A long lunch at Helen's place
Martinborough, NZ
Tasted Saturday, December 6, 2014 by HowardNZ with 697 views
Introduction
After tastings at Martinborough Vineyards with Paul Mason and Ata Rangi with Helen Masters we went to a long lunch hosted by Helen and Ben Masters. Everyone had brought a couple of bottles from the cellars.
Andrew, Rauno, Thierry and I were joined by Martinborough winemakers Hiro Kusuda (Kusuda), John Kavanagh (TK, formerly of Neudorf), Larry McKenna (Escarpment), Mark (William Grace) and Paul. Helen's assistant, Chris Reid, also attended.
Hiro had said he would bring along a couple of his wines for us to try.
It was fascinating to hear the winemakers' take on the wines, compared with ours.
Thanks very much to Ben and Helen for hosting and to all attendees for their contributions and great company.
The wines were initially served in pairs but about half way through the reds we switched to serving singly.
2011 Henri Boillot Meursault 1er Cru Les Charmes 92 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
A light bright colour. A lovely nose of marzipan and herbs. On palate, attractive acidity, matched by good fruit weight and depth. Very well balanced, blind, I had this wine as a Puligny 1er, not thinking of either Meursault or the distinctive Henri Boillot house style. It does have richness, but with a precision and focus I was not expecting from a Boillot Meursault. No sign of unacceptable green elements. Very promising. Quite accessible now but should be relatively long lived in the cellar. Now 92, but may go higher.
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2010 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Les Forêts 92 Points
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru
A light, clear colour, slightly darker than the Boillot. Tasted blind, on bouquet I was far from certain this wine was a Chablis. Not a Chablis signature nose, with a little mint, citrus and baking spice. No marine notes on bouquet or palate. On entry to the palate, I was thinking this was a 2009 Chablis, it is quite round, clearly Chardonnay with citrus, white and yellow orchard fruit and winegum flavours. You could easily confuse it with a white Burgundy. It is rich, without overt acidity, very pure and transparent, a lovely, fine Forêts, with excellent texture and mouthfeel. But perhaps not one for a Chablis purist. Approachable now, this wine would benefit from cellar time.
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1997 Neudorf Chardonnay Moutere 90 Points
New Zealand, South Island, Nelson, Moutere
Rauno is 'Mr White Burgundy' and his first wine was deep gold in colour. On the nose, glycerine, honey, spice and autumn leaves and a little Époisses, clearly an oxidised wine. On palate, this was obviously a Chardonnay with good dry extract, with 15-20 years' age. It was appropriately oxidised for that sort of age, with autumnal, honeyed and citric flavours. The structure and acidity were still in place. Andrew was 'all in' on this wine, having it, with this fruit weight and concentration, as a Grand Cru white Burgundy, perhaps from 1997. John Kavanagh, formerly a Neudorf winemaker, but after 1997, did not realise this was a Neudorf Moutere, but was not surprised by the quality. Drink in the next few years.
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2002 Giaconda Chardonnay Estate Vineyard 93 Points
Australia, Victoria, North East, Beechworth
Rauno's second wine. Gold but not as deep a colour as the Neudorf. The nose showed some evolution but, again, not as much as the Neudorf. The aromas were honeyed citrus with some lactic creaminess. On the palate, a classy, rich but relatively low acid Chardonnay. Some at the table were straight to Giaconda, while I was just thinking 'high quality Australian'. Ripe, dense with a little apparent fruit sweetness. Excellent structure and length. Flavours of lemon, honey and pears, with some toasty oak present. I'd drink this Giaconda in the next five years.
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2011 Domaine Rion Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Terres Blanches Blanc 91 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru
Pale gold colour. Chris's wine had a beautiful nose: floral, mineral and chalky, suggesting racy acidity. On palate, a young, tight, focused and precise wine, with a good acid backbone. The sparkling acidity here reminded me somewhat of Chablis and Chris, who had done vintage at the Domaine, confirmed the similarity of the soil structure of the climat. An interesting, individual, detailed flavour profile, partly attributable to the 10% Pinot Blanc in the wine. A wine to cellar medium term.
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1999 Domaine de Montille Pommard 1er Cru Les Rugiens 94 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Pommard 1er Cru
I gave this wine three hours after a full decant, which it needed. A nose of blood, warm earth, rusty iron and dry autumn leaves, savoury and evolved. A similar flavour profile in the mouth of bloody meat, dirt, dried leaves, smoke, all savoury and autumnal. At its core is a ton of broad shouldered, large scaled Pommard fruit. Thierry probably summarised it best when he said, 'It's like drinking a glass of rust'. Excellent, bright acids on this wine, very precise, that I saw as classic Montille, in this period. An excellent wine, drinking well now, but with years ahead of it, obviously.
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1999 Domaine de Courcel Pommard 1er Cru Grand Clos des Épenots 92 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Pommard 1er Cru
Served as a pair with the Montille, there were similarities here, but big differences too. A riper, more expressive, richer nose, more dominated by fresh red fruit. But there was also Pommard savouriness and earthiness on bouquet. Immediately on palate, a big, ripe and rich wine, with gobs of fruit, a wheelbarrow of soil and an interesting lactic element. Very ripe, and seemingly low acid, I was asking if it was an '03 Pommard. Huge fruit weight here, almost New Worldish. An excellent wine, a good counterpoint to the Montille (which I preferred). I recently had the 1999 Rugiens and could see no parallel with this Épenots. Many years ahead of this wine, I would think.
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2007 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Les Cazetiers 93 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
Deep, bright ruby colour. Wow, what a nose! Expressive, Gevrey signature, a potpouri of pure, bright red berry fruit, slightly lifted. Steely, pure and clean on the palate, with red cherries, raspberries and a little animale. Serious fruit weight, some had the wine blind as a Grand Cru. There is a lot of oak here, but it's good oak, matched by good fruit volume, and is well integrated. The vintage, house and climat were no surprise. Looking back at it, however, I thought that the 2007 Ruchottes was quite a step up. Some, like Larry, preferred the smaller scale and what they saw as the less worked nature of this wine than the Ruchottes. On its drinking plateau now but no hurry.
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2009 Domaine Anne Gros Echezeaux Les Loachausses
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Echezeaux Grand Cru
This wine suffered in comparison with the Cazetiers, served alongside it. A slightly dull nose of red berries with an off-putting medicinal element. The medicinal element continued to the palate with some mince pie and jammy flavours. Also, apparent excessive fruit sweetness, suggesting over-ripeness. There was large scaled fruit here, that took some tasters to the New World, but it seemed awkward and a little clumsy. It was not surprising that, on the reveal, this wine was a Grand Cru, but it seemed a disappointing effort from this maker and site. Perhaps with 10+ years in the cellar, a swan will emerge from this ugly duckling? The vintage was not a surprise. A lot of 2009s seem to have passed their initial period of accessibility and have now gone into 'the tunnel'. I wonder when and how this will emerge? Not rated.
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2008 Geantet-Pansiot Charmes-Chambertin 93 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru
Deep garnet colour. Again, the nose screams Gevrey. Aromas of bright, pure red berries with a suggestion of savouriness and a little feral element. In the mouth a lovely wine, quite open, bursting with ripe red fruit. Grand Cru fruit weight, structure and length. I was thinking this was a 2002 and a Gevrey Grand Cru really surprised that it was a 2008. Quite a silky mouthfeel with cultured, well proportioned tannins. A relatively sleek, modern wine. Surprisingly forward now, this wine is still of course a long term cellar wine.
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2009 Maison Leroy Bourgogne 90 Points
France, Burgundy, Bourgogne
Ruby colour. The winemakers were all over the brett on this bouquet, although, to me, it was at an acceptable level. A nose of strawberries, blood orange and some feral elements and funkiness, that might reflect oxidative winemaking. There is sweet fruit on the palate of this wine. Strawberry flavours rather than raspberry, with a little sweet red cherry. The tasters were not very complimentary, calling this wine, variously, overworked, confected and a little raisiny or roasted, suggesting it may be heading towards falling over. The reveal showed people were a little harsh. In the context of Grand Crus and 1ers, this is a very good Bourgogne where the ripe 2009 vintage allowed Leroy to produce this quality. I have enjoyed this wine several times in the last year. It is very much in the Leroy style, at this lower level. It outperforms many Villages level wines. I'd expect it to drink like this in the medium term.
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2006 Geantet-Pansiot Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Poissenot 92 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
Deep garnet colour. A bouquet of high toned red berries: raspberries, red cherries and red currants. On palate, quite overt, rich and ripe. Broad shouldered with heavy concentration and quite heavily extracted. It was no surprise the wine was a Geantet-Pansiot, it seemed in the house style. I guessed that this wine was a 2009 and thought it more backward than the 2008 Geantet-Pansiot. I'd give it another five years in the cellar.
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1988 Domaine Lejeune Pommard 1er Cru Les Argillières 94 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Pommard 1er Cru
Hiro's wine was a pale colour with some orange around the rim, showing some evolution. On the nose it had a beautiful autumnal character - late autumn fruit on the tree and browning, dry autumn leaves on the ground - and old spice nuances. There was also a pleasant dried herbs element, Helen attributed to a high proportion of whole bunch. There was certainly age on the palate, but also, surprisingly, quite vibrant acidity. The flavours were earthy, autumnal, old plums and dried red fruit, I picked as a Corton. The wine had excellent fruit volume and architecture, which, with the acid backbone, suggested some time ahead of it.
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2004 Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Clos de la Maréchale 90 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru
The wine had a lovely spicy, savoury nose. Again, the winemakers were detecting brett, I was just seeing as sous bois and savoury complexity. But there was also some herby green tinges on the nose. An interesting wine on palate with some complexity of flavour, including some greenness, but not to a level I found off-putting. The wine had serious fruit weight and a dense mid palate. I thought that the acids were a little out of balance. Larry had the wine as a powerful Grand Cru. However, for this esteemed label, I thought this was a slightly disappointing showing. Perhaps, with more time, it will improve?
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1991 Domaine Jean-Louis Chave Hermitage 95 Points
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Hermitage
A real change of speed here! Deep relatively primary red colour. A very clean and pure nose of dark cherries and other red and dark berries, with espresso, cinnamon, Asian spice and savoury notes. On palate, a very rich and powerful wine. It was obviously Syrah, but elegantly handled and beautifully Burgundian, which takes you straight to JL Chave. The wine seemed relatively young, but with some development, it seemed to be right in its optimal drinking window. Beautifully proportioned and balanced. Vibrant but savoury. The palate was multi-layered and very detailed. Really superb, a class act! Thanks Rauno.
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2009 Thibault Liger-Belair Vosne-Romanée Aux Réas 93 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée
The bouquet showed aromas of toasty oak, reductive funk, lovely high toned red fruit and minerals. On palate, this was a very tight young wine. I thought it might be a 2005 Burgundy, it was relatively closed. It had a big volume of gorgeous, crystalline red fruit with some spicy oak flavours. Some in the room thought this wine was a New World pinot noir. A very modern, high quality wine, as you would expect from this house. Excellent. Hold for 5+ years.
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2009 Domaine Dujac Bonnes Mares
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Bonnes Mares Grand Cru
Larry's wine had a lovely nose, a confit of different juicy red and black berries. I did not pick up the whole bunch character on bouquet or palate. In the mouth, this is very rich and super-concentrated, with fruit sweetness. Quite a lot new oak is present and it is not yet seamlessly melded with the huge fruit volume. Actually, the palate is quite disjointed and unbalanced, but, on the reveal, this wine is an absolute baby that needs a minimum of 10 years to come together, when I'm sure it will be a majestic wine. Many years ago Larry worked at Dujac, so he keeps an interested eye on their output. (92-95).
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2007 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Ruchottes-Chambertin Clos des Ruchottes 95 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Ruchottes-Chambertin Grand Cru
Four hours of slow-o, which worked well. Bright red colour. A beautiful bouquet, again classic Gevrey Chambertin. Expressive, high toned red berries with dark florals, showing lift and some maturity. In the mouth, the first impression is of the fruit purity and precision. All elegance and beautiful balance, with serious matière. Layers of vibrant fruit, largely in the red fruit spectrum, with cooked game meats and some Gevrey animale. My WoTD. In its drinking window now but no hurry, I would think.
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2005 Poderi Aldo Conterno Barolo Cicala 93 Points
Italy, Piedmont, Langhe, Barolo
We are planning a trip to Piemonte next year and accordingly Helen provided this bottle. A nose of dark cherries and tar, leather and tobacco, with savoury nuances. The Nebbiolo was a change of pace from pinot noir and this was a very primary wine with a lot of unresolved chemistry. A fleshy, textural wine. There is serious dry extract here and spiky acidity, yet to fully settle. The flavour profile is consistent with the bouquet, but with a gutsy, meaty element. Give this wine another five years, at least.
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2007 Domaine Fourrier Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Combe aux Moines Vieille Vigne 94 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
Bright, clear red colour. A lovely nose of red and black cherries, very pure with mineral and chalk notes. On palate, a lovely, beautifully balanced wine, fresh and lively but rich, with good fruit weight. Crystalline fruit, more in the darker berry spectrum. Sparkling, very attractive acidity. A seamless profile with excellent structure and finesse. Very good length, finishing on those mineral and chalk elements. This wine has been open for business for at least a year or two now. Excellent.
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2010 Etienne Sauzet Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatières 92 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru
A bouquet of limes and lemons and yellow orchard fruit, with some minerality in the background. Beautiful balance on the palate, with very good acidity. Very pure, focussed and clean. Serious concentration and fruit weight, the stuffing needed for a great future. An excellent young white Burgundy, give this wine at least three years before opening. (92-94).
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