Burgundy 2011 Day 5: Visit to Domaine Newman

Our very last tasting of the trip. Off to a friendly place just 10 minutes walk from our hotel in Beaune then - Domaine Newman, where we were hosted for a quick tasting and dinner with Jane, the winemaker who was also JP's daughter-in-law. The wines in some way reflect her character - youthful, easygoing, friendly and approachable, and always a pleasure to be with. A nice, relaxed way to end a long but very fulfilling week in Burgundy.

• 2010 Domaine Newman Côte de Beaune Villages 87 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Côte de Beaune Villages

  Very decent. The nose on the wine was throwing off a bit of gas at first, but past that there was nice flowery secents and a dose of strawberries. Attractive enough. The palate was rather pretty, with fine structure and lovely balance to its clean, fresh strawberry flavours. Simple, but very drinkable with a bright summery fruit character. There was not much of a finish to talk about, ending with a little twist of zesty orange peel, but this was a fun, early drinking wine. 87-88

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• 2010 Domaine Newman Monthélie 89 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Monthélie

  Another very decent wine - I thought this was a bit of step-up from the Cote de Beaune village. It had a bit of an awkward post-malo nose, but past the gassy bits, one got fresh cherry fruit scents, some orange peel, touch of earth and a layer of smoky oak. It will take some time to settle down, but I liked what we found there. The palate had a nice roundness to is and a surprising amount of depth for a Monthelie from 2010. Really nice red fruited flavours here, with pure cherries and red berries and a pretty floral accent towards a nicely lengthy finish that showed fine tannins and a touch of mouthwatering acidity, with just a touch of bramble at the very end. Nice stuff. This should be really nice early drinking stuff when bottled. 89-90

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• 2010 Domaine Newman Mazis-Chambertin 91 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru

  Pretty good. A bit awkward bouquet though, with an amount of reduction and still quite a bit of oak and post-malo gas. Past that, there was a nice hit of Gevrey-ness, with dark cherries, some BBQ meat, earth, and bits of peppery spice. The palate was a bit more welcoming. Lots of peppery spice on the attack made way for meat, earth and mineral nuances framed by nicely fine tannins that carried the wine towards a fresh, open finish that had a ring of purity to its dark cherry and blackberry fruit. Not the greatest depth or power, but I liked the elegance and focus on the wine. Not bad at all, if not exactly being world-beating. 90-92

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• 2010 Domaine Newman Bonnes Mares 91 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Bonnes Mares Grand Cru

  Another Grand Cru that was pretty good without being quite great. The nose here was rather more giving than the Mazis though - Dark cherries, a bit of blueberry, earth, minerally spice and herb scents - thyme and rosemary maybe. The palate was very bright, with lots of expressive flavours of dark cherries, blueberries and touch of roast meat, all wrapped in very silky tannins. Lacks some depth for a Grand Cru, especially on the finish, but otherwise an elegant, easy to drink showing. 89-92

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• 2009 Domaine Newman Monthélie 89 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Monthélie

  I kinda liked this. It had a very nice nose - an earthy backdrop, nice dark fruit at the foreground, some herbs - sprigs of sage and thyme, a little layer of oak, really quite attractive. The palate still had some overt oak on the attack, but it was very nicely round, full, with fresh dark fruit flavours drape upon a little layer of earth. The finish was a bit short, with oak notes standing out alongside fine, but clearly present tannins. Not bad overall, but it needs some time to integrate, to dial down on the oak and to soften-up. Should make a good wine though.

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• 2009 Domaine Newman Beaune 1er Cru Avaux 88 Points

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

  An enjoyable wine. Very fine nose here. Lots of violets, fine minerality, scents of fresh plums and dark berries - very pretty. The palate was very fresh, very floral, with lots of sweet black and blue fruits leading into a gentle finish that had a caress of silky tannins. Not too long, a bit simple, but certainly not boring. Pleasant enough.

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• 2009 Domaine Newman Mazis-Chambertin 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru

  I enjoyed this - may not be world-class, but it was certainly nice to drink. Lovely nose here. Lots of fine mineral notes, some stone, some metal, shading into low toned scents of loamy earth, mushroom and game meat playing on a dark fruited background. Deep, lovely stuff. The palate was fresh and lively with tingly acidity and really fine tannins running alongside very nice dark cherry and blueberry flavours. Very elegant on the finish too, with touches of bramble, herbs and spice. A bit short, not super depth, but otherwise very nice and fun to drink. I do not think it will go on to be a great Mazis, but it will provide lots of early drinking pleasure.

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• 2009 Domaine Newman Côte de Beaune Blanc 87 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune

  Decent for what it is. Nose was very high-toned, with lots of lemony scents, some toasty hints, some nuts and lots of chalky mineral aromas. The creamily textured palate had a clean feel to it and some tingly acidity running through fleshy white fruit note. Simple, and it seems to need a bit more energy and length, but this was otherwise a really pleasant, easy to drink white.

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• 2008 Domaine Newman Côte de Beaune 88 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune

  This is the kind of wine I would be looking for at this range. Pretty nose showed lovely red cherry fruit scents littered with flowers and earth accents. The palate may have been simple, but it was very yummy, with sweet red fruited expressions of cherries and berries playing off a nice acid lift. Very fresh fun and great with food. A humble wine, but one that was really nice to drink.

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• 2008 Domaine Newman Beaune 1er Cru Avaux 89 Points

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

  Another very decent wine. Very lovely nose, lots of earthiness, with loam, damp soil, some umami and mushroom, all layered over a waft of dark cherry fruit scents. It was nicely balanced on the palate, with bright fresh cherry fruit showing a citrus lift one the mid-palate, a hint of lime leaf maybe, and a then moving into a lingering finish with fresh cut flower hints. Simple, but elegant and focused. A nice effort.

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• 2008 Domaine Newman Pommard Vieilles Vignes 90 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Pommard

  This was a solid village. Like many of the other Domaine Newman wines, it had a really attractive nose, where a little touch of sweet oak framed perfumy scents dark fruit, damp earth, a bit of mushroom and some saline minerality. The palate was very nicely shaped, with a fresh balance and silky tannins forming the backdrop for pure fruit flavours with floral notes around. It had nice enough depth on the midpalate, and an open, generous finish with dark fruit sprinkled with peppery spice and a hint of sweet oak notes. Lovely to drink, very yummy, maybe lacking the depth and breadth of a great wine, but this was a really nice village.

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• 2008 Domaine Newman Beaune 1er Cru Grèves 89 Points

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

  A step down from the Pommard VV somehow, but nevertheless a decent wine. Nose was very Beaune, with earthy notes of dried soil and mushrooms married to a little dose of dark fruit. The palate took on the same tone. Soft and silky, it showed flavours of dark cherries and berries braced by nice acidity, lots of florals and a soft, plush finish. Delicious forward drinking wine with a nice fresh ring to it. Nothing special, but you could do worse than this over a nice meal.

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• 2006 Domaine Newman Mazis-Chambertin 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru

  From a magnum. Now, this I thought was very good - my favourite of the lot we had at Domaine Newman by some distance. It had a lovely nose, full of sweet spice, meat, earth, red fruit, all ringed with a nice musky edge. Lovely stuff, very Gevrey yet with a little feminine touch to it. Same thing could very much be said of the palate as well I think. It had a lovely silkiness to it and bright, delicious flavours of orange peel, spice and lots of lovely red fruit in the shape or juicy cherries and strawberries all gliding through the mouth in a bed of the slinkiest, most elegant tannins. Beautiful integration and a nice lingering finish with spice and mineral notes sliding away into the distance rounded the wine off. One day later, when the remainder was brought to a picnic and drank over a roasted Bresse chicken, it was every bit as good, silky, juicy, deliciously fruity - this may not be the longest aging Grand Cru, but it was really nice on the day. Lovely stuff and a real delight to drink.

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• 2008 Domaine Newman Bonnes Mares 91 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Bonnes Mares Grand Cru

  Pretty decent as red Burgs go, but unlike the 2006 Mazis that preceded it (which had clearly Grand Cru pedigree), this was a bit of a letdown for its terroir. The nose was nice enough - lots of fruit here, with expressive scents of blueberries, plums and dark cherries spiced with a floral touch. The palate took that up, showing a rich attack, where clean, pure blueberry flavours were made by silky tannins that lended a nice sense of structure. There was certainly decent depth here, indeed depth that set it apart from the 1er Crus we tasted alongside, but it was just a tad simple and short on the finish for a Grand Cru. Drinking nicely now, it should improve with time, but I have doubts that this wine will ever show better then a good, solid red Burg.

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