2012 Red Burgs and a nice 04

Last night my tasting group met to try some 2012 Burgundies. The idea was to sample a range of wines with none of them being more than $55. Sadly, today that means pretty much sticking to Bourgogne's. Still, its not like $40 should not be able to get one a very nice bottle of wine. In general, the wines were good if not great. I was surprised by how tannic the wines were as a rule. Not that they were hugely tannic, but for Burgundy, there was more than I expected.
The wines were served blind over three hours. The reds were all pop and pour after about 30 minutes of air. Breads and cheeses were served with the wines.

Another good score from Fass Wines. If you don't get the daily e-mail blasts, you should!

• 2013 Domaine Florent Garaudet Puligny-Montrachet 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet

  The first white Burgundy I had bought in likely a decade due to premox concerns. This is a Fass wine and I trust Lyle. Pop and pour did this wine a disservice. It took at least an hour to open. In fact at the beginning, most did not like it. By the end of the night, most liked it a lot. Light gold in color. The nose has a lot of sulfur. Also some green apples. On the palate, this is tart, clean with lemons. A bit odd on the finish at first in taste and drying. Wit air, this sorts out, adds some balance and drinks quite well. There is a good amount of acidity and I think food helped it as well. This was my only bottle, but I would give this lots more air or if I felt lucky, let it age for 8 years.

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• 2012 Domaine Denis Mortet Bourgogne Cuvée de Noble Souche 91 Points

  France, Burgundy, Bourgogne

  The groups WOTN. Slightly flat in color, ruby purple. The nose is nice, young Burgundy. A bit of slight funk, cherries, and warm. On the palate, there is a tart acidity that fades a bit with air. Mild tannins. Bing cherries. Enjoyable and will get better with a few years of ageing. $45

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• 2012 Maison Albert Bichot Bourgogne Vieilles Vignes de Pinot Noir 86 Points

  France, Burgundy, Bourgogne

  Certainly one of the best values on the night. Ruby, clear and bright. The nose is dusty with light cherries. Juicy acidity. Medium tannins. Slightly candied fruit, especially on the finish. $17 Ohio.

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• 2012 Vincent Ravaut Bourgogne 87 Points

  France, Burgundy, Bourgogne

  A new producer for me and a very good value. Light ruby in color. The nose is deep and has some complexity. Black cherries and some tea notes. On the palate, juicy black cherries. Firm tannins. With air, more sour cherries come out. $18

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• 2012 Domaine Thierry Mortet Gevrey-Chambertin 87 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin

  Ruby/purple in color. Bright and young looking. There is some brett/funk on the nose which is nice but others did not like it. Also some mild macerated cherries. The palate tastes cleaner, mostly black cherries. Nice wine. Unknown pricing.

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• 2012 Simon Bize Bourgogne Les Perrières 88 Points

  France, Burgundy, Bourgogne

  I liked this more than the group who had it last. Purple/ruby in color. The nose is canned cherries. On the palate, black cherries with some depth and complexity. Many complained about the over use of sulfur which I seem to be much less sensitive to than most. Perhaps that's why I liked it more.

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• 2012 Domaine Bruno Clair Marsannay Les Longeroies 86 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Marsannay

  I liked this far less than the group. It did improve as the night wore on. Purple in color. Slightly earthy with black cherries. On the palate, this is more about plums than cherries. Tart acidity. Firm tannins. At $53, this was the most expensive wine in the tasting.

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• 2012 Jean Noel Gagnard Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Morgeot Rouge 91 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru

  This was my WOTN and the group's #2. The only 1er Cru in the tasting, so perhaps that makes sense even if not one of the top 1er crus. Ruby in color. Deep nose with dark cherries and some iodine. Very smooth. A nice complexity although tightly wound. Firm tannins. Lots of potential here. $40

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I never could find a good time to open this. This was as good as any.

• 2004 Maison Leroy Bourgogne 91 Points

  France, Burgundy, Bourgogne

  Purchased on release (Brown Derby) for $90. A lot at the time for a Bourgogne. Then the mixed results started to show up for this wine. I let it sit. Did it have greenie meanies? Was it better than most vintages due to declassified wines. The cork was sealed with wax. Good thing as it was soaked up to the top on all sides. I know Leroy's often over fill, so I wasn't too worried about that. The wine is flat and cloudy though. It was opened at the last minute and taken from a rack without being stood up. The nose is very nice. Perhaps the faintest trace of celery, but by no means any offensive greenies with both I and Jeff K. are very sensitive to. No one guessed 04 as a vintage blind. On the palate, this seems to be about at peak. It drinks slightly older than 11 years, in a good way. Layers of earth cherries and dried cherries. Yet, fresh on the palate as well. Nice balance. Probably a bit over priced, but a nice experience. I will count this as one of the good bottles.

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I don't by much Burgundy any more, so this was a nice snap shot into the vintage if not necessarily into the quality at the top.