Miscellaneous Notes from France
Paris and Burgundy
Tasted Saturday, November 5, 2011 - Friday, November 11, 2011 by drwine2001 with 856 views
Introduction
Apart from some great producer visits which I've noted separately, we were extraordinarily lucky to find and drink wonderful wines in a variety of venues. Food wasn't bad either. Vive la France!
2007 Domaine les Aurelles Coteaux du Languedoc Solen
France, Languedoc Roussillon, Languedoc, Coteaux du Languedoc
(11/5/2011)
Dark, spicy, good fruit, fairly open wthout too much alcohol or concentration. Good.
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2005 Domaine les Aurelles Languedoc-Pézenas Aurel
France, Languedoc Roussillon, Languedoc, Languedoc-Pézenas
(11/5/2011)
Lighter and leaner than the Solen. Far more tannic and less friendly. Built to age.
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2007 Jean Foillard Morgon Cuvée 3.14
France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Morgon
(11/5/2011)
Moderately dark. The richest bottle of this yet, with a ripe nose showing some alcohol, but it settled down to its normal sappy self with good minerality. Still, not as crisp and clear as I'm used to from this vintage.
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2008 François Raveneau Chablis Grand Cru Blanchot
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
(11/5/2011)
Pale. All tide pool aromas at first, then picked up white flowers toward the end. Delicate, brisk, mouthwatering acidity, yet wonderfully layered texture and great persistence. Subtle, finely etched and primed for a great, long run.
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2008 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru
(11/5/2011)
Also pale. Immediately shows more citrus fruit than the Blanchot (orange blossom?), but evolves to have more seashells on the nose. Bigger and slightly more intense than the Grand Cru with brisk '08 acidity, but not as fine and filigreed. This is splitting hairs, though; fantastic wine as well.
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2006 Geantet-Pansiot Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Feusselottes
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru
(11/5/2011)
Light ruby. Forward aromatics of red fruit and toffee leap out of the glass. Woody base, fairly voluminous for Chambolle, ripe fruit with a twist of sour cherry. Very good modern expression, although not the laciest wine you'll taste from this appellation.
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2009 Georges Descombes Morgon Vieilles Vignes
France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Morgon
(11/6/2011)
Beautiful even ruby. Dazzling nose full of sour cherry and violets. Light to medium weight with pure fruit, herbs, snappy acidity and a distinctly savory bouillon brothiness at the end. Brilliant balance. This discretely elbowed its way into being one of my favorite Morgons from this vintage that has produced so many great examples. I love the way it incorporates but does not exaggerate the richness of the material, restraining it with its acidity. Fabulous Beaujolais.
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1995 Pierre Morey Bourgogne-Aligoté
France, Burgundy, Bourgogne-Aligoté
(11/6/2011)
Half bottle served to us blind in a wine shop. Medium yellow. A bit of lees and floral. Medium weight. I guessed 2002 white Burgundy, but that was as far as I could get. What a crazy one off it turned out to be. Unbelievable to have an Aligoté from a renowned premox vintage be so fresh out of this format. Quite good if more neutral in flavor than Chardonnay-based wines. However, its freshness would have caused many of its more exalted brethren to blush in embarrassment.
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NV Jacques Selosse Initial
France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
(11/6/2011)
July, 2010 disgorgement. Light color. Active small bubbles. Upon smelling the wine, my first reaction was "My goodness, this wine is so alive!". Citrus, ginger and just a touch of caramel. Medium weight, the flavors are dominated by ginger and then finish with high acidity and crushed stone. Fascinating, riveting wine.
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2009 Lucien Crochet Sancerre Le Chêne
France, Loire Valley, Upper Loire, Sancerre
(11/6/2011)
Grapefruit and lemon oil. Good mouth coating feel. Ripe fruit but retains its vibrance and bounce much better than most '09 Sancerres. Very good, one of the best I've tried, in fact.
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2004 Domaine Jamet Côte-Rôtie
France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie
(11/7/2011)
Dark ruby with tawny edge. What a nose! You could smell this all week. Just essence of Cote Rotie-smoke, flowers, charred meat. Lean entry, mint and black fruit, fantastic acidity that is brisk without being screechy. Over 2 hours, it put on a bit of weight and became notably sweeter. The '04s continue to be my kind of vintage, displaying great structure, finesse, and gracefully slow evolution. This held our attention and interest from the first sip to the last drop.
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2004 Vincent Dauvissat (René & Vincent) Chablis Grand Cru Les Preuses
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
(11/7/2011)
Incredibly light color. The initial impression is very different from my tasting of a year ago, with more forward lemon and orange rind than seashell notes. At the very end, though, this "essence of Chablis" side speaks more forcefully. Glycerine, almost sweet entry, but then a whirlwind of acidity and minerality on the finish that last in the mouth for a full minute after you swallow the wine. Not a big wine but it certainly packs a wallop. Indescribably great interplay between fruit and structure. Will hold very well.
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2008 Brac de la Perriere Fleurie Grille-Midi
France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Fleurie
(11/8/2011)
Pale with slught browning. A bit dilute and herbaceous in the style of the vintage, but it definitely perks up to show brighter red fruit and ultimately has more to it than many other '08s I've tried.
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2009 Coudert Fleurie Clos de la Roilette Cuvée Tardive
France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Fleurie
(11/8/2011)
Dark, sappy, and ripe. Tremendous palate presence. Not the most focused 2009, but impressive nonetheless for its profound volume and black cherry fruit. I think this will regain structure with further aging, not that it wasn't great to try it again now.
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1996 Domaine du Château de Chorey (Germain) Beaune 1er Cru Vignes Franches Vieilles Vignes
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Beaune 1er Cru
(11/8/2011)
Beautiful mature color and scents of red fruit and earth. Gently sweet, mature and lingering. Sweetness of fruit, sous bois notes and no overbearing acidity. A gorgeous '96 from an underrated domain.
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2005 Trimbach Riesling Cuvée Frédéric Emile
France, Alsace
(11/8/2011)
Oh lord, one of the leanest and most mouth puckering one of these I've ever had, and I mean that in a positive way! Thrilling underrripe pineapple and papaya give a delicious, mouth twisting performance. This will be great in 5-8 years-reminds me of the '01. Must buy!
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2000 Domaine Méo-Camuzet Clos Vougeot
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru
(11/8/2011)
Deep color. Earthy and head spinningly spicy-full of cloves and cinnamon. Great amplitude, ripeness, and acidity, especially for the vintage. Showing brilliantly. Outstanding bottle and very supple and smooth for Clos Vougeot.
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2009 Domaine Huet Vouvray Moelleux 1ère Trie Clos du Bourg
France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray
(11/8/2011)
Goodness! Perfection. Completely harmonious texture, moderate sweetness, pristine pear, pineapple and honey. We were all in awe of the beauty of this wine, even at such a young age. It provided a fantastic finish to a great dinner in Beaune.
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2000 Domaine Michel Lafarge Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Chênes
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru
(11/9/2011)
Light, tawny and mature. Some funk, red fruit and mint. Classic light body. Pretty red fruit but not quite enough acidity, so it seems blurry. Sweetens a bit, but finish remains a tad astringent and stalky. Good but disappointing.
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2009 Jean-Paul & Benoit Droin Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
(11/9/2011)
Ripe lemon aromatics. Lots of citrus, more richness and less distinctive Chablis notes and cut than I'd like. B+ as a Chardonnay, B as a Chablis, B-/C+ for a Les Clos. This does not really overcome the limitations of the vintage.
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2001 Domaine Dujac Bonnes Mares
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Bonnes Mares Grand Cru
(11/9/2011)
Half bottle. Deep ruby and unevolved looking. Animal, dark nose. Medium weight, fairly tight black fruit and soil that powerfully expansds to fill every corner of the mouth. Penetrating acids. I was struck by how rugged and un-Dujac-like the feel was, but it is clear that in this vintage at least, the terroir trumps the winemaking signature. Excellent or possibly much better than that with further bottle aging.
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2007 Domaine Ghislaine Barthod Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Cras
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru
(11/9/2011)
Oh my, utterly sexy-delicate, sweet strawberry fruit with the perfume and silkiness to match. Low tannins and absolutely carressing texture. With air, it shows a bit more tart fruit. Absolutely gorgeous now. The lighter nature of the vintage works perfectly to ameliorate the density of the cru and yield a textbook Chambolle. A ravishing beauty, and in retrospect, this is probably the most seductive wine we had the whole trip.
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2005 Domaine G. Roumier / Christophe Roumier Morey St. Denis 1er Cru Clos de La Bussière
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Morey St. Denis 1er Cru
(11/9/2011)
Like a sledgehammer after the exquisite Barthod, this took some major recalibration. Dense, dark and full of black fruit and licorice. Massive in the mouth with amazingly penetrating acids, the only thing that makes it approachable and extremely enjoyable now is the fine round, ripe quality of the tannins. With decanting, it loosens a bit and even shows some redder fruit. Protypical Morey, all it needs is 20, 30, or 40 years to show its stuff. A bruiser.
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2005 Vincent Dauvissat (René & Vincent) Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
(11/10/2011)
We were delighted to find this for lunch after tasting at the domain. Tasted next to the 2004 Raveneau Les Clos. Starts out with rich, ripe lemon oil, but over 2 hours, it metamorphosizes into classic Dauvissat Grand Cru with great focus and powerful minerality. Fantastic-just don't be fooled by the initial impression. I see that I had not previously noted this, but I recall tasting it out of barrel in 2006, when many of the wines in the range seemed rich and showed a little botrytis that raised the question of how they would age. It seems as though the answer is "very well". The contrast with the lusher Raveneau style was striking (even when this was compared against a wine from the more classically lean earlier vintage).
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2004 François Raveneau Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
(11/10/2011)
This was brought out instead of the '04 Valmur that they couldn't locate-lucky us! Still pale. First, fascinating verbena and white flowers. Starts out tight, then blossoms buttery notes, hazelnut Raveneau scents and broader flavors. Finally, more powerful Clos structure and less of the Raveneau signature are on display, and it compresses and becomes leaner and more focused again. A wine in 3 acts, each of which deserved an ovation. Tremendous stuff although today I preferred the Dauvissat Clos for its more classic style, even from a contrasting vintage that I often find a bit fat.
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2005 Domaine G. Roumier / Christophe Roumier Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Cras
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru
(11/10/2011)
Unbelievably deep robe. After an hour decant, huge for Chambolle but approachable due to the volume of red fruit. It combines a lush feel with a powerful attack that is driven by both bright acids and tannins that rise through the finish. Some sense of soil as well. This will never be known as a wine of finesse, but it has Grand Cru concentration and power. I trust long aging will result in a monumental wine but one that might never be picked out as a Chambolle because of its density.
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2006 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos St. Jacques
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
(11/10/2011)
Fascinating comparison with the Roumier. Lighter medium ruby. Begins with wonderful soil and iron, then adds some green herbs to the mix. Already savory and complex with red fruits. My only qualm is that the acidity seemed lowish, giving some diffuseness in the mid-palate. Excellent and a good drink now, but may not have the staying power of other vintages of this wine.
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2009 Joseph Drouhin Beaune 1er Cru Clos des Mouches Rouge
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Beaune 1er Cru
(11/10/2011)
Light to medium color. Medicinal black cherry fruit with some surmaturité. Light weight but picks up some sap. The sweetness of the blue and red fruit is balanced by sound acids and a good lashing of earth, but this is still too ripe for my personal taste.
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2009 Domaine de Chantemerle Chablis
France, Burgundy, Chablis
(11/10/2011)
Ripe citrus. Medium weight, nice texture. Easy, early drinking wine that finishes with more minerality than is apparent upfront. Good even though it competed with some Chablis titans today.
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1989 Trimbach Riesling Cuvée Frédéric Emile Vendanges Tardives
France, Alsace
(11/11/2011)
Light golden. A panoply of fruit aromas-peach, lemon, pear, and even a touch of apricot. All of this mixed with black tea and secondary petrol notes as it opened. Off dry, completely fresh, little or no botrytis. It got drier as it sat in the glass and was a fantastic accompaniment to everything from a curried crab dish to duck. What a fabulous wine! Rich rather than overtly sweet VT style. This has aged magnificently and makes me wonder what the 2 Clos Ste. Hune VTs from this year are doing.
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2005 Trimbach Gewurztraminer Vendanges Tardives
France, Alsace
(11/11/2011)
The sommelier was kind enough to pour this for us after he noticed how much we enjoyed an older Trimbach Riesling. Medium yellow. Classic lychee, pieapple and rose, but subdued so as not to be too perfumed or floral. More dense and unctuous than the Frederic Emile VT and less finely detailed. No botrytis. Broad flavors, off dry, extremely well balanced due to crisp acidity, very long finish. Superb Gewurztraminer even though I generally shun this varietal. Bravo, Trimbach!
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NV Philippe Gonet Champagne Grand Cru Signature Blanc de Blancs Brut Mesnil
France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
(11/11/2011)
Pale. Yeasty, green apple nose. Light, dry, herbal with strongly mineral finish. Very good, pure and with real drive.
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NV Philippe Gonet Champagne Brut Rosé
France, Champagne
(11/11/2011)
Salmon colored. Strawbery aromatics. Medium weight on attack but lea, tannic finish with low dosage. Good but not as riveting as the Blanc de Blancs.
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2007 Moreau-Naudet & Fils Chablis 1er Cru Les Forêts
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru
(11/11/2011)
Pale. Light, pure, some herbs and apples, and a host of briny oyster notes. Delicate wine with nice palate and flavor authority. Perhaps not as fantastic as I predicted when I tasted it at the domain 2 years ago, but still excellent. Nice to find it on a Parisian list.
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2010 Domaine Huet Vouvray Sec Le Haut-Lieu
France, Loire Valley, Touraine, Vouvray
(11/11/2011)
Light yellow. Excellent mix of ripe pear scents, glycerine feel on the entry, and great acid/quinine finish to bring it back to the land of uncompromisingly dry wine. First 2010 Huet tasted and very promising.
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1999 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Volnay 1er Cru Santenots-Du-Milieu
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru
(11/11/2011)
Dark, dense and primary. Exciting whiff of perfume and candied fruit. Even after a 2 hour decant, though, the wine is blockish with a marked wood base and no sense of lightness whatsoever. On the positive side, lots of black and red fruit and excellent acidity. As it opens, it develops a strong chocolatey character that is presumably from the oak. It will last, but will it improve or turn into something remotely resembling Volnay? I would doubt it. Many of the Lafon red wines from the '90s have left me scratching my head. Maybe I'm trying them too early, but they generally have had little in the way of Volnay charm or laciness.
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