K&L is closing out some '14 Verdet, I saw this a few days ago but they just sent out an email; I popped one of the VR villages which was super young but delicious.
Anyone here tried these? I got curious and ordered some V-R BM 1er. I did see good reviews from WS and from CT users.
Cheers,
Blair
Waiting for my order to be confirmed - fingers crossed.
Bought 2 of les beaux monts since this is yhe one that people bought the most.
OK data point.
In my previous post I led with Jacqueson from Rully. Cracked a bottle of 2002 Rully 1er Cru āClouxā last night. Not normally Rullyās job to be 15 years old (at least not for red). This was beautiful, easily north of 90 and not at all old. Iāve got 3 bottles left, Iām thinking one a year through 2020.
Another point on Burgundy sleepers, with of course a few stories. The thread is red, but if you are interested in Burgundy sleepers, why wouldnāt you consider white as well?
I sometimes stay in the Auberge du Camp Romain in Chassey-le-Camp, where the Cote dāOr meets Saone-et-Loire. Most growers in this lost little valley own vineyards in both. I used to stop at La Pātiote Cave, as old-fashioned a grower as you could imagine. For the owner, M. Mugnier, āexportingā wine would have meant sending it to someplace really, reallyl far away, like Paris. I tasted a Meursault out of barrel there in the early '80ās. He told me it was a blend of '63 and '72 and he was getting ready to bottle it. It was gorgeous. I exclaimed in great surprise āyour whites live longer than your reds!ā. His reply, carefully translated from the French: āduhhhā.
On another occasion, I stayed at a hotel in Autun, gorgeous old mountain town. This was about 2010. Went to the farmerās market. Winegrower there offering Hautes Cotes de Beaune, several different bottlings, including some with substantial bottle age. Bought a 2000 white and a 1999 red. White was gorgeous, we killed it at dinner in way too short a time. Opened the 1999 red, which was dead.
The point is that if you expand your search for Burgundy sleepers past red, you can find quite a few great unknown values, sleepers that it takes earthquake hunters to awake. Extra benefit: Many producers of these white sleepers have never heard of premox and have no problems with it.
Dan Kravitz
Yvesā wines are the opposite of old school, being firmly anchored in the practiced promulgated buy Guy Accad in the 1980s. It is only possible to do extremely extended pre-fermentation macerations of the kind Yves favors by hitting the wines with huge amounts of SO2 and chilling the cellars to extreme temperatures. Itās actually impossible to work like that in a traditional Burgundian cellarāwhich is why, every vintage, Courcel is rigged up with walls of plastic sheets to create cold rooms.
YUP
Opened the '14 Vosne VV on Saturday. Had a pretty strong oak influence and loads of fruit, I didnāt go back for more.
I think they need time; I liked the Vosne but itāll be better in 5-10
They definitely need some time, but still not really the style of Burgundy Iām looking for.
Love the wines from Chandon des Briailles, but prices seem to be going up significantly as of late, even the Pernand Vergelesses Iles des Vergelesses seems to be up to $70 for the 2015.
I bit on a mixed three pack of these. As someone who drinks a lot of CA pinot, the style sounds like it will be more up my alley than someone with a hardcore Burg palate.
Hi Ryan,
Thanks for sharing your impression. A bit odd that there would be strong oak influence though, given that he only uses 25%-33% new oak. Significantly less than, for instance, Domaine Dujac and other top producers. I realize all oak is not equal, and there could be issues of toast, etc. But on paperā¦in theoryā¦the wines should not show as overoaked. I look forward to eventually trying one myself!
Cheers,
Blair
Hi Blair,
I wouldnāt say it was over-oaked, but was surprised by the amount of oak showing as I was hoping these would be right up my alley. Maybe heās using high toast barrels? Still seems like a good value for the prices at K&L.
to Howard Cooper,
Yes, Chandon de Briailles has never been inexpensive and is going up.
But IMO this is a Burgundy problem, not a producer problem. With the incessant catastrophe of hail, production has been falling while the world is still getting richer and demand rising. Premox has dampened demand for white among some old school, long-time customers, but not among other burgeoning customers who just know that the names Meursault, Puligny and Chassagne mean the worldās greatest white wines, regardless of quality.
I import wine from a small grower in a minor Cote de Beaune Village. Over a period of 7 years, his harvests were just over 40% of normal. He raised his prices 60% over that time period, which meant his income was still much, much lower than it had been before. He sold out of everything. The past few years his harvests have been normal. Heās left his prices right where they were the last year of poor yields. Heās now making normal amounts of wine, things are not selling out instantly, but heās comfortable with thisā¦ itās like it was 10 years ago. Iām selling a little less, but thatās OK with both of us.
Dan Kravitz
1 Like
William, I wasnāt aware of Yvesā extended pre-fermentation approach. That certainly was a practice favored by Accad. Regardless of what one thinks of it, I understand that it can be done today without excessive SO2, and I also understand that the amounts recommended by Accad were never excessive anyway. In any case, rather than āold-school,ā I should have explained what Yves and his brother do: lots of work in the vines, pick late, use whole bunches, little new oak, and release their wines late.
I can confirm the fine quality of Derriere la Grange (although tasted only 2-3 times).
However - I disagree that Confuron-Cotetidotās Suchot is on par with ArnouxĀ“s ā¦
IMHO only one Suchots is on par with ArnouxĀ“s - and that is Liger-BelairĀ“s (since 2006) ā¦
even CathiardĀ“s and Hudelot-NoellatĀ“s are slightly āinferiorā ā¦
ā¦ we had it side by side several times ā¦
All wines being chased by the masses and priced accordingly.
Liger-Belair and Cathiardās Suchots prices āalmostā makes Arnouxās Suchots look like a bargain.
what about Grivot?