THE ROTATING DINNERS, VOL. 2: 2013 WHITE BURGUNDY - Chicago, IL (4/4/2016)
The group convened at Nico Osteria for a dinner of Italian seafood and white Burgundy. Bret kindly helped set up the reservation for us, though for as many times, we unfortunately missed him on his night off. The food and wines paired superbly – the wines are listed in the order they were served. We switched things up a little bit and started with the heavier dishes before ending on the lightest of them – the super fresh crudo, which paired amazingly well with the high-tension PYCM St. Aubins.
The wines were all double-decanted two hours before dinner.
While these are all young wines, the idea was to get a good sense of the 2013 vintage for PYCM and Henri Boillot, two of my favourite producers. The conclusion was that these were excellent wines, and I, for one, will definitely be looking for a few more to add to my own cellar.
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2013 Domaine Bertheau (Pierre et François) Bourgogne - France, Burgundy, Bourgogne
In somewhat Burgundian fashion, we started with a red wine instead. This is so pretty. Red fruit, florals, there’s an almost Beaujolais-like juiciness to it. The tannins do come off a little grippy now, so perhaps it’s best to wait a year or two to smooth over the harsh edges. It’s not a deep or profound wine, nor is it pretentious, but it is comfortable in its own skin and it is exactly what it ought to be. Lovely, honest, drinkable red Burgundy. (88 pts.) -
2013 Henri Boillot Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatières - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru
Initially, this showed a fair bit of golden fruit and also a touch of almond, with a finish that was just a tad bitter from the oak, but after the double-decant, this opened up significantly and showed much more Puligny-like in its precision. Some pear flavours, along with a nice dose of lemony acidity and mineral zing make this a pretty great example of chardonnay. I preferred the Pucelles slightly to this wine. (90 pts.) -
2013 Henri Boillot Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Pucelles - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru
Initially, the nose was quite grassy and herbaceous, and this actually showed more minerally than its sibling, but the reverse happened after the double-decant. This became a much burlier wine, showing lots restrained oak. The texture on the palate of this wine was a bit heavier, and the fruit showed a little bit riper. I’d give this a slight edge over the Folatières alongside, although the table was probably split on that decision. (90 pts.) -
2013 Henri Boillot Meursault 1er Cru Les Poruzots - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
A very convincing showing of Meursault in this bottle. The nose initially showed some coconut and pineapple aromas, with the oak jutting out a little bit loudly, not to mention the little bit of astringency on the back end. With the double decant, this filled out a bit, but it struck me as a somewhat emaciated example of Meursault, lacking the power and richness that I’d expect. Compared to the other three Meursaults at the table that night, I’d call this relatively underripe, and there were indeed some odd green elements to it as well. (85 pts.) -
2013 Henri Boillot Meursault 1er Cru Les Genevrières - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
Initially, this showed its oak really, really prominently, which also ended up masking a lot of the more charming qualities (I really should have saved the “charm” pun for the Charmes). This was definitely of a better pedigree than the Poruzots. After the double-decant, this showed a lot more of the yellow fruit, and the body fleshed out to a very significant extent. It’s like one of those extreme makeover things. A bit waxy on the palate, but with ample acidity to boot, though perhaps this was slightly more diffuse than the racy and underripe Poruzots. (90 pts.) -
2013 Henri Boillot Meursault 1er Cru Charmes - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
My two favourite parcels in Meursault are probably Perrières and Charmes, and it’s always a treat to do them side-by-side. In comparison to the Perrières, which was a much larger-scaled wine, I found the Charmes surprisingly linear and racy, almost evoking a bit of the Puligny character. Upon opening, this bottle was very high-toned and a touch funky from reduction. The oak use, while detectable, seems to be dialled back, though I’m guessing it’s the stuffing in the wine that keeps it from roaring to the foreground. Really good focus and acidity here, with crisp minerality. I did prefer the Perrières for the fuller and richer texture though. (90 pts.) -
2013 Henri Boillot Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
Les Perrières has got to be my favourite spot in Meursault, and the bottles tasted tonight are another case in point. Simply put, this is the most complete of all the Meursaults. Everything’s there, and there in spades. It’s interesting to note how big this wine is in comparison to the others. The fruit flavours are dialled up, the acidity, the minerality, everything. It might not be as focussed as the linear Charmes, but this is more massive, monolithic, and imposing. (93 pts.) -
2013 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Saint-Aubin La Pucelle - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Saint-Aubin
The nose on this was initially quite stemmy and green, but perhaps that was more part of the reductive funk, and it blew off soon enough. I got a bit of fresh herbs and meyer lemon on the nose and palate. Lots of depth, with a very clean palate and good minerality. I think this was a bit on the green herbal side, perhaps a little touch underripe, but not by too much. (90 pts.) -
2013 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Saint-Aubin 1er Cru Les Perrières - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Saint-Aubin 1er Cru
This was very reduced on opening, and I don’t think this bottle really came around as well as it could have – probably needed a bit more air. Green apple, sappy, and a bit tart. The acidity here is really sharp, as well as some green fruit. Compared to the Pucelle, this was definitely the weaker wine. (88 pts.) -
2013 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Saint-Aubin Le Banc - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Saint-Aubin
The nose on this wasn’t too reduced, and in fact, you could find a good touch of stone fruit there. The palate though, was a bit tart upon opening. With the air from a double decant, this became much more expressive, with more of the white fruit showing. Granted the acidity never really dialed down, but with more of the fruit showing, this gave a much more rounded drinking experience. (90 pts.) -
2013 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Saint-Aubin 1er Cru Les Combes - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Saint-Aubin 1er Cru
The initial nose on this was very reduced, though no more than the En Remilly. There was a touch of pears for fruit, but not much else. This is the one wine where the double decant seemed to make things worse – this showed more and more stewed vegetation at dinner than before. The palate didn’t show any of those flaws, and this was still drinkable if you could get past the really stinky reductive nose. (83 pts.) -
2013 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Saint-Aubin 1er Cru en Remilly - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Saint-Aubin 1er Cru
This is the big boy of the St. Aubin stable and it shows. The nose is probably the most powerful of all of the St. Aubin wines, and it shows a significant amount of sulphur, as well as some really nice white fruit aromas. The palate is similarly massive – in fact, this is in a class of its own in comparison to the other St. Aubins. By far the most complete and compelling of the PYCMs tonight. Quite austere, with not much fruit coming through but rather the rocks and minerality and acidity. My kind of chardonnay. (93 pts.)