What a wonderful event. Wonderful food, wonderful wine. A pleasure to meet the wine makers (and chefs!) who are responsible for such fantastic creations. The size of the crowd was very reasonable and provided opportunities to speak to winemakers and somms, and everyone was very generous providing repours of favorite wines. Worth every penny of the $350 (and the price of the piece of my soul I had to sell to my colleagues to sneak off for a few hours!)
Maybe the best wine event I’ve ever attended.
For me, at least, the format didn’t lend itself to systematic notetaking, so some informal thoughts are set forth below.
Favorite producer:
Fourrier! Much to my shock - I used to be very lukewarm on the wines based on extensive experience from ~1998-2005 vintages. I couldn’t believe how good the Gevrey village wine was - gorgeous red fruit and iron. Easily at the level of many of the 1er crus at other tables (in a room with extremely stiff competition!). I also absolutely adored the Gevrey Cherbaudes, which had everything the Gevrey village wine had, just with more intensity, elegance, and fragrance. Best Gevrey 1er I’ve ever had. I didn’t like the Gevrey CSJ nearly as much - it was very ripe and full, but the Cherbaudes had a magical intensity that the CSJ was missing.
Other great tables:
Faiveley. The Batard was fine, if a bit Batardish. And the Mercurey Clos du Roy was just ordinary. But, my god, the Corton. Married the accessibility of the ‘new’ Faiveley style with this amazingly mineral, piercing core. Kind of a “so THIS is why its a Grand Cru” moment. And the Beze was the best of the Bezes (light years ahead of Bouchard (overoaked) and Drouhin (good, but not remotely at the level of Faiveley). Sappy, concentrated. Wow.
Comte Liger Belair - Such a gorgeous Vosne spice note on the Vosne village and the spectacular Reignots, which was my wine of the tasting. The Reignots had the strongest “five spice” smell I’ve ever encountered in a burg, was super transparent - showed no oak and had that taut flavor-stretched-over-structure style that the best top-slope 1ers can have. Can’t imagine how good the La Romanee must be these days.
Simon Bize - Even to a stem-averse taster like me, the 2012 Bize’s were spectacular, easily the best CdB wines on the day. They’re a fitting tribute to their maker. Chisa Bize had a hint of a smirk when pouring the Savigny ‘Vergelesses’ at the end of their lineup, and no wonder: its a mere Savigny that was toe-to-toe with the Reignots and Cortons being poured at adjacent tables. Incredible depth and savoriness for a Savigny - really tasted more like a GC or top 1er from the CdN, but with layered red fruit and floral character that both keep it in the CdB. A memorable wine and best Savigny I’ve ever had.
Hubert Lignier - Well, they’re back. Pure, ever so slightly rustic burgundy, beautifully balanced and transparent. The Chambolle village was red fruited; the Moreys were meaty, the Charmes was floral and sappy. No oak, no stems, not overpolished. Just exactly what I want out of Burgundy. This is the way I remember the wines from years ago.
Other great wines: The Hudelot-Noellat Vosne Suchots (Spicy, full, seamless. Better - at least today - than the Clos Vougeot and RSV.) The Grivot Nuits Roncieres (cherry and earth! Textbook Nuits). Jadot Pommard Rugiens (dark, powerful, savory,mineral, long. Long ager. Great QPR.)
Disappointments - these were relative, since everything was at such a high level. The Hudelot-Noellat GCs didn’t blow me away, like I’d expected. Generally did not love the Mugneret-Gibourg wines in 2012; I find the winemaking signature very strong- too much so, and obscuring of the terroir. The Clos de Tart and Meo Camuzet wines were OK, but did not jump out as particularly fine. Lafarge was stuck pouring their 2011s due to the hail, and while fine for 2011s, the celery seed note was so prominent when tasted in a room filled with 2012s (as it was for the 2011 Clos de Tart, too).
For whites, I found it generally to be by the book, with one huge exception. The best of the day for me were the PYCM CC and Roulot Meursault Perrieres - shocking, I know. Also really loved the Jadot CC, which was unctuously concentrated but without the blowsy/botrytal character that some of the other GC whites had - it had that piercing chalk/acid element that I like so much in the whites. I did not like the Jacques Prieur wines generally, and that extended to the Montrachet, which was, well, blowsy/botrytal. I also strongly disliked the Leflaives across the board - they are simply not for me. Best QPR was the excellent Montille/Chateau du Puligny St. Aubin Remilly, which is every bit the equal of the bottles from this excellent vineyard from Lamy and PYCM.
As I noted above, this was about as much fun as I’ve had at a tasting, ever. The food was EXCELLENT and generally compatible with tasting. I can’t imagine doing this tasting and then going to the big dinner. It was tough enough going back to work at my desk!