Important Update From the Founder
Read message >
Assessing 2021 Burgundy-La Paulée de Los Angeles Grand Tasting
Fairmont Miramar, Santa Monica
Tasted March 2, 2024 by drwine2001 with 227 views
Introduction
As usual, attending producers poured up to 4 wines. This year, however, many complemented their 2021's with a wine from an older vintage. Reading between the lines, I imagine that the organizers did this since many people were not overly enthusiastic about tasting through a vintage which has received a fair amount of criticism. Sure enough, some of these "bonnes bouches" turned out to be amongst the best wines of the session, so that was a real treat.
My notes below cover fewer than half of the wines offered for tasting. Since I no longer have the bandwidth or interest to dash around and taste and assess over 100 wines, I am very selective and focus on the wines that are of most interest to me and/or the bottles that are generally not accessible to me the other 364 days of the year (365 in 2024!). This means skipping some excellent producers altogether and trying only part of the range offered by others. Apologies for the gaps!
Flight 1 (48 notes)
White - Sparkling
2018 Delamotte Champagne Blanc de Blancs Millésimé
Richer, rounder style. Great texture, ripe citrus fruit, fine acidity. Outstanding and much more impressive than the 2014 IMO.
White - Sparkling
2013 Salon Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut
Pale, fine bead, frothy. Herbal aromas. Precise lemon fruit, great acidic drive and stoniness. Embryonic but clearly a fantastic year for Salon. This was the one wine at the tasting that was impossible to retry, LOL.
1 person found this helpful
Comment
White
2021 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Bougros Côte Bouguerots
Light yellow. Apple aromas and palate. Medium weight, fine salinity, not that acidic. At least very good, but it doesn't have the presence or concentration of this cuvée in the best years.
White
2021 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos
Light yellow. Medium bodied. More expansive and better mouth coverage than the Côte Bouguerots, but not a particularly powerful or broad Clos. Again, I was surprised that the acidity seemed relatively tame. Verging on excellent.
White
2020 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Les Preuses
Medium yellow. Deeper weight and texture than either of the 2021 Grand Crus. Richer ripe lemon and algal flavors, excellent salinity and acidity. This easily outstrips the younger wines in depth and complexity, but it seems a little softer than when tasted a year ago.
White
2021 Hubert Lamy Saint-Aubin 1er Cru Les Frionnes Blanc
Yellow. Very textural with some wood contributing. Still taut, saline, great acidity and cut, mineral finish. Plenty of energy and concentration. One of the few 2021 whites that I found this mouth watering and promising.
White
2020 Hubert Lamy Saint-Aubin 1er Cru En Remilly Blanc
Magnum. Light yellow. Some reduction but easy to get past. Pear and apple attack. Rich and layered, powerful in the mouth with a long lemony finish laced with stone. Outstanding and one of the top whites of the day.
White
2021 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Clavoillon
Yellow. Toasty oak and pineapple. Medium body, excellent acidity, but the wood buries everything. Completely clunky.
White
2021 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatières
Medium yellow. Light wood and some citrus on the nose. Lighter and more airy than the Clavoillon but still quite oaky base. There is citrus and apple, but not enough depth of fruit to overcome the cooperage.
White
2021 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Pucelles
Yellow. Fragrant, forward apple. Lighter weight still, the most elegant feel of these 3 Premier Crus. Much better fruit/oak balance, terrific acidity, and a more transparent tart soil/mineral finish. This is much more acceptable, but it neither recaptures the past glories of this domain nor justifies its cult pricing. Good aging potential.
White
2021 Domaine Leflaive Bâtard-Montrachet
Round, creamy, and finally excellent concordance between the concentration of the wine and the amount of oak applied-good balance here. Outstanding citrus, spice, and acidity. Long, lingering feel, great finish. The only wine in the line up that is convincing and exciting. Truly outstanding amplitude for the year.
1 person found this helpful
Comment
White
2021 Domaine Francois et Antoine Jobard Meursault 1er Cru Charmes
Second time tasted this week. Yellow. Very light wood and bitter citrus aromas. Medium weight. Lovely balance between orange and soil. Not a big wine but very finely rendered. I really liked this.
White
2021 Domaine Francois et Antoine Jobard Meursault 1er Cru Les Genevrières
Yellow with green tint. More lime here. Medium weight, very elegant feel for Meursault. Leaner and tighter than the Charmes, wonderful soil and acidity. This is excellent too.
White
2019 Domaine Francois et Antoine Jobard Meursault 1er Cru Blagny
Light yellow. Medium+ body. Much rounder feel than the 2021's. Zesty lemon, more obvious oak but enough stuffing to support this. Very good length and natural sweetness.
Red
2021 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Volnay 1er Cru Santenots-Du-Milieu
Pale. Green aromas. Light weight. Some tart red fruit, a bit of char, earthy, tannic, and pretty thin on the finish. Okay but not much to it.
White
2021 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault 1er Cru Charmes
Lemony scents. Medium weight, some glycerine but not that textural.
Citrus, excellent acidity, only middling intensity, and moderately oaky finish. Good but I preferred the Jobard Charmes.
Citrus, excellent acidity, only middling intensity, and moderately oaky finish. Good but I preferred the Jobard Charmes.
White
2020 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières
Yellow. Touch of caramel but no oxidative notes. Much more layered and deep than the 2021 Charmes. Sweet bright citrus, some soil, great salinity, and a very long finish. Outstanding wine but at least for the moment, the roundness and amplitude of the year are obscuring the stoniness of this great site. I've got to believe that this emerge over time. This is constituted for the long run.
1 person found this helpful
Comment
Red
2021 Nicolas Rossignol Volnay 1er Cru Les Chevrets
Light red. Green tones. Good weight and sweetness. Tart red fruit, earthy finish. Nice crunchy Volnay more consistent with village wine.
Red
2021 Nicolas Rossignol Volnay 1er Cru Santenots
Dull light red. Mostly wintergreen on the nose. Light earthy feel with some char. Surprising depth of red and blue fruit, acidity gentler, not as crackling as in the Chevrets. Excellent potential, a real step up.
Red
2019 Nicolas Rossignol Volnay 1er Cru Santenots
Red core with outer fading. Discretely sweet dark fruit entry, char, outstanding acidity, and a serious, tannic finish of moderate length. Serious, persistent, and quietly powerful for Volnay. Outstanding potential but it needs a decade or more to unfold. Quietly impressive wine.
1 person found this helpful
Comment
Red
2021 Domaine Y. Clerget Volnay 1er Cru Santenots
Magnum. Pale red. Minty scents. Gently sweet red fruit turning tangy due to the acidity. Delicate feel with enough flesh. Tartly tannic finish. This should be excellent over the intermediate term.
Red
2021 Domaine Y. Clerget Volnay 1er Cru Caillerets
Magnum. Clear red. Lovely red fruit/herb aromas. Earthy medium to light weight, a touch of oak, and a terrifically fine feel. Real sweetness and sap for such a delicate wine. The finish is shorter, quite acidic but not shrill, and tannic, but I'd bet on this turning out very well and being superior to the Santenots with more time in bottle. This seems to have gotten all that it could from this type of year. I liked it a lot.
Red
2021 Domaine Y. Clerget Clos Vougeot
Light ruby.Floral berry aromas quite attractive. Medium weight, excellent concentration and sap. Dark red, blue, and black fruit complicated by herbs, moderate acidity, and dry soil filled tannins. Meatier than the Volnays, excellent hidden power. Give it 15+ years.
Red
2021 Domaine des Croix Corton-Grèves
Red. Lovely sappy red fruit with excellent amplitude. Bright acidity, lightly oaky base, very lively and surprisingly accessible. Excellent modern style Corton. I preferred this to the de Montille.
Red
2021 Bouchard Père et Fils Beaune 1er Cru Grèves Vigne de L'Enfant Jesus
Light red. Forward, complex wood char, dark fruit, and menthol. Medium weight, bright acids, lovely supple red fruit, and an open knit texture. Not at all tart, gentle tannins. This may not be a profound Enfant Jésus, but it stood out for its elegance and exquisite balance. Extremely successful for the year and a wine I would enthusiastically purchase for the cellar.
Red
2021 Bouchard Père et Fils Corton-Le Corton
Light red color. Greener aromas than the Enfant Jésus. Medium body, light wood base. Mixed fruit and soil with late blueberry. Gentle soil, excellent acidity, fine tannins, and overall, a very refined mouth feel. Also highly impressive, will last.
White
2021 Joseph Drouhin Beaune 1er Cru Clos des Mouches Blanc
Yellow. Waxy pear fruit. Medium weight. Nice sweetness, lots of soil, excellent acidity, reasonably succulent.
Red
2021 Joseph Drouhin Beaune 1er Cru Clos des Mouches Rouge
Light red. Gorgeous, fragrant spice, cut flowers, and red berries. Lighter weight. Subtly sweet red cherry, smoke, some sap, long soil base, and moderately tannic. Lovely wine that is so different than the monumental, dense 2020 but also well worth buying. Revisit in 5 years and beyond.
Red
2020 Joseph Drouhin Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses
Rudy with early fading. Fragrant red fruit, citrus, light mint nose. Medium to lighter weight. Swirling flavors of strawberry, caramel, and smoke with tangy acidity, a bit of sap and fine, lacy tannins. Oh my goodness, this is the essence of great Chambolle-elegance, balance, and class. Gorgeous and the best red wine I had today. This one compelled a second trip back to the table to drink some of this!
2 people found this helpful
Comment
Red
2021 Domaine de Montille Corton-Clos du Roi
Light red. Lightly stemmy. Medium to light weight. Nicely sweet, tangy red fruit, then austere, dry tannins and late earth. In a word, young Corton that should be buried for 20 years. I do like the fruit here though.
White
2021 Domaine de Montille Corton-Charlemagne
Yellow color. Rich yellow orchard fruit and oak aromas. Vanillin base, lemon, ripe pear, finely weighted acidity, slightly astringent finish. Excellent and potentially outstanding, the wood is in harmony with the weight and concentration of the wine.
Red
2021 Domaine Henri Gouges Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Saint Georges
Light red. Penetrating fennel. Medium weight. Sweet blue fruit, citrus, excellent acidity, and strongly soil inflected with a properly dry finish. I really like this-nothing weak vintage about it.
Red
2019 Domaine Henri Gouges Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Vaucrains
Full ruby. Ripe fruit and plenty of mint. Medium to full bodied. Char, dark cherry, excellent acidity, and a long, dry tannic finish. Chewy but nicely restrained. Superb, classic young Nuits. Fifteen years ago, a Gouges Vaucrain from such a big vintage would have been far less approachable and much less enjoyable.
Red
2021 Domaine d'Eugénie Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Brûlées
Light color. Light weight, mostly the soil but some nice red fruit. Approachable already, but this is pretty insubstantial and ephemeral at the Premier Cru level.
Red
2021 Domaine d'Eugénie Clos Vougeot
Light color and weight. Complex aromas including some spice. On the palate, mostly soil but you can feel the fruit in the background. Saline, chalky, lightly tannic finish. To be kind, this is a very pretty, elegant version of Clos Vougeot, but there really is not THAT much to it. I would be very unhappy to be forced to take an allocation at these prices since it falls short of Grand Cru substance and depth.
Red
2019 Domaine d'Eugénie Grands-Echezeaux
Medium ruby. Some wood along with mixed fruit on the nose. Medium to light weight. Superbly sweet, deep red and black fruit and prominent spice with excellent tannic/acid structure behind it all. Absolutely delicious and difficult to spit. Modern leaning, decades of potential due to the wonderful material and backbone. One of the top wines I had today and a world apart from the anemic 2021's.
Red
2021 Alain Hudelot-Noëllat Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Suchots
Clear red. Complicated green herb and cranberry nose. Light weight, elegant, silky feel already. Pure, tangy red fruit, great acidity, lovely veneer of soil, and fine tannins. Sigh-what a beauty and a raging success for the year. A great, consistent cuvée for Hudelot-Noëllat.
Red
2021 Alain Hudelot-Noëllat Romanée St. Vivant
Light ruby. Piercing green tones. Also lighter weight but surprising penetration, expansion, and impact. Less forward red fruit but more earth than the Suchots. Tarter in the mouth and more layered structure as well. An essentially delicate yet complete wine. Bravo, Charles van Canneyt for crafting such gorgeous wines from this challenging year.
Red
2021 Domaine Fourrier Gevrey-Chambertin Vieille Vigne
Pale. Tart fruit and spice aromas. Medium to light weight. Fruit pushed aside by assertive greenness, high acidity, and a bit of soil. This is penetrating but not in a good way. Overall, too dry and tart.
1 person found this helpful
Comment
Red
2021 Domaine Fourrier Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Combe aux Moines Vieille Vigne
Light ruby. Medium weight, much sappier, serious, balanced feel than the village wine. Chewy black fruit, soil, fine unobtrusive acidity, and well integrated moderate tannins. There is a huge quality gap between this and the Gevrey VV, and this is head and shoulders above any of the other 2021's shown by this producer today. The fruit is amazingly delectable.
Red
2021 Domaine Fourrier Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Cherbaudes Vieille Vigne
Pale. Already fragrant and perfumed. Light to medium weight, clay feel. Gently sweet black fruit, very good soil backdrop, moderate tannins. Elegant and fine but not as substantial and serious as the Comb aux Moines.
Red
2019 Domaine Fourrier Chambolle-Musigny Vieille Vigne
Light ruby. Light to medium weight. Surprisingly juicy, tangy black fruit, excellent acidity and soil followed by a dry, grainy finish. Very good village Chambolle that requires at least 5 more years to unclench.
2 people found this helpful
Comment
Red
2021 Domaine du Clos de Tart Clos de Tart
Pale. Fragrant green herbs. Elegant, light, subtle, and not a bit tart. Light red fruit, a little spice, gentle soil, and very refined tannins. Excellent and very fine in an ethereal light style. The question over time will be "Too light?" to be definitively outstanding wine.
Red
2019 Domaine du Clos de Tart Clos de Tart
Medium ruby. Oak on the nose. Medium weight, beautiful sappiness. Dark red and black fruit, excellent acidity, rich chocolate tannin, endless reserves of structure, and an appropriately dry finish. Quintessentially elegant, gorgeously harmonious Grand Cru. Fantastic and it should have a 30+ year life span from here. Another moving wine.
2 people found this helpful
Comment
Red
2021 Domaine Ponsot Chapelle-Chambertin
Medium color and weight. Sappy with an obviously woody base. Sweet cherry followed by excellent acidity, soil, and dry tannins. Needs to shed some oak, but an excellent Gevrey Grand Cru.
Red
2021 Domaine Ponsot Clos de la Roche Vieilles Vignes
Light ruby. Blueberry and soil. Lovely elegant medium weight. Complex palate of fruit, earth, fine acidity, and refined tannins that reach the gums. Tangy and long, elegant and really fine. This is a few steps ahead of the Chapelle and should have an outstanding future.
Red
2021 Georges Noellat Grands-Echezeaux
Light red. Fragrant, open green tones. Medium weight, very nice soil feel, lightly sappy. Blue fruit, light spice, drying tannins. Fine, correct, but not exciting.
Red
2020 Georges Noellat Echezeaux
Dark ruby. Deep sweet blackberry and blueberry, light wood. Roundly tannic finish. Modern, clean, simple, and not a lot of soul. These wines never seem to elicit a lot of joy for me.
Closing
Since I only tasted a fraction of the wines and gravitated toward trying the high end ones, I acknowledge the inherent biases and will try to avoid overly broad conclusions.
I am particularly hesitant to generalize about the whites since the sample size was small. That said, these wines had solid or better levels of acidity but less presence and depth than wines from other recent well structured white Burgundy vintages such as 2014 and 2017. Even excellent Grand Crus were not profound.
On the basis of the Premier Cru and Grand Cru reds I tasted, I would say that I was pleasantly surprised with many wines, finding the acidity less screechy than I expected and the weight and feel of the wines less meager and much more pleasing than early reviews suggested. Even at this level, though, there is a great deal of variability, and some wines will surely turn out to be too thin, fragile, and acidic. However, it is not a disaster across the board! If there are few profound examples, there are also a bunch of wines that are extremely pretty and poised to drink well over a period of 10 or more years. I was reminded of 2007 in this regard. If I were considering buying, I would wait for the inevitable discounting that will occur once 2021 is deeply in the shadows of 2020 and 2022 and then choose carefully amongst wines that have received positive early reviews from trusted sources. There is no reason to over promote this average at best year, but I think there is a place for a small amount of the wines in the cellar while waiting for bigger, more renowned red Burgundy vintages to mature.