Knightsbridge 2011 Burgundy Tasting and Sale
Northbrook, IL
Tasted Sunday, April 6, 2014 by Burgundy Al with 1,153 views
Introduction
With all the chatter about the 2011 vintage in Burgundy, particularly for red Burgundy, our friends at Knightsbridge thought it was time to open 100 bottles of 2011 Burgundy and have a tasting for 100 of their customers. To start...I mostly like the vintage.
I probably tasted 50+ red 2011s last summer in Burgundy, then even more than that last month at La Paulee. Last summer the wines were very fresh, forward and expressive. I thought they were almost as forward and charming as 2007s when tasted June/July 2013, with slightly more structure. Based on last month and this Knightsbridge tasting, I think the structure has become more pronounced and the wines will need more cellar time than I initially thought. Most are still good, transparent and accessible, but the wines have changed.
A small percentage of the reds (15%? 25%?) do have a somewhat bitter or green trace. I have no real opinion or insight related the ongoing ladybug/pyrazene discussion, other than my observations that the "green" character is (1) far less pronounced in 2011 vs 2004, (2) far less common in 2011 vs 2004, and (3) seeming to emerge later for 2011s (many months after bottling) vs 2004s (shortly after bottling).
Flight 1 - Red Burgundy (56 Notes)
Tasted all the reds to start.
Flight 2 - White Burgundy (17 Notes)
Then the white Burgundy.
2011 Dureuil-Janthial Rully En Guesnes
France, Burgundy, Côte Chalonnaise, Rully
Tasting, brief note. Floral start with bright red cherry. Same flavor profile with good weight and a slightly rustic edge. Good.
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2011 Dureuil-Janthial Rully 1er Cru Vieilles Vignes
France, Burgundy, Côte Chalonnaise, Rully 1er Cru
Tasting, brief note. Nicely floral start. To me this was a good step up from the Guesnes, with similar red cherry aromas and flavors, but longer, more refined, better textured. Very good value.
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2011 La Pousse d'Or Santenay 1er Cru Clos Tavannes
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Santenay 1er Cru
Tasting, brief note. Dark red fruit aromas, slightly earthy, hint of dark chocolate and baking spice. Similar on palate with some rough edges at finish.
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2011 La Pousse d'Or Volnay 1er Cru Les Caillerets
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru
Tasting, brief note. Ripe and dense fruit with good spice aromas. Slightly more black, dense and meaty flavors than I normally expect from Volnay, but this is long and very balanced. Definitely good.
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2011 La Pousse d'Or Volnay 1er Cru Clos de la Bousse d'Or
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru
Tasting, brief note. More red fruit, better spice vs Caillerets, more enticing. Good balance throughout, more power and concentration middle to finish. Very good.
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2011 La Pousse d'Or Volnay 1er Cru Clos d'Audignac
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru
Tasting, brief note. Red and black berries with slightly more firm textures vs the other Volnay cuvees in the lineup. Good.
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2011 La Pousse d'Or Volnay 1er Cru Clos des 60 Ouvrées
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru
Tasting, brief note. Certainly the most complex aromas and flavors of the Pousse d'Or lineup with lots of red and black berry, clove, licorice and green peppercorn. Lots of ripe character, but also firmly structured for the long-haul, so will need some cellar time to soften. Very good potential.
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2011 La Pousse d'Or Pommard 1er Cru Les Jarollières
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Pommard 1er Cru
Tasting, brief note. Ripe, all black fruit with some espresso hints. Good length, very firm in a classically Pommard fashion. Good.
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2011 Domaine Anne Gros Echezeaux Les Loachausses
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Echezeaux Grand Cru
Tasting, brief note. Great spice, bright red cherry and berry flavors and aromas with a sweetness and charm that hide serious energy and minerality. Not the most concentrated Grand Cru, but an excellent 2011.
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2011 Domaine Robert Groffier Bourgogne Passetoutgrains
France, Burgundy, Bourgogne Passetoutgrains
Tasting, brief note. Sweet fruit, forward, balanced and very enjoyable right now. 90% Pinot Noir mostly (entirely?) from Morey St Denis,10% Gamay.
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2011 Domaine Robert Groffier Gevrey-Chambertin Les Seuvrées
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin
Tasting, brief note. Slightly reductive for now, as were many of the Groffier wines today. Moderate fruit intensity, firm in the middle with Gevrey animale faintly starting to emerge on finish. Similar to when tasted last year. Good.
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2011 Domaine Robert Groffier Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Hauts-Doix
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru
Tasting, brief note. Also slightly reductive, showing good red fruit and spice, forward and enjoyable, even if slightly simple. Still, good today.
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2011 Domaine Robert Groffier Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Sentiers
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru
Tasting, brief note. Less reductive than most of the other Groffier cuvees tasted today, this has a good cross-section of ripe red and black fruit, spice hints throughout, firm middle to finish. Also good.
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2011 Domaine Robert Groffier Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru
Tasting, brief note. Excellent spice with bright red berry that is ripe but with great balance. Lots of depth and nuance, very good length and texture. My favorite today from the Groffier lineup, certainly very good.
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2011 Domaine Robert Groffier Bonnes Mares
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Bonnes Mares Grand Cru
Tasting, brief note. More burly and brawny vs Amoureuses just tasted. Meaty with lots of ripe black fruit, modest spice. Slightly backward finish today. Less accessible today vs most 2011s, but an ageworthy wine. Very good potential.
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2011 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Chambolle-Musigny
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny
Tasting, brief note. Good cross-section of red, black and blue fruit aromas. Dense and powerful on palate, but firm and slightly backward today. Needs time. Good potential.
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2011 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru
Tasting, brief note. All black fruit with subtle spice. Came across as backward today, despite the bottle being opened the night before. Very large scaled flavors on finish, this will just need plenty of rest in the cellar to soften and show its pedigree. Also good potential here.
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2011 Domaine Bernard Moreau et Fils Volnay 1er Cru Santenots
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru
Tasting, brief note. Exactly what you want from a Volnay in a forward vintage, this was all about red fruit with sweet spice. Very pretty and nicely accessible. Very good.
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2011 Domaine Bernard Moreau et Fils Volnay 1er Cru Caillerets
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru
Tasting, brief note. A little more ripe and concentrated vs the Santenots, but also more firm. Probably more medium-term potential, even if not as pleasurable today.
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2011 Bouchard Père et Fils Beaune 1er Cru Grèves Vigne de L'Enfant Jesus
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Beaune 1er Cru
Tasting, brief note. Like all the reds, this had been opened the night before, but seemed very reductive and unapproachable today. Serious and concentrated, but impossible for me to assess.
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2011 Domaine Méo-Camuzet Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Aux Boudots
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru
Tasting, brief note. Alluring spice with lots of ripe red cherry and berry. If served blind, this would seem very Vosne...and I wouldn't be far off. Seems simple and forward to start, but good, sneaky structure at the end. A highlight of today's tasting.
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2011 Domaine G. Roumier / Christophe Roumier Chambolle-Musigny
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny
Tasting, brief note. Spice and floral driven start with lots of red berry. Black and red berry flavors, with great textural energy from acidity and minerality. An excellent 2011 Villages level wine.
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2011 Domaine Jean Grivot Vosne-Romanée
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée
Tasting, brief note. A very pretty wine that is unmistakably Vosne in its fruit and spice profile with lots of texture and nuance. If served blind, I would have thought it 1er, and I actually enjoyed this as much as the Grivot 1er Beaux Monts tasted next. Very good for its level.
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2011 Domaine Jean Grivot Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaux Monts
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru
Tasting, brief note. Good spice, reticent fruit. Seems very backward today, with little to be coaxed out. Will need time.
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2011 Domaine Jean Grivot Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Aux Boudots
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru
Tasting, brief note. In contrast to the Grivot Vosne 1er Beaux Monts which was backward, this was more forward and fresh, perhaps with slightly less spice. Here the concentration didn't come across as brooding, but as fleshy, balanced and pleasurable.
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2011 Domaine Jean Grivot Clos Vougeot
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru
Tasting, brief note. It's always interesting to taste a producer's Clos Vougeot alongside the Echezeaux and this was no exception. This Clos Vougeot has exceptional red fruit along with espresso, dark chocolate, anise and fried herbs. Very firm finish is a bit mouth puckering for now, but this is serious, cellar worthy wine. The Echezeaux was prettier, more charming now.
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2011 Domaine Jean Grivot Echezeaux
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Echezeaux Grand Cru
Tasting, brief note. It is always interesting to taste a producer's Echezeaux and Clos Vougeot side by side. This Echezeaux was all about bright, ripe berries and baking spice. Comes across as easy and forward to start, but a density emerges on finish. I clearly prefer this Echezeaux vs Clos Vougeot for the next decade, but the latter's concentration might make for a better wine longer-term.
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2011 Lucien Le Moine Clos St. Denis
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos St. Denis Grand Cru
Tasting, brief note. This is often one of my favorite Le Moine wines, and the 2011 does not disappoint. Intense floral start that showcases the vineyard perfectly, with great strawberry and raspberry. Same red fruit on palate with some black berry hints, great spice and textures. A highlight of today's tasting.
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2011 Domaine Philippe Charlopin Bourgogne
France, Burgundy, Bourgogne
Tasting, brief note. Good red fruit with some Gevrey-like Sauvage. Easy to drink now, very pleasant and balanced.
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2011 Cecile Tremblay Bourgogne
France, Burgundy, Bourgogne
Tasting, brief note. A small step up from the Charlopin-Parizot Bourgogne just tasted. A little more ripe red fruit and good spice. Fun wine for the next few years. Very good Bourgogne.
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2011 Domaine Lignier-Michelot Bourgogne
France, Burgundy, Bourgogne
Tasting, brief note. Also very forward and fun, nice red fruit with some kirsch hints, good spice. Not quite as interesting as the Tremblay just tasted, but a great value Bourgogne.
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2011 Domaine Francois Lamarche Bourgogne
France, Burgundy, Bourgogne
Tasting, brief note. A big contrast to the three other producers' Bourgogne just tasted, this has some firm tannins complementing the red berry fruit flavors. This will need another year or two to soften. Good.
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2011 Camille Giroud Maranges 1er Cru Le Croix Moines
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Maranges 1er Cru
Tasting, brief note. My brief tasting note was simply "Tasty!" but this wine had lots of bright red fruit with good mineral notes and acidity to provide real nuance and interesting textures. An exceptional value wine, and a highlight of the tasting based on value.
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2011 Benjamin Leroux Savigny-lès-Beaune
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Savigny-lès-Beaune
Tasting, brief note. Slightly reduced, somewhat firm, but good red fruit with a gamy character I'd normally consider Gevrey-like. Good.
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2011 Comte Armand Auxey-Duresses Rouge
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Auxey-Duresses
Tasting, brief note. Ripe black berries, some meaty character, with a rugged character throughout and a very firm finish.
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2011 Nicolas Rossignol Volnay 1er Cru Ronceret
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru
Tasting, brief note. Tough wine to assess today. Somewhat darker than most young Volnay with subtle spice hints. Became more dense and more firm from start-to-finish. This will need more time than most comparable wines from the vintage.
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2011 Benjamin Leroux Volnay 1er Cru Clos de la Cave des Ducs
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru
Tasting, brief note. Red and black fruit with some earth and subtle spice. Also a bit firm and reticent today. Good.
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2011 Chauvenet-Chopin Chambolle-Musigny
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny
Tasting, brief note. Forward and ripe red cherry and berry with good overall balance to drink young. Slightly simple, but good.
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2011 Patrice Rion Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Fuées
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru
Tasting, brief note. All red fruit with lots of spice, with perhaps a touch of new oak that needs another year or two to integrate. Very fresh strawberry and red cherry flavors with very good textures and length. A very charming wine for the medium-term. A highlight of the tasting.
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2011 Sylvain Cathiard Vosne-Romanée
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée
Tasting, brief note. Lots of ripe, forward and concentrated red fruit well supported by baking spice and some subtle new oak already nicely integrated. Everybody who likes Pinot Noir will like this wine, even some people who don't like Pinot will enjoy. Even though pricey for its level, this is a very good Villages wine.
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2011 Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier Chambolle-Musigny
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny
Tasting, brief note. consistent when tasted a few months back, this has lots of charming, sweet red fruit and a nice floral hint. Good spice support and well structured for pleasure starting in a year or three.
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2011 Jean-Luc & Eric Burguet Gevrey-Chambertin Mes Favorites Vieilles Vignes
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin
Tasting, brief note. Much like when tasted at La Paulee last month, this is dense, meaty and concentrated, perhaps a little backward for right now, but with very good potential.
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2011 Domaine Philippe Charlopin Gevrey-Chambertin Les Terres Blanches
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin
Tasting, brief note. Both black and red berries, very ripe and forward, with a slightly harsh edge at the end.
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2011 Domaine Denis Bachelet Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin
Tasting, brief note. Slightly floral start with all black fruit accompanied by black pepper and anise. Some firm woodsy character that I fully expect will soften. Very good potential for its level.
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2011 Claude Dugat Gevrey-Chambertin
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin
Tasting, brief note. All black fruit with some meaty/gamy spice and overall character. Good overall, but I slightly preferred the more nuanced Bachelet and Serafin Gevrey also tasted today.
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2011 Serafin Père et Fils Gevrey-Chambertin
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin
Tasting, brief note. Fresh black cherry and blackberry aromas and flavors with subtle spice. Moderate intensity, but probably the best balanced of the 5 Gevrey Villages tasted for near-term consumption.
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2011 Fernand Lécheneaut et Fils (Philippe et Vincent) Nuits St. Georges Au Chouillet Vieilles Vignes
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges
Tasting, brief note. Black and red cherry coming across somewhat austere and borderline rustic. Good, but this is a Villages wine that certainly needs 5+ years in the cellar.
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2011 Domaine Lignier-Michelot Morey St. Denis 1er Cru Les Faconnières
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Morey St. Denis 1er Cru
Tasting, brief note. Mostly black fruit with nice degree of ripeness. Good minerality and textures start-to-finish, but there is a faint green edge and some new oak that needs to soften/integrate.
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2011 Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Clos de la Maréchale
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru
Tasting, brief note. This is the 4th or 5th Time I'm trying this wine and it keeps getting better. Not a powerhouse, but lots of charming and elegant ripe red cherry and berries. Very good value.
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2011 Sylvain Cathiard Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Aux Murgers
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru
Tasting, brief note. This is a very charming, ripe but balanced 2011 with that charming NSG meets Vosne character I often admire in Murgers. A very pretty wine. Over the past decade I have increasingly become of fan of Cathiard wines, but over the past 3-4 years less of a fan of their price and corresponding value.
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2011 Domaine Dominique Mugneret Echezeaux En Orveaux
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Echezeaux Grand Cru
Tasting, brief note. Ripe fruit, slightly less robust than Grand Cru caliber for me, with some good supporting earth and subtle spice.
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2011 Domaine Francois Lamarche Echezeaux
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Echezeaux Grand Cru
Tasting, brief note. Restrained red and black berries to start, more energy and density emerge on powerful finish. Another highlight today.
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2011 Domaine Méo-Camuzet Echezeaux Les Rouges du Bas
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Echezeaux Grand Cru
Tasting, brief note. Very fresh, bright aromatic start with red and black berries, floral notes and sweet baking spice. Palate start with similar flavor profile, perhaps a little darker, then becomes very firm and auster middle to finish. No bitter or green elements here, just very tannic. This will require a decade in the cellar.
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2011 Domaine Francois Lamarche Clos Vougeot
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru
Tasting, brief note. Charming red, black and blue fruit with good spice. Some new oak stands out for now, but overall good balance and structure. Slightly less exciting to me vs the Echezeaux and Grand Rue also tasted, but very close. Very good.
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2011 Domaine Francois Lamarche La Grande Rue
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, La Grande Rue Grand Cru
Tasting, brief note. Floral start with red berries, licorice and dried herbs. Like the Lamarche Echezeaux, picks up weight and intensity as you are tasting the wine. Good.
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2008 Domaine du Clos de Tart Morey St. Denis 1er Cru La Forge de Tart
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Morey St. Denis 1er Cru
Tasting, brief note. Mostly red cherry aromas and flavors with savory spice and tarragon. Moderate length and intensity, easy to enjoy, but perhaps slightly pricey. Entering its peak drinking window.
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