John, thanks for that note. Les Amoureuses is the perfect anniversary wine, no doubt. And the Druhin style is perfectly suited to the cru IMO.
My third look at various Lignier-Michelot in the last two weeks. No oak issues here. An excellent villages wineā¦
Domaine Lignier-Michelot 2005 Chambolle-Musigny Vieilles Vignes
This young thing needed a lot of air to open, revealing sweet black cherry/plummy fruit, no oak showing, and a trace of crushed limestone. A fine core of acidity giving balance and lift. A graceful wine. Not the depth or complexity of a star principal ballerina, but a lovely and inspired addition to the corps de ballet, dressed in fine Chambolle lace. What more do you need to know?
Earlier I posted about my deeply moving encounter last year with the 2001 edition of this wine. Could lightning strike twice?
Dom. Bertheau & Fils 2002 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Les Charmes
Medium ruby. Cherry flowers, limestone sprinkles, elegant and ethereal. In the mouth, sappy fruit lifted and focused by a beam of acidity and a delicate texture. Despite the airy lightness on the palate, there is grip and intensity, leading to a minerally finish, medium length. Outstanding and lovely, ready, no hurry.
As great as this 2002 is, I cannot get the exquisite 2001 out of my mind. Here is a musical TN of the extraordinary '01 Bertheau Charmes.
Are there any favorites here chez Bertheau or Barthod?
For all of you Burg guys, can you tell me what the geological difference is between the southwest part of Les Bonnes Mares and northeast part of Les Fuees? Is there any of significance?
Iāll also ask the same question of Les Argillieres and Les Musigny? They both appear to hug a shared contour line and abut each other of course. One village, one grand cru.
Iām not asking why one is 1er vs GC or village vs GC, just if the geology is a significant part of it. Thanks guys.
Chris
Chrisā¦I like the way you ask a question - very clearā¦ ![[cheers.gif]](/uploads/db3686/original/2X/0/0ff9bfcdb0964982cd3240b6159868fbdf215b1a.gif "cheers"){kind=small}
ā¦specailly this line :
Iām not asking why one is 1er vs GC or village vs GC, just if the geology is a significant part of it. Thanks guys.
I read, learn and know about the significant parts of Georglogy in BM - but regarding your question re aboveā¦not really.
I will go home and check on some Burgundy books as I am interesting to know too. Hope some Burg guys will provide an answer.
Iām a little confused on āBerthauā
I see references to domaine berthau et fils
pierre berthau
francois berthau
Is there an order of preference amongst you all?
francois bertheau is the only one Ive had and the one Im 99% sure eveyone else is talking about.
pierre was the dad, francois the son, the son started working with the dad awhile ago, dad retired, domaine name reflects that fact - so itās the same domaine but perhaps some stylistic changes over the years - just like with every other domaine Iād say, even those run by the same person.
Uh-oh, Maureen is here. Iām not mentioning B**** et Fils or Michel B**** or Francois B**** again.
I had been out of town (Tokyo) but am so happy to see that this week we look at my very favorite village. I need to start opening some bottles! (The write-ups will take more effort now that I know Ms. Nelson is in the house.)
Cheers,
Andrew
Actually, I suspect the name on the bottles Lew is raving up (caught you, Lew!) is Pierre Bertheau. I donāt think the label change happened until 2005 or so.
Pierre Bertheauās domaine was titled Bertheau et Fils, and that was on the label through 2003. Son Francois took over at some point, at least by 2002 and perhaps earlier. The labels changed to Domaine Francois Bertheau with effect from the 2004 vintage. I have the impression that the generational change is all for the better, as all of the Francoisā wines seem to have excellent material, but still delivered in the delicate, lacy, Chambolle-sympathetic style of Pappa Pierre. I have at times felt older vintages from Pierre showed signs of over-cropping and/or inconsistent bottling practices, and I think Francois has tightened up some.
Thatās it, Iām done, Iāll rave no more, Maureen.
thatās interestingā¦I was looking on winesearcher for 2009, and Macarthur is listing theirs as āPierre Berthauā
That is odd, as I just this moment saw 2009 Francois Bertheau at their website. They list 2005 Pierre Bertheau. Name discrepencies can be crucial in Burgundy, but in this case, the wines of both years are Francois, and so are the labels I am quite sure.
I donāt know it as a fact to be the case here, but frequently for tax purposes the wines will be divided between the parent and the child for labelling purposes but be identical. Jasmin, for example, used to do that with their CĆ“te-RĆ“tie while Robert Jasmin was still alive.
That happens, of course, Claude. My bet is that this is just a case of being a bit casual in website maintenance.
hmm, well, I did get some bertheau from macarthurs - maybe tomorrow Iāll dig it out and check the labels.
With Roumierās solid, deeply concentrated domaine style, I would not peg this wine as a Chambolle-Musigny if tasting blind. However, the lacy Chambolle marker can be seen in the finish, and I hope the appellation character will step forward in a few more yearsā¦
Domaine Georges Roumier 2001 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Les Cras
Full ruby color. Brooding and complex nose of cherry, perhaps raspberry, earth, stones, and near-subliminal lavender. Sturdy and concentrated on the palate, rich but not heavy. Long and linear finish of cherry redux with crushed stones providing an echo of Chambolle lace. A concentrated, masculine style of wine that is drinking well with ~3 hours decanting, but itās best is a few years out. I hope (and expect) the Chambolle-ness will shine through more clearly as the wine ages (as the 1995 edition does). Outstanding/possible upside potential.
2001 Maison Patrice Rion Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Charmes
Purchased 6 bottles, the first one opened about a month ago was corked, as was the first one we opened tonight. The second bottle opened tonight was quite nice, but 2 corked thus far out of 3 opened is troubling.
The nose was soft, this was not a wine whose scents jumped from the glass. Notes of red and sour cherries, with some almost meaty mushroom underneath. In the mouth, silky smooth, fully resolved tannins, just the faintest oak, and a fine sense of acidity; flavors more savory than sweet, a bit of cedar along with the cherries and earthy mushrooms, finishing fairly long and clean. The overall impression was of a very nice, pleasant, but not especially compelling bottle.
Cheers,
Andrew