Burgundy overview tasting

A burgundy tasting for our group, at Apiary. Budget was set to not exceed $30 per person; wines were picked to give an understanding of burgundies from different appellations, styles, price ranges and cru levels.

This flight was designed to pit a wine from a heralded appellation, Meursault, against a richly flavored one from a less heralded appellation, Rully. The group proved it has expensive taste, with the majority picking the Matrot over the more heavily oaked Jobard Rully.

• 2006 Domaine Matrot Meursault 88 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault

  (8/18/2009)

  Competent entry level Meursault - dry with minerality. Nothing to push this to a higher level of enjoyment for me though - at $32 I might look elsewhere, a la a Javillier Forgets that delivers more from nearby. Most of the group preferred this to the Rully, which surprised me a bit.

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• 2007 Claudie Jobard Rully Montagne La Folie 88 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte Chalonnaise, Rully

  (8/18/2009)

  Notes mostly consistent with my previous tasting, but on drinking a full glass as opposed to a retailer sampling, the oak here comes across as a bit cloying. However, this paired very well with a salad with vinaigrette, smoothing out its puckering edge.

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These two wines were grouped together on the basis of being from the same general area, Gevrey, and being the earthy, funky wines from the lineup. A secondary theme was to see how people reacted to a bourgogne vs. a village wine. Again, the group picked the more expensive of the two, the Dujac Gevrey over the Bachelet bourgogne.

• 2004 Domaine Denis Bachelet Bourgogne 90 Points

  France, Burgundy, Bourgogne

  (8/18/2009)

  Picked for a burg tasting bc of the reputation of Bachelet and the likelihood that Gevrey fruit is in here (paired in a flight with a Gevrey villages wine).; Funky nose that I like. On the palate, more funk and earth, with fruit that lacks the depth of the other reds (village and 1ers) in our tasting and finishes shorter and a bit cranberry tart. However, this performs admirably for a bourgogne and has excellent complexity for the level. I believe this is a bourgogne that has long life ahead of it and will be fantastic to try again. Will seek to pick up more when budget allows. No apparent pyrazine greenness issue here. Objectively, probably deserves an 89 or so but for me, 91ish.

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• 2000 Dujac Fils et Père Gevrey-Chambertin 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin

  (8/18/2009)

  A lovely nose of sweet fruit with a lot of funk, dirt, earth going on that makes for an interesting mix. Palate is similar - earthy with dark fruits on the palate - so many things I love about burgundies going on here. With time/air, hints of black olive on the nose and licorice on the palate develop. This is my first burg from the negociant side of the Dujac operation (as opposed to the Domaine) and the quality certainly shows here too. A village wine that performs like a 1er, at this point this is a close contender for WOTN along with the Magnien Chambolle 1er. Would love to see how they match up in five years. Lots of life left in this one, but drinking well now and representing the underrated 2000 vintage well. The group's second favorite, with about 3 of 9 people picking this as their fave. 92-93.

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These two wines were paired together as the two 1er crus from the lineup, as well as because of the styles of their appellations, Volnay and Chambolle-Musigny, both being on the light and pretty side. Money talked again, with the Magnien Chambolle winning out over the Guyon Volnay.

• 2003 Antonin Guyon Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Chênes 90 Points

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

  (8/18/2009)

  Thinner and lighter than the FMagnien Chambolle 1er from the same flight, but this compared pretty well at 1/2 the price. Still a bit tannic, about 2 hrs decant did this some good. Balanced - has touches of oak to round out some light, slightly stewed (but otherwise solid) fruit. Easily worth the $$ (paid $29) and something I will look to pick up when I start purchases again. 90-91.

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• 2002 Frédéric Magnien Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Hauts-Doix 93 Points

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

  (8/18/2009)

  The first thing you notice on the nose is considerable sweet oak, bordering on heavy. It's inviting, and the lush sweet fruit of this wine comes through on the nose as well, but the oak needs more time to integrate. On the palate, similar notes - oak, ripe lush fruit, and a silky mouthfeel. This is very tasty now, but I believe it will improve when the oak has time to integrate - and I do believe the fruit here will last until then. I have one remaining bottle, and I'd like to give it another 5 years if I can hold out that long. 93+

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Overall, all of the wines performed up to expectations - no clunkers and no corked wines. Attendees got to see both earthier styles and fruitier styles, different cru levels and producer styles, all for a reasonable sum. The cheaper reds did not really seriously challenge their more expensive counterparts, but they did show very well for their price levels. Finally, the 1er crus showed off much of what is great about burgundy - silky mouthfeel, pretty aromatics, and a sense of Burgundian terroir.