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Beaujolais & Bourgogne
The Wine Country, Signal Hill, CA
Tasted April 13, 2013 by PIntag with 328 views
Introduction
The theme had me very interested as a recent Beaujolais and Burgundy enthusiast. 5 Cru Bojo + 4 Bourgogne + 1 Village level red. There was, predictably, a pretty small crowd for this venue.
Flight 1 - Cru Beaujolais (5 notes)
A nice sampling of 2011 Cru Beaujolais.
Red
2011 Domaine de Colette Fleurie
86 points
Nose was quite fragrant with some lovely floral aromas. Unfortunately, the palate did not live up to the promise of the nose. A little unbalanced toward the acidic side and the fruit seemed a little bitter. Not terrible, but was a little lean for me and didn't really deliver what I like about Gamay. Loved the nose, though.
Red
2011 Marcel Lapierre Morgon
88 points
"N" bottle. Nose was tight, but showed some fresh strawberries. On the palate, some pretty and pure Gamay fruit, light-bodied for a Morgon, with abundant acidity. Seemed lighter and with less depth than the last bottle of this I tried.
Red
2011 Château Thivin Côte de Brouilly
88 points
Nose showed aromatic distinct Gamay. On the palate, fruit forward with aggressive tannins. Good acidity and structure. Good now, but probably best to lay this one down for a year or five.
Red
2011 Jean-Claude Lapalu Brouilly Vieilles Vignes
90 points
Very fragrant earthy and slightly pungent nose. On the palate, forward fruit, pure Gamay flavors and some earthiness. Fairly light bodied but quite flavorful and open. Good acidic and tannic structure. Drinking well now but should age nicely too.
Red
2011 Domaine Diochon Moulin-à-Vent Vieilles Vignes
90 points
Very forward and fragrant Gamay nose. On the palate, lots going on with some strong tannins, good balancing acidity, and pure young Gamay flavors. Fleshy texture was intriguing.
Flight 2 - Bourgogne (5 notes)
5 Bourgogne from 3 recent and very good (or better) vintages. It seems the very low end of red burgundy these days is $20 - $25.
Red
2009 Domaine Camus-Bruchon & Fils Bourgogne
85 points
Nose not giving up much - very tight. Lean and acidic, especially for a 2009 vintage. Strong tannins. Nice enough table wine, but lacks depth and is poor value at $25.
Red
2010 Louis Chenu Bourgogne
88 points
Strange citrus aroma that was also a strong presence on the palate. Tasted a bit like tangerine to me. Good balance, nice fruit, interesting wine.
Red
2011 Nicolas Rossignol Bourgogne
87 points
Very prominent sulfur on the nose (which drew quite a few complaints from the crowd), though I didn't find it as overwhelming as most of the others. I smelled a bit of vanilla, too. On the palate, the sulfur was not very noticeable. Good balancing acidity and some pretty fruit. I like this, despite the somewhat objectionable nose.
Red
2009 René Bouvier Bourgogne Montre Cul
86 points
Tons of oak on the nose - this really stuck out in this tasting. On the palate, the oak was not as prominent, but still too much for my tastes. Too bad, because this was pretty well balanced and there was some nice tart fruit. Too bad -- just a little too much oak for me to enjoy this much.
Red
2010 Aliane Côte de Nuits Villages
87 points
Nose was quite tight but there was a freshness about it that I liked a lot. On the palate, fairly light-bodied with some tart, pure, flavorful fruit. Good clean and long finish. A little lighter than the 2009 but very similar in style and flavor profile.
Closing
For me, the Beaujolais clearly outperformed the Bourgogne. I find that to be the case in general at the same price point.