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La Paulée de San Francisco 2014 Verticals Tasting
The Fairmont, San Francisco
Tasted March 14, 2014 by xwine with 833 views
Introduction
Lucky enough to attend this for the third year. I like the morning session of the Verticals Tasting; I prefer to taste before lunch. The notes are very cursory, and are presented in the order tasted.
Flight 1 - Domaine Ballot-Millot & Fils (3 notes)
White
2004 Ballot-Millot & Fils Meursault 1er Cru Les Genevrières
Fresh, slightly nutty yet crisp, pure, good length.
White
1999 Ballot-Millot & Fils Meursault 1er Cru Les Genevrières
Nice, richer and more "full" than the 2004, tad bit of sulfur, apparently the winemaking here changed drastically in 2000, to a more hands off and minimal intervention approach.
White
1995 Ballot-Millot & Fils Meursault 1er Cru Les Genevrières
Very floral and fresh on the nose, but the palate seems somewhat light and a bit short.
Flight 2 - Domaine des Comtes Lafon (3 notes)
White
2010 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault 1er Cru Les Genevrières
Fresh, deep floral nose; full and broad on the palate with lovely white fruit, noticeably excellent balance.
White
2007 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault 1er Cru Les Genevrières
Reticent nose, really not showing much and really have to dig for the feint flowery nuances; crisp and elegant palate, the balance of these wines is impeccable.
White
2002 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault 1er Cru Les Genevrières
As with the 2007, the nose seems somewhat reticent, the palate is supple and round with nice maturing fruit, really lovely.
Flight 3 - Domaine William Fèvre (3 notes)
White
2009 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos
Showing a lot of slate on the nose, yet still quite rich; chalky palate, not particularly deep but has a nice, long finish.
White
2008 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos
Nose of lemon and minerals, with the palate again showing a chalky aspect, lean but focused, good finish, and really a very nice Chablis.
White
2007 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos
Strong lemon-lime aromas, almost aggressively so; drinking very nicely, with the seemingly high acid keeping it very tight and focused.
Flight 4 - Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey (3 notes)
White
2010 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Saint-Aubin 1er Cru La Chatenière Blanc
Lovely perfume, with minerals and a bit of toast; the palate is rich but very precise.
White
2009 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Saint-Aubin 1er Cru La Chatenière Blanc
Nose quite rich, palate a tad bit muddled and doesn’t come near matching the focus of the 2010.
White
2008 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Saint-Aubin 1er Cru La Chatenière Blanc
A fresh, flowery nose, mineral-laden palate, very nice.
Flight 5 - Château Génot-Boulanger (3 notes)
White
2010 Domaine Génot-Boulanger Corton-Charlemagne
Very fresh and expressively forward nose, full and rich on the palate with a long finish, very nicely balanced, quite nice.
White
2009 Domaine Génot-Boulanger Corton-Charlemagne
Nose is somewhat muted in comparison to the 2010, rich and full on the palate, though a bit round and flabby; the 2010 is much more racy and enjoyable.
White
2008 Domaine Génot-Boulanger Corton-Charlemagne
A shy nose, with some minerals; palate shows some lemon and minerals, but frankly is unexciting. A “meh” wine.
Flight 6 - Etienne Sauzet (3 notes)
White
2007 Etienne Sauzet Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Combettes
Terrific nose! Loaded with minerals, spice and flowers, and the energy of this wine really comes through on the palate. Really nice!
White
2009 Etienne Sauzet Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Combettes
Aromas here a bit muted; rich, a bit fat, but still a nice wine, just not near the energy of lovely 2007.
White
2010 Etienne Sauzet Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Combettes
A piercing nose, truly penetrating, with a little toast, and while I prefer the 2007 to this wine, this is still very nice.
Flight 7 - Domaine Bouchard Père et Fils (3 notes)
White
2010 Bouchard Père et Fils Chevalier-Montrachet La Cabotte
Intoxicating aromas of flowers and minerals, simply awesome; rich and big, juicy, but exquisite balance. A great wine.
White
2009 Bouchard Père et Fils Chevalier-Montrachet La Cabotte
Somewhat muted following the 2010, rich, lacking the complexity of the 2010. Still, a very nice wine, but nowhere near the level of the 2010.
White
2006 Bouchard Père et Fils Chevalier-Montrachet La Cabotte
Somewhat buttery, though it is deep and shows complexity, flavors of marzipan, a big wine, excellent.
Flight 8 - Maison Joseph Drouhin (3 notes)
Red
2009 Joseph Drouhin Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses
Slutty red-fruited nose, rich red fruit on the palate, quite nice, and very long.
Red
2002 Joseph Drouhin Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses
What lovely aromas, starting to show maturity, spices; palate is still very young, and very deep. Wow, what a gorgeous wine!
Red
1998 Joseph Drouhin Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses
Light pipe tobacco on the nose, beautiful perfume. Palate is simply lovely, with a beautiful, deep texture. Seemingly still has years to go.
Flight 9 - Domaine Hudelot-Noellat (3 notes)
Red
2008 Alain Hudelot-Noëllat Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaumonts
Very spicy nose, tannic, pomegranate/cranberry palate, spice.
Red
2002 Alain Hudelot-Noëllat Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaumonts
Intoxicating perfume, showing some maturity, excellent mix of maturing red/black fruit.
Red
1999 Alain Hudelot-Noëllat Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaumonts
Nose shows very young, dense, deep dark fruit, anise. Wow, what a finish! Very dense and deep. Really liked this.
Flight 10 - Domaine des Lambrays (3 notes)
Red
2010 Domaine des Lambrays Clos des Lambrays
Highly perfumed nose, fresh strawberries, very red-fruited, elegant and charming wine, long finish. Great!
Red
2006 Domaine des Lambrays Clos des Lambrays
A stark contrast to the 2010, the nose on this 2006 is quite restrained, an elegant wine with a piercing palate. Nice.
Red
2003 Domaine des Lambrays Clos des Lambrays
Spicy, maybe a bit stewed; tannic, ripe. Where does this go from here?
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Flight 11 - Domaine Marquis d'Angerville (3 notes)
Red
2006 Domaine Marquis d'Angerville Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Ducs
A lovely and elegant nose, though it does have a slight bit of stink (maybe some mushrooms?), very astringent and tannic (too much so?), hard to figure this one out.
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Red
2007 Domaine Marquis d'Angerville Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Ducs
Bright, red fruit aromas, spice, very pretty; elegant, charming, and very drinkable.
Red
2008 Domaine Marquis d'Angerville Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Ducs
Very fresh, crunchy red fruits, mouthwatering, delicious.
Flight 12 - Domaine Fourrier (3 notes)
Red
2010 Domaine Fourrier Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Cherbaudes Vieille Vigne
High-toned red fruit, light spice and minerals; penetrating palate, very nice.
Red
2009 Domaine Fourrier Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Cherbaudes Vieille Vigne
Attractive and pretty nose, some tannins, this seems like it might be closing up (?), spicy finish.
Red
2007 Domaine Fourrier Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Cherbaudes Vieille Vigne
Something very odd with this wine, not sure what it is. Has some CO2 on the palate. Off.
Flight 13 - Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils (3 notes)
Red
2007 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Charmes-Chambertin
Very aromatic, excellent 2007, pure and wild red fruit.
Red
2006 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Charmes-Chambertin
A bit of stink here, something off, it's okay, but certainly doesn’t have the nice purity of the 2007.
Red
2005 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Charmes-Chambertin
Nose somewhat closed, elegant and lovely palate, needs time, what great balance, everything in place.
Flight 14 - Maison Camille Giroud (3 notes)
Red
2008 Camille Giroud Chambertin
I continue to be underwhelmed by the Giroud wines. Straightforward nose, pomegranate, very nice, but Grand Cru?
Red
2010 Camille Giroud Chambertin
Very tight on the palate, bright fruit finish, but ultimately unexciting.
Flight 15 - Domaine Faiveley (3 notes)
Red
2011 Faiveley Chambertin-Clos de Bèze
Explosive aromatics, an intense medium-bodied wine, nice finish.
Red
2010 Faiveley Chambertin-Clos de Bèze
Really lovely aromatics, deep and penetrating palate, rich and long.
Red
2009 Faiveley Chambertin-Clos de Bèze
More “obvious” fruit than the 2010, lush, slutty, long spicy finish.
Closing
A terrific event! It's always fun to see how other notes compare to my own. There are a few which diverge wildly. Whether it's because we were tasting different bottles (or perhaps morning session versus afternoon session), or just have different palates, it's interesting.