A Night of Great Burgs (and a Riesling)

At the end of a very stressful week, E and I were rewarded by an impromptu night of some truly great wines and the company of some of our best friends. Jonathan put this together on a whim over lunch with Alex and I earlier in the week, and along with some of his friends and our spouses, we trooped down to his apartment in the beautiful restored Ascott building. I expected some good wines, but blind though they were, it soon became obvious that we had some really quite special bottles on our hands, including a trio of Gevreys that were about as impressive an expression of the village as I have ever had. We drank in a rather head-over-heels fashion this evening - the big-gun reds came out first, followed by the lighter ones, than a nice white, an finally the the sweets, including a jaw-droppingly good Egon Muller. Somehow, it really worked. What a night! So good that we felt compelled to head down the road for Korean fried chicken past 1am.

• 2007 Domaine Leroy Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Aux Combottes 94 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru

  What a way to start the night! This was stunning for a young 1er Cru from an unfashionable vintage. It had an absolutely beautiful Gevrey nose, just overflowing with lush, earthy aromas, mushroomy umami, boiled winter melon and a core of ringingly clear red cherry wreathed by a wafting floral lilt, all this playing on a little backdrop of oak, wood spice and stems that were so very Leroy. The palate seemed a lot older than it was - again very Leroy in that aspect - with velvety tannins wrapped around delectable pure red fruit flavours that were at once juicy with the bright-high-toned acidity of the vintage and yet rich with the sappiness that is so much a mark of its maker. These were then ran through with complex notes of earth, bloody meat, metally minerality and wood spice - all interesting nuances lent to the wine by the judicious use of stems. No mean feat in a vintage that has turned up more than its far share of slightly green wines. Boy this was good. The wine was so full, generous and integrated that I thought it may have been a 1996, another high-acid year, rather than a 2007! A bit of austerity and minerally muscle in the background made me guess it was a Clos St Jacques but, on reflection, it could just as well have been from Combottes with its cooler terroir. The finish was every bit as impressive as the rest of palate, long, full, harmonious, yet edgy with its great freshness and mouthfilling flavors of wood spice, earth and and stems. Right at the very end, I thought it might have been just a bit too stemmy for some tastes. Otherwise, what a knockout wine. It deserves many, many more years for sure, but in the context of its vintage and terroir, this was a brilliant effort - easily a match for all but the most accomplished Grand Crus in 2007.

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• 2004 Bernard Dugat-Py Mazis-Chambertin 94 Points

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

  Truly excellent. Another Gevrey, and another hit. This was a lovely Mazis and, as a bonus, yet one more red Burg from 2004 not to suffer overtly from green meanies - more bottles like this and the slow rehabilitation of the vintage in my estimation will truly pick up pace. This was still very young, but was perhaps the most ready of the big guns on the night. It had a huge nose, practically bursting out of the glass with each swirl, showering the olfactory senses with lots of toast and roasted meat scents, deep dark cherry aromas, floral wafts and a halo of wood spice, stems and green peppers. The green was certainly in there and noticeable, but so deeply impressive were the masculine, meaty, earthy, dark cherry-ish aromas that the stemmier notes seemed a nice complement, a counterpoint, rather than a distraction. After that nose, it was certainly no surprise to find a palate that was really big, full and powerfully built - muscular almost - about as archetypal a Mazis-Chambertin as one could imagine. It started out round, full, fleshy, with a mouthful of pure, rich, dark cherries and plums absolutely layering the mid-palate. No question there was Grand Cru weight here. But past that, the finish spoke less of the fruit, but more of a firm but very finely built structure, with savoury meat and wood spice notes flecked with stemmy Chinese herbs. Long and detailed and very structured, yet already well-integrated and quite harmonious, this was very impressive. Here again, whatever green there was seemed to add to the wine rather than to distract from its quality. Overall, I found this wine rather more obvious than the 2007 Leroy Combottes than preceded it, a bit brawnier maybe, more rustic or less classy in some senses, yet it was outrightly delicious and very pleasing in its own way. Like many of the wines on the night, this was still tight at points and needs a lot of time yet, but it was a smashing wine nonetheless and one that has a great future ahead of it. Yum.

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• 2007 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Chambertin-Clos de Bèze 94 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru

  The third of a stunning trio of young Gevreys. This was the least ready of the lot, so that there was little to choose between this and its stablemates on the day, but I have a sneaky suspicion that long-term aging will see this far outperforming both the Leroy Combottes and the Dugat-Py Mazis. Of the three wines, this had perhaps the most obviously Gevrey nose. Expressive, red-fruited, it showed beautifully sweet scents of raspberries, cranberries and morello cherries, almost maraschino-like at points, alongside bits of earth and smoke and a perfumy, flower-filled back-note that could almost be Chambolle. The palate was still really tight though, far tighter than the nose - it was scored firm, fine tannins running through an attack that carried rather less flesh and sap than you would expect from a young Rousseau Beze. However, in spite of the youth and the less than stellar vintage, this had all the great intensity and depth that you would expect of a top Grand Cru, with almost crystalline purity in its mouth-filling flavours of red cherries and berries laced with sweet spice and another touch of dried flowers. In spite of all that intensity, this seemed to be the most effortlessly graceful of the Gevreys, with a lovely balance and focus that was obvious from the attack and all the way into a long, full and perfectly integrated finish that pulled away with a joyful flush of sweet red-fruit and a pucker of fine tannins. This was a truly great wine - quite an extraordinary achievement for 2007. Barely out of its nappies for now, I would love to taste it again in a decade or so.

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• 1999 Carré-Courbin Volnay 1er Cru Clos de la Cave des Ducs 93 Points

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

  I thought this was an excellent wine. It was a real pity that it was served alongside a trio of staggeringly good Gevreys, so that it almost got lost within the crowd. It was even more of a pity considering that this was one at once a very intellectual wine that called for lots of attention to tease out its nuances, as well as being one of those 1999s that have yet to throw off their cloak of austerity. I must say it had a lovely nose though, with earthy, loamy, meaty aromas, a bit of Burg funk there, layered on a backdrop of sweet dark cherry and red berry fruit aromas and ringed by just a touch of smoky spice. Very attractive, with a lush, voluptuous Volnay femininity. The palate was a bit of change of gear after that though. There were some lovely, rich, sweet dark cherry expressions on the attack, but these were so laced with bright, lively acidity that the seemed really clean, clear, almost cool in spite of its richness - this made some people guess Chambolle rather than Volnay I think. On to the mid-palate, and here it was also a bit austere, with a clenched tightness that peeked out from amidst the fruit. Beyond that though, the wine certainly had a nice purity of expression as it rode upon a structure of fine firm tannins and elegant lines. The long juicy finish was full of character as well, filling the back-palate with notes of ashy, smoky minerality and black tea flavours that pulled away with sneaky length. This was really a quietly impressive that would have done muvh better with a small group of people over a leisurely dinner. A nice duck confit would have been just about perfect. On the night, it was rather a pity that it was all but overshadowed by its company. Otherwise, I would certainly recommend this bottle for laying down over the short to medium-term - it should be brilliant in another 3-4 years.

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• 2009 Domaine Anne Gros Chambolle-Musigny La Combe d'Orveau 91 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny

  I thought this was an excellent village lieu-dit. Anne Gros normally delivers quality from this plot, but the coolness of the Combe seems to have lifted the wine to an even higher notch in a warm, fleshy vintage like 2009. The bottle had been opened for a couple of hours before I got to it and, straight of the bat, the nose wafted out of the glass with notes of menthol, pinpricks of spice, flowers, sweet red fruits and earth - a very pretty bouquet. The palate was really nice as well. It had the ripe sweetness of the vintage in its morello cherry and raspberry flavours, and more depth than usual for a village, but this was wed to a lovely cut and acidity that is rather more uncommon amongst 2009s - a mark of the microclimate in the Combe perhaps. The finish was really pretty too, floating away with a waft of flowers. A silky, feminine wine that was every bit a Chambolle, this may not have been in the same league as the 1er Crus and Grand Crus that we had on this night of embarassing riches, but it was about as good a village as I have had in a long time.

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• 2008 Claude Dugat Bourgogne 89 Points

  France, Burgundy, Bourgogne

  I thought this was a nice little Bourgogne. It had a lovely Gevrey-ish nose, with gentle aromas of meat, earth and red cherries along with some flowery perfume - nice stuff. The palate was a mouthful of high-toned sour cherry flavours laced by fresh, bright acidity and fine tannins. Simple, a bit strident in its brightness at points, but otherwise very fun, friendly and pleasant - a wine that was seemingly bursting with youthful exuberance. I could see this doing very well with a simple chicken dish.

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• 2004 Domaine Michelot Meursault Les Narvaux 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault

  Really good. This was sure proof that the last bottle was flawed. This was just lovely - as good, or even better than the first time I tried it and fell in love with the bottling, this was easily punching at a good 1er Cru level. It had a beautiful nose, all almonds, white asparagus and cream layered over a core of pear fruit scents. The palate was excellent as well. The high acidity of the vintage worked beautifully to add a wonderful freshness and cut to the creamy, mushroomy flavours on the attack. The midpalate had a lovely, mouthwatering expression of white pear fruit just before the finish set in, lingering away with a nice show of dry extract - lots of minerality touched by a layer of almond nuts. It may have lacked some the depth and breadth of expression to push it to greatness, but it was certainly lovely, delicious stuff. A brilliant village.

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• NV Sandalford Sandalera 92 Points

  Australia, Western Australia, South West Australia, Margaret River

  Really good stuff. This was one of my better experiences with this bottling - it certainly is a pity that they are pulling the plot out due to lack of interest in the great sweet wines of Australia. A glowing dark brown hue, this had a beautiful nose reminiscent of dark chocolate, liquered cherries, coffee and caramel. The palate was rather better than I remembered it from the last outing as well. It was certainly more complex, with a delicious panoply of preserved cherries, plums and prunes, chocolate and molasses spreading across the mouth. This had a beautiful fresh balance too, lifting the wine towards a long, caramelly finish. Delicious wine, one that does not require much intellectual thought, but which fills the palate with warm yumminess.

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• 2005 Egon Müller Scharzhofberger Riesling Auslese 95 Points

  Germany, Mosel Saar Ruwer

  Wow, this was amazing. In the midst of a night of incredible Burgundies, it was quite an irony that a Riesling stole in and won my heart. However, it must be said if there was ever a Riesling that deserved to be wine of the night, this would be it. Opened three and a half hours before I tasted it, it still was far too young to fully grasp and appreciate. Even then, it was stunning. The nose was beautiful, but in a subtle rather than showy way, with gentle notes of earth and button mushrooms, a little touch of petroleum, than sweeter scents of peach, fuji apple and pear william. Very classy. As good as that was though, it was the palate that was really special. It was beautiful in a pure, crystalline way that is hard to describe. There was superb delineation and focus of course, and pitch perfect balance, and an almost transparent clarity, yet at the same time, there was a sense of fullness and generosity to its that took it beyond the hard, chiseled rock austerity that sometimes befalls young Muller Spatlesen. Here, there joyfully delicious, lightly honeyed flavours of apricots and white peaches, apples and nectarines ringed with a touch of white flowers and a bit of fizz - a whole panoply of lovely fruit, sweet, yet so wonderfully balanced and harmoniously integrated that each sip seemed just to be one seamless whole of Riesling goodness. The creamily textured finish ended as the attack began, full, generous and in perfect harmony, with a sparkle of acidity, a touch of spice, and deep layers of honey, preserved limes and orange marmalade tailing away in a seemingly endless stream. This was certainly not a reserved wine, but for all its complexity, it was never for a moment showy or even overtly expressive. It just went about its way in a noble, understated manner that simply oozed class. An Ella Fitzgerald of a wine, if you get what I mean. With a price tag beyond the reach of most mere mortals, I am glad I got to have a glass tonight. I can only imagine though how good this will be a decade down the road.

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