2014 Burgundies (Bize, Bertheau, Barthod, Mortet, etc.)

2014 BURGUNDY AT OSTERIA LANGHE - Chicago, IL (7/27/2017)

• 2009 Jose Dhondt Champagne Grand Cru Mes Vieilles Vignes Blanc de Blancs - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru
  This is a wine that straddles the light and heavy boundary – it’s got a lot of the brioche and breadiness, but at the same time, there’s a very nice apple-inflected lift to it. The palate also has some heavier autolytic character, which gives it a bit of creaminess, which is cut through by some bruised and sour apples. (93 pts.)
• 1998 Philipponnat Champagne Brut Clos des Goisses - France, Champagne
  At the end of the day, I think that this wine was more interesting than good. There’s a bit of an odd spice thing on the nose, but the story of the day is mushrooms and bread. This is a really earthy champagne, and tastes, quite frankly, a little bit brown. It’s clearly pinot (and I wouldn’t be surprised if there was more than a little bit of meunier in this). The earthiness does resolve into a very nice vein of acidity on the finish. (93 pts.)
• 2014 La Chablisienne Chablis Grand Cru Les Preuses - France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
  When this was on the cold side, it seemed much more like a Chablis to me, than when it warmed up. Cold, this had a light bit of reduction, as well as a steely character with some mineral tones. Clean and fresh, but a little bit riper (which I think balances out the minerality austerity perfectly). Warm, this definitely takes on a flabbier characteristic, and there seem to be some malolactic fermentation touches as well. But at the end of the day, this is powerful without being massive, and I’d say
  of proper grand cru stature. (93 pts.)
• 2014 Domaine Patrick Javillier Meursault Les Tillets - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault
  I wavered back and forth between this and the Clos de Cromin a bit, but I think at the end of the day, I preferred this wine by a hair. By comparison, this wine was a little more steely and a bit more mineral, and didn’t show as much ripe fruit either. There’s a little touch of white peach here that I really like, but it’s more like essence than sweetness. Very nice acidity here. (93 pts.)
• 2014 Domaine Patrick Javillier Meursault Clos du Cromin - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault
  Tasting this next to the Tillets, I wavered back and forth between which was my favourite, but I think I settled for the Tillets, which I found more mineral and steely, in comparison to the more overt fruit on the palate here. While the Tillets had but the aromas and flavours of white peaches, this actually had a bit of the sweetness too. This is a fuller and fleshier Meursault but pretty good still the same. (93 pts.)
• 2014 Domaine Bernard Moreau et Fils Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Morgeot - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru
  Seriously big and oaky chardonnay, sans reduction. One could be excused for thinking the nose was from California (especially given the touch of butter), but the palate definitely is Burgundy. Tons of brilliant acidity, coupled with that thick texture from the oak, this is the type of white Burgundy I can get behind. There’s some riper fruit, but despite the ripeness it still leans towards the white part of the spectrum. Very good. (93 pts.)
• 2014 Domaine Roulot Monthélie - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Monthélie
  I personally prefer reduction more in white wine, and when it does show up in red wines, it tends to leave a bit of a burnt tire, rubbery aroma. That’s definitely present here. There’s a touch of crystalline red fruit on the nose, but that’s all the fruit we’re going to get. The palate is austere and lacking fruit, and just a mean ball of acid. I’ve always been curious about this wine, but at the end of the day, my Roulot spend is never going to be allocated to this wine. (93 pts.)
• 2014 Simon Bize Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Aux Vergelesses - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru
  This is very light and very austere. The nose already indicates a bit of the herbaceousness to come, and that’s what you get on the palate. Not much fruit here, this is thin to the point of underripe cranberries. Just really tough to handle this wine tonight; it did flesh out a little bit with air, but not significantly. I suppose the point is to age these – certainly I’d be curious to see where they end up, but another part of me thinks that there isn’t quite enough stuff in this for the long haul. (93 pts.)
• 2014 Domaine Bertheau (Pierre et François) Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru
  This, and the Barthod Chambolle embody the reason why I drink Burgundy. This was just heartbreakingly elegant and light, with beautiful red fruit and a good balance of minerality and acidity. I’m not sure the elevage on this, but I’d be shocked if there was any more than 10% of new oak on this. Delicate and floral as well, this is what Chambolle is meant to be. But at the end of the day, I preferred the Barthod by a hair, finding it a little fuller in body. (93 pts.)
• 2014 Domaine Ghislaine Barthod / Barthod-Noëllat Chambolle-Musigny - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny
  This, along with the Bertheau 1er cru, are the reasons I drink Burgundy. This is simply beautiful wine. Light and elegant, but the fruit here has a little bit more heft, and turns slightly towards a darker character. There’s a very slight touch of oak here, but it adds a bit of body to this wine, which is why I preferred this to the Bertheau – this captured the same sort of elegance but had a little bit more heft overall. (I totally realize how funny it is to say that Barthod’s wines are hefty.) (93 pts.)
• 2014 Domaine Coquard Loison-Fleurot Clos de la Roche - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos de la Roche Grand Cru
  This is a new producer to me, and I was certainly very excited to try this. I found this to be very nicely polished, with a bit of glossiness, but not over the top in that sense. There’s clear oak use on this, but it is fairly judicious in that it doesn’t stick out too much, and I suspect that this will integrate with time. The brown spice here is also very nice, and plays nicely with the sweeter red fruit. This is obviously young but there’s good potential. (93 pts.)
• 2014 Domaine Denis Mortet Gevrey-Chambertin Mes Cinq Terroirs - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin
  This was the darkest wine on the table tonight, in the sense that the fruit profile here was more of a mix of red and black rather than outright red. Earthy and potent, with obvious oak use, this just kept getting better and better with air. On top of the oak, there were some clear earthy notes, which I thought seemed to jive very nicely with my understanding of Gevrey. The tannins here were the most present of all the red wines tonight, but they aren’t daunting at this point. (93 pts.)

Wow … what a selection - with 12 wines all meritting exactly 93 points !

Even:
<<<The palate is austere and lacking fruit, and just a mean ball of acid. I’ve always been curious about this wine, but at the end of the day, my Roulot spend is never going to be allocated to this wine. (93 pts.)

The (93 pts.) thing is getting cloying. Otherwise, thanks for the honest notes.

You can click on the links to see his real scores. Apparently, both the Barthod and the Bertheau actually got 93s.

Adrian, did you notice a very fine lees sediment in the Bertheau?

I did not, but it was very dark at the restaurant and I certainly wasn’t looking for it. Has this been your experience? With this bottling in particular or in general with Bertheau’s wines?

It’s humor! It is so so so hysterical! I mean I laugh out loud funny every time! It is so fresh and original and just bust-a-gut hysterical every time! Even after the 1,000th note just like it! Peerless comedy there.

Channeling Andy Kaufman …

Seriously, Adrian thanks for note on the Bertheau. His 14s are exquisite. You capture the ethereal quality here.

Ah, it seems I got it now - this guy A.So gives every wine/bottle 93points, no matter how good or bad it is - right?
(and I thought the TN were meant seriously, sorry)

But - ok, I might laugh for 5 seconds about it, maybe 6 - but that´s it, a minor joke repeated on and on - cannot see the GREAT humor after the 12th time -

• but it´s maybe just the difference in sense of humor between Americans and Germans - just like almost everything for American is GREAT - each TN, each joke, each car -

We will leave it at that.

BTW: that

Wow … what a selection - with 12 wines all meritting exactly 93 points !<

was MY humor - - -

satire doesn’t have to be hysterically funny. In fact it doesn’t have to invoke any laughter.

Its been my experience with this and a bottle of the village Chambolle, both '14s.

So precious.

He’s obviously touching a nerve for everyone to get so touchy about it.

Love that Dhondt vintage wine.

exactly why I use the Zanotti binary system: 0 is not worth drinking, 1 is worth drinking.

I prefer a 3 factor test.

Would not buy and did not like. Liked but would not buy. Would buy.

Yes, but then it’s called trolling.

1. Why did I buy this?
2. Glad I bought this.
3. Why didn’t I buy more of this?

and, when old like me:
4. Did I buy this?

^^^ worthwhile addition

My version is “How did I end up with a case of this shit?”.

I love that Bertheau CM 1er Cru, finished off a case of '09 and 6 bottles of '10.