Burgundy-Report | the region | its wines... » Diary

holiday time….

billn — Thu, 24 May 2012 22:02:47 +0000

Time for a break. The car is packed, plenty of wine in there too, but my notebook is staying at home. Time to re-charge (in theory!) – let’s see – back online around 10-12th June. P.S. Just in case you were wondering, that’s quite clearly a picture of Devon! holiday time…. from Burgundy-Report...

holiday time…. from Burgundy-Report...

fougeray de beauclair 2000 fixin clos marion

billn — Wed, 23 May 2012 22:51:01 +0000

It’s a while since I opened one of these. Eight bottles from the case were drunk during that summer – but here is a reprise – the cork was a nightmare to remove, the corscrew just boring a hole through the centre (tsk!) so I filtered it through a tissue into the decanter. Overall it seems like the same wine with maybe a hint more structure(?) and no mushrooms – anyway, it was clearly ‘fit for purpose’ fougeray de beauclair 2000 fixin clos marion from Burgundy-Report...

fougeray de beauclair 2000 fixin clos marion from Burgundy-Report...

raphet 2000 clos de bèze

billn — Mon, 21 May 2012 22:09:06 +0000

I’ve been lucky enough to have this wine in my glass twice already this year, this time with the opportunity to reflect on it a little… 2000 Jean Raphet, Chambertin Clos de Bèze Medium, medium-plus colour. The nose is a real babe – nothing masculine here – cushioned, soft with a super-elegant, yet fresh, perfume of red fruits with just a hint of something musky (dusky?) in the depth that envelopes you – forget the vintage, aromatically this is simply fabulous. Elegance might be a reasonable descriptor for the flavours too; softly textured but with depth and complexity. Fair to say that the palate cannot quite scale the same heights as the aromas but this wine simply left me purring. Rebuy – Yes raphet 2000 [....]

raphet 2000 clos de bèze from Burgundy-Report...

camille giroud 2003 bourgogne pinot noir

billn — Sun, 20 May 2012 22:09:43 +0000

A couple of bottles of the Gilles Bouton 2010 St.Aubins were consumed during the warm weekend, but here’s a wine that I haven’t had a note on for a while… 2003 Camille Giroud, Bourgogne Pinot Noir Some of these bottles are on the way down – not due to the wine itself, but due to a bottling machine that forced the corks into the neck, in the process causing the cork to crease slightly and leave a channel for air. Those bottles taste old and should be drunk-up forthwith. This is a different wine – a wine with deep colours and deep aromas – certainly quite ripe but also with flashes of redder fruit and hints of flowers. In the mouth this is smooth and [....]

camille giroud 2003 bourgogne pinot noir from Burgundy-Report...

jancis on bellenum…

billn — Sat, 19 May 2012 18:42:47 +0000

Jancis really sets the scene and tells you much more than I did, but I expect the regulars here already knew all that stuff or(?) Whatever, good stuff! jancis on bellenum… from Burgundy-Report...

jancis on bellenum… from Burgundy-Report...

louis max 2010 gevrey clos prieur

billn — Fri, 18 May 2012 22:07:16 +0000

In the last couple of years I’ve encountered the occasional bottle of Louis Max in blind tastings, and thought them rather good. Time for a closer look? 2010 Louis Max, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Clos Prieur Medium, medium-plus colour. Textured dark fruit and higher toned notes. Starts lithe and a little lean – lovely acidity. Then an unexpected extra dimension of flavour, and then another – the flavour really widening and delivering an impressive length. All the action is at the ‘back-end’ here. 20 minutes in the glass and there seems a little more richness and silk to the texture, the high-tones have also coalesced to bring a floral note. A lovely clean and tasty wine, no question… Rebuy – Yes louis max 2010 gevrey clos prieur [....]

louis max 2010 gevrey clos prieur from Burgundy-Report...

late frosts in the côte de beaune

billn — Fri, 18 May 2012 04:23:12 +0000

The sneaky, late frost has caused some damage yesterday and today in Santenay and also in Chassagne – there may be others too. About 15-20% of Chassagne Boudriotte (in Morgeot) is damaged, but most other parts seem to have avoided trouble. The pictures (below) were taken by Caroline l’Estimé in “Les Pierres” which is a lieux-dit within the Chassagne-Montrachet villages appellation. Yesterday morning frost hit the coldiest part of Chassagne-Montrachet. The vines touched by it are located in the lowest side of the appellation and inside particular climate phenomenon (close to a wall, in humid sector…). The pictured leaves are dead due to the frost, next the branches will dry and fall off. Perhaps some new growth appear, but in terms of harvest there will [....]

late frosts in the côte de beaune from Burgundy-Report...

jj confuron 2009 nuits les fleurières

billn — Wed, 16 May 2012 22:05:34 +0000

More traction for DIAM – here with the version 5 – it’s not just whites that are moving in this direction. 2009 JJ Confuron, Nuits St.Georges Les Fleurières Medium-plus colour, some purple hues. The nose has quite some ripe depth, perhaps going lower with a hint of toastiness – it takes a while, but eventually it’s namesake makes an appearance, violet flowers… Cool and intense – that’s a great start. The tannin is slightly blocky but not really grainy. Mouth-watering flavour grows in the mid-palate before falling away. There’s a hint of 2009 on the nose but this is lithe, clean and not a bit sweet and fat like some from the vintage – it’s a bit of a ‘refresher’ of a wine. Enjoyed. Rebuy [....]

jj confuron 2009 nuits les fleurières from Burgundy-Report...

2009 chandon de briailles pernand les vergelesses

billn — Tue, 15 May 2012 22:50:13 +0000

2009 Chandon de Briailles, Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Les Vergelesses Medium-plus colour. The nose just bursts with sweet raspberry concentrate – hard to see much more. In the mouth the ripe fruit is tamed a little by good acidity and an understated velvet undertow of ripe tannin – lovely fruit conserve flavour in the mid-palate with a darker, almost licorice, twist as it runs into the textured finish – I would say that this is a rather concentrated wine. Day two and there’s a little of the stems on the nose, aromatically it’s a little less interesting but the palate seems rather stable and easily holds my interest – perhaps with a slight elevation of the tannins too. Rebuy – Yes And from ‘other sites’, Matt Kramer [....]

2009 chandon de briailles pernand les vergelesses from Burgundy-Report...

clos des cortons faiveley 1990…

billn — Mon, 14 May 2012 22:21:02 +0000

1990 Faiveley, Corton Clos des Cortons Faiveley Medium-plus colour – not exactly a spring chicken but doesn’t look its 20 years old either. Some forest floor notes, impressive depth too, some of the notes hinting at old wood. There’s still an undercurrent of chewy tannin, and very good acidity – all the wine’s texture coming from the tannin. You have the impression the flavour will be only medium length, before a powerful reprise of old vanilla and other barrel notes erupts from the depth – becomes exceptionally long, even showing a little dark red fruit. Impressive, indeed compelling stuff, though arguably not that friendly, I might even say young – a wine for the next 30 years… Rebuy – Yes Plus: Benjamin Wallace’s dramatisation of [....]

clos des cortons faiveley 1990… from Burgundy-Report...

summer in beaune – part last…

billn — Sun, 13 May 2012 23:05:12 +0000

A Beaune promenade before lunch on Sunday. Whatever it looks like, there was a chilly north wind… summer in beaune – part last… from Burgundy-Report...

summer in beaune – part last… from Burgundy-Report...

summer in beaune – part three – lunch!

billn — Sun, 13 May 2012 17:53:50 +0000

Wanted to go here for ages – 3 lovely hours for Saturday lunch! summer in beaune – part three – lunch! from Burgundy-Report...

summer in beaune – part three – lunch! from Burgundy-Report...

summer in beaune – part deux…

billn — Sat, 12 May 2012 08:43:48 +0000

Again Friday was 30°C. I’m not complaining. Here’s a few snaps… summer in beaune – part deux… from Burgundy-Report...

summer in beaune – part deux… from Burgundy-Report...

summer in beaune

billn — Thu, 10 May 2012 21:54:04 +0000

Well, 30°C in Beaune today – lucky we have white wine! 8:00pm and it seems that Place Carnot is closed, fortunately Bar du Square is very open summer in beaune from Burgundy-Report...

summer in beaune from Burgundy-Report...

Coppa, Pancetta and Figatelle

billn — Wed, 09 May 2012 12:51:42 +0000

Three little Corsican pigs… Coppa, Pancetta and Figatelle from Burgundy-Report...

Coppa, Pancetta and Figatelle from Burgundy-Report...

a few of pascal marchand’s 2010s

billn — Wed, 09 May 2012 02:50:38 +0000

Tasted Monday evening with Pascal and courtesy of www.realwines.ch (a really eclectic range of wines). The majority of these wines have been assembled in tank for the last two or three weeks, awaiting their turn for bottling – the exceptions are noted. The two whites were bottled two weeks ago. Pascal certainly has his own signature on the reds; fine bone china structure and plenty of oak-derived flavours padding out the palates. The oak can be a bit distracting but it certainly doesn’t leave a bad taste in the mouth – and of-course it will fade. I have to say – Bravo! 2009 Pascal Marchand, Bourgogne Pinot Noir ‘Avalon’ Obviously bottled for some time! The nose seems rather mineral but with a clear waft of [....]

a few of pascal marchand’s 2010s from Burgundy-Report...

Domaine Maume (RIP), Pascal Marchand and a few 2010s…

billn — Tue, 08 May 2012 02:52:18 +0000

I was lucky enough to catch up with Pascal Marchand yesterday in quite sunny Zürich, mainly presenting his 2010s – it was a good chance to learn more about his new rôle with the former Domaine Maume. We knew already last year that the family Maume wanted to extract the equity in the domaine which had been run so well by Bertrand Maume – sad for him, for sure – it was a source of wines with a lot of personality, but who would come next? There was plenty of speculation, there always is, but it seemed to centre around various large négoce, so it was a bit of surprise when we learned a few weeks back that it was the backer of Pascal Marchand’s [....]

Domaine Maume (RIP), Pascal Marchand and a few 2010s… from Burgundy-Report...

“Feet Buried in the Sand”

billn — Mon, 07 May 2012 22:27:49 +0000

Another lovely piece of writing from Keith Feet Buried in the Sand “Feet Buried in the Sand” from Burgundy-Report...

“Feet Buried in the Sand” from Burgundy-Report...