Tasting at Maison Ilan with Ray Walker

We were graciously hosted by Ray Walker on May 8, who chatted with us and tasted us through no less than fourteen barrel samples of 2010 and 2011 in very leisurely fashion. Very nice of him to give us so much of his time. We were joined by Ray's friend Joe, as well as Joe's mom and her friend. An exceptional tasting experience, with a fun group, and it was nice to finally meet Ray. He's doing (or maybe more to the point, not doing) some great things at Maison Ilan. Unfortunately my tasting notes were rather truncated, but I've done the best I can three weeks after the fact. In short, however, the wines are quite stunning.

• 2010 Maison Ilan Morey St. Denis 1er Cru Monts-Luisants

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Morey St. Denis 1er Cru

  Barrel sample. No gassiness, but seemed a bit awkward and slightly reduced, but some nice red fruit underlying it. Second barrel sample was showing much better, with none of the awkwardness I found in the first one -- very nice.

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• 2010 Maison Ilan Morey St. Denis 1er Cru Les Chaffots

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Morey St. Denis 1er Cru

  Barrel sample. Very aromatic, with flowers, "cereal grain" (?), a lovely wine with terrific balance.

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• 2010 Maison Ilan Charmes-Chambertin Aux Charmes Hautes

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru

  Barrel sample. Here we find some deeper-pitched red/black fruit, with a very deep palate combination of blackberries and raspberries, terrific finish. The second barrel sample was showing more red fruited on both the nose and palate. This should be sensational.

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• 2011 Maison Ilan Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Feusselottes

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru

  Barrel sample. Brilliant red fruit with a rich, mouth coating palate. I believe Ray said this was just 11.5% alcohol. Showing very nicely. Unfortunately, production was so low that it was offered only to the first tier -- too bad, as this is really lovely.

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• 2011 Maison Ilan Morey St. Denis 1er Cru Les Chaffots

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Morey St. Denis 1er Cru

  Barrel sample. Terrific palate presence, even though it was a bit awkward and gassy on the finish. The second barrel sample was a bit reduced. Hard to evaluate today.

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• 2011 Maison Ilan Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Les Corbeaux

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru

  Barrel sample. My very abbreviated note simply says this was a nice wine, and very substantial.

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• 2011 Maison Ilan Volnay 1er Cru Les Robardelles

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru

  Barrel sample. A very, very nice Volnay. No further notes, but I do remember thinking that I was sorry I didn't order any of this wine.

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• 2011 Maison Ilan Mazoyères-Chambertin

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Mazoyères-Chambertin Grand Cru

  Barrel sample. Tried two different samples, but between my awful notes and my memory, it seems the first sample was a bit gassy. I do remember that this was quite nice, though.

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• 2011 Maison Ilan Chambertin

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin Grand Cru

  Barrel sample. This was simply flat out terrific. A great wine, with stunning palate presence and weight without being at all ponderous. Loved it!

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• 2011 Maison Ilan Charmes-Chambertin Aux Charmes Hautes

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru

  Barrel sample. This was another stellar wine, showing more elegance and red fruit than the Chambertin, but every bit as stunning. Another winner.

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We finished up with a Marc de Bourgogne, which was quite smooth and deep. Very nice (for those of us who like marc).