vieilles Vignes - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Morey St. Denis
  Tasting. Lush and super ripe red fruit with blue fruit hints. Modest spice. Good overall start on palate with moderate length and density, but another very good Villages. I slightly preferred the Chambolle VV also just tasted.
• 2009 Domaine Bruno Clair Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos du Fonteny - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
  Tasting. Another Bruno Clair 2009 showing better today than it has over the past few months. Ripe and intense blackberry and black cherry with a meaty character. Very impressive for its level. (92 pts.)
• 2009 Domaine Bruno Clair Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Les Cazetiers - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
  Black cherry aromas with some cocoa and espresso. Black and red on palate, lean but meaty. Firm, long and powerful with good energy and freshness on finish.
• 2009 Domaine Bruno Clair Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos St. Jacques - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
  Tasting. Black cherry and black berry with deep, intense spice. Same fruit profile, powerful and expanding. Lots and lots of intensity. Another impressive Bruno Clair 2009. (93 pts.)
• 2009 Quinta do Crasto Touriga Nacional Douro - Portugal, Douro
  Wine tasting. Jammy black fruit aromas with huge intensity. More interesting and restrained palate shows the same black fruit, but with good acidity, lovely tannins and overall good balance, seeming to soften and become more elegant towards long finish. (92 pts.)