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Winestreets Burgundy Tasting
Acqua Restaurant
Tasted April 3, 2012 by Mattshank with 690 views
Introduction
A very fun and educational event centered on Burgundy and emphasizing reds. Brad of Winestreets was kind enough to provide a wide array of Burgs for us to try and Kevin did an amazing job of the detail work, selecting the venue (Acqua), and menu selection. A major thanks to Brad and Kevin for putting this fabulous event together!
Flight 1 - Starter Wines (2 notes)
White - Sparkling
N.V. Veuve Clicquot Champagne Brut
90 points
Nose: Has the typical subtle yeasty nose with some muted lemon. Palate: As always balanced with lemon zest, and yeast/bread dough. Clean finish. Always a good and reliable bubbly QPR for about $35 on sale.
Rosé - Sparkling
2005 Mumm Napa DVX Rosé
91 points
Nose: Did not get much off the nose of this, but aromas were clean and fresh. Palate: Great tension and bubbles. Light and delicate with strawberry and a clean finish. Would score higher if it were more substantial, but it's delicate nature makes it versatile from a food pairing perspective.
Flight 2 - White Burgs (3 notes)
White
2004 Domaine Darviot-Perrin Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières
90 points
Nose: Very unique nose w/ herbal qualities and roasted nuts. The herbal aspects became more pronounced as it warmed and w/ glass air but stopped just short of being over the top. Palate: Good acids w/ the herbs showing and a clean mineraly finish. Much less fat and oaked than most Mersaults that I've had. While the palate was nice the nose was the showpiece of this wine IMO.
White
2004 Domaine Darviot-Perrin Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Blanchots Dessus
91 points
Nose: Some toast with ripe lemons. Palate: Great balance of acids to fruits. The ripe lemon shows w/ good minerality a medium finish. The exceptional balance of this wine is what stood out for me.
White
2005 Domaine / Maison Vincent Girardin Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Le Cailleret
92 points
Nose: Lemon hints with stone mineral in abundance. Palate: Lemon and acid interplay with some very faint toast. This PM is more about minerals than oak. Lengthy finish and an excellent pairing to the mussels (which were some of the best I've ever tasted~bravo Acqua!). Always liked Girardin wines.
Flight 3 - Red Burgs Flight 1 (3 notes)
Red
2009 Domaine Henri Gouges Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Clos des Porrets St. Georges
91 points
Nose: Almost candied red fruits w/ some earth. Palate: Very feminine w/ bright, red cherries, cranberries, good acidity and a medium length finish (although a quick decay on the front end). Nice wine but outclassed by the Thibault-Liger NSG, which given the huge price difference, is to be expected.
Red
2009 Domaine / Maison Vincent Girardin Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Les Cazetiers
91 points
Nose: Good mineral expression (more so than the H. Gouges) and a meaty/gamey component. Palate: Cranberries (softer than the Gouges) with minerals and the gamey quality showing. Darker fruited than the other NSG and a medium length finish. Equal qualitatively to the Gouges NSG but very different stylistically.
Red
2009 Thibault Liger-Belair Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Saint Georges
94 points
Nose: Tremendous mineral expression w/ big Burg funk, deep raspberry, scorched earth and mushroom. This is Burgundy! Very cool nose. Palate: Deep, dark fruited with plum, assorted spices (incl. Asian spice), earth, and mushroom. Over time the fruit would trade off for center stage with the secondary qualities and back again. Long finish. This Burg has it all and was clearly my WOTF and WOTN. 94+ points.
Flight 4 - Red Burgs Flight 2 (3 notes)
Red
2009 Domaine / Maison Vincent Girardin Charmes-Chambertin
93 points
Nose: Deep, ripe sweet red fruits show approachable now with fresh, floral aromas. Palate: Unfortunately not many detailed notes on the palate given the conversation, food, etc, etc.. Regrettable as I recall really liking this wine. Red fruited with a lengthy finish and very nuanced. Right up there w/ the Thibault although that takes top honors IMO.
Red
2009 La Pousse d'Or Volnay 1er Cru Clos de la Bousse d'Or
90 points
Nose: Spice and a shell mineral quality w/ red fruits. Palate: Underripe raspberries w/ very prominent acids and a linear finish. The nose makes this one for me. Would be fun to try again in 4-5 years to see the evolution.
Red
2009 La Pousse d'Or Volnay 1er Cru Clos des 60 Ouvrées
88 points
Nose: An almost corked quality had me concerned on this until I tasted...not corked, but not a pleasant nose at all IMO. Palate: Bracing acids w/ light red fruits. Very tight and backward. My least favorite of the night, and if not for the reasonable palate would score much lower. The la Bousse d'Or showed much better. Will time help this? Who knows, but at $110 retail I'm not a buyer. Perhaps Volnay is not my style.
Flight 5 - Red Burgs Flight 3 (3 notes)
Red
2009 Domaine / Maison Vincent Girardin Corton-Bressandes
90 points
Nose: Nice stone mineral and red fruits. Palate: Ripe, red fruits w/ some spice and a medium to long finish.
Red
2009 Domaine / Maison Vincent Girardin Corton-Renardes
89 points
Nose: Red fruits but somewhat closed and not giving off much else. Palate: Very linear and bitter. Not even close to approachable. Has the potential to be 90+ points but right now very hard to assess. Hold 4-5 years minimum. The Bressands (while also a baby) is much more open for business now.
Red
2009 Thibault Liger-Belair Clos Vougeot
93 points
Nose: Great minerality w/ dusty, red fruits anda funky, earthy component. Palate: Solid acidity w/ red fruits and an elegant, mineral driven finish. Easily my WOTF but tied for 2nd with the Girardin CC. Shows the consistant excellence of this fine producer.
Flight 6 - Bonus Burgs (3 notes)
Red
2006 Domaine Georges Mugneret-Gibourg Vosne-Romanée
90 points
Nose: Rustic, dirty funky nose with some underlying fruit. Old school Burg. Palate: The funk character evidenced on palate with some spicy red fruits. Good value on clearance.
Red
2000 Domaine René Leclerc Griotte-Chambertin
91 points
Nose: Rustic with dusty red fruits, mineral and tar. Palate: Rich with red and dark fruits, minerals, and the tar showing. Very cool Burg and a nice bonus wine to try.