Burg Study in NY (Cristal, Selosse, Dujac, Bertheau, Lignier, Mortet, Fourrier, Mugneret-Gibourg, Rousseau)

WINE TALK
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Overview:

Some lovely New Yorkers were kind enough to host Michael & me for our first travel wine weekend of the new year. It was so much fun! Friday evening found us at a round table with an excellent crew & a beautiful collection of wines. An ideal way to open the Season.

@Jon_Lawrence Got us the perfect table & then (very kindly) essentially took us all to dinner, too. He ordered fantastically. So much kindness showed to us. And thank you as well to @J0hnEhrl1ng(who got this weekend in motion a few months ago).

@MChang has been cranking out notes all weekend, so I thought I’d start this thread off first.

Opening Cristal Flight: 2004, 2013, & 2013 Rose

A lovely beginning. I don’t have anything super insightful or introspective to add here. The 2013 Rose is a particularly special champagne. Lovely aromatics & exquisite structure. That crystalline structure expands & adds layers with perfume as the wine absorbs air in the glass. It was the class of these three.

I think this particular bottle of ‘13 BdB was a little softer & more advanced than I am used to. Pleasant, warm mouthfeel but not quite firing on all cylinders. The ‘04 was similarly warm & accessible. Less structure than one might expect.

A Dynamic, Startling Blind

Very pretty nose. Deep, clear cherry fruit. Light color, and hardly any structure remaining. My guess of this being from the 90s was rebuffed. And the next guesses were immediately: okay, it’s older then? Nope. This is a 2010. What? :face_with_hand_over_mouth:

You’d never get it in a million years. Maison Ilan has entered the chat. 2010 Charmes Chambertin. The Blind was fun. Give this wine its due: it was showing very purely & tasty. And a bit of a magic trick given just how little structure is left on it.

Flight 1: 2008 Dujac Clos de la Roche, 2008 Lignier Clos de la Roche, and 2001 Bertheau Bonnes Mares

I think it was a good choice to lead with the deeper vineyards first. The following flights had more superstar showings, but these were a good start.

I know some (like Ryan out in Texas) are very high on 2008 Dujac. This bottle was pleasant, but not a showstopper. Smooth, not showy in its aromatics (hardly any cluster, for instance). Nice violets & texture. But nothing truly leaping out the glass or capturing attention in the mouth. Pleasant.

The 2008 Lignier has size and energy to burn. Certainly 20+ years ahead of it, if not more. Showed very similarly to a bottle Michael & I had in October. Very classic, rustic notes of meatiness & soil. The oak structure is just beginning to unfurl. Lots of grip. A bit of a Bordeaux-drinker’s Grand Cru at the moment. Size and structure, and a little burlier rather than ornate. Will keep getting better.

The 2001 Bertheau Bonnes Mares was my favorite of the flight. This wine continues to represent itself very harmoniously to my palate. Not a showstopper aromatically, but just warm, mature cherry notes with rolled layers of calm spice. Nothing crazy. And a fantastic, warm texture. No sharp edges. Medium heft, very accessible and warm. I like this wine’s musicality. A nice rounded cello sound.

Will had a nice observation later in the evening that the Bertheau had a relaxed, classy but nothing excessive feel for a wine you’d be having at home and really enjoying its warmth over an evening.

Flight 2: 2009 Mugneret-Gibourg (Ruchottes-Chambertin & Clos Vougeot)

Phenomenal.

These two were just effing phenomenal. The Ruchottes was on fire as soon as it touched the nostrils. Lovely, explosive qualities. Sweet fruits, crushed flowers, hints of fresh earth. Warm sensations everywhere. Elegant rather than forceful. This isn’t a jammy 09. Rather, it is very light in the mouth. Joyous AF. Honestly, just blew away the table.

Thankfully, beautifully, the Clos Vougeot was a superstar as well. Very, very close to the Ruchottes in its showing. More purple fruits, maybe some violet or lavender, and a touch of linear acid to its structure. All wrapped up in an exceptionally beautiful package.

My two favorite wines of the night. That perfect style of unbelievably good Burgundy. You know in mere seconds just how delicious & complete the wines are. And you can still revisit over and over again for the next half-hour.

Michael’s gift to us. Jon accented the gift by procuring a literal tower of Duck for the table. Heaven.

Champagne Interlude: Selosse Initial (09 disg)

Oh, man. The hits kept coming.

Another totally pristine showing. This has verve in spades. I drink very little Selosse, and have had some bottles were the structure/electricity got lost a bit & the wines veer out of balance. Not here. This was a magical bottle. The Selosse Nose on display, but not with any excessive funk. And so much beauty & pizazz in the mouthfeel.

From Alex’s personal allocation. A marvel in its freshness. This quite the advertisement for what Selosse can be. And I’ll share a personal smile: The Selosse was metaphor :wink: . If you need something quite complicated explained succinctly & without getting lost in the weeds, Alex will come through for you

Flights 3 & 4: 2007 Fourrier Clos St Jacques, 2006 Rousseau Clos St Jacques, 2005 Rousseau Cazetiers, and 2008 Mortet Lavaut St Jacques

We did these two at a time, initially, with the Rousseau paired last. But we could compare a bit as we were approaching the end of the evening. And I particularly enjoyed the CSJ study.

The two Clos St Jacques were my two clear winners here. And not just because I love CSJ. The Mortet LSJ was kind of reserved & not showing its full character, I don’t think. Pleasant, but not unfurling into something eclectic. Honestly, the evening wasn’t the best showing from the 2008 vintage. The 05 Rousseau Caz also felt a bit restrained. I’ve had some sultry Cazetiers, and this was pretty but not sultry or seductive. I think its 05’ness probably keeping the fun a bit locked up.

Aromatically, the two CSJ really showed up. The Rousseau got better & better in the glass. Excellent aromatics but a bit angular in its mouthfeel for a long time. Even as it grew more expansive, it lacked true Rousseau velvet. That’s obviously the highest of standards, though. A gorgeous wine & I’d never had the 2006 before.

Fourrier CSJ really holds your interest in the glass. Very expressive. Michael & I did the 09 & 13 Rousseau/Fourrier CSJ study in December. I find that the Fourrier Clos St Jacques maybe evolves/changes aromatically in more kaleidoscopic ways. Different notes/textures come out a little bit the more you sit with it, the more it opens, the more a little morsel of food interplays. I find Rousseau more consistent in how it radiates its aromatics more steadily. This can make the Fourrier a little more of a wildcard, and I really enjoy following it.

These Clos St Jacques are great wines. And fantastic wines to close an evening. The aromatics are very bewitching, even after a full dinner & full lineup. These wines keep your palate fully awake.

Conclusion

Very gracious & spectacular evening.

I love the table. I love being around some seriously experienced palates. But I also love that the vibe isn’t too precious. Lots of honesty & friendly examination of these wines.

You can’t beat it.

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Sounds like a great time.

Thanks for the notes.

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Fantastic evening! Thanks to @Jon_Lawrence for hosting and ordering and @J0hnEhrl1ng for organizing. It was great to see @Dan_A @Alex_Valdes @Dinesh_Goyal @Nick_Christie again and wonderful to meet @wbeshears

The food and company were phenomenal, and the wines weren’t bad either :wink:

Flight 1:

2013 Cristal Brut

While this was a bit rounder than the last showing, without quite as much precision and drive as some previous bottles, I still thought it was quite lovely and focused, with lemon curd and a bit of toasty baguette on the nose and a beautiful core of acidity on the palate and strong finish. @Nick_Christie may have been right that this wasn’t the very best bottle but still a great way to start off the night.

2013 Cristal Rose Brut

To our delight, @Jon_Lawrence pulled this lovely champagne out of his bag and we had another great side by side. I had this side by side at Oriole last month, but this wine showed significantly better today. It has some strawberries on the nose, incredible palate depth and intensity with a strikingly long finish. Best showing of the 13 Rose I’ve had in a long time, this may be one of the all time great vintages of this wine in the long term.

2004 Cristal Brut

A wonderful bottle @Dinesh_Goyal brought, this was great. The last time I had the 2004 Cristal, it was BTG in Chicago in 2019, and at the time it was searingly acidic without much fruit. Today, it had a beautiful rounded mouthfeel, with some Meyer lemon on the nose, and the acidity was much tamer. This didn’t feel as linear or laser focused than a lot of 04s and I really liked it. I’ve been generally dismissive of non BdB 04s because of the lack of fruit and shrill acidity, maybe they’re coming around?

(Blind) 2010 Maison Ilan Charmes Chambertin

What a shocking blind. This had pretty red cherry fruit, and a bit of earth, without much structure to speak of. We immediately thought Morey and were rebuffed. Everyone thought this was a mature bottle from the 80-90s and were again rebuffed. The palate was completely integrated and mature tasting and the finish was quite long. After a few more hints, I did toss out the Maison Ilan guess which was right, but wow, what a shock; this wine was still drinking well now but drank so much older than the stated vintage; I’d drink up, folks.

Flight 2:

2008 Dujac Clos de la Roche

This was a better showing than the last few bottles of Dujac I’ve had, pretty fruits on the nose without obvious stems or smoke, quite a bit of acidity on the palate with a bit of fruit to go with it, and a nice clean finish. Overall a nice pleasant wine.

2008 Hubert Lignier Clos de la Roche

Wow, in comparison, this wine was a beast. In contrast to the other 08s from this weekend, this had fruit and structure to burn. Lovely exotic aromatics with black currants and earth on the nose. The palate had huge structure and power, that didn’t quite completely integrate, but had nice velvety texture, and a long powerful finish. This bottle at least, needed more time. I’ve had this wine 3 times in the last two years and the others felt a bit more ready to drink while this one felt super fresh and powerful.

2001 Bertheau Bonnes Mares

Some tea and ripe cherry fruit on the nose, this was a beautiful wine drinking in its prime, crisp acidity on the palate with more lovely fruits and a long finish. While this lacked the power and depth of the biggest Bonnes Mares, it was a pretty wine drinking nicely!

Flight 3:

2009 Mugneret Gibourg Clos Vougeot

This was just a stunning wine with beautiful aromatics exploding from the glass. Ripe red and black cherries, soft rich loam, and some forest floor, while the palate has both depth and weightlessness, a trick that only MG and scant other producers can pull off, along with super filigreed elegant velvet texture and plenty of mouthwatering acidity. The finish lingered for what seemed like hours.

2009 Mugneret Gibourg Ruchottes-Chambertin

Just as soon as I’d settled into the beautiful Clos Vougeot, I was hit with an air burst of aromatics from the Ruchottes; similar red and dark cherry fruit with a bit more of old growth forest floor. I was transported to my happy place amongst primeval trees in Cook Forest, and then I found more beautiful transparent fruit on the palate, along with a core of acidity and some gevrey iron to go along with the velvet and lace texture. Finish was tremendous and equally long. I think ultimately the Ruchottes was just a bit better, but what wines! Sheesh.

Interlude: Selosse Initial (2009 disgorgement)

This was stunning, fresh as a daisy, with beautiful Selosse savory and oxidative notes as well as some lemon zest and kaffir lime. Super beautiful palate without any rough edges and a long stunning finish.

Flight 4:

2008 Denis Mortet Lavaut Saint Jacques

This was a bit restrained aromatically, with pretty red fruits, and lots of acid on the palate with some structure and a bit scant fruit. The finish was pleasant. I think this like some of the other 08s, needs more time.

2007 Fourrier Clos St Jacques

This had a beautiful nose with some smoked meat and ripe red Fourrier cherries with some spice. The palate was beautiful with plenty of fruit and acidity and length to burn. Very impressive.

Flight 5:

2006 Rousseau Clos St Jacques

I haven’t had the 06 for some time, but had high hopes given how well some 06s showed in Chicago and I wasn’t disappointed. Nose was classic with red currants and dark earth, and the palate was initially tight but opened up in time, with a core of iron, acidity, and lacy texture and more pretty fruits. Finish was long and precise. These are just starting to come into a good drinking window, but no rush at all.

2005 Rousseau Cazetiers

This wasn’t as aromatically explosive as the 09 I opened last month, but had very pretty berry fruit and earth on the nose. The palate had a ton of structure, as much as the CSJ, with great depth, but it didn’t quite integrate as well. Finish was long and beautiful. I think this could use a few more years in the cellar.

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I think it’s the best wine they’ve ever made, which is why I’ve been buying every bottle I can get my hands on since release. Good news for those who don’t have enough is the price has only gone down since release so it’s ripe for buying in both 750 and mag.

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I think Jon agrees with you; I think in the end the 08 may be better but who knows when it’d start to drink.

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Just want to thank everyone for a fantastic evening of conversation and generosity. I agree on the notes above and have little to add to Nick and Michael’s notes other than thank you for taking the time to write them. I think the conversation around the 08’s was really interesting especially based on tasting different wines over the past 2 days. I wanted to say that I was shocked between the difference of the Dujac and Lignier CDLR the power and depth of the Lignier just put in a different class. The MG flight was as they say FORGETABOOUUT IT! It’s the reason we drink burgundy and they were both truly spectacular but for WOTN went to the Ruchottes for me. The champagne flight just was an embarrassment of riches and a true delight to sit with these wines and not rush through them but follow them through the night. A truly excellent evening and I personally appreciate the effort that it takes to travel to NYC bring wines etc…

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Thanks for coming, what a fun night!

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What a great night, and awesome notes. Although @Nick_Christie , since when is Cristal a BdB? :grin:

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