La Paulee Grand Tasting

WINE TALK
21

Next batch of impressions.

Table 15 - Anne Parent
I found Anne Parent to be passionate, direct, level-headed and a pleasure to talk with.
2012 Pommard Les Epenots 1er. Young and introspective with great fruit and fine potential. ½*
2012 Corton Blanc GC. Layered, tense, good acidity. Seamless. *

Table 16 - Chateau de Puligny
Saint Aubin En Remilly 1er. Yum! Textured and smooth. Immediately appealing. *

Table 17 - Lafarge
2011 Volnay Clos du Chateau des Ducs. Very attractive red and black cherry fruit. ½*. I wanted to like the 2011 line-up better but found most too rugged.

Table 18 - Drouhin
2012 Chablie Les Clos. Lemony cream yet precise and pretty. ½*.
2012 Meursault Perrieres 1er. Rich and unctuous with clean lines. ½*
2012 Chambertin Clos de Beze GC. Quite tasty.

Table 19 - Bouchard
2012 Meursault Genevrieres 1er. Clean, structured and long. *
2012 Chevalier-Montrachet. Intense and still one-dimensional at this early stage
2012 Clos de Beze GC. Bright, very tasty red fruit. ½*

Table 20 - Jadot
2012 Corton-Charlemagne GC. Excellent body and acidic structure. ½*
2012 Pommard Rugiens 1er. Captivating nose. Accessible for now with a tannic edge. Needs time (obviously) ½*

Table 21 - Simon Bize
Chisa Bize is a brave woman, working very hard to maintain the family business after her tragic loss. Her 16 year old son will hopefully take the reins some day in the not too distant future. The 2012 quality is not what I’m used to, but the 2012 Aux Vergelesses has potential with several years of patience required.

Table 22 - Faiveley
2012 Clos des Cortons GC. Dense black cherry, structured, bright, long. ½*

Table 23 - Meo Camuzet
2012 NSG Aux Murgers 1er. Intense. Not for those seeking subtlety at this early stage. ½*
2012 Corton les Perrieres - Young, rugged, mostly about potential

Table 24 - Mugneret-Gibourg
Pricing aside, the women are completely charming and their wines remain feminine and elegant.
2012 NSG Chaignots 1er. Bright, attractive and sleek. *
2012 Ruchottes-Chambertin. Absolutely lovely. Young and remarkably long. **
2012 Clos Vougeot. Hard to focus after the Ruchottes but this is also lovely. ½*

Table 25 - Grivot
2012 NSG Roncieres 1er. Elegant with soft fruit and attractive structure
2012 Vosne-Romanee Les Beaux Monts 1er. Rich yet balanced great mix of red/dark fruit. *
2012 Clos Vougeot. Dark fruit spicy, perhaps too forceful at this point.

RT

22

seriously, i also look forward to the food being served at this event…
momofuku had a great beef tartar
there was a whole roasted pig
marinated scallops were amazing
roast chicken with mashed potatos
and this one thing i don’t even know how to describe, cup of creamy deliciousness topped with truffles… just amazing.

oh and there are some wines too haha

roulot really stood out for me.

23

A fantastic event! Great food (Charlie Bird duck breast was amazing) and what a rare opportunity to taste so many great wines from 2012. My favorites of the red producers were Fourrier, Mugneret Gibourg and Hubert Lignier. My favorites from the white producers were Roulot, Lafon and Leflaive. Disappointments to my palate included Bize, Domaine d’Eugénie, Jacques Prieur. Surprise of the day was Olivier Leflaive - had heard the wines weren’t that great but a very nice showing yesterday.

24

Art - I couldn’t believe how good that truffle dish was. That was the one cooked up by the chefs who cam in from Beaune. It was a shot of cream of cauliflower soup, with a piece of cauliflower and a chicken oyster dropped in, both poached I think, with tons of burgundy truffle sprinkled on top. It was glorious and completely unlike anything a U.S. restaurant would serve…

25

YES! glorious is a great way to describe it… i was curious because vicki fourrier went back for seconds so i was like gotta try that out… and i’m glad i did…
and yes, the i can’t believe i left out the duck breast by charlie bird. honey lacquered duck breast… at a burgundy event? no brainer haha.

26

man that food sounds good.

27

Final batch.

Table 26 - Liger-Belair
Hard to get past the reduction of the 2012 Vosne Clos du Chateau but the flavors were attractive.
2012 NSG Clos des Grandes Vignes 1er. Intense, lovely, in-your-face yet balanced fruit. *
2012 Vosne Romanee Aux Reignots 1er. Jawdropping typicity. Spiced nose. Gorgeous. **
2012 Echezeaux GC. Mild Spice followed by integrated red/dark fruit. Fine intensity. *

Table 27 - d’Eugenie
2012 Vosne Romanee Clos d’Eugenie. Attractive and direct…probably not for $100ish. ½*
2012 Echezeaux GC. There’s potential but for now it was rich and seemed a bit extracted.

Table 28 - Hudelot-Noellat
2012 Chambolle-Musigny. Best buy IMHO. Attractive and quintessentially red fruited. Fine QPR and $50 - $60.
The other wines in the line up lacked subtlety. In your face big fruit. Intense, heavy duty and a bit tannic. Probably enjoyed the Clos Vougeot most of the remaining sluggers.

Table 29 - David Duband…missed it.

Table 30 - Hubert Lignier
2012 Morey-Saint-Denis. Bright, attractive, red fruited. Very fine village if priced rationally. ½*

Table 31 - Lignier-Michelot
2012 Morey-Saint-Denis Aux Charmes 1er. Touches of elegance and red fruit driven.
2012 Morey-Saint-Denis Les Faconnieres 1er. Darker fruited and attractive balance.

Table 32 - Clos de Tart
Bring your ear plugs. Loud, if not quite ear drum splitting. Intense. Preferred the 2012 but don’t expect I’ll ever be in the market for it. The wines could be wonderful in 20+ years after they shed their youth along with a good bit of their hearing.

Table 33 - Alain Burguet
2012 Gevrey-Chambertin Mes Favorites. Light and elegant yet structured. Very attractive. ½*
2012 Vosne-Romanee Les Roges du Dessous 1er. Deep, but I preferred the lithe Favorites.

Table 34 - Fourrier
Rockstar status remains intact. Jean-Marie continues to ride the wave.
2012 Morey-Saint-Denis Clos Solon. Attractive and engaging bright red fruit. Sadly…$90+. ½*
2012 Gevrey-Chambertin Cherbaudes 1er. Super red fruit with a laser cut. A bit startled by the precision…and even more by the $125+ price (if you can find it at all). Very tasty. ½*
2012 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Saint Jacques 1er. Always one of my Fourrier favs. Beautiful balance and presentation. $500+. Really? *

Table 35 - Olivier Bernstein
Every single wine was good. Not revelatory but all of them were a solid ½*. I was warned about the prices…which are a little jarring. $225 - $600+.
2012 Gevrey Les Cazetiers 1er
2012 Clos de la Roche
2012 Mazis-Chambertin
2012 Clos de Beze

RT

28

I don’t have my notes with me, but I will say that I was surprised/pleased that H-N’s Suchots was my favorite of their table, better than both the GCs, especially because the '10 RSV was my favorite wine of the entire tasting at the '13 Paulee.

29

Not that shocking. I probably liked the 12 RSV better than the Suchots, but the Suchots was awfully good. Might have been my favorite red premier cru, along with maybe the Reignots from Liger-Belair and the Volnay Santenots from Lafon. My favorite villages level wine was Mugneret-Gibourg’s Vosne Romanee.

30

Liger-Belair’s Reignots was just silly good. Maybe my WOTD.

31

Easily my wine of the day…it’s also been mentioned by about everyone on this thread. Too bad there’s so little of it.

32

2014 LA PAULEE GRAND TASTING - New York (2/28/2015)

Brief notes from the Saturday Grand Tasting. Overall impressions: The red wines fell into two broad categories, some were quite elegant and lighter styled (though not as light as 2011 in general); then there were wines that showed quite a bit of structure and more rustic character. Whites seemed a little stronger on average, though some could cross the line toward a bit of over-ripeness. In general, seems quite a successful vintage, though I’m not sure about the longevity of many of the wines (both red and white). Unfortunately, coupled with scarcity and high prices, it’s a vintage to pick and choose very carefully.

2012 Domaine Christian Moreau Père et Fils Chablis Grand Cru Valmur - France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
Fabulous intensity, great acidity, nice saline and mineral coming through. A very rich Chablis, but well balanced. (93 pts.)
2012 Domaine Christian Moreau Père et Fils Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos - France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
Rich, elegant, granite, tremendous overall balance, just beautiful. (94 pts.)

2012 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre - France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru
Nice, medium depth, good acidity, some minerality, very good. (91 pts.)
2012 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Les Preuses - France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
Rich and lush, excellent acidity, beautiful saline quality, outstanding. (93 pts.)
2012 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Bougros - France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
Medium depth and intensity, has a high toned note, ends just a bit too lush, not quite perfectly balanced. (90 pts.)
2012 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos - France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
So elegant, rich, balanced, oozes sea spray and saline, gorgeous. (94 pts.)

2012 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Saint-Aubin 1er Cru Les Champlots - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Saint-Aubin 1er Cru
Nice medium depth, good acidity and some decent minerality. Very nice. (91 pts.)
2012 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Meursault 1er Cru Charmes - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
Wow, rich, intense, voluptuous, almost a bit overripe, but delicious. Maybe one to drink on the earlier side. (92 pts.)
2012 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Caillerets - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru
Wow, fabulous intensity, excellent acidity, hints of saline and good minerality, really beautiful. (93 pts.)
2012 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Corton-Charlemagne - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
Medium depth, has a bit of ripeness, decent acidity; lacks the complexity and tension I expect from this wine. (90 pts.)

2012 Domaine Roulot Meursault - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault
Fantastic richness, nice umami, nothing elegant or complex, just a powerhouse. (92 pts.)
2012 Domaine Roulot Meursault Les Luchets - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault
Long, medium intensity, excellent balance, with good minerality. (92 pts.)
2012 Domaine Roulot Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
Fantastic rich depth, excellent umami, saline; the richness hides any minerality at this point, but this wine is flat out delicious. (94 pts.)

2012 Domaine Leflaive Meursault 1er Cru Sous le Dos d’Âne - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
Very nice, good depth, nice acidity and minerality, beautiful wine. (93 pts.)
2012 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet
Wow, rich, balanced, delicious. (92 pts.)
2012 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Clavoillon - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru
Rich and lush, good saline, borders on overripe, but fabulous right now. (93 pts.)
2012 Domaine Leflaive Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru
Rich and unctuous, fantastic balance, long finish. Wow. (94 pts.)

2012 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault
Nice medium intensity, excellent acidity, has a crispness and focus. (91 pts.)
2012 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault Clos de la Barre - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault
Bit rounder, less focused than the village Meursault, good flavor, but comes up a touch short. (90 pts.)
2012 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault 1er Cru Charmes - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
Very rich and intense, long finish, nice saline quality. (92 pts.)
2012 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Volnay 1er Cru Santenots-Du-Milieu - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru
Very nice medium dark cherry, earth, rustic, tannic finish. Fairly typical of the vintage, particularly for the south, though with a bit more depth than some. (91 pts.)

2012 Joseph Drouhin / Drouhin-Vaudon Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos - France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
Quite rich and long, good acid, though missing some mineral/sea spray character. Delicious, nevertheless. (92 pts.)
2012 Joseph Drouhin Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Baudes - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru
Very nice dark fruit, tannic, medium depth, needs time. More body than most this vintage. (92 pts.)
2012 Joseph Drouhin Chambertin-Clos de Bèze - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru
Medium dark cherry fruit, backward, structured, moderate finish. Hard to know where this might go. (91 pts.)
2012 Joseph Drouhin Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
Very rich and lush, decent acidity, voluptuous. (92 pts.)

2012 Bouchard Père et Fils Meursault 1er Cru Les Genevrières - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
Wow, excellent depth, good acidity, very nice finish. Delicious, excellent effort. (92 pts.)
2012 Bouchard Père et Fils Chevalier-Montrachet - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru
Whiff of SO2 on the nose, initially, then fabulous, elegant intensity, excellent balance, long finish. Beautiful extract, nice touch of saline. Gorgeous wine. (94 pts.)
2012 Bouchard Père et Fils Beaune 1er Cru Grèves Vigne de L’Enfant Jesus - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Beaune 1er Cru
Nice medium cherry, quite structured, elegant, medium body. Having tasted this a couple of times last year, this seems already a bit tight. I think it deserves a decade, and should be very nice. (91 pts.)
2012 Bouchard Père et Fils Chambertin-Clos de Bèze - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru
Medium body, medium dark fruit, quite structured, a bit rustic. Tough to judge this. Give it time. (91 pts.)

2012 Simon Bize Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Aux Vergelesses - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru
Rustic, medium dark cherry. Tough to coax much out of this right now. (89 pts.)

2012 Faiveley Corton-Clos des Cortons Faiveley - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton Grand Cru
First wave of beautiful, medium body dark fruit, then turns moderately tannic, backward, structured. Leave it alone. (92 pts.)
2012 Faiveley Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Les Ouvrées Rodin - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru
Medium body (something I can’t read), elegant, flavorful, medium cherry/raspberry fruit, medium finish. Very nice wine, probably the only time I’ll ever get to try this. Very enjoyable, though not blowing my mind. (92 pts.)
2012 Faiveley Bâtard-Montrachet - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru
Medium depth, some good minerality, very nice. (92 pts.)

2012 Méo-Camuzet Frère et Sœurs Fixin 1er Cru Clos du Chapitre - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Fixin 1er Cru
Delicious, light, elegant cherry/strawberry. (88 pts.)
2012 Domaine Méo-Camuzet Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Aux Murgers - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru
Light body, nice darker flavor, nice balance, good NSG typicity though on the lighter side. (90 pts.)
2012 Domaine Méo-Camuzet Corton-Perrières - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton Grand Cru
Medium body, medium dark fruit, shows the more masculine, rustic side of Corton. (90 pts.)
2012 Domaine Méo-Camuzet Clos Vougeot - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru
Medium dark, medium body, fairly structured, darker cherry, bit rustic. (91 pts.)

2012 Domaine Georges Mugneret/Mugneret-Gibourg Vosne-Romanée - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée
Light bodied, elegant, slightly tart strawberry/cherry fruit. (88 pts.)
2012 Domaine Georges Mugneret/Mugneret-Gibourg Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Chaignots - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru
Nice medium light strawberry/cherry, good acidity, on the delicate side. (90 pts.)
2012 Domaine Georges Mugneret/Mugneret-Gibourg Ruchottes-Chambertin - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Ruchottes-Chambertin Grand Cru
Medium light body, bit backward, moderate intensity, some fine tannins. Quite shy today, in hiding. (90 pts.)
2012 Domaine Georges Mugneret/Mugneret-Gibourg Clos Vougeot - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru
Medium depth, nice lighter strawberry, fine and delicate, fine structure. Very feminine Vougeot. (91 pts.)

2012 Domaine Jean Grivot Vosne-Romanée - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée
Spicy, medium backward cherry/strawberry, good acidity. (88 pts.)
2012 Domaine Jean Grivot Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Roncières - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru
Quite nice cherry/strawberry fruit, structured, some oak. (90 pts.)
2012 Domaine Jean Grivot Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaux Monts - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru
Decent depth cherry/raspberry, touch bitter tannins, needs some time. (91 pts.)
2012 Domaine Jean Grivot Clos Vougeot - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru
Quite nice, elegant medium cherry, spice, a bit backward. (91 pts.)

2012 Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair Vosne-Romanée Clos du Château - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée
A bit reduced on the nose, on the palate delicious medium-light cherry, shows a bit of oak. (90 pts.)
2012 Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Clos des Grandes Vignes - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru
Nice darker flavors, dark cherry, medium intensity, good structure and balance. Quite delicious. (91 pts.)
2012 Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Reignots - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru
Fairly dark, medium body, beautiful dark, meaty cherry, excellent balance, has an elegance and lightness, though with fabulous flavor. (94 pts.)
2012 Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair Echezeaux - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Echezeaux Grand Cru
Decent dark fruit, bit backward/rustic, nice dark cherry, needs time. (92 pts.)

2012 Alain Hudelot-Noellat Chambolle-Musigny - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny
Medium light, bit under-fruited, touch tart. (87 pts.)
2012 Alain Hudelot-Noellat Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Suchots - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru
Nice dark cherry, brooding, well structured, plenty of depth and flavor, but needs time. One of the better wines of the La Paulee tasting. (93 pts.)
2012 Alain Hudelot-Noellat Clos Vougeot - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru
Lighter body, very pretty medium cherry, some oak, good structure. A more elegant Vougeot. (91 pts.)
2012 Alain Hudelot-Noellat Romanée St. Vivant - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Romanée St. Vivant Grand Cru
Gorgeous, elegant, medium light, ethereal, some oak, excellent structure, though missing some of the depth and length of the best vintages. (94 pts.)

2012 Domaine du Clos de Tart Clos de Tart - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos de Tart Grand Cru
Medium rich, darker, spicy fruit, very nice, though lacks a bit of depth and length. (92 pts.)
2011 Domaine du Clos de Tart Clos de Tart - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos de Tart Grand Cru
Delicious, medium light body, spice, very elegant, quite a nice 2011. (91 pts.)

2012 Domaine Alain Burguet Gevrey-Chambertin Mes Favorites Vieilles Vignes - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin
Nice, slightly riper medium cherry, bright, good acidity. (90 pts.)
2012 Domaine Alain Burguet Chambolle-Musigny Les Echezeaux - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny
Forward, bright, nice cherry, spice, some oak. (91 pts.)
2012 Domaine Alain Burguet Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Rouges du Dessus - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru
Decent medium dark cherry, structured, decent acidity. Nice though unremarkable. (91 pts.)

2012 Domaine Fourrier Morey St. Denis Clos Solon Vieille Vigne - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Morey St. Denis
Medium body, lush, ripe, though with good balance. (89 pts.)
2012 Domaine Fourrier Gevrey-Chambertin Vieille Vigne - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin
Good lush, darker fruit, bit easy, one-dimensional, decent balance. (89 pts.)
2012 Domaine Fourrier Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Cherbaudes Vieille Vigne - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
Very ripe, particularly for the vintage, good balance, but a bit too much. (89 pts.)

33

And some pictures from the trip:

Looks cold down there, should have turned back here:

Home away from home

Don Antonio, for those reading the NY restaurants/pizza thread

And Marta for comparison

Can’t go to NY without visiting Momofuku for pork buns

Random people in Central Park

Singers

Suckling pig and pâté from Daniel

Mugneret-Gibourg

Famous scientist Burgundy lover. Now that he’s demoted Pluto, next he’s going to demote a Grand Cru.

Soyoung Scanlan of Andante Dairy. If you missed her cheese, you missed some of the best made in California. Next to impossible to find.

Pierre-Yves Colin

Jean-Marc Roulot

Erwan Faiveley

Truffles

And back home to a place… without snow

Deconstruction of Candlestick Park

34

Nice pics Alan.
Don Antonio rocks!

35

Excellent posts Alan. Marta had a somewhat busier feel by 1:30AM Sunday.

Fine photo of Marie Christine (Mugneret-Gibourg) and husband Eric Teillaud.

Glad you posted pics because robo-notes can be so useless. Bill Klapp says so. Bill is very smart and litter-it and sleeps on bags of cougar-ants.

RT

36

Richard, enjoyed your notes as well. It’s always interesting to compare tastes and experiences. I do my best to take time between wines, drink water, have some mild food, etc., but I recognize that people will be tasting the wines at different points in the session, where the wines may be from different bottles, may have been open shorter/longer, and (perhaps most importantly) an individual’s palate may be at different stages of saturation. But it’s all useful!