2009 Domaine Debray Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Beaune Rouge

Garagiste

• By Jon Rimmerman
  2/28/2011, (See more on Garagiste...)

  (HAUTES COTES DE BEAUNE Debray) UPDATE: Email Server IMPORTANT! In order to better serve you, we are transitioning to a faster email list manager. This change will take place later in the week. To ensure that you continue to receive email our offers, please add nicki@garagistewine.com to your address book (in addition to niki@ - note the added “c” in the new address). Please contact your IT administrator to ensure your work spam filter is not blacklisting the new nicki@ address. If you no longer receive the offers after the transition or they remain blocked, please contact: support@garagistewine.com. In addition, there are exciting changes coming in the near future. As one of the most requested additions to the OARS software, you will now be able to link directly to your original invoice PDF with the offer text attached. Each invoice number in OARS will be shaded blue – it will link to: Page one – your original invoice Page two – the original offer (scroll down from your invoice) This feature will go live next week and back offer text will be added every week until the last several years worth of text is linked. An example of the feature is now live (some browsers will require you to double click on the blue invoice number links): http://garagistewine.com/oars/?rnd=ea5c695810e578ba27917aad5de5059db483b4b91hgd6xg26dgsahs732gdhsgd97 Thank you – more exciting user experience changes to come in March and April! - Garagiste ******************* 2009 Red Burgundy Dear Friends, You may want to take a look at this...a very close look. There’s really nothing to say here except Debray is on fire in 2009 (both white and red – which is not the norm in Burgundy) and this wine represents all that is good about the 2009 red Burgundy vintage without taking out a second mortgage. For the price of a generic Bourgogne, this is their Hautes Cotes de Beaune – a wine that will make the vast majority of you do summersaults in your cellar. Domaine Debray is a very interesting source, one I’ve profiled a number of times. Their entire model is based on relationships throughout the Cote d’Or – relationships with some of the oldest, most established growers and wineries in Burgundy. The result is fruit of an amazing origin and quality. To do this, all of their sources remain “anonymous” but I am privy to the list of growers and its about as exciting as it gets in the region – mostly because they are able to span up and down the Cote (instead of focusing on one particular region, such as Nuits or Gevrey). The 2009 Hautes Cotes de Beaune, from one of their quasi-secret stashes of vines that abut a famous vineyard in Pommard, is a terrific example. The difference between this and something like a declass “Pommard” bottling from the next door vineyard is that this wine represents the top-tier of fruit, not the 4th or 5th pass that would go into a generic bottling. Thus, you have the best grapes from a top terroir in a vintage that needs little introduction. Ok, all of that is great but why is this so exciting? The price of the wine would be eye-opening alone (especially for an 2009 red) but the trump card is that this wine finished 5th on my scorecard of 60+ blind 2009 wines from Volnay, Pommard and the general Cote de Beaune. The tasting included examples from a wide variety of 1er and top village vineyards – all from high-level sources (Debary was the only unknown entrant). The grower I tasted with had this wine ranked 2nd so it wasn’t just me. If you are searching for a sumptuous, succulent, mineral-laden and oh-so fresh example of 2009 fruit, this is your wine. It remains balanced and full of joy while spilling its unctuous red-berry persona over your palate. The finish is long and poignant with a dancing/low alcohol quality (that only comes from the hillside vineyards of this area) but the fruit is powerful and deeply pitched. In sum, this is what I expect from a ripe and fruit-filled year in Burgundy for under $20 but the problem is that most in this class are now $30+. The final piece of the puzzle was an olive branch of sorts from the winery – they “lost” a parcel of 2009 Clos Vougeot that we were supposed to receive in May (fortunately, we haven’t offered it yet) so they extended this to us instead...at winery cost. For , it’s a house-wine-of-the-year candidate and (due to the 2009 echo-chamber material) should hold and evolve for a number of years – at least through 2018. Considering we were going to bring the wine in anyway (see above 2009 tasting scorecard), I think this is what I would refer to as a gift... 2009 Hautes Cotes de Beaune rouge for ? Yes please. 2009 Domaine Debray “Hautes Cotes de Beaune” (rouge) – (compare at $25-28+) FIRST COME FIRST SERVED up to 48/person until we run out To order: nicki@garagistewine.com This parcel is set to depart the cave – it should arrive in late April (please check OARS for local pick up after April 20th). It will ship during the Spring shipping season (weather permitting) otherwise, we’ll hold it for Fall. Out of state orders will be held for free under ideal storage conditions (56 degrees/70%humidity) until shipping is possible. Locals may pick up at their leisure. For current local pick up and arrival/ship information, please see your OARS link below (at the bottom of this offer) - don’t know how to access your OARS? Simply click the link and see your account. You can also paste the link into your browser. If you are having trouble with your link or your account, please contact: support@garagistewine.com NO SALES TO RETAILERS OR WHOLESALERS Thank you, Jon Rimmerman Garagiste Seattle, WA Burg2002 Click here to view the status of your orders in O.A.R.S.