The Verticals Tasting at La Paulée 2015

Colicchio & Sons, New York
Tasted Friday, February 27, 2015 by drwine2001 with 1,173 views

Introduction

Nice to be inside tasting through these wines on a cold winter day in New York. My apologies in advance for skipping a few producers and for the brief, impressionistic nature of these notes, but you can only absorb so much in a 2 hour walk around tasting. For each producer, I have noted them in the order that they were poured.

Flight 1 - Christian Moreau (3 Notes)

Flight 2 - William Fevre (3 Notes)

Flight 3 - Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey (3 Notes)

Flight 4 - Domaine Roulot (3 Notes)

Flight 5 - Domaine des Comte Lafon (3 Notes)

Flight 6 - Morey Blanc (3 Notes)

  • 2009 Morey-Blanc Meursault 1er Cru Charmes

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

    Ripe and leesy with subdued fruit, good mouth feel, and decent acidity.

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  • 2008 Morey-Blanc Meursault 1er Cru Charmes

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

    As with the '09, the lees lead, but this has much deeper, vivacious bitter citrus, a great feel, and some tart austerity at the end which will carry it forward. Best of the bunch and outstanding Meursault.

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  • 2007 Morey-Blanc Meursault 1er Cru Charmes

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

    Fine citrus scents. Elegant, lighter feel than the others with a notable absence of wood signature. I really liked this one, but it is un-Meursault-like in the company of its stablemates.

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Flight 7 - Domaine Leflaive (3 Notes)

Flight 8 - Domaine Anne Parent (3 Notes)

Flight 9 - Domaine Simon Bize (3 Notes)

I think it's fair to say that these were the most uncompromising, old school wines shown today. No fluff or sweetness to be found.

Flight 10 - Domaine de Montille (3 Notes)

Impressive older wines that were quintessential Volnays

Flight 11 - Domaine Lafarge (3 Notes)

Flight 12 - Maison Louis Jadot (3 Notes)

Flight 13 - Domaine Faiveley (3 Notes)

Flight 14 - Bouchard Pere et Fils (3 Notes)

Flight 15 - Domaine Jacques Prieur (3 Notes)

Three distinctly different wines in this fascinating flight

  • 2007 Domaine Jacques Prieur Corton-Bressandes

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton Grand Cru

    Lovely supple red fruit that is sinuous and has terrific balance and flesh. No wood imprint but less soil than some of these Cortons.

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  • 2009 Domaine Jacques Prieur Corton-Bressandes

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton Grand Cru

    Dark in color. Massive, deep, ripe red fruit and noticeable oak. Very one toned now, clearly modern, but great length and incredible concentration without overextraction. I'm interested to see where this one goes.

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  • 2008 Domaine Jacques Prieur Corton-Bressandes

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton Grand Cru

    Lighter than the 2009. Classic Corton combination of sappy ripe red fruit, a good dose of earth, and snappy acidity. Fresh and exciting in a way the best '08s can be. Outstanding potential, so much more classic than the '09.

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Flight 16 - Domaine Hudelot-Noellat (3 Notes)

Flight 17 - Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair (3 Notes)

Flight 18 - Domaine Jean Grivot (3 Notes)

  • 2009 Domaine Jean Grivot Echezeaux

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Echezeaux Grand Cru

    Deep dark color. Slight funk and blackberry confiture. Lush, oaky, long, and liqueur-like. Very different from the older examples, in an unabashed modern style.

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  • 2005 Domaine Jean Grivot Echezeaux

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Echezeaux Grand Cru

    Medium color. More barnyard than the '09. Much less wood. Medium to lighter weight. Lots of grip and very hard to read now, but does not shout "Grand Cru".

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  • 1999 Domaine Jean Grivot Echezeaux

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Echezeaux Grand Cru

    Mature appearance. Free of wood influence. Lean, high acid style and seems to be losing fruit. Very unimpressive and frankly worrisome.

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Flight 19 - Domaine d'Eugénie (3 Notes)

  • 2007 Domaine d'Eugénie Grands-Echezeaux

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Grands-Echezeaux Grand Cru

    Light color. Gorgeously fragrant red fruit and sexy, high char wood that matches the weight and depth of the wine. Supple, ready, and delicious if not huge.

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  • 2008 Domaine d'Eugénie Grands-Echezeaux

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Grands-Echezeaux Grand Cru

    Very similar in every way to the delightful 2007 until the finish, where it displays more minerality and a dry, grainy quality to the tannins. Good 2008 that has the capacity to develop.

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  • 2009 Domaine d'Eugénie Grands-Echezeaux

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Grands-Echezeaux Grand Cru

    Largest scaled, darkest, most overtly woody wine of the flight. Approaching New World ripeness and oakiness. Great material but hard to love after the 2 much more discrete earlier vintages.

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Flight 20 - Maison Joseph Drouhin (3 Notes)

  • 1995 Joseph Drouhin Grands-Echezeaux

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Grands-Echezeaux Grand Cru

    Fully mature looking. Strange aromatic mix of ripe and stalky with artificial sweetness in the mouth-chaptalized? Fully resolved. Pretty forgettable.

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  • 2002 Joseph Drouhin Grands-Echezeaux

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Grands-Echezeaux Grand Cru

    Elegant, seductive red fruit with sap and a perfect infusion of wet earth throughout. At a peak now. One of the best wines of the afternoon and a great example of Drouhin at its gentle, elegant best. Pure fruit, no interference by wood or any other winemaking artifice.

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  • 2009 Joseph Drouhin Grands-Echezeaux

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Grands-Echezeaux Grand Cru

    The most concentrated and dark of the three. Ripe cherry more than strawberry in the 2002. Despite this, it blends in soil, has no trace of oak, and retains a rare sense of restraint and elegance for the vintage. Outstanding and one of my favorite '09 reds today.

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Flight 21 - Domaine Mugneret-Gibourg (3 Notes)

  • 2007 Domaine Georges Mugneret-Gibourg Clos Vougeot

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru

    Absolutely lovely mix of supple black fruit and soil in a lighter weight wine. Clos Vougeot does not get more refined or delicate than this! Drinking beautifully now.

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  • 2006 Domaine Georges Mugneret-Gibourg Clos Vougeot

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru

    Medium ruby. Denser than the '07 with riper black cherry fruit in excellent harmony with soil. Not terribly tannic so enjoyable already, but can also wait on this. Very fine stuff.

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  • 2009 Domaine Georges Mugneret-Gibourg Clos Vougeot

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru

    Not surprisingly, the biggest, roundest, most straightforward of the trio. It lacks the clear terroir of the others. Will appeal to a palate calibrated to New World Pinot. Plenty of fruit here.

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Flight 22 - Domaine Méo-Camuzet (3 Notes)

Flight 23 - Domaine Lignier-Michelot (3 Notes)

Flight 24 - Domaine Hubert Lignier (3 Notes)

Flight 25 - Clos de Tart (3 Notes)

  • 2010 Domaine du Clos de Tart Clos de Tart

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos de Tart Grand Cru

    Dark. Obvious oak base. Closed with very restrained fruit now but a good dose of finishing minerality. Not singing today. Judgement deferred.

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  • 2009 Domaine du Clos de Tart Clos de Tart

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos de Tart Grand Cru

    Bigger, lusher, and sweeter than the 2010. Lots of oak, deep red and black fruit. Monolithic and not showing any complexity. Weighty but it lacked liveliness in the mouth. Could have been a high end domestic Pinot.

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  • 2003 Domaine du Clos de Tart Clos de Tart

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos de Tart Grand Cru

    Deep and dark. Exotic, spicy red fruit that is not overly sweet. Palate coating from its concentration rather than tons of wood. Enough acidity to maintain terrific freshness. Very long with great cling. I thought this was fabulous-by far the best of the Clos de Tarts and capable of lasting several more decades.

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Flight 26 - Domaine Fourrier (3 Notes)

Flight 27 - Olivier Bernstein (3 Notes)

Tasting his wines was a highlight of the weekend. These 3 wines were deeply colored, expertly extracted, and complex. Fantastic!

  • 2011 Olivier Bernstein Chambertin-Clos de Bèze

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

    Deep and dark. Exquisite ripeness and sap for this vintage. Gevrey mix of red fruit and soil with a great juxtaposition of great concentration and airiness. I think that this is one of the few truly great 2011s I've tried. A bolt from the blue at the very last table at the tasting.

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  • 2010 Olivier Bernstein Chambertin-Clos de Bèze

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

    Not quite as saturated as the'11. Some wood present. Less plush than the younger wine but strong acidity and soil come through. Excellent prospects for this, but I preferred the 2011. Maybe that confuses the overall potential of the 2 wines over time.

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  • 2009 Olivier Bernstein Chambertin-Clos de Bèze

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

    Crystallized red fruit, deeply saturated color. Fantastic fruit clarity and depth while remaining incredibly refined. Layered and long. So much more balance and room to grow than most 2009s. These wines from Olivier Bernstein were downright thrilling!

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Closing

Although the sample sizes were limited, here's what I took away about the current state of recent vintages:

2002-Lovely reds that are largely drinking really well now. Thinking about it, early on they showed a lot of the red fruited charm that the 2012s have, although maybe the acidity was higher. I wouldn't be upset if the newer vintage followed this trajectory.
2003-Continues to surprise with some reds that have amazing amounts of freshness despite their ripeness (see Clos de Tart for example).
2004-Blech. No magical evolution here.
2005-Still hard as nails. I keep pushing back my projected drinking windows eve at the lower levels. I think we have to take the 1988 approach and not touch them before 20 years of age.
2006-Whites continue to be a mess. Many reds are a pleasure now, even many of the bigger boys.
2007-Many of the whites seem frail. When the reds aren't too meager, they are aromatic and drinking well.
2008-My admiration for whites has only increased. Looking at my notes, the '08 was often the best vintage for producers from virtually all of the white wine regions, north to south. On the other hand, the reds are dichotomous. Those vinified in a leaner style can be punishingly acidic and devoid of fruit, but I'm impressed with how many refined beauties are out there as well and how slowly but surely they've unfolded over the last few years. I wish I owned more of the reds (only the good ones, of course!).
2009-The more I taste, the less I like, and that goes for wines of both colors. There are some profound ones when the acidity is right, but to find them, you have to wade through a minefield of overripe mediocrities.
2010-Not enough of these poured at this event to shape my opinion
2011-Whites okay but unexciting, reds range from good to disastrous when they are destroyed by greenness, and I've encountered too many of the latter to feel sanguine about the future of these red wines.

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