Blind Vision: 2015 Burgundy Red & White
featured, France: Burgundy
, Nov 2018
Bordeaux is a dog. A dog will always fetch the stick or come to heel. Dogs are predictable. But a cat? You never know what a cat might be up to at any given moment—licking its paws or catching mice. Cats are as unpredictable as opening a bottle of Burgundy. You never know what to expect until you pull the cork. Burgundy is a cat….
Cellar Favorite: 1942 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Richebourg “Vigne Originelle Française”
cellar favorite, France: Burgundy
, Nov 2018
The magical properties of the time-buckling 1942 Richebourg Vigne Originelle Française Non Reconstitutée defy the laws of mature Pinot Noir. Over the course of 90 minutes, the wine gains substance from the ether.
Cellar Favorite: 2010 Domaine François Raveneau Chablis Blanchot Grand Cru
cellar favorite, France: Burgundy
, Nov 2018
The 2010 Valmur and Clos were magnificent at a recent charity dinner. A few days later I opened the Blanchot for a dear friend who lamented the scarcity and pricing that has, sadly, become the norm for Raveneau. Two thousand ten is a vintage I tasted chez Raveneau from barrel and bottle, but I hadn’t tasted any wines from the vintage since then.
Eternal Leroy: 1937-2010
featured, Verticals & Retrospectives, France: Burgundy
, Oct 2018
I still remember the first time I visited Domaine Leroy. It was a much earlier time in my tasting and writing career. As I walked into the understated winery in Vosne-Romanée I noticed the walls covered with photographs of what looked like incredible tastings. Gently softened by the passage of time, those photos bore testament to the extraordinary legacy built by Lalou Bize-Leroy and her late husband, Marcel Bize, over the six decades they spent together. My mind wandered as I imagined what it might be like to attend one of those events. Little did I know that in the coming years I would have the opportunity to participate in several historic tastings at both Domaine Leroy and Domaine d’Auvenay, Lalou Bize-Leroy’s home estate in the hills outside Meursault.
Picture This: Domaine Henri Gouges 1945 – 2016
featured, Verticals & Retrospectives, France: Burgundy
, Oct 2018
Photographs so often convey history better than words. They can stimulate our imagination and trigger emotions. A photograph presents minimal information, its temporal limitation governed by the click of the lens that ensnares a moment in time. Our minds are left to colour in what comes before and after. This retrospective traces the history of Domaine Henri Gouges through eight decades and more than fifty wines.
2016 White Burgundy: Excellent, But Complicated
featured, France: Burgundy
, Sep 2018
Two thousand sixteen is a potentially classic white Burgundy vintage marked by a devastating frost event that sharply reduced overall production and dramatically complicated the lives of growers. Now long-time Burgundy collectors must navigate their own set of challenges to find the best bottles.
Cellar Favorite: 1991 Domaine Pierre Morey Meursault Les Perrières 1er Cru
Cellar Favorites, cellar favorite, France: Burgundy
, Sep 2018
Without a shadow of doubt, the 1991 Meursault Les Perrières 1er Cru will be one of the white wines of the year, epitomising everything wondrous about mature white Burgundy.
Priceless: Roumier Bonnes-Mares 1945 - 2015
featured, Verticals & Retrospectives, France: Burgundy
, Sep 2018
Christophe Roumier is one of the most revered winemakers in Burgundy. His wines are coveted across the world. This article examines the history of Domaine Georges Roumier, Christophe’s techniques and focuses upon his flagship cru, Bonnes-Mares. Spanning no less than eight decades and over 30 vintages, this vertical tasting constitutes one of the most comprehensive overviews ever conducted, one that might never be repeated.
2017 White Burgundy: Quantity, Quality and Great Charm
featured, France: Burgundy
, Sep 2018
The largest white Burgundy crop since 2009 has yielded pliant, elegant, pure wines with considerable aromatic appeal and early accessibility, along with the balance and stuffing for at least mid-term aging.
Burgundy Northern Satellites: Irancy & Saint-Bris
featured, France: Burgundy
, Aug 2018
Irancy and for that matter, Saint-Bris, are like satellite appellations in a stationary orbit around Chablis. It takes little more than 10 or 15 minutes to drive from the centre of Chablis to either village, yet few make the journey or endeavor to taste the wines. But as prices in the Côte d’Or become increasingly prohibitive, alternatives such as Irancy and Saint-Bris become increasingly worth investigating.