2006 BURGUNDY
|
|
Studded into the hillsides of the Côte d'Or
like jewels set into the vertebrae of an exotic
dancer, the villages of the Côtes de Nuits and
Beaune nestle among the downy, bevined slopes and
appear entirely comfortable with their environs.
|
|
The streets are more or less active depending on the
time of day, the day of the week. Looking for
somewhere to eat of a Wednesday lunchtime, one almost
feels as though anthrax has beaten one to it and
depopulated the entire region. At other times, a 20
minute journey down or up the RN74 - the main road
running north-south through the Côte - feels
like one's first outing in the two-seater, single
engined Cessna and being suddenly engulfed, overtaken
and thoroughly buffeted by the Red Arrows team on
manoeuvres.
|
|
The full story of Bowes Wine's visit to Burgundy is
described in daily blog postings at
www.boweswine.blogspot.com. Those who haven't yet
visited my new blog, shame on you! In any event, our
week was (largely) spent under unusually clear skies
and welcome mild temperatures. So what did we find?
Well, what we actually found was something of a
miracle…
|
|
After a hot July, August - normally the month that
makes or breaks the quality of the vintage - was cold
and miserable. September warmed up nicely and the
fruit started ripening with increasing speed. The
problem was humidity. Rot developed and spread
quickly. As ever, those with vineyard management
skill and experience could negate the effects of the
humidity to a greater or lesser extent, otherwise it
was a case of discarding a great deal of fruit to
ensure that the finished wine was not tainted by the
mould. To be honest, we tasted no rot whatsoever,
perhaps because of the quality of the vignerons we
visited!
|
|
The wines of 2006 are very mixed in style, more so
than I remember any vintage. The question of when to
pick was seldom so pertinent, as the fruit ripened in
a rush. Leave it a day or two too long and all that
one could make was low acid, fat wines some of which
are, admittedly, very delicious, but certainly are
not destined for a long incarceration in one's
cellar.
|
|
Get it right, however, and the wine makers had the
opportunity to make classic wines from both
chardonnay and pinot fruit. These are fresh and
intense. They have a great sense of identity: that
elusive thing known as terroir. The purity of their
fruit is a wonder to behold and put me rather
poetically in mind of the best sort of stained-glass
window with the winter sun angling through.
And it is these wines, of course, that we have
selected for our offering.
|
|
The church at Prémeaux-Prissey in the sort
of weather we enjoyed for much of our visit
|
|
GEVREY CHAMBERTIN
What do I look for in great Gevrey? Well, it's a wild
sort of a wine, offering the sort of fruits not found
in one's garden, unless one's garden happens to be a
very laissez-faire sort of a place. Fruits sauvages
should abound, both red and black. Plus there is
often a smoky note, as of winter bonfires and this
sometimes carries through to the wine in maturity.
|
|
DOMAINE DUPONT-TISSERANDOT
Didier Chevillon makes extraordinary wine. It's as
simple as that. He has a quiet confidence about him
and one taste of his wine, you'll know why. Gevrey is
a much abused appellation and there is a great deal
of dross produced there, but at its best the wine can
be scintillating.
But I am wasting space here. If you really want to
know what fine Gevrey is like - to have a taste of
the essence of why this village is perhaps better
known than any other in the Côte - buy and try
from this source.
|
|
Didier Chevillon looks like the cat that got the
cream…as would I if I’d made these 2006s
|
|
| Vintage |
Wine |
Drink dates |
Case size |
Price
IB |
Notes |
Order |
| 2006 |
Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru La Petite Chapelle, Dupont-Tisserandot, Burgundy, France |
2013-2021 |
6x75cl |
£193.50 |
 |
 |
| 2006 |
Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Les Cazetiers, Dupont-Tisserandot, Burgundy, France |
2014-2024 |
12x75cl |
£387.00 |
|
|
| 2006 |
Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru, Dupont-Tisserandot, Burgundy, France |
2015-2026 |
12x75cl |
£561.00 |
|
|
 |
Show all wines with notes in printable format |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
CHAMBOLLE-MUSIGNY
Chambolle is, at best, a regal, elegant wine and
should offer some suppleness of texture and
structure. It lacks the wildness of character of its
neighbour - Gevrey - to the north, but offers instead
radiant - occasionally drop-dead-gorgeous - fruit.
Many a burgundy expert would list Musigny Grand Cru
as the greatest of all the Côte d'Or's wines.
|
|
M Digioia in his cellar
|
|
DOMAINE DIGIOIA-ROYER
M Digioia is an experimentalist. The visit we paid to
his cellar was a lesson in the effects of oak barrels
on wine and it was mind-boggling to discover how
different coopers, differing toasts and varying
source forests can affect the end wine.
|
|
|
|
These markings reveal the region of origin of the
oak and the level of “toast”: how charred
the barrel is internally
|
|
VOSNE-ROMANEE
Vosne is to Burgundy and pinot noir what Pauillac is
to Bordeaux and cabernet sauvignon i.e. its
aristocratic heart. The wines have a civility, a
regal aspect and great purity. One often notices
aromas and flavours of cassis and the other fruits
one finds are of the kind grown in the Victorian
kitchen gardens of vast country houses by gardeners
with moustaches larger than your average ferret.
|
|
DOMAINE FRANCOIS LAMARCHE
François Lamarche is that rarest of things:
owner of an entire Grand Cru vineyard in
Vosne-Romanée (such vineyards are known as
monopoles in French). The only other domaines I can
think of to boast such luxury are the Domaine de la
Romanée-Conti (Romanée-Conti itself and
La Tâche) and Bouchard Père (La
Romanée). Lamarche's Grand Cru - La Grande Rue
- didn't become GC until 1989, which is a curiosity,
considering that it is sandwiched between La
Tâche and Romanée-Conti i.e. the terroir
is pretty pukka.
I will say, once again, that I love the style here.
As at Rebourgeon-Mure in Pommard, these are pale
wines and I always think good pinot should be pale in
colour. The fruit itself has a thin skin and it is
from the skins that the colouring matter is obtained.
|
|
| Vintage |
Wine |
Drink dates |
Case size |
Price
IB |
Notes |
Order |
| 2006 |
Vosne-Romanée Villages, François Lamarche, Burgundy, France |
2009-2016 |
12x75cl |
£252.00 |
|
|
| 2006 |
Vosne-Romanee 1er Cru Les Chaumes, François Lamarche, Burgundy, France |
2011-2018 |
12x75cl |
£384.00 |
|
|
| 2006 |
Echezeaux Grand Cru, François Lamarche, Burgundy, France |
2014-2022 |
12x75cl |
£501.00 |
|
|
|
Show all wines with notes in printable format |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Etienne Grivot plus a pipette and you know you are
in for some fun
|
|
DOMAINE JEAN GRIVOT
I asked Etienne Grivot if he has yet met
François Pinault - the owner of Château
Latour, Gucci, the larger part of Christie's etc.
etc., and recent purchaser of the Domaine Engel in
Vosne-Romanée for the record sum of €13
million. The response from Etienne was affirmative.
He's the sort of bloke that billionaire newcomers to
the village would go and see. Why? Because he's about
as fine a wine maker as you're likely to find in this
neck of the woods.
|
|
| Vintage |
Wine |
Drink dates |
Case size |
Price
IB |
Notes |
Order |
| 2006 |
Chambolle-Musigny La Combe d'Orveau, Jean Grivot, Burgundy, France |
2012-2019 |
12x75cl |
£267.00 |
|
|
| 2006 |
Vosne-Romanee 1er Cru Les Rouges, Jean Grivot, Burgundy, France |
2013-2020 |
12x75cl |
£417.00 |
|
|
| 2006 |
Clos Vougeot Grand Cru, Jean Grivot, Burgundy, France |
2016-2025 |
12x75cl |
£549.00 |
|
|
|
Show all wines with notes in printable format |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
NUITS-ST-GEORGES
The most famous town in the Côte d'Or. One of
the Apollo missions gave the name St George to a
crater on the moon, supposedly because they'd enjoyed
a bottle of the wine the night before departure. The
town became known as the City of Space as a result.
Not that anyone calls it that, you understand.
What I find exciting about the appellation is the
sheer diversity of terroir. From the far south, where
are produced very earthy, mineral wines, to the far
north, alongside the vineyards of Vosne from where
much purer, less agricultural liquids emanate, Nuits
is a complex lesson in the effects of soil, aspect
etc. on the wine we end up drinking.
|
|
Christophe Drag pulling a sample
|
|
DOMAINE JEAN CHAUVENET
There are two cellars to visit if one wants to
examine the complexities of Nuits soil without having
to move: Robert Chevillon and this chap. “This
chap” is actually Christophe Drag, Jean
Chauvenet’s son-in-law and a young man with a
great aptitude for wine making. He’s also a
jolly good bloke. Seven 1ers crus here. Set those
buds to “concentrate”!
|
|
| Vintage |
Wine |
Drink dates |
Case size |
Price
IB |
Notes |
Order |
| 2006 |
Nuits-St-Georges Village, Jean Chauvenet, Burgundy, France |
2010-2017 |
12x75cl |
£180.00 |
|
|
| 2006 |
Nuits-St-Georges 1er Cru Bousselots, Jean Chauvenet, Burgundy, France |
2013-2020 |
12x75cl |
£300.00 |
|
|
|
Show all wines with notes in printable format |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
CHOREY-LES-BEAUNE
As noted before, lès means near. Chorey's on
the wrong side of the tracks, being east of the N74,
situated on the flat land amongst what are considered
to be rather ignoble vineyards. And yet there are a
few producers of note here and none more so than the
one that appears below.
|
|
DOMAINE DU CHATEAU DU CHOREY-LES-BEAUNE
Benoit Germain makes the wine here and is a dab hand.
His outpourings become ever more scintillating. He
wasn't there when we visited, so we tasted the wines
with his cellar master and Mme Germain. Benoit's wife
seemed only too glad to be in the cellar, saying it
was the first time she'd tasted the vintage.
|
|
| Vintage |
Wine |
Drink dates |
Case size |
Price
IB |
Notes |
Order |
| 2006 |
Pernand Vergelesses Les Combottes Vieilles Vignes, Château de Chorey-lès-Beaune, Burgundy, France |
2010-2016 |
12x75cl |
£135.00 |
|
|
| 2006 |
Beaune 1er Cru Les Vignes Franches Vieilles Vignes, Château de Chorey-lès-Beaune, Burgundy, France |
2011-2018 |
12x75cl |
£264.00 |
|
|
| 2006 |
Beaune 1er Cru Teurons, Château de Chorey-lès-Beaune, Burgundy, France |
2013-2022 |
12x75cl |
£240.00 |
|
|
|
Show all wines with notes in printable format |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
ALOXE CORTON
There are these villages around Burgundy that, for
one reason or another, lack something of the glamour
of their neighbours. Chorey is one and, as discussed,
may well have something to do with the fact that it's
situated on the "wrong" side of the road. Pernand is
another, its obscurity also having to do with its
geographical location tucked, as it is, behind the
Hill of Corton. Aloxe is another matter. It's a large
village and plays host to some of the most iconic
buildings in the Côte, none more so than that
which appears below.
|
|
Vine prunings with the tiled roof of the
Château de Corton-André in the
background
|
|
DOMAINE DU CHATEAU DE CORTON-ANDRE
Pierre André was an interesting man. He bought
the Château de Corton in 1927 and built up this
extensive domaine. After WWII, he was awarded the
Légion d'Honneur, not least because he set up
a service to feed orphaned children in Paris during
the war.
This estate suffered something of a grey period until
recently, when investment and a new wine maker have
signalled a massive sea change. The wines are now
very exciting.
|
|
| Vintage |
Wine |
Drink dates |
Case size |
Price
IB |
Notes |
Order |
| 2006 |
Ladoix Blanc Les Boisvelles, Château de Corton-André, Burgundy, France |
2009-2012 |
12x75cl |
£159.00 |
|
|
| 2006 |
Beaune 1er Cru Clos des Roi, Château de Corton-André, Burgundy, France |
2012-2018 |
12x75cl |
£192.00 |
|
|
| 2006 |
Meursault Les Charrons, Château de Corton-André, Burgundy, France |
2010-2014 |
12x75cl |
£243.00 |
|
|
| 2006 |
Nuits-St-Georges 1er Cru Les Damodes, Château de Corton-André, Burgundy, France |
2014-2025 |
12x75cl |
£324.00 |
|
|
| 2006 |
Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Champs Gains, Château de Corton-André, Burgundy, France |
2011-2016 |
12x75cl |
£471.00 |
|
|
|
Show all wines with notes in printable format |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A limestone menhir in the Follin-Arbelet cellars
and the ivy
that has grown down from above
|
|
DOMAINE FOLLIN-ARBELET
Frank Follin's what you'd call a bon oeuf, with a
relaxed style. I like easy natured wine makers. It
implies a confidence and suggests that they know
exactly what goes where when it comes to transforming
fine fruit into fine wine. The cellar here is clean,
another good sign. The wines I like very much. They
are multi-layered, serious, but not unsubtle. And
they're serious keepers.
|
|
| Vintage |
Wine |
Drink dates |
Case size |
Price
IB |
Notes |
Order |
| 2006 |
Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Cru Les Fichots, Follin-Arbelet, Burgundy, France |
2011-2018 |
12x75cl |
£177.00 |
|
|
| 2006 |
Aloxe-Corton 1er Cru Les Vercots, Follin-Arbelet, Burgundy, France |
2014-2020 |
12x75cl |
£252.00 |
|
|
| 2006 |
Romanée-St-Vivant Grand Cru, Follin-Arbelet, Burgundy, France |
2017-2025 |
6x75cl |
£696.00 |
|
|
|
Show all wines with notes in printable format |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
PERNAND-VERGELESSES
Hidden from the view of all but the most determined
tourists, Pernand lurks in a valley behind the Hill
of Corton. One reason for visiting is the celebrated
Michelin starred restaurant, Le Charlemagne. The
other is, of course, to visit Domaine Bonneau de
Martray (or Dubreuil-Fontaine, for that matter, from
whom a Bourgogne Blanc appears on our drinking
wine list).
|
|
DOMAINE DE BONNEAU DU MARTRAY
One needn't say too much about this estate, firmly
installed in the Burgundy Premier League. Those who
know the wine, buy it. Those who don't, should. The
tasting here is hosted by Jean-Charles le
Bault-de-la-Morinière, the owner, who speaks
impeccable English and whose obsession is driving
this domaine to ever greater heights. The wine is
starting to look pretty reasonable value too.
|
|
|
|
POMMARD
Drive south from Beaune and Pommard is the first
village one encounters. Stop awhile. It is well worth
a visit. There's a nifty little wine shop that sells
a good range of wines from the appellation. And if
one drops back down to the main road and heads
slightly south, one finds the restaurant mentioned in
my blog where we stopped for a light lunch and ended
up distended like a boa after a gazelle snack.
Pommard wines can be big and scary, where the wild
things are. If one's on the lookout for complex,
rich, feral burgundy, stop here.
|
|
Daniel Rebourgeon and Caspar find happiness in a 2006
sample
|
|
DOMAINE REBOURGEON-MURE
How can one fail to like Daniel Rebourgeon. He's
welcoming and believe me when I say that not everyone
in Burgundy is. He makes a style of wine I like very
much (properly delicate, expressive, pale-coloured
pinot) and he charges ridiculously little for his
produce. As I say, what's not to like?
|
|
| Vintage |
Wine |
Drink dates |
Case size |
Price
IB |
Notes |
Order |
| 2006 |
Volnay Village, Rebourgeon-Mure, Burgundy, France |
2009-2016 |
12x75cl |
£150.00 |
|
|
| 2006 |
Beaune 1er Cru Les Vignes Franches, Rebourgeon-Mure, Burgundy, France |
2010-2017 |
12x75cl |
£162.00 |
|
|
| 2006 |
Pommard 1er Cru Clos des Arvelets, Rebourgeon-Mure, Burgundy, France |
2012-2019 |
12x75cl |
£210.00 |
|
|
| 2006 |
Pommard 1er Cru Clos des Charmots, Rebourgeon-Mure, Burgundy, France |
2012-2019 |
12x75cl |
£222.00 |
|
|
|
Show all wines with notes in printable format |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
VOLNAY
Volnay is well worth a visit too. It's a pretty
place, producing pretty wines. Could one compare
Volnay and its neighbour Pommard (with which it is
inextricably linked) to Chambolle and Gevrey in the
Côtes de Nuits? Perhaps that would be rather
fanciful. And yet both pairs are startling in the
rapid volte face the terroir performs from one to the
other. Like Chambolle, Volnay produces wines that are
silky and pure and, for this reason, generally
considered feminine. Gevrey and Pommard are
altogether wilder animals, more often considered
masculine in style. His 'n' her's.
|
|
DOMAINE JOSEPH VOILLOT
"Jean-Pierre Charlot promotes a brisk, athletically
lean and often downright rapier style… If it
sets you salivating to imagine the brightness,
transparency and cut of Riesling in the medium of
pinot noir…then do not miss this address." So
stated David Schildknecht, writing in Robert Parker's
publication, The Wine Advocate.
This wine ages like the dickens. I know this because
Jean-Pierre regularly pulls out dusty bottles from
the '60s and '70s when we visit.
|
|
| Vintage |
Wine |
Drink dates |
Case size |
Price
IB |
Notes |
Order |
| 2006 |
Pommard Village, Joseph Voillot, Burgundy, France |
2011-2016 |
12x75cl |
£180.00 |
|
|
| 2006 |
Volnay 1er Cru Les Brouillards, Joseph Voillot, Burgundy, France |
2014-2020 |
12x75cl |
£288.00 |
|
|
| 2006 |
Volnay 1er cru Les Champans, Joseph Voillot, Burgundy, France |
2014-2020 |
12x75cl |
£282.00 |
|
|
| 2006 |
Pommard 1er Cru Les Rugiens, Joseph Voillot, Burgundy, France |
2014-2022 |
12x75cl |
£342.00 |
|
|
|
Show all wines with notes in printable format |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A Bowes Wine pallet of the 2005 vintage ready to
be shipped
|
|
MEURSAULT
This is the biggest village in the Côte, more
of a town really. Enjoy a drive around the narrow
streets and end up in the town square, which is
hemmed in by restaurants. The church bell may well be
tolling and a cat clambering around in the pollarded
limes.
|
|
The outline of Meursault's skyline appears through
the haze
|
|
DOMAINE PHILIPPE CHAVY
We've offered Philippe's wine before. I like the
style. They are bold wines, unafraid of making a
statement. They are very expressive of their origins,
too.
|
|
| Vintage |
Wine |
Drink dates |
Case size |
Price
IB |
Notes |
Order |
| 2006 |
St Aubin 1er Cru Murgers des Dents de Chien, Philippe Chavy, Burgundy, France |
2009-2013 |
12x75cl |
£222.00 |
|
|
| 2006 |
Meursault Narvaux, Philippe Chavy, Burgundy, France |
2010-2014 |
12x75cl |
£246.00 |
|
|
|
Show all wines with notes in printable format |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Mme Boyer should be looking happier,
given the quality of the wines here
|
|
DOMAINE BOYER-MARTENOT
A new domaine to us. Here's a quote from The Great
Domaines of Burgundy by Remington Norman:
"…Yves Boyer is making excellent wines,
thoughtfully put together with real depth and
complexity. This is a fine source of Meursault." It
was a fine visit. I liked the wines very much.
|
|
| Vintage |
Wine |
Drink dates |
Case size |
Price
IB |
Notes |
Order |
| 2006 |
Meursault Village, Boyer-Martenot, Burgundy, France |
2010-2015 |
12x75cl |
£168.00 |
|
|
| 2006 |
Puligny-Montrachet Reuchaux, Boyer-Martenot, Burgundy, France |
2011-2016 |
12x75cl |
£219.00 |
|
|
| 2006 |
Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières, Boyer-Martenot, Burgundy, France |
2012-2018 |
12x75cl |
£360.00 |
|
|
|
Show all wines with notes in printable format |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
DOMAINE MICHELOT MERE ET FILLE
Véronique Michelot is something of a wild
child, although child is perhaps the wrong
description. She dresses in a bohemian manner, has a
stud in her front tooth and flirts outrageously with
visitors. This doesn't prevent me from being entirely
unbiased in my analysis of her wines, however, which
are brilliant!
|
|
| Vintage |
Wine |
Drink dates |
Case size |
Price
IB |
Notes |
Order |
| 2006 |
Meursault Tillets, Domaine Bernard-Bonin, Burgundy, France |
2011-2015 |
12x75cl |
£252.00 |
|
|
| 2006 |
Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatières, Domaine Bernard-Bonin, Burgundy, France |
2012-2017 |
12x75cl |
£450.00 |
|
|
|
Show all wines with notes in printable format |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
CHASSAGNE MONTRACHET
|
|
Puligny is cock-of-the-rock in reputation terms in
the whites of the southern Côte de Beaune, but
in my view Chassagne has a varied terroir at least as
interesting. The minerality tends to be earthier, the
wines less “square”. At best
they’re a fascinating lesson in what vine roots
get up to way underground.
|
|
GUY AMIOT ET FILS
|
|
| Vintage |
Wine |
Drink dates |
Case size |
Price
IB |
Notes |
Order |
| 2006 |
Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Vergers, Guy Amiot, Burgundy, France |
2011-2016 |
12x75cl |
£252.00 |
|
|
| 2006 |
Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Caillerets, Guy Amiot, Burgundy, France |
2011-2017 |
12x75cl |
£264.00 |
|
|
|
Show all wines with notes in printable format |
|
|
|
|
|
|
