Rod decided that Monday Table should have a look at 2009 Burgundy, after a couple of 2002 Champagnes that is. We had an excellent meal at Matilda in Melbourne.
2002 Pol Roger Champagne Cuvée Sir Winston Churchill: A fresh nose of ripe apple, toast and peach. It is complex, full and rich, with a relatively high dosage feel, countered by chalky acidity. Length is good.
2002 Salon Champagne Blanc de Blancs Brut: Pure white peach and green apple fruits. There’s a hint of spice and good richness. It is certainly ripe yet possesses a high degree of elegance and a long finish that is loaded with chalk and flint.
2009 Maison Leroy Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatières: A punchy, tropical nose of pineapple, mango and apricot. It is a rich wine but also with a high degree of precision and freshness. Drinking right in the zone.
2009 Olivier Leflaive Montrachet, Grand Cru: A dense and powerful wine that has just had the edges planed off a little by some oxidation. There are petrol and sappy white peach notes and it is unctuous of feel with good acidity buried under the flesh.
2009 Domaine Marc-Antonin Blain Bâtard-Montrachet, Grand Cru: Quite a bit of spearmint and spice along with pure white peach fruit. It is an elegant Bâtard, of moderate weight but beautifully long, fine and persistent.
2009 François Raveneau Chablis 1er Cru Les Forêts: White peach, fennel and white flowers on the nose. Rich, sappy and layered in the mouth. Good volume and a clean and fresh finish.
2009 Louis Jadot Charmes-Chambertin, Grand Cru: Charming, opulent and ready to go. Pretty red and blue fruits. Good flesh and perfume and really breathes up ion the glass. Textural with a savoury closure.
2009 Domaine Tortochot Charmes-Chambertin, Grand Cru: Meaty, funky, wild and woolly.
2009 Domaine Humbert Frères Charmes-Chambertin, Grand Cru: A whiff of clay, a shot of espresso and deep dark fruits. Good density and weight. Rich and creamy and crammed with black cherry and earthy flavours.
2009 Leflaive et Associés Charmes-Chambertin, Grand Cru: There’s some smoke to the aroma along with rose petals, pomegranate and raspberry. It is elegant and nicely detailed, with good finesse and persistence.
2009 Bonneau du Martray Corton, Grand Cru: Very youthful and quite tight, showing a glimpse of red berry and some meat. Chalky of structure and long and dry.
2009 Domaine Dujac Bonnes Mares, Grand Cru: A highly perfumed nose of rose petals, root vegetables, pomegranate, dark cherry and earth. It is rich. Complex and layered, a highly perfumed yet supremely powerful wine. Delicious now, even better in another 10 years.
2009 Egly-Ouriet Coteaux Champenois Cuvée des Grands Côtés Vieilles Vignes Rouge Ambonnay: Kind of has a ‘Leroyesque’ smokiness with real floral spice lift. It is only mid-weight but has lovely balance and has some beef stock and Hoisin development. With further air the scent of violets appears.
2009 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Chambertin, Grand Cru: Big G made comment that ‘Chambertin is the sort of wine that makes Willy Wagtails fight Emus. It certainly made me feel strong. This is an even and calm wine, with real latent power. There are berry and cherry fruits and a cool feel. It is complex and voluminous, with great breadth and outstanding length. It strikes the perfect balance between sweet and savoury elements.
2009 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Chambertin-Clos de Bèze, Grand Cru: A sweet core of fruit and more opulent than the Chambertin at this stage. It is luscious and velvety, with spiced laden red and black fruits that glide over the palate. There’s great depth here but also a lightness in the mouth and the long finish is carried by sweet tannins.
2009 Domaine Château De La Tour Clos Vougeot Vieilles Vignes: Very primary, smelling of Vitamin B and ripe berry fruit. It is rich and dense, with so much power and presence. The finish is quite stony and possesses so much grip. Should be pretty special in two or three decades.
2009 Maison Albert Bichot Grands-Echezeaux Domaine du Clos Frantin: Had a bit too much coffee and chocolate and I just reckon may have suffered from a little bit of oxidation.
2011 Château d’Yquem, Sauternes: Immediately expressive, showing notes of apricot, coconut, lavender and vanilla. Explosive in the mouth, dripping with luscious fruits and exotic spices. There is so much happening in the mouth, even after swallowing.
2015 Château d’Yquem, Sauternes: One of my favourite young Yquems. Complex aromatics of passionfruit, coconut, apricot and honey. It hits the palate with a hit of sweetness then continues to build. There’s terrific underlying acidity and for a wine of such flavour intensity it is light on its feet. Length is simply superb.
1909 Laurent Viguier Sainte Croix: Plenty of Indian spice on the nose. It is full and sweet in the mouth, with notes of salty plum, chocolate and grilled nuts. It has nice finesse and decent persistence.