Important Update From the Founder
Read message >
Wines with Larry, Huw and Paul in Martinborough
Tasted September 1, 2014 by HowardNZ with 584 views
Introduction
We went to Mark's place in Martinborough (the vineyard for William Grace) where we had catered in an excellent lunch to accompany the wines we had each brought. The lunch was to thank Larry McKenna and Huw Kinch of Escarpment Vineyards and Paul Mason of Martinborough Vineyards for arranging Burgundy visits for those of us on our recent trip.
Providore Foods catered in an entree of prawn, kumara and coconut cream fritters with a crisp green winter micro salad, a main of Wairarapa venison pies with honeyed roast vegetables and mini pumpkin bread loaves with Comte, Brie and blue cheeses with quince paste and fiscelles to finish.
The wines were largely served blind (but with some coordination between attendees for a coherent tasting) in seven pairs after the Champagne ...
Flight 1 (1 note)
White - Sparkling
N.V. Egly-Ouriet Champagne Grand Cru VP
Disgorged July 2012. Colour light lemon with a good persistent bead. A lovely nose of lemon, spice and white flowers in an oxidative style. On the palate, the first impression is of the sweetness. In an oxidative style with flavours of blanched nuts and almond brioche, with some minerals and toasty oak on the finish. Good acidity and lovely freshness and zing. Some tasters however thought this Champagne a little dilute and perhaps a bit too leesy. Good but not great.
Flight 2 (2 notes)
White
1996 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Pucelles
Popped and poured. Deep gold colour. An attractive bouquet of blanched almonds, cooking spices, lemon and some white florals. On the palate, this was clearly a mature white Burgundy from the mid-1990s. It seemed more evolved than the Carillon with which it was tasted. Round with Meursault-like richness on the palate. The wine was not premoxed but clearly was showing more oxidation than the Carillon, with the profile moving in a nutty, almost lactic direction. Rauno said that he kicked himself for not decanting the Leflaive because, toward the end of our pours, the wine really began to blossom in the glass. My initial impression was that I preferred the Carillon but that impression changed towards the end of my samples. The flavour profile became more multi-dimensional opening up into peaches and cream, honey roasted peanuts, with an almost crème brulee dimension (but of course not with that degree of sweetness). Mineral flavours also began to emerge. This wine is ready to drink now but should be given some air before tasting.
1 person found this helpful
Comment
White
1996 Louis Carillon Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Perrières
Again popped and poured. Deep gold. An awkward, cheesy, lactic bouquet showing some nutty elements with air time. The bouquet well behind the Leflaive. The Carillon was very different on palate, showing much more acidity, freshness and life than the bouquet suggested. The wine was advanced but still relatively bright and crisp. Most of us had this as a Puligny because of its Puligny-like focus, with a good squeeze of lemon, malic flavours, and some minerals and wet granite. An elegant, nuanced wine, not as rich or concentrated as the Leflaive. Nonetheless the wine had good fruit weight and power. Initially I preferred this to the Leflaive, but with my last sips of each concluded that the Leflaive was, in fact, the better wine.
Flight 3 (2 notes)
Red
2012 Frederic Esmonin Ruchottes-Chambertin
Slow-oed for three hours. Colour very primary deep purple/red. A gorgeous Gevrey nose of dark fruit, earth and some underbrush, with a touch of liquorice. All of the tasters were suggesting that this was a New World wine. On palate this was very bright, polished and satiny. I wanted to taste this wine to get an early sighter of its quality. However, it is presently drinking close to a barrel sample. The wine shows it has all of the components for a great future. It has a serious Grand Cru level of dry extract, very ripe, suave tannins and an excellent acid structure. At the moment of course it is sitting on its fruit and it really needs another ten years cellar time. Andrew observed that it was perhaps stereotypical good 2012 red Burgundy showing a pleasing combination of 2009 fruit with 2010 structure. As Mike says there is the potential here that this wine may be the best yet produced by Frederic Esmonin.
1 person found this helpful
Comment
Red
2007 Domaine Fourrier Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Combe aux Moines Vieille Vigne
A lighter ruby colour. On the nose, aromas of red berry fruit, particularly red cherries, spice and a little earth. The bouquet showed a little evolution, consistent with a 2007 red Burgundy. After a little while, Larry pointed out a slight cork taint to the wine which, in hindsight, you realised had dulled down the bouquet a little. On palate most tasters had this as a New World wine. It exhibited lighter fruit weight than the wines around it but good bright acidity. The fruit weight seemed to be at 1er Cru level and it was ultimately no surprise that the wine was in fact a 2007 Burgundy. The tannins seemed to be good quality ones but showed a little hardness on the back. I wrote down that the wine was 'a little compressed' on palate with the fruit somewhat 'dulled down', consistent with the presence of TCA. I have previously had superb bottles of this wine but this was not such an example due to the TCA. Sadly, I have heard of several flawed bottles of this wine. Drink in the medium term.
Flight 4 (2 notes)
Red
1999 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Volnay 1er Cru Santenots-Du-Milieu
A deep garnet colour. The wine showed some attractive development with aromas of forest floor and cooked mushrooms, with a hint of VA lift. On the palate this was an inky wine with a very dry finish. The flavours were umami, soil, black spices, cola and sois bous, showing a detailed and complex flavour profile. Tasted blind there was a debate about the wine’s vintage with suggestions that it was from a very ripe year and needed more time. Some thought it was a 2003 Burgundy but some tasters were picking 2009. On the reveal, the wine was unbelievably primary for a 1999, with many years to go. A large scaled, powerful wine, still drinking quite well now and a perfect accompaniment to our Wairarapa venison pies.
Red
1999 Domaine Leroy Volnay 1er Cru Santenots-Du-Milieu
Colour deep ruby. Real florality on bouquet over notes of warm earth and various red berry fruit aromas. On palate a dense, concentrated and powerful wine showing a complex and detailed flavour spectrum of red fruits, soil and some savoury flavours. It also showed some evolution and seemed to be from the late 1990s. The wine showed a lot of volume and excellent structure, with a very good acid balance and well integrated, serious tannins. I could not see any link with the Comtes Lafon drunk side-by-side with it. Drinking very well now, this will cellar 10+ years easily. A class act.
Flight 5 (2 notes)
Red
2001 Domaine Fourrier Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Cherbaudes Vieille Vigne
A good clean, garnet colour. An absolutely gorgeous, pure nose of red fruits, minerals and chalk (that with hindsight should have taken me to Fourrier, but did not). On the palate, however the Gevrey character was very obvious. In the mouth the wine was very clean and elegant, an excellent wine but not with quite the fruit weight or finish to be Grand Cru level. Tasters were picking this wine as a Rousseau 1er. Larry prematurely called this his WoTD (before the Rousseau was poured). Nonetheless, an excellent wine with years ahead of it. I did not guess this as Fourrier but, with hindsight, it had everything you look for in that label: purity, gorgeous red berry fruit, minerality and chalkiness. Very impressive.
Red
2007 Domaine Dujac Chambolle-Musigny
A bouquet of largely blackberries with a feral or underbrush component (without being unhygienic). The bouquet also showed quite a sulphur influence. The flavour profile was consistent with again perhaps a little too much sulphur. The flavours seemed to be classic Morey St Denis with darker berry fruit, black ink, iodine and some sous bois. Villages level fruit weight. This was a good Villages level wine that suffered next to the superb Fourrier.
Flight 6 (2 notes)
Red
2001 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Chambertin-Clos de Bèze
Popped and poured. Deep ruby colour. An aromatically explosive, lovely bouquet of musk, tobacco, forest floor and largely red fruits. The bouquet showed a little age. On palate, everyone had this as a top quality Côte de Nuits Burgundy, with Gevrey Chambertin the favourite village. This wine was clearly WoTD, being complex, multi-layered and showing serious fruit weight, power and length. The wine was actually quite primary, drinking much younger than 2001, sitting on its fruit at the moment. I’d give this Clos de Bèze at least five more years. Thanks Paul.
Red
2002 Joseph Drouhin Griotte-Chambertin
A lovely nose of red berry fruits, warm earth, black spices and some crushed rocks and chalk. On the palate, good ripe, succulent fruit with bright acidity, good structure and length. It was not surprising that the wine was a 2002, reflecting the rich, ripe vintage. The flavour profile was complex largely in the red berry fruit spectrum with some chalk and minerals, spice and a little Gevrey funk. The tannins were spherical and well integrated. Drinking very well now. A very good wine but the Rousseau was tough competition in this pair.
Flight 7 (2 notes)
Red
2001 Domaine / Maison Vincent Girardin Chambertin-Clos de Bèze
The colour showed a little evolution, light ruby. On bouquet, largely red fruits with aromas of bloodied barbeque game meats, forest floor and some minerals. Again, a very Gevrey nose. On palate, quite rich with apparent sweetness (not as a fault). In the mouth, clearly Grand Cru fruit weight but with some rusticity and the apparent sweetness of the wine suggested a slightly New World style. Most of the tasters guessed it in the 2008 to 2010 vintage range. The oak was in proportion. A fruit driven and ripe style with a touch of charred oak and a hint of smoked game meats on the finish. The wine was drinking well now but again there seemed to me to be years ahead of it.
Red
2006 Mongeard-Mugneret Echezeaux Vieilles Vignes
On the nose, a hint of Brett, but not at an unacceptable level, more savoury, underbrush than unhygienic with notes of ripe red berries and spices underneath. Succulent and juicy on the palate we picked this as 2008 to 2009 with a Chambolle-type character. The wine had serious fruit weight and power, clearly of Grand Cru level and a good structure. The flavours were dark berry fruits, iodine and umami flavours with quite a prominent acid profile. This wine really needs 5+ more years to settle down.
Flight 8 (2 notes)
White
1999 Olivier Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet
flawed
The deep gold colour suggesting trouble. Confirmed on bouquet with notes of cheese, talc and waxy candles suggesting oxidisation with some aromas of salt, minerals and some white flowers obscured below them. On palate however clearly oxidised and dead. Sherry first and Puligny second. Woody, varnish flavours made a glass of this wine hard to finish.
Red
2013 William Grace Pinot Noir
Bright ruby colour. An attractive nose with lifted aromas over dark cherries and some savoury notes. On the palate good ripe fruit with apparent sweetness on entry. The flavours were largely in the red fruit spectrum showing good fruit weight and power, obviously from relatively young, vigorous vines. Nice, vibrant acidity. Seamless oak reflecting the use of a one year old oak barrel.
1 person found this helpful
Comment
Closing
Mark is fortunate to have some great terroir for William Grace. Just over the back fence is Escarpment's Kiwa vineyard with its 25 year old vines producing one of NZ's finest expressions of pinot noir.
An excellent, extended lunch. Thanks very much to Mark for providing the venue.