Burgundy vs Coteaux Champenois blind tasting
Bubbles Academy Riga, Latvia
Tasted September 22, 2019 by StasMedvedev.lv with 104 views
Introduction
This was a long waited tasting experiment that I managed to carry out at Bubbles Academy International
We put at test 2 famous red Coteaux Champenois - 100% Pinot Noir still red wines from Champagne. Both coming from the same 2009 vintage with sufficient bottle age.
To compliment this pair, I couldn't choose anything but fine Cote de Nuits Pinot Noir. My choice was the wine from the iconic Burgundian producer Dujac actually from their home village of Morey Saint Denis. So we had 3 bottles made in one Burgundian style of Pinot Noir coming from 3 distinctive terroirs of the same 2009 vintage.
The last, but not the least, the price tag was pretty much the same, somewhat around 100+ Eur.
All wines served blind and the students had to choose the one which is not Champagne and guess the terroir (the didn't know anything about 3rd wine).
Flight 1 (3 notes)
Steep hill outside of Aÿ with white chalk. 4ha patiently acquired one by one form 50 different owners. For many years Pinot Noir used for blending La Grande Année Rosé, but from 2009 started producing still wine again. This one stood out from the others by showing that it comes from a cooler climate. Higher in acidity and thinner on the palate. It's only aged 8 months in oak barrels. It was weaker than others.
was favoured by all as the best of three. However, students were not sure in blind tasting whether it comes from Champagne or elsewhere. Bold and complete wine even from the village level appellation. Forest strawberries and raspberries.
was my pick as the wine of the night. It was brighter ruby color and was unfiltered, unfined. It was ripe, dense, with amazing structure. Very Burgundian with wild forest red and black berries, well integrated oak. Older vines mid-slope on a single parcel, which is shaped naturally like an amphitheater, and faces south, directly below Les Crayères. Fermented with indigenous yeasts and aged in French oak barrels for 20 months, with 30% new wood.
Closing
It was almost impossible to distinguish which of the last two were coming from Burgundy.
Amazing battle of great winemakers and great terroirs of a great vintage.
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