France 2011 - Côte d'Or
Beaune
Tasted Friday, July 8, 2011 - Wednesday, July 13, 2011 by godx with 1,721 views
Introduction
We left Chablis after our visit at William Fevre and headed for Beaune. We stayed at Hotel Belle Epoque which has a near-perfect location. It’s just 3 minutes outside the ramparts so when we walked into ‘downtown’ Beaune it was extremely close, and when we needed to drive to appointments we didn’t have to deal with navigating through the small streets inside the ramparts in order to get to the main roads. The room we had was massive with a king bed, air conditioning (very weak a/c, took a full 24hrs to get the room to cool down), very large bathroom/shower, free Wi-Fi and plenty of parking (4€ per day). This was a very comfortable place to stay for 7 nights (once the a/c was able to cool the room down) and centrally located for most of our dinners and appointments. I would highly recommend staying here if good value, lots of space and great location are important to you.
Overall the city of Beaune and all of the Cote d’Or is simply amazing…I could have stayed here for a month. The people, the food, and of course the wines are truly exceptional. We had many fantastic dinners at some of the more well-known places, but what amazed me was no matter where we stopped on-the-go for lunch or dinner, we always had good food (and more often than not, great food) with interesting and deep wine lists; and usually for incredibly reasonable prices.
The majority of our visits to growers and Domaines were excellent. It seemed everyone took the time to show us around and we never felt rushed or unwanted (one or two exceptions here). Many of our visits were with the owner(s) themselves which always makes the experience extra special. There is way too much to say about our time in Burgundy, so I’ll leave it at this: if you love the wines of Burgundy and French cuisine, you must make the journey.
Most of our visits were in the Cote de Nuits and a few in Volnay, so the majority of our tastings were red-dominated. As for the vintages, we tasted mainly the bottled 2009s and the 2010s from barrel. For the most part, the 2010s we tasted had finished malo so we were able to get a fairly good impression of the wines. Without going into too much detail, from what I’ve tasted on this trip and recently at home, I prefer the wines of 2008 and 2010 over the 2009s. The ‘08s and ‘10s have more classic profiles with higher acidity, more tension and seem to express the different terriors more distinctively. The ‘09s are, for the most, riper and rounder with lower acidities than ‘08s and ‘10s. They show lots of depth and concentration and most of them that we tasted do not cross the line of being overripe or hot. It’s a very delicious and sumptuous vintage that has clearly produced some great wines. And depending on who we spoke to, some felt the 2009s would be fairly long-term agers and others felt it was a vintage to drink sooner while waiting for vintages like 2005 and 2008 to develop. From the 2008s I’ve had, they seem to be drinking extremely well right now although I’m sure they will shut down eventually and then patience will be required. While all three vintages (2008, 2009 and 2010) are very good to great in their own way, I think it comes down to the style of Burgundy you prefer.
Flight 1 - Domaine d'Eugénie (8 Notes)
Our first ever visit in the Cote d’Or was at Domaine d'Eugenie and it was a good one. We were greeted by Michel who showed us le Clos d’Eugenie vineyard and their recently expanded facilities. He explained the (short) history of the Domaine and how they do things at d’Eugenie. They don’t use any chemical products and each parcel or vineyard is cared for in a specific way that best suits that particular site. 2009 was their first vintage made in their new facilities. They use 50% new French oak for the villages and 80% for the Grand Crus. They age for 12 months and 15 months respectively. Michel was a great host and his knowledge and passion for vineyard work and wine-making was obvious and it shows in the wines. While the 2009s we tried were all very good to excellent, what excited the most me was their 2010 lineup.
Flight 2 - Joseph Drouhin (12 Notes)
I had the pleasure of meeting Jean-Francois when he came to Vancouver back in the spring so when he found out we were coming to Burgundy he said he would give us a personal tour and tasting. When we arrived Jean-Francois gave us a great tour of the very old (no longer in use) wine making facilities and also an extensive tour of the intricate maze of caves Drouhin has. After that we had a fantastic tasting where Jean-Francois opened a dozen bottles for us to taste—a great way to spend an afternoon.
Flight 3 - Dinner at Caves Madeleine (2 Notes)
This was the best meal we had the entire two weeks in France. The atmosphere is relaxed and casual but the food is unbelievably good. The owner “Lo Lo” is a fantastic host and his knowledge of wine (especially the wines on his list) is exceptional. Our next visit to Beaune will include at least two visits to Caves Madeleine.
My wife started with a ‘Tomates de yannick and burrata’ salad which was to die for and I started with ‘Terrine de campagne’ which was easily the best terrine I’ve ever had. We drank a bottle of 2005 Raveneau Forêt with these dishes. For our mains my wife had possibly one the best dishes either of us has ever had: ‘Quenelles de volaille’. Essentially it's dumplings made of minced chicken mixed with egg, cream and spices then baked and covered in a creamy sauce. This, without a doubt, was the most tender meat/poultry dish I’ve ever tasted. It actually did melt in my mouth. And while my ‘Tartare de Boeuf Charolais’ was incredibly good and the best beef tartar I’ve had, it was overshadowed by my wife’s Quenelles de volaille. We drank a bottle of 2008 d'Angerville Volnay Clos des Ducs with these mains.
Flight 4 - Domaine Dujac (6 Notes)
We were met by Alec Seysses who gave us a rundown of how the treat and work the vineyards. Most of the vineyards are farmed organically and they are trying biodynamic farming in certain sites. Alec was saying how they won’t go fully biodynamic just for the sake of being biodynamic—they will do what’s best for the vines, the soil and ultimately the finished wines, so they are constantly experimenting and revaluating their practices. We then took a brief tour through their wine making facilities then moved onto the cellar where we tasted a few of their 2009s. I found Alec to have a real passion for the wines they make and he seems to be very hands-on in all aspects from work in the vineyards to the winemaking process. From the wines that I tasted, Dujac has done a great job in 2009 preserving freshness and maintaining elegance in their wines.
Flight 5 - Jean-Jacques Confuron (11 Notes)
I’m not sure exactly who we were supposed to meet with at JJ Confuron, but there was a mix-up at the Domaine and when we arrived neither Alain nor Sophie was there to see us. We were told to come back in a few hours so we had lunch and went back, but still no sign of Alain or Sophie. Probably feeling sorry for us, their son (whose name I can’t remember unfortunately), said he would show us around and pull some barrel samples for us. He was a gracious host offering us samples of every wine they made in 2010 plus popped open a bottle of their rarely seen Aligote. I was really impressed with the vast majority of the 2010s we tasted and I think they will be very exciting wines to follow over the next few decades.
Flight 6 - Nicolas Rossignol (6 Notes)
For the most part, Nicolas’ 2009s are excellent but they are on the riper side, but, with only one exception, they are well-balanced and not overripe or hot. Most of the wines maintain good acidity and a welcomed freshness. I got the impression that Nicolas doesn’t feel his 09s are great representations of the style of wines he wants to make, but they are excellent wines nonetheless and I think with time will prove them to be a superb line-up across the board. Nicolas is a great person to spend an afternoon with and his wines are equally great. His sense of humour is infectious and his desire to make outstanding wines is obvious. Although I didn’t get a chance to taste his 2010s for barrel, I can only imagine they are going to be outstanding given the vintage profile and what Nicolas is trying to accomplish.
Flight 7 - Domaine Denis Bachelet (5 Notes)
This was a visit that I was really looking forward to. Gevrey-Chambertin is one of my favorite communes and even though I’ve only gotten to taste a handful of Bachelet’s wines, they have quickly become one of my favorite Domaines. Denis was out of town so we were greeted by his energetic and extremely friendly son, Nicolas, who had halted his work in the vineyards so he could show us their 2010s. Nicolas is courteous and very knowledgeable about all things Burgundy as well as knowing quite a bit about other wine regions in the both the old and new world. After the tasting we ended up hanging around chatting with Nicolas about a variety of subjects for quite a while before we ended up leaving. Bachelet makes great wines and meeting Nicolas gave me an even greater respect for one of my favorite Domaines.
Flight 8 - Domaine Rossignol Trapet (9 Notes)
After our visit at Bachelet we walked across the street to Rossignol Trapet where we were greeted by Florence. I’ve purchased a decent amount of Rossignol Trapet wines over the last few years but I have only tried one of their wines, a 2002 Chapelle-Chambertin, so this was a good opportunity to see if I would be happy or not about my current RT holdings. Florence is a soft spoken and extremely knowledgeable lady who was very generous with her time and wine—we spent nearly two hours here and tasted 9 wines. Rossignol Trapet is now fully biodynamic which Florence feels has improved the quality of the soil, vines and the finished wine and will greatly increase the sustainability of the vineyards. All of the wines are 100% destemmed and they use anywhere from 10-50% new oak depending on the wine (the most new oak is used on their Chambertin). After tasting a few wines from ‘07, ’08 and ‘09 and tasting a few barrels samples from 2010, I can say that I’m quite happy to have a decent stash of RT wines resting in my cellar.
Flight 10 - La Pousse d'Or (6 Notes)
After lunch we headed down to Volnay for a visit with La Pousse d'Or. We were in a group of around 6, which halfway through became 10, and did a quick tour of the very cool facilities which was nice and then we proceeded to taste some wines. Because there were some importers waiting to taste the 2010s, our tasting felt rushed and we were quickly shown the door. This is was only visit during our entire trip where we felt at all rushed or that we were inconveniencing the Domaine. The other surprise of this visit was that my favorite wine of the tasting was a white! A few of the reds didn’t seem to be showing very well, but regardless, the Puligny-Montrachet Les Caillerets was fantastic and I would love to own some.
Flight 11 - Maison Alex Gambal (10 Notes)
Alex is a friendly American who left his real estate career back around 1996 to start making wines in Burgundy. At first he was mainly acting as a negociant but now he’s growing over 50% of his own grapes and is continually seeking more land to get that percentage even higher. Alex was very generous with both his time and wine, opening up 10 bottles for us to taste.
Flight 12 - Dinner at Ma Cuisine (1 Note)
Flight 13 - Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier (9 Notes)
This was probably one of the visits I was most looking forward to and it didn’t disappoint. We had a great visit with Audry who is a tremendously nice, knowledgeable and friendly young lady who showed us around the facilities, introduced us to Fredy Mugnier and hosted us through a wonderful tasting. JF Mugnier is clearly producing some of the best wines in Chambolle (and in all of Burgundy for that matter) and the house style of finesse and elegance can easily been seen in all their wines, including their Nuits St. Georges, which is truly a great thing.
Flight 14 - Domaine Ghislaine Barthod (8 Notes)
We were greeted by Ghislaine at the gates of her beautiful property in Chambolle and she proceeded to give us a quick tour of the recently expanded facilities before starting our tasting. Ghislaine is a superbly kind and intelligent women, with loads of knowledge and experience and it shows in her wines. After tasting through her 2010s and a few of her 2009s, it is clear to me that she is making wines of elegance and charm, and is one of the leading Domaines in Chambolle. Even her 09s showed elements of freshness and balance that wasn’t always apparent in many of the other 09s I tried. Not only are the wines great, but I had a fantastic time chatting with Ghislaine also—her passion and knowledge of her vineyards and wines, and of Burgundy in general, is truly special.
Flight 15 - Domaine Méo-Camuzet (11 Notes)
Last, but certainly not least, was our visit at Meo-Camuzet. We were met by the confident and friendly Jean-Nicolas who spent a few hours with us in the cellars discussing and tasting wine, but also chatting about politics, economics and travel. While the Domaine’s 09s were excellent for the most part, I was slightly underwhelmed by a few of the wines which I thought would be better based on the quality and history of the vineyard sites. Having said that, the 2010 barrel samples we tried were exceptional and it seems like a vintage where Meo-Camuzet hit a lot of homeruns. When I close my eyes I can still taste the sample of the 2010 Richebourg. It is truly a special wine and one of the best 2010s I tasted throughout this entire trip.
Flight 16 - Dinner at Caveau des Arches (2 Notes)
We had three great dinners in Beaune: Caves Madeleine, Caveau des Arches and Ma Cuisine, and our experience at Caveau des Arches was one of the best. At Caves Madeleine, the food was probably the best we had our entire trip, but Caveau des Arches had the nicest and most interesting atmosphere and probably was the best service we had in Burgundy—and the food was incredibly good too. The wine list is excellent with pricing somewhere in between Caves Madeleine and Ma Cuisine. My wife and I both got the ‘Menu Tradition’ for 26 euros which is an absolute steal for a four course meal of that quality. We will definitely be going back to Caveau des Arches on our next trip to Beaune.
2009 Domaine d'Eugénie Vosne-Romanée 89 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée
(7/8/2011)
Tasted at the Domaine. Nose of mainly dark and ripe pinot fruit with hints of spice. It's silky in the mouth with juicy, almost sappy, dark fruit flavours. There's decent acidity here with soft but tight tannins. It's polished and quite approachable now but would benefit from 5 years in the cellar. Very good. 89+
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2009 Domaine d'Eugénie Vosne-Romanée Le Clos d'Eugenie 90 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée
(7/8/2011)
Tasted at the Domaine. Similar to the regular VR, this had a nose of mainly ripe and dark fruits with hints of spice but in a more restrained and delicate style. In the mouth it has plummy flavours with nice minerality, more finesse and good length. Decent acidity and firmer tannins. This finishes with some rustic and dark fruits notes. This shows more complexity than the regular VR. This needs 5 years. Excellent. 90+
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2009 Domaine d'Eugénie Clos Vougeot 92 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru
(7/8/2011)
Tasted at the Domaine. Wow this has a big and complex nose. Spice, plummy dark fruit notes, blackberries with hints of licorice. In the mouth it's a big masculine wine with lots of structure and equally proportional flavours of dark pinot fruit. Before the tannins and acidity takeover this has a rich a creamy texture and coats the palate. The finish is long with a nice dose of minerality. Despite it's riper profile, it still possesses some freshness which Michel says is partially due to the 50% whole bunches that goes into this wine. Give this 10+ years. I'm probably being conservative with my score but for how it's drinking today I think it's fair. Loads of potential here. Excellent. 92+
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2010 Domaine d'Eugénie Vosne-Romanée Le Clos d'Eugenie
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée
(7/8/2011)
Tasted at the Domaine. From barrel. Cooler pinot fruit on the nose with some floral notes as well. In the mouth its got great tension, high acidity with slightly gritty tannins. Should be an excellent wine. (90-92).
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2010 Domaine d'Eugénie Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Brûlées
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru
(7/8/2011)
Tasted at the Domaine. From barrel. Compared to the 'Clos d'Eugénie' this had a slightly sweeter nose with fuller, deeper, and riper fruit. There's a little bit of reduction in the nose. In the mouth there is sappy pinot fruit with great acidity and sweeter tannins. This is really good and there's only 4 barrels of it. Excellent (91-93).
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2010 Domaine d'Eugénie Echezeaux
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Echezeaux Grand Cru
(7/8/2011)
Tasted at the Domaine. From barrel. Darkest wine yet (of the 10s from barrel) and that profile continues into the nose with complex aromas of dark pinot fruit, blackberries and blackcurrants. In the mouth it's a full and weighty wine with mouth watering acidity and firm tannins. Quite a forward wine. This shows a lot of tension and promises to be really, really good. (92-94).
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2010 Domaine d'Eugénie Grands-Echezeaux
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Grands-Echezeaux Grand Cru
(7/8/2011)
Tasted at the Domaine. From barrel. This had the most reserved nose of all the 2010 barrel samples here but it gave hints of black fruits with some earthy aromas as well. Once again this has fantastic acidity and tannins with a very long finish. Not as forward as the Echezeaux but this is more intellectual. A seductive, almost feminine wine, especially when tasted right after the Echezeaux. Wow this is going to be good. (92-95).
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2010 Domaine d'Eugénie Clos Vougeot
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru
(7/8/2011)
Tasted at the Domaine. From barrel. Compared to the other 10s from barrel, this had the coolest and freshest nose with darker pinot fruit and a nice floral note as well. This is the softest of the 3 Grand Crus with less structure but the tannins here are very dry. Has intense and deep fruit in the mouth and maintains the same freshness that it showed on the nose. (92-94+).
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