Important Update From the Founder
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Frederick Wildman Burgundy Portfolio Tasting
Hotel Monaco, San Francisco
Tasted February 13, 2012 by drwine2001 with 967 views
Introduction
All of the 2010s except for the Christian Moreau Chablis were barrel samples, so take all of the notes on this vintage as very tentative, preliminary impressions.
Flight 1 - Chateau de Fuisse (2 notes)
White
2009 Jean-Jacques Vincent Pouilly-Fuissé Château de Fuissé Tête de Cru
Nice, round wine. Touch of oak. Good balance. Not too heavy for an '09.
White
2010 Jean-Jacques Vincent Pouilly-Fuissé Les Brûles Château de Fuissé
Sulfury. Light, lean, simple fruit, high acid, not great feel.
Flight 2 - Domaine Christian Moreau (3 notes)
White
2010 Domaine Christian Moreau Père et Fils Chablis 1er Cru Vaillon
Light color and weight. Typical oyster shell aromatics. Lovely.
White
2010 Domaine Christian Moreau Père et Fils Chablis Grand Cru Vaudésir
A bit of sulfur. Light weight (in fact, virtually the same as the Vaillons). Delicate in the mouth with florality, bright acidity and some wood toast at the end. Pretty but it lacks some intensity for a Grand Cru.
White
2008 Domaine Christian Moreau Père et Fils Chablis Grand Cru Valmur
Big, rich and lower pitched, like a Cote de Beaune rather than Chablis. Less distinctive Chablis characteristics and some noticeable wood but very powerful on the finish. Good in a powerful mold.
Flight 3 - Olivier Leflaive (8 notes)
White
2008 Olivier Leflaive Chablis Les Deux Rives
Woody base. Simple citrus fruit, medium weight. Pretty generic and uninspiring.
White
2009 Olivier Leflaive Bourgogne Blanc Les Sétilles
Very good Bourgogne-excellent amplitude and depth, good mouth coverage, mix of lively citrus and earthy finish.
White
2007 Olivier Leflaive Meursault 1er Cru Charmes
Textbook Meursault. Hazelnut scents, medium weight, great acidity. Fine and elegant.
White
2010 Olivier Leflaive Meursault
Sulfur on the nose. Light and bright but little Meursault character. Too much toasty oak on finish for its amount of concentration.
White
2010 Olivier Leflaive Chassagne-Montrachet
Leesy and floral. Harmonious feel with lighter body. Gentle, earthy finish. Excellent village wine.
White
2010 Olivier Leflaive Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos St. Marc
More citric with more convincing acidity and greater volume than the village Chassagne. A beauty.
White
2010 Olivier Leflaive Bâtard-Montrachet
Leesy and lower pitched than the prior wine. Medium weight, muted palate. This was the most difficult barrel sample to assess, but tonight it did not distinguish itself as Grand Cru.
Flight 4 - Potel-Aviron (3 notes)
Red
2009 Stephane Aviron Fleurie Vieilles Vignes
Light tart cherry with good bite. Nothing too ripe about this one.
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Comment
Red
Red
2010 Stephane Aviron Juliénas Vieilles Vignes
Typical Gamay light weight. Lively with herbs and pepper outpacing the fruit at this point as is also the case with other 2010 Beaujolais I've tried.
Flight 5 - Jacques Prieur (2 notes)
White
2008 Domaine Jacques Prieur Meursault Clos de Mazeray
Rich with toasty oak and overtly tropical fruit. Surprisingly blowsy for an '08.
Red
2008 Domaine Jacques Prieur Volnay 1er Cru Santenots
Very pale, almost rose. Tart, little fruit and an abundance of wood. Poor.
Flight 6 - Faiveley (8 notes)
White
White
2010 Faiveley Meursault 1er Cru Blagny
Cloudy. Medium weight. Very solid Meursault with some spiciness.
White
2010 Faiveley Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet
Lactic, lemony, brisk acidity, medium weight. Promises to be refined and complex.
Red
2009 Faiveley Gevrey-Chambertin
Round, good volume. Red fruit and earth. Lots to it for a village wine, but as with all of the reds from this producer tonight, you have to be able to tolerate a prominent oaky underpinning.
Red
2006 Faiveley Corton-Clos des Cortons Faiveley
Light color. Funky, earthy aromatics. Light bodied, tart to the point of austerity, lots of wood sticking out. This seemed over the hill and out of balance.
Red
2010 Faiveley Volnay 1er Cru Les Fremiets
Pretty irresistible wood assault again, but nice black/red fruit mix and a Pommard-like tang.
Red
2010 Faiveley Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Porêts Saint-Georges
Complex gamy and anise aromas. Medium weight. Subtle blend of fruit and earth. Great acidity. Wonderful balance here that suggests both early accessibility and intermediate aging potential. Unlike the others tasted, the wood is invisible. My favorite red wine of the night.
Closing
Realizing that this was a woefully incomplete sampling, I walked away with the following conclusions:
Prieur-Only 2 wines, but both grossly disappointing
Olivier Leflaive-Probably the best and most consistent range of wines; exciting potential in an understated, elegant style
Faiveley-While their vinification may have changed to allow softer wines, I really don't like the amount of wood in them.