2017 White and 2014 Red Burgundy

Daniel Johnnes was in town and brought along some bottles from the La Paulée archive to pair with a wonderful dinner at one of our favorites. The reds were opened several hours before dinner. A generous guest added the bottles of Dujac and Ponsot to the final flight of Grand Cru wines.

• 2017 Château de Béru Chablis Clos Béru

  France, Burgundy, Chablis

  Full yellow. Lots of apple on the nose and palate. Medium weight, nice feel, drier finish but lower in acidity. Too loose, advanced for its age, and little that speaks of Chablis. Same impression as when tasted last year.

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• 2017 Domaine Louis Michel Chablis Grand Cru Grenouilles

  France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru

  Light yellow. Similar apple fruit quality on the nose. Medium body but a rich, round feel for a stainless steel wine. Sweet orchard fruit on the entry, then salinity and soil on the back end with reasonably good acidity. This is open and probably fully mature now. Excellent but not a top tier Grand Cru. Could use more tension and backbone.

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• 2017 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos

  France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru

  Light yellow. Some reduction and much more saline notes than either of the first 2 wines. Medium weight, round pear fruit, excellent acidity, and a properly dry finish. Excellent power, length, and cut. Not profound but by far the most Chablisien wine of the 3 shown and much more impressive than a bottle directly from the domain last spring.

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• 2017 Domaine Matrot Meursault 1er Cru Charmes

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

  Yellow. Oak and rich orchard fruit aromas. Medium weight, lovely sapid feel. Integrated fruit and wood, the latter of which seems more discrete than it was on the nose. Excellent acidity and a touch of minerality. Elegant, fluid, and drinking well now. I really liked this.

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• 2017 Domaine Rougeot Meursault 1er Cru Charmes

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

  Yellow. Promising nose of spice and hazelnut. Middle weight wine. Alas, the flavors are neutral, oak dominates from beginning to end, acidity is lacking, and it comes across as dull and poorly defined.

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• 2017 Domaine Antoine Jobard Meursault 1er Cru Charmes

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

  Yellow color. Some reduction dominates the aromas. Medium weight, some hardness from the sulfur but beautiful texture behind it. Succulent, tender fruit, firm acidity, and excellent length. Elegant Meursault with good tension and reserve. This should be at least excellent over time and perhaps better if it sheds its reductive tones.

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• 2014 Nicolas Rossignol Volnay 1er Cru Santenots

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

  Ruby. Floral, green notes. Medium weight. Tart, briary dark red fruit, noticeable yet not obtrusive acidity, and light tannins. Zesty and showing much better than it did at last year's Paulée. I enjoyed it this time around.

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• 2014 Bouchard Père et Fils Volnay 1er Cru Caillerets Ancienne Cuvée Carnot

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

  Light ruby. Attractive fragrant red berry fruit. Lighter weight. Much more pull of soil than the Rossignol wine but very nicely balanced with the fruit. Tart, refreshing acidity. Good texture but shorter finish. This is very good but suffers from slight astringency now. Will this ameliorate with more aging?

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• 2017 Domaine Clos de la Chapelle Volnay 1er Cru Clos de la Chapelle

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

  Light ruby. Stemmy nose. Medium to lighter weight. Nice inner mouth florally and salinity, but lean, rather severe black fruit, tart, earthy, and tannic. Too austere and lacking flesh for me.

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• 2014 Bouchard Père et Fils Corton-Le Corton

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton Grand Cru

  Ruby. Green and lightly stemmy with some nice red fruit aromas as well. Medium weight, sappy, lots of soil here. Excellent mixed dark fruit entry with terrific fruit/soil interplay. Wonderful feel and length. Serious, powerful, and refined. I liked its potential when I tried it in 2017, and it has matured beautifully. Not quite fully unfurled, but this is an outstanding Corton that should easily remain at this level for another 15 years.

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• 2014 Domaine du Clos de Tart Clos de Tart

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

  Ruby. Some red fruit, stems, and soil. Slight lighter weight and much more tart and harsh than the Bouchard with substantial grainy tannins. After some time in the glass, there is notable improvement, with fruit becoming more apparent and a chocolatey richness beginning to develop. Probably more potential than initially meets the eye, but we'll see; this is still a pretty cranky 2014.

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• 2014 Domaine des Lambrays Clos des Lambrays

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos des Lambrays Grand Cru

  Light ruby. Quite stemmy aromas with some red berry fruit. Medium weight. Excellent, naturally sweet red fruit attack, cranberry acidity, great soil base through the mid-palate and finish. Outstanding balance and length. This is very Lambrays in its elegance and briary underpinning. It reminded me of the 2001 in its weight, balance, and cooler structure. I much preferred it to the Clos du Tart today.

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• 2014 Domaine Dujac Clos Saint-Denis

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Saint-Denis Grand Cru

  Dark ruby. Medium+ body, rich feel. More body and feel than any of the other 2014 Grand Crus. Beautifully ripe black and blue fruit, fabulous fruit/soil balance, bitter chocolate and slightly astringent tannins on the finish that predict further development and potential. I've had this 3 times now with consistently superb bottles. It is one of the best 2014's I've had and, in my experience, its richness and textural allure are real outliers for this vintage which can be pretty skinny at times.

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• 2014 Domaine Ponsot Clos de la Roche Vieilles Vignes

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos de la Roche Grand Cru

  Ruby. Fragrant green tones. Medium to lighter weight. Lean black and red fruit and soil. Brambly, complex, and structured. Clearly not for now, but it also seems that there is much less wine here than in the Dujac Clos St. Denis, and I wonder just how much it will improve from here. Not particularly attractive tonight.

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