Made a similar post on Reddit, but I feel like there is pretty limited crossover with the two audiences, so here it is. I did it… I came, I saw, and I conquered Burgundy. At least I like to think I did a pretty good job. I spent 7 days eating and drinking my way through the region. This was the most educational, hedonistic, and impactful 7-days of drinking I have ever experienced. I’ll start with the tasting notes, and finish with some thoughts. I’m not usually one to leave scores on wines because I think they are largely subjective, but this time I will because it will help people understand how much each wine impacted me personally, and how I stack rank them in terms of pure enjoyment regardless of price. The wines are rated on how they showed the day I drank them, not on future potential. I was able to visit a few Domaines as well, but this post will focus on wines I drank in restaurants.
2010 Domain Fourrier, Gevrey Chambertin, Aux Echezeaux
Technically, this was the last wine we drank before we left the trip, but it fits the bill because it’s my favorite Domaine and serves as a good benchmark for every wine drank afterward. Pop and pour. This wine was lights-out. I love 2010. Younger Fourrier is more floral and spritzy, and takes an hour + to gain nuance, but this was fully loaded right from the start. The nose is all about the Gevrey spice with that feral animal pelt quality that I often find in Gevrey. The palate is focused and pure with sappy high-toned red fruit and with several layers of savory spice on the finish. Mostly resolved tannin and perfect acidity. I managed to catch this wine in its moment. A real wow and a perfect village wine. It continues to surprise me how well Fourrier’s village-level wines show/age. 94
2020 Hubert Lamy, Saint-Aubin 1er Cru, Derrière chez Edouard
Les Petit Sommelier, Paris
A hint of honey and a nice salinity on the nose. At this young stage, this wine is not complex but is running on citrus so concentrated it will clear out your sinuses. A delicious lip-smacking wine that paired well with charcuterie and cheese. 91
2010 Ghislaine Barthod, Chambolle-Musigny, Les Cras
Tan-Dinh, Paris
Kiss of oak and sweet red berries on the nose, with hints of cinnamon & cedar. This is an elegant, classy, complex and old-school / soulful Burgundy. The acid is high, slightly tart but it does not impede the pleasure of the wine. Huckleberry, cherry, and tannin to go the distance, with a savory elegant finish. In the end, this wine closed up and the structure took over. It has a lot more to give and really needs another 5+ years to show its true colors. 92
2008 François Raveneau, Chablis 1er Cru, Vallions
La Cagouille, Paris
My first Raveneau… Fuck… Given the price these trade for in the States, I honestly did not want this wine to be this good. Tasting notes are almost pointless. Flint, crushed oyster shell, sea breeze, and honey on a nose that changes with every whiff. Acid and honey come first on the palate followed by waves of saline and concentrated citrus fruits. Layers upon layers; this wine just keeps building and building and building on the palate. Peak flavor occurs 30 seconds after you swallow your sip. I didn’t know citrus could be so concentrated, so flavorful, and so pleasurable. The finish is savory, so spicy, and in a word, ridiculous… Wine of the trip. 97
2017 Domaine Tawse, Gevrey-Chambertin
Purchased in Fixin / drank at the lime stone table in Combe Aux Moines
The nose shows its Gevrey Terroir and is all about the spice that feral gamey quality that is unmistakably Gevrey. Super glossy, almost juicy red fruit, but not over the top. This wine is elegant, light, but impactful. There is a purity of fruit and level of finesse present that you rarely find in village-level Burgundy. 92
2015 Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair, Vosne-Romanée, La Colombière
La Couverie de Vosne, Vosne Romanee
There are no common wines in Vosne…, Bright red berries, a touch of barnyard funk, menthol, nutmeg, and chai spice on the nose. Pure crystalline red fruit that continues to build through layers of exotic spices on the finish. This wine is so pure you are at peace as you sip on it… Then, after about 90 minutes this wine finds another gear. Very Vosne… This was a perfect place to enjoy this wine. Comte Liger-Belaire opened a new restaurant, La Cuverie de Vosne which overlooks La Colombière. The most expensive wine of the trip, but given that the WS low for this wine is $2,000 - I had to take a crack at it. 94
2019 Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier, Chambolle-Musigny
La Rotisserie du Chambertin, Gevrey-Chambertin
Very intense bouquet of peonies, cassis, and alpine blueberries. The palate is a mix of black and red fruit. More Black fruit and shows the hot vintage. Not overly complex, but a joy to drink. The star of the show for this wine is the bouquet, and I could smell this all day. Candidly, if it weren’t for the amazing nose on this wine, it would come off as a warm vintage Willamette Valley Pinot from a good producer. 90
2018 Dauvissat, Chablis
Le Mafoux, Beaune
Citrus and crushed oyster on the nose. The palate is concentrated lemon, grapefruit, and orange with an intense savory finish. This wine is a serious banger for a village-level Chablis and a stunning value at 50 euro… 91
2014 Domaine des Comtes Lafon, Meursault-Charmes, 1er Cru
Caveau des Arches, Beaune
WOW… Masterful use of reduction! Matchstick, flint, chalk, lemon zest, toasted almonds, and cardamom on the nose. Concentrated spicy citrus. Wow, this wine is spicy. Candied lemon, clementine, and honey. Starts in the center and broadens across the palate building in layers with an insanely complex finale of ginger, honey, cinnamon, and clove. This wine is a real showstopper and has much more to give. Such a privilege to drink such a perfect wine. This has serious Grand Cru Pedigree. For those that are not aware, Meursault has no Grand Crus, but most agree it should. Charmes is arguably in the top 3 best vineyards of Meursault behind Perrier and Genevieres, and in the hands of Lafon it may as well be a Grand Cru. (My girlfriend’s wine of the trip - I slightly preferred the Raveneau). 96.9
2013 Domaine Leflaive, Puligny Montrachet 1er Cru, Clavoillon
Maison du Colombier, Beaune
Matchstick, Flint, sea breeze and citrus on the nose. Acid is high and this wine feels so young and fresh for a 2013. A super strong thread of salinity almost Chablis-esque. Perfect pairing with the salmon ceviche we had for our main. This wine is a really really good high acid mineral-driven Chardonnay, nothing more. 92
2017 Domaine G. Roumier, Chambolle-Musigny
Ma Cuisine, Beaune
Duck Breast and Roumier for lunch at Ma Cuisine in Beaune. Super floral nose with insane detail. Fresh spring flowers billowing from the glass with a kiss of oak, alpine blueberry, and ripe huckleberry. Palate is cassis and strawberries with a hint cocoa, cinnamon and nutmeg. Complex, but not crazy complex yet the finish is long… This wine sings to you. An expertly crafted village wine. Oh yeah, and the pairing with roasted duck breast might have dialed it up a notch… or two. Wow. 93
2014 Domaine Dujac, Clos Saint-Denis, Grand Cru
La Rotisserie du Chambertin, Gevrey-Chambertin
For our last supper in Burgundy it had to be a Grand Cru… Nose came in waves and took about an hour to fully get going. Spicy whole cluster goodness with cocoa, tobacco leaf, sesame, red currant, forest floor mushroom, and wet stone. This wine starts at the center and eats at the velvety tannins as it spreads across the palate. This is a very pretty wine. Cassis, umami, soy, sesame oil cinnamon, with velvety structure. The finish shows the Grand Cru pedigree, but the fruit is still painfully and unfortunately tightly wound. Medley of spices on the finish - zen. A joy to drink today, but this truly demands another 5 years. The complexity was there, but the fruit was not. It gave me a peak at its greatness, but today 93
Some closing thoughts
Grand Crus need time - like 12 - 15 years minimum. Opening one early is sort of a waste for anything other than educational purposes. Case in point, the Dujac CSD I drank received 93 because the fruit was painfully tightly wound and completely concealed by the structure despite all of the complexity the wine demonstrated. I can tell this has 95+ in its future, but not on the day I drank it. Grand Crus are Grand Crus because they have the structural elements that allow them to age and develop additional complexity. If exuberant fruit is your thing – be happy knowing that a village level wine from a top tier producer will provide everything you need in spades.
Premier Crus can and often do reach the heights of Grand Crus. Case in point, the Raveneaue and Lafon I drank. It also helps that 08 and 14 are the two of the best White Burgundy vintages of the last 20 years… And on that note – age your whites too. I know I know premox, yes it sucks, but aged white burgundy is simply incredible and the highs are worth the lows.
Walking the vineyards was sooooo educational. I spent three days walking all over Gevrey, Chambolle, Vosne, Volnay, Puligny, Chassagne, and Meursault. It’s funny, you spend so much time staring at maps and wondering why 1 vineyard is a Grand Cru and the other is a village even though they share a common boarder. You ask yourself what sort of political B.S. was involved and can it really be true, and then you see the vineyards… The Grand Crus (for the most part, obviously there are exceptions) are on a perfect south facing slope and that village plot next door is in some sort of random divot. It is so clear that the Grand Cru is a better spot to grow vines, and there is not much rocket science involved. Then there are the “almost Grand Crus” like Clos St Jacques, Amoureuses, Malconsorts, and Les St Georges. These are all clearly Grand Cru parcels – change my mind. Also speaking of Clos St Jacques… For me, it was the most beautiful place in Burgundy. Having visited the site, I can confidently say it is one of my favorite places on earth - hopefully I get to try Rousseau’s rendition one day.
