TNs: 2009 Burgundy from Frederick Wildman: Faiveley and more

WINE TALK
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2009 BURGUNDY FROM FREDERICK WILDMAN: FAIVELEY, JACQUES PRIEUR, CHRISTIAN MOREAU, OLIVIER LEFLAIVE - Clift Hotel, San Francisco, California (2/2/2011)


Wildman’s Web Bond and his lovely fiancee Laura

I have enjoyed a lot of good '09 Beaujolais in the last few months, and a small array of '09 Burgundies, but this was my first broader look at '09 Burgundies from some very good producers. Frederick Wildman & Sons, Ltd., is the distributor for Burgundy producers Domaine Faiveley, Armand Rousseau, Jacques Prieur, and Olivier Leflaive; Chablis-based Christian Moreau; Macon-based Château Fuissé; and Beaujolais producer (with a famous Burgundian partner) Potel-Aviron. Armand Rousseau’s bottles, unfortunately, didn’t make it to this event due to weather problems (they ultimately arrived for the event’s Chicago version a week and a half later), but there were some real standout red Burgundies from Domaine Faiveley in this tasting, as well as some good (if sometimes a little ripe) Chablis and white Burgs in this lineup, along with more impressive '09 Beaujolais. I also had a preview of several of these wines, from Faiveley, Jacques Prieur and Potel-Aviron, at a special tasting with Web Bond at Beltramo’s the night before, so the notes below are a composite of both the trade tasting at the Clift Hotel as well as the pre-tasting at Beltramo’s.

It should be noted that the red Burgundies rated below, and many if not all of the Premier and Grand Cru whites, were barrel samples. The '09 Beaujolais and white Bourgognes offered at the tasting had already been bottled, but this was really just a preview of the red Burgundies and most of the white Burgundies. There is always the possibility in such a situation that producers may select from their best barrels, or a blend of their best barrels, when showing them like this for buyers and critics. I’m extremely suspicious of this practice when a single barrel sample bottle of '09 Bordeaux from an estate that produces thousands of cases is sent to Robert Parker, for example, who responds with a 100 point rating (as he did multiple times for '09), since I’ve had producers taste me on different barrels of wine from the same vintage and found huge variation in the quality and appeal of different barrels. In the case of the wines we tasted at this event, however, the quantities produced from these single Premier Cru and Grand Cru vineyards are already quite small–sometimes only one barrel or so–so I’m much less concerned about the possible selection of unrepresentative barrel samples for these kinds of wines. For more detail on the producers, and tasting notes, see below.
Christian Moreau
Fabien Moreau

Domaine Christian Moreau owns 12.5 hectares of parcels in some of Chablis’s greatest vineyards. Vines average 45 years old. Vinification is in stainless steel, temperature controlled tanks, followed by aging in older barrels, with a small percentage of new. Christian started the project–separate from his family’s negociant operation, J. Moreau & Fils–with his son Fabien in 2001, and their first vintage was 2002. Fabien is the head winemaker.

Faiveley
I have been really enjoying Domaine Faiveley’s richer, earlier accessible wines under Erwan Faiveley’s regime, starting with the '06 vintage, and really showing in '07, with renovations to the cellars and changes in vinification under General Manager Bernard Hervet. For more background on the changes at Faiveley, see my 2009 report here: http://www.rjonwine.com/burgundy/domaine-faiveley/ Still, I wasn’t prepared for what knockouts some of these '09 Faiveley Premier and Grand Crus proved to be. The '09 Corton-Clos des Cortons Faiveley and Chambertin-Clos de Bèze, which I got to sample both at this tasting and the night before with Web, are two of the greatest red Burgundies I’ve ever tasted. Awesome job, from what appears to be a terrific vintage for red Burgundy!

  • 2009 Faiveley Mercurey Clos Rochette - France, Burgundy, Côte Chalonnaise, Mercurey
    Very light yellow color; reduction, oak nose; simple, apple, oak palate; short-medium finish (83 pts.)
  • 2009 Faiveley Meursault-Blagny 1er Cru - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault-Blagny 1er Cru
    Very light yellow color; oak, ripe apple nose; creamy textured, ripe apple, mineral palate, needs 2-3 years; medium finish (88 pts.)
  • 2009 Faiveley Bâtard-Montrachet - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru
    Light yellow color; appealing, ripe apple, lemon, white flower nose; tasty, but tight, white flower, tart apple, mineral palate, needs 3-plus years; medium-plus finish (92 pts.)
  • 2009 Faiveley Mercurey 1er Cru Clos des Myglands - France, Burgundy, Côte Chalonnaise, Mercurey 1er Cru
    Medium dark cherry red color; roses, deep raspberry, ripe cherry, oak, tart red fruit, appealing nose; tasty, tart cherry, roses, sous bois, tart strawberry, cranberry, mineral palate, needs 2-plus years; medium-plus finish (91 pts.)
  • 2009 Faiveley Mercurey La Framboisière - France, Burgundy, Côte Chalonnaise, Mercurey
    Light medium cherry red color with pale meniscus; focused cherry, baked cherry, raspberry nose; a little tight, tart raspberry, mineral, tart cherry palate; medium finish 88+ pts. (88 pts.)
  • 2009 Faiveley Volnay 1er Cru Les Fremiets - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru
    Medium cherry red color; focused, ripe cherry, raspberry nose; poised raspberry, baked raspberry, with oak edges, needs 2-3 years; medium finish (89 pts.)
  • 2009 Faiveley Beaune 1er Cru Clos de l’Ecu - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Beaune 1er Cru
    Light medium cherry red color with pale meniscus; poised, raspberry, cherry, roses nose; tight, tasty, tart cherry, mineral palate, needs 2-3 years; medium finish (89 pts.)
  • 2009 Faiveley Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Porêts Saint-Georges - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru
    Light medium cherry red color with pale meniscus; raspberry, cherry, baked raspberry, sous bois nose; tasty, a little tight, floral, tart red fruit, mineral palate; medium-plus finish 91+ pts. (91 pts.)
  • 2009 Faiveley Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Damodes - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru
    Dark cherry red color; lovely strawberry, raspberry, wild cherry nose; very tasty, tight, focused, raspberry, mineral, cherry, roses palate with good extract and balance, needs 3-plus years; medium-plus finish (93 pts.)
  • 2009 Faiveley Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Les Cazetiers - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
    Dark cherry red color with pale meniscus; nice ripe red cherry, raspberry, spice, floral nose, with some reduction; tasty, tight, red fruit, tart cherry, raspberry, red berry, clove, mineral palate, needs 6-plus years; medium-plus finish (92 pts.)
  • 2009 Faiveley Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Combes aux Moines - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
    Light medium cherry red color with pale meniscus; nice roses, tart cherry, raspberry nose; a little tight, poised, roses, tart cherry, red fruit palate; medium-plus finish 91+ pts. (91 pts.)
  • 2009 Faiveley Corton-Clos des Cortons Faiveley - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton Grand Cru
    Dark cherry red color with pale meniscus; nice ripe, luscious, raspberry, cherry, roses, baked raspberry nose that also somehow conveys a sense of a grassy meadow in Spring; rich, tasty, outstanding, poised, layered, roses, ripe cherry, raspberry, mineral, baked cherry palate with depth, needs 5-7 years; long finish (96 pts.)
  • 2009 Faiveley Chambertin-Clos de Bèze - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru
    Medium dark cherry red color with pale meniscus; appealing, strawberry, roses, baked cherry, juicy red fruit, caramel oak nose with slight reduction; tight, ripe cherry, roses, refined raspberry palate, round and tasty but classy and classic too, needs 5-plus years; long finish 95+ pts. (95 pts.)
  • 2009 Faiveley Mazis-Chambertin - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru
    Medium cherry red color with pale meniscus; nice roses, ripe and tart cherry, lovely, cherry pastry nose; tasty, pretty, poised, tart cherry, mineral, roses palate with balance; medium-plus finish 93+ pts. (93 pts.)

Fuissé and Vincent Selections
Château Fuissé owns 100 parcels in the communes of Pouilly and Fuissé, including three monopoles. Oak treatment is 20-30% new, with malolactic fermentation sometimes allowed and sometimes blocked depending on the vintage. I was pretty underwhelmed by most of these, but the Le Clos and Vieilles Vignes look like okay values. Château Fuissé’s owners and winemakers Jean-Jacques and Antoine Vincent also have a negociant operation under the name Vincent Selections, buying fruit under long-term contracts from growers in Macon-Villages and St.-Véran. These wines spend six to eight months in barrel.

Jacques Prieur
Nadine Gublin

Domaine Jacques Prieur was founded in 1956, and now owns 20.68 hectares of vineyards in prime locations, including five of the great grand crus: Chambertin, Musigny, Clos Vougeot, Corton Charlemagne and Montrachet. The Domaine is currently managed by Martin Prieur, Jacques’s grandson, with owner Edouard Labruyère. Winemaker Nadine Gublin, pictured above, was the first woman to be named “Best Winemaker of the Year,” by the Revue du Vin de France, an honor she received in 1997. She believes in harvesting at optimum ripeness, and that came through in these wines, which were the most reminscent of ripe California Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs of any in the tasting. The wines were fairly appealing for a ripe style, but lacked the minerality and sense of terroir I find most desirable from top vineyards like these.

  • 2009 Jacques Prieur Meursault Clos de Mazeray - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault
    Light yellow color; ripe nectarine, reduction, lime nose; reduction, tart apple, tart citrus, minerally palate, needs 3-plus years; medium-plus finish 88+ pts. (88 pts.)
  • 2009 Jacques Prieur Beaune 1er Cru Champs-Pimonts - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Beaune 1er Cru
    Light lemon yellow color; ripe lemon, apple, oak nose; tight, tart apple, white flower palate, needs 2-3 years; medium-plus finish (90 pts.)
  • 2009 Jacques Prieur Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Combettes - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru
    Light lemon yellow color; ripe apple, floral, white flower nose; very tasty, poised, tart apple, ripe lemon, floral, mineral palate; medium-plus finish (92 pts.)
  • 2009 Jacques Prieur Volnay 1er Cru Santenots - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru
    Dark cherry red color; ripe cherry, ripe raspberry, oak, red berry nose; plush but very tight, tart red fruit, ripe raspberry, ripe cherry, spice and mineral palate, should come together nicely in 5-plus years; medium-plus finish (92 pts.)
  • 2009 Jacques Prieur Beaune 1er Cru Champs-Pimont - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Beaune 1er Cru
    Dark cherry red color; very floral, high notes, black raspberry, ripe berry, blackberry nose; tight, concentrated, ripe black raspberry, ripe cherry,blackberry, mineral palate, needs 6+ years; medium-plus finish (91 pts.)
  • 2009 Jacques Prieur Corton-Bressandes - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton Grand Cru
    Dark cherry red color; very ripe, cherry, raspberry, graham cracker nose; tight, closed, ripe raspberry, cherry palate with light oak, needs 6-plus years; medium-plus finish 90+ pts. (90 pts.)
  • 2009 Jacques Prieur Clos Vougeot - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru
    Very dark cherry red color; ripe cherry, baked cherry, ripe raspberry, floral nose with some reduction; tasty, tight, tart and ripe cherry, raspberry, mineral palate with balance, needs 5-plus years; medium-plus finish (92 pts.)

Olivier Leflaive
Patrick Leflaive

Olivier Leflaive was established as a negociant house in 1984. Winemaker Franck Grux first started making wine for Olivier Leflaive with the '89 vintage. Olivier Leflaive has also purchased some excellent parcels, including acquiring vineyards from the family’s Domaine Leflaive just this past year. The holdings now amount to nearly 30 acres of vineyard in Puligny, Chassagne and elsewhere. I’ve very much enjoyed the house’s Montrachet Grand Cru bottlings over the years, and I thought this lineup was quite respectable overall, with a particularly good Les Folatières and Corton-Charlemagne.

  • 2009 Olivier Leflaive Chablis Les Deux Rives - France, Burgundy, Chablis
    Pale, green-tinged yellow color; oak, lime, citrus nose; simple but tasty, light citrus palate; short-medium finish (86 pts.)
  • 2009 Olivier Leflaive Bourgogne Blanc Les Sétilles - France, Burgundy, Bourgogne Blanc
    Light green-tinged yellow color; tight, tart citrus, lime nose; focused, minerally, tart citrus palate; medium finish (88 pts.)
  • 2009 Olivier Leflaive Meursault - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault
    Light greenish yellow color; reduction, oak, citrus nose; oak, tart green fruit, lemon palate; medium finish (87 pts.)
  • 2009 Olivier Leflaive Chassagne-Montrachet - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet
    Light green-tinged yellow color; focused, oak, tart lemon nose with some reduction; tasty, balanced, lemon, tart apple, mineral palate; medium finish (88 pts.)
  • 2009 Olivier Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet
    Light green yellow color; appealing, apple, white flower nose; tasty, a little tight, tart citrus, tart green apple, mineral palate; medium finish 90+ pts. (90 pts.)
  • 2009 Olivier Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatières - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru
    Light greenish yellow color; green apple, mineral, chalk nose; tasty, focused, tart green apple, mineral palate; medium finish 91+ pts. (91 pts.)
  • 2009 Olivier Leflaive Corton-Charlemagne - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
    Light yellow color; oak, tart apple nose; better on palate, poised, tart apple, mineral palate with definition and cut; medium-plus finish 92+ pts. (92 pts.)

Potel-Aviron
Stéphane Aviron

Winemaker Stéphane Aviron has partnered with Burgundy’s Nicolas Potel to select well situated sites in Beaujolais’s communes from which to purchase fruit, searching for vines with 45 to 90 years of age. They prune to limit yields, and use traditional vinification, not thermovinification or carbonic maceration. The wines are usually aged in small oak barrels, up to 25% new, for 10 to 11 months. I found these to be concentrated, refined and very appealing Beaujolais, with serious aging potential

  • 2009 Potel-Aviron Beaujolais-Villages - France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Beaujolais-Villages
    Medium dark cherry red color; ripe red currant, charcoal nose; tight, tart red currant, tart red plum palate; medium finish (89 pts.)
  • 2009 Potel-Aviron Juliénas Vieilles Vignes - France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Juliénas
    Medium dark cherry red color; floral, plum, red berry nose; appealing, tart red plum, red berry palate; medium finish (90 pts.)
  • 2009 Potel-Aviron Moulin-à-Vent Vieilles Vignes - France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Moulin-à-Vent
    Dark magenta color; berry, baked berry, herbal, mineral, red plum nose; tasty, poised, tight but appealing, ripe berry, tart currant, mineral, charcoal, toast, ripe plum palate, with firm tannins, needs 3-plus years; medium-plus finish (92 pts.)
  • 2009 Potel-Aviron Fleurie Vieilles Vignes - France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Fleurie
    Dark magenta color; focused, black raspberry, mineral, charcoal, tart red fruit, rosehips nose; tasty, tight, light-medium bodied, black raspberry, pepper, tart red fruit, red currant, mineral palate, with sweet firm tannins, needs 3+ years; medium finish 92+ pts. (no new oak; 225-litre barrels) (92 pts.)
  • 2009 Potel-Aviron Morgon Côte du Py Vieilles Vignes - France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Morgon
    Medium dark cherry red color; red berry, wild berry, plum nose; tasty, tart berry, tart red plum, mineral palate, needs 2-3 years; medium-plus finish 91+ pts. (91 pts.)
  • 2009 Potel-Aviron Brouilly Côte de Brouilly Vieilles Vignes - France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Brouilly
    Dark magenta color; appealing, ripe red plum, red berry, charcoal, deep nose; tight, ripe, plush, red currant, red plum, red berry, raspberry, mineral palate, with firm tannins, needs 2-plus years; medium finish 92+ pts. (92 pts.)
  • 2009 Potel-Aviron Chénas Vieilles Vignes - France, Burgundy, Beaujolais, Chénas
    Medium dark cherry red color; carbonic maceration, big, red currant, herbal nose; tight, tart red currant, mineral palate; medium finish 90+ pts. (90 pts.)
2

great story and pictures!
alan

3

Nice writeup.

Nadine Gublin sure gets around. She was in New York pouring some Jacques Prieur wines several months ago. A charming person.

Good to hear about the Vincent Pouilly Fuissee’s. I lost touch with them a few years ago but I always found the old vines cuvee interesting.

The Moreau chablis have been coming to NY for a number of years now and for my taste they are excellent with the Chablis Clos being a favorite. They also have a premier cru named in honor of Guy Moreau that has been excellent in multiple vintages.

4

I was very impressed by how well a 93 Faiveley Mazis showed next to Leroy Chambertin 91 tasted blind a few days ago. The Faiveley had clearly more dimension, interest and future than the Leroy. I’m not convinced that the new yeasts at Faiveley are all that much of a turnaround.

5

I havent heard anything about this. Could you explain what you have heard please?

6

Excellent summary Richard. Deja Vu with some of these faces from La Paulee - Mr. Vincent, Mr. Aviron, O.Leflaive, Faiveley, except that mostly 08s were poured in NY. The 09 Potel-Avirons were offered at the Grand Tasting - Julienas, Fleurie, Cote Brouilly, Moulin-a-Vent. Agree with you about the Fleurie and CdBrouilly, really nice wines…but the Moulin was showing young and tight.

RT

7

Great write up,
it’s good to hear about ‘Clos des Cortons’, sounds like it is going to be amazing.
I also like the new label for the Potel -Aviron Bojo’s, I have like them for a while.


Jb