A weekend of Jacky Truchot

Washington DC
Tasted Saturday, January 28, 2006 - Sunday, January 29, 2006 by AndrewSGHall with 6,949 views

Introduction

Jacky Truchot is very traditional small Burgundian producer who recently retired. His wines are deeply loved by a small, but passionate group of Burgundy fans who persist in the face of distributor and critical complaints. Several of us gathered in Washington DC for a weekend of tasting through multiple vintages of two of his 1er and his two Grand Crus.

All wines were delivered from the participants to the tasting venues a couple weeks before the event. They were double-decanted slightly before each flight.

Flight 1 - Morey St. Denis Part I : "Clos Sorbés" Premier Cru (9 Notes)

The first night, admirably hosted by part of the DC contigent, focused on Morey St. Denis. We started with "Clos Sorbés" which is located in the heart of Morey St. Denis, near the village proper. This tasting revealed a very classic MSD profile, albeit of the quality befitting the siting of this parcel. Most fascinating was the continuity of these wines. There was an obvious linear connnection between all these wines where each wine slowly unfolded characteristics that would be fully formed with age. Most fascinating was the unravelling from meat and blood to more pure iron mineral as we chained back 01-98-96-93. Likewise, 02, 99, 90 showed the body and power of those fruit-driven vintages. Of note - most of these wines were the "Vielles Vignes" cuvée imported to the US by Peter Weygandt. The only exception was the 2001, as marked in the tasting note, which was purchased directly at the Domaine.

These wines were all drank in groups of three, descending in vintage.

Flight 2 - Intermezzo (1 Note)

A little palate-refreshing break before moving on to the Grand Cru.

Flight 3 - Morey St. Denis Part II : Clos de la Roche Grand Cru (13 Notes)

Jackky Truchot has two parcels in Clos de la Roche, one in the Clos de la Roche proper and another in the "Fremiers" climat. Both parcels have wines of significant age, though again only the US-imported cuvée from Peter Weygandt is marked "Vielles Vignes." In this case, the 2000 was the exception, purchased at the Domaine. The power and Grand Cru class was clearly on display here, often pushing out of the expected vintage bounds. Clos de la Roche is probably one of the best display of Jacky's uniqueness as his light hand clearly demonstrates the native power of this cru. The trifecta of 91, 89, 88 were sheer bliss.

These wines were all drank in groups of three, descending in vintage, except for the last four which were done in pairs.

Flight 4 - Après tasting (2 Notes)

A little dessert wine and then back to the hotel. Needed a little snack and a bottle of Pepe attracted some interest to us from the other bar denizens.

  • 1989 Navarro Vineyards Riesling Cluster Select Late Harvest

    USA, California, North Coast, Anderson Valley

    (1/29/2006)

    Brown, leading to amber colour. A bit of caramel sweetness and crisp fruit - caramel Granny Smith. Short finish, but not sticky or cloying. Not a great wine, but a most enjoyable small glass dessert.

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  • 1995 Emidio Pepe Trebbiano d'Abruzzo

    Italy, Abruzzi, Trebbiano d'Abruzzo

    (1/28/2006)

    Explosive nose with olives, clove, orange peel, herbal tea. Definite spritz and alive body. Moderate acids, gelatin, spice and lime rickey elements. Good finish with solid body. Idiosyncratic and full of character. Greatly enjoyable and delicious with a snack of tuna tataki.

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Flight 5 - Aperitif (1 Note)

Our second day was held at the Tabard Inn in downtown DC. A little opener while waiting for our dining room

Flight 6 - Gevrey-Chambertin Part I "Aux Combottes" Premier Cru (8 Notes)

This day was to be devoted to Gevrey-Chambertin. Jacky considers "Aux Combottes" to be of Grand Cru quality and makes only one barrel. "Aux Combottes" is located at the very edge of Gevrey-Chambertin and abuts Clos de la Roche. There are clear similarities, but the delineation between the two is readily appararent. Again, the relationship between 01, 96, 93, 88 was obvious.

The 03 and 02 were sampled together and the remainder were tasted in groups of three, in descending vintage order.

Flight 7 - Intermezzo (1 Note)

A little palate cleanser.

Flight 8 - Grevey-Chambertin Part II Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru (11 Notes)

Charmes-Chambertin is the Grand Cru of Gevrey closest to MSD and is often considered to be of less than Grand Cru status. It is divided into two section, Mazoyères and Charmes. According to those of us who have visisted the estate, Jacky's plot is in Charmes proper, but according to Kramer's "Making Sense of Burgundy," it is in Mayozères. I have to say that the volatility of Charmes Grand Cru-ness was apparent here. The step-up from the 1er was not always obvious and while the wines were nearly uniformly fantastic, only a couple really showed the Grand Cru exceptionality. Also Jacky began a new oak regime on the Charmes in 1996 and this was very evident in the wines. Dinner courses were also inserted here.

These wines were drank in groups of three, in descending vintage order, with the 90 and 88 making a final pair. Follow-up notes were made on a few wines somewhat later as John and I were relaxing.

Flight 9 - Après tasting (2 Notes)

Dessert and relaxing with a taste of a new project of Didier Dagueneau. Chateauneuf was sampled for fun while relaxing after the tasting.

  • 2004 Didier Dagueneau Les Jardins de Babylone Moelleux

    France, Southwest France, Jurançon

    (1/29/2006)

    Thick and liqueur like. Orange peels and honey suckle on the nose, pineapple and tropical juice. Flavor of tangerine and Gran Marnier, but fresh. Good strong sweetness and a solid streak of acidity. Spice and nuts on the finish. Really delicious, distinctly Jurançon, but tariff out of proportion.

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  • 2001 Château Gigognan Châteauneuf-du-Pape Clos du Roi

    France, Rhône, Southern Rhône, Châteauneuf-du-Pape

    (1/29/2006)

    Yeasty/cookie dough nose. Some dark fruit and Grenache-y kick. Solid body, not big or alcoholic. Good streak of acid on the finish which leads it to be a good food wine. Muted fruit and persistent sesame bread notes begin to detract though and definite oxidative qualities. The element are not harmonious and the overall effect is not good.

    Day 2 - Clearly smells of Madeira. Nice with food, but not by itself.

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Closing

This was an amazing tasting. Nearly all the wines of at least great quality and some were transcendent. Seldom have I tasted so much from a single producer where the quality level was so consistently excellent. This was also profoundly educational as Jacky's wines express their terroir in a deep and pure fashion. The vintage character is also expressed and the thread tying together 01-98-96-93-88 was eerie as was the consistent sweetness on the nose and palate of the 1996 wines. I really felt I was communing with the soul of Burgundy here.

The standout wines were the troika of 91, 89, 88 Clos de la Roche. The 88 and 90 Charmes were also profound. In the premier crus, the 96 "Clos Sorbés" had a nose which literally caused a jolt in my spine. The 02 "Aux Combottes" was one of the cthonic and eldritch wines I have ever experienced. The 90 Charmes also reflected, in a more sophisticated and elegant way, the same deep connection with the primeval.

A couple of the wines have had a bit of controversy. In 1993, the importer Peter Weygandt felt the "Aux Combottes" was beset with sulfur/mercaptans and refused to import it. This caused some friction with Jacky who felt that the wine was fine. Intially the wine had a hint on the nose, but not on the palate and felt very young and tight with no flaws. When John and I revisted it later, there was clearly a scent and taste of over-cooked hard-boiled eggs in the middle of the wine. More recently Burghound, who usually praises Truchot, panned the 2003 Grand Cru wines. The general consensus was that he was well off-base on the Charmes, though I felt a little prickle like VA in my nose (and was pretty alone in that.) The quality was readily evident as was the oddity of 2003.

I, a little sprout in the Burg world, was extraordinarily blessed to participate in this event. Many of the others have visited Jacky Truchot, some many times a year and have had long relationships with these wines. Their knowledge and passion was incredible. The company made this special event even more so. We made plans to re-visit these wines in five and ten years. John Gilman deserves a big shout out for his work in preparing this and for painstaking double-decanting each wine. Finally, mega-thanks for Maureen for organizing this and for inviting me.

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