Burgundy at Siggy's

Tasted Monday, April 6, 2009 by Dave Dalluge with 782 views

Introduction

Siggy pulled the kitchen tasting group together for a Tuesday night feast at his house. The theme was Burgundy which we, surprisingly, stuck to until the very last minute. Dinner featured a selection of cheeses to start, a duck with wild rice appetizer, Siggy's homemade pork pie paired with white asparagus and acorn squash with brown butter (both courtesy of Chris), and creme brulee for dessert. Aside from the lively conversation throughout, highlights for me were Siggy's awesome pork pie and the '88 La Mouline.

Flight 1 - White Burgundy (2 Notes)

Served with a selection of cheeses. Both of these seemed to need more time in the cellar.

  • 2005 Bouchard Père et Fils Meursault 1er Cru Les Genevrières 89 Points

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

    Pale gold color. Reserved nose reveals citrus, honey and mineral with coaxing. In the mouth this is thick and concentrated but not too expressive at the moment. Some acidity present but the overall impression is on the fat side. Decent finish. A nice glass of wine, but if I owned these I would be holding on to them for a few years to see if they can come out of their shell.

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  • 2002 Michel Colin-Deléger et Fils Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru En Remilly 90 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru

    Bright yellow color. The nose gives lemon, honey and beeswax. Good aromas but not very intense. In the mouth this seemed tight and young with good fruit concentration but compact flavor expression. Finishes well. This too should be cellared for a few more years.

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Flight 2 - 1973 Louis Latour (2 Notes)

Our flight of '73 was compromised by a bad bottle, but we counted ourselves luck to have one of these show as well as it did.

  • 1973 Louis Latour Charmes-Chambertin 92 Points

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

    The color is a light reddish-brown and the wine is very cloudy. The nose gives an awesome blend of aromas including red fruit, pepper and brown sugar aromas. Well along the downslope but still intriguing. In the mouth this is light weight but flavors are very expansive and the overall impression is extremely smooth and elegant. Probably at peak 20 years ago, but still a great addition to a Burg-night tasting.

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  • 1973 Louis Latour Bonnes Mares Flawed

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

    Shot.

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Flight 3 - Ponsot (2 Notes)

Served with duck and wild rice with a sauce featuring lavendar and tarragon. I loved both of these.

  • 2001 Domaine Ponsot Clos de la Roche Vieilles Vignes 93 Points

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

    Bright and aromatic nose dominated by cherry and spice. On the palate this comes across as a complete mid-weight wine with plenty of flavor and a great mouth feel. If anything this is showing a touch on the structured/closed side. Flavors are dominated by cherry fruit with a slight earthiness. The finish is very nice with a lasting sense of balance. This is drinking surprisingly well now, but should grow even more interesting after resting in the cellar for another five to ten years.

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  • 2001 Domaine Ponsot Clos Saint-Denis Vieilles Vignes 92 Points

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

    Tasted against the Clos de la Roche and not quite as good. The nose gives a healthy dose of oak with the cherry flavors that leads to a rustic personality. Flavors are dominated by blacker fruit than the Clos de la Roche but the balance is still good. Some thought it was a bigger step down in quality than I did, but I would definitely wait with these in hopes that the oak integrates better.

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Flight 4 - Younger Burg (2 Notes)

  • 2003 Domaine Arlaud Charmes-Chambertin Cuvée Unique 90 Points

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

    The nose is huge compared to the other wines served and is dominated by ripe dark cherry married to oak that got me thinking California pinot. In the mouth this is big and soft with mostly red cherry flavors. Comes across as a little hot. Finish has good flavors but is surprisingly short. A nice enough wine, but not one I will be seeking out.

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  • 2006 Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier Chambolle-Musigny 91 Points

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny

    The color is the purple/red of a barrel sample. On the nose this is an elegant but simple blend of red raspberry and cherry with some oak. On the palate this is primary with big red fruit/cherry dominating any other tastes. Nice weight. Understated all the way around. This will never be a wow wine, but is excellent stuff.

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Flight 5 - 1999 Dujac (2 Notes)

Served with Siggy's awesome pork pie. I think he said he'd braised the pork for five hours before loading it into his pie. I've got to get this recipe. Dujac is among my favorite Burgundy producers and these didn't disappoint.

  • 1999 Domaine Dujac Clos Saint-Denis 94 Points

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

    Consensus wine of the night until the '88 La Mouline showed up. Awesome nose featuring red fruit and spice with layers of complexity. Excellent flavor intensity on the palate with great weight, nice acidity and awesome length. Really a complete wine that is showing well now but is probably still years away from peak consumption. I really need to keep back-filling with '99s as they are so, so good.

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  • 1999 Domaine Dujac Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Aux Combottes 92 Points

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

    The nose gives a big blast of black fruit and roasted coffee with a slight VA. On the palate this delivers more black fruit complimented by a savage animal flavor that could well be a dose of brett. Great weight and balance. Excellent length. This was clearly a step down from the Clos St Denis and wasn't nearly as good as the bottle we had when Alan Rath was in town, but I enjoyed it nonetheless.

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Flight 6 - 1993 Clos Vougeot (2 Notes)

Both of these showed as rough and tannic. I wonder if that is a vintage character, a vineyard character or a combination of both?

  • 1993 Louis Jadot Clos Vougeot Domaine Louis Jadot 90 Points

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

    The nose gives funky aromas of old Bordeaux with dark fruit and slight VA. The initial impression on the palate is of a tough, tannic, rustic wine. All this structure is offset by black fruit flavors that materialized with time in the glass to give this a more civilized demeanor. Good stuff that I ultimately found perplexing. If forced to guess I suspect this has seen its better days given the prominence of the structure coupled with the fading fruit.

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  • 1993 Domaine René Engel Clos Vougeot 91 Points

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

    Paired with a '93 Jadot Clos Vougeot, this was less controversial and my clear favorite. The nose gives an elegant expression of clean red fruit. On the palate this too is rough and tannic, but is offset by good red fruit that is compact but flavorful and leads to a nice finish.

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Flight 7 - Northern Rhone Bonus (1 Note)

Siggy had a sauternes ready to go with the creme brulee, but when this appeared all thought of sauternes disappeared. This is my third time tasting this wine and it is amazingly consistent and just unbelievably good. My favorite of the La-Las. Thanks again Steve.

  • 1988 E. Guigal Côte-Rôtie La Mouline 99 Points

    France, Rhône, Northern Rhône, Côte-Rôtie

    Popped and poured after a long night of Burgs. Comes across as much more aristocratic than the Burgs. The nose gives an exotic blend of dark fruit, earth/animal, smoke, tar, spice, and more. Maybe a touch of hearty brett in this bottle, but just enough to add character. The palate impression is an authoritative layering of flavors with a smooth and elegant personality from the attack through the long, satisfying finish. Perfect balance and I would say in a great place for drinking right now. Thanks to Siggy for opening up this treasure. A truly fitting cap to a most enjoyable evening.

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