Beaune-Themed Wines

This tasting was divided up into three flights: a sparker and two whites, five beaunes, and three new world pinots. All wines were tasted blind and revealed at the end of each flight. While some showed their best, I feel a lot of these wines were too young to show everything they've got in store. But drinking lots of pinot and complaining that it needs age is an honored tradition for those of us who don't have endless storage space and don't think ten years down the road. The food and service at Ardeo was to be noted. Thanks Tim for arranging this! And thanks to the copious amount of great wine for a Tuesday morning hangover.

• 2000 Mumm Napa DVX 90 Points

  USA, California, Napa Valley

  very aromatic with chalk and lemons. intense palate that bursts with chalk, lemon and cherries. there's a sweetness to this, but it's not cloying at all. the minerality and acid are refreshing. all this is backed up by a creamy mouthfeel. like quality champagne but with a bit of california love. very nice way to start the evening.

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• 2007 Remi Jobard-Chabloz Meursault 1er Cru Charmes 88 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru

  captivating nose of pears, white flowers, bit of honey. smooth and elegant on the palate with baked pears, honeycomb and minerals. this wine was a bit closed, and i'm sure it has more to offer. it opened up with time and showed much better at room temperature. a few years would help i imagine.

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• 2006 Jean Rijckaert Savigny-lès-Beaune Les Vermots Dessus Blanc 90 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Savigny-lès-Beaune

  tasted right after the mersault les charmes and, wow!, what a different wine. its golden colored like an aged white rhone. the nose gets even more interesting. no exaggeration, this wine showed oil, honeycomb, coconut and orange marmalade. full, almost thick on the palate, with gobs of pineapple, honey and corn pops cereal. acid comes through on the end, leaves the palate refreshed. each time i thought i knew what this wine was, something would hit me and throw that off. i think i went through california, white rhones, chenin, and finally threw up my hands tasting this blind. i love a wine that surprises and intrigues me, and i loved this.

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• 2006 Domaine Roblet-Monnot Volnay Saint-Francois 89 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay

  dark ruby colored. gorgeous nose of sweet cherries, violets, a farm with sheep, rolling hills, the whole thing. smells like... burgundy, which is why i love burgundy. i can seriously smell the land in this wine. really seductive, dense tannins, but the minerality and acid make it lively. opened up with air to get even more expressive

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• 1999 Daniel Largeot Beaune 1er Cru Grèves 90 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Beaune 1er Cru

  medium ruby color suggesting a bit of age. this burgundy is stinkier on the palate, with pickles and bacon fat, but underneath it all is rich dark cherries. on the palate, sour cherries galore! silky mouthfeel. the edges of this wine have smoothed and it sure tasted like it was at its peak. a very distinct black tea note on the finish. would've liked to taste this after a day open just to see if it would hold up, but it was drinking very well.

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• 2007 Bernard Dugat-Py Pommard La Levrière Vieilles Vignes 91 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Pommard

  bing cherries, smoke and some toast on the nose. sour cherries, minerals, meat and pepper on a full, tannic frame with lots of acid. wow. this wine is not bashful, but there's still an underlying elegance. did i rate this higher because it really stood out from the rest? maybe. is that why sometimes bigger wines get rated higher when lined up against more restrained wines? maybe. but was this an absolute joy to drink? absolutely. kind of ballsy to drink this now, but glad i got to taste it at this point. gorgeous, and this will only get better.

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• 2007 Domaine des Lambrays Morey-Saint-Denis 88 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Morey-Saint-Denis

  bold nose of fresh cherries, pepper and red licorice. really bright on the palate. sour cherries are a little tart for me. not a ton of umph to it, but i like the combination of fresh minerality and earthy flavors.

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• 2005 Domaine Roblet-Monnot Volnay Saint-Francois 90 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay

  the nose was tight at first, really tight. i gave it time and it got better and better to show cherries, melted candy, loam and earth. the balance on this wine is really sexy. cherry fruit is backed up with rawhide and beef jerky and a long finish. very young. wasn't surprised that this was an 05.

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• 2006 Hanzell Pinot Noir 91 Points

  USA, California, Sonoma County, Sonoma Valley

  the nose on this wine is huge and intoxicating. tons of cherries, some white pepper, and cola, the good kind, like from a 50s-style diner. rich, plush, gorgeous mouthfeel. tons of fruit here, but its still refined. its very young, but i didn't find this wine goopy. very long finish. first wine of the new world flight and, oh yes, toto, we're not in burgundy anymore.

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• 2006 Flynn Vineyards Pinot Noir 83 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  restrained nose of cranberries. light cherries on the palate. not very complex. tannins seem weak. gave it some time, but it didn't change. there were other, better wines to drink so i moved on after a few tastes of this.

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• 2007 Evesham Wood Pinot Noir 88 Points

  USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley

  medium purple color. cocoa powder and blackberries on the nose. fruit on the nose and palate is much darker than the rest of the pinots in this tasting. a bit of alcohol, but the blackberry and loamy flavors keep it in check. maybe a bit young at this point.

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