Expressions of Interest - Melbourne Burgundy Social Club

[felixp]

thanks Chris, but unfortunately I am unable to make it. Have a great night!!!!

[Chris H]

Bubbles to start a good idea. Probably need a white too so I will bring one on theme as an extra.

[Chris H]

I only decant if needed for sediment.

[Ozzie W]

PS. Tomorrow is a fruit day so all the hipster biodynamic wines will taste good.

Will perfectly complement the 24, 48 and 72 degree angles of the Zalto burgundy glass I'll be drinking from. My glass will be aligned with the tilt angles of the Earth and the wine will be aligned with the moon.

[conformistpete]

My glass will be aligned with the tilt angles of the Earth and the wine will be aligned with the moon.

The other thing I learnt was to swirl your wine clockwise when the moon is waning and anticlockwise when it is waxing....

[mjs]

My glass will be aligned with the tilt angles of the Earth and the wine will be aligned with the moon.

The other thing I learnt was to swirl your wine clockwise when the moon is waning and anticlockwise when it is waxing....

In which hemisphere though?

[mjs]

I think I have mentioned elsewhere that I am a bit of a Riedel person rather than Zalto.

Just in time, a couple of Riedel Veritas Old World Pinot Noir glasses have turned up from PoK, so we can have a bit of a taste test.

Two things worth pointing out:

1) With a leaning towards cabernet, this is my first foray into specialist pinot glassware
2) Am very much looking forward to tonight's tasting

cheers, Malcolm

[Ozzie W]

My glass will be aligned with the tilt angles of the Earth and the wine will be aligned with the moon.

The other thing I learnt was to swirl your wine clockwise when the moon is waning and anticlockwise when it is waxing....

In which hemisphere though?

Waning gibbous tonight, so clockwise it is.

For anyone interested in this sort of thing, http://www.rhythmofnature.net will tell you whether it's a fruit day or not, adjusting for both hemisphere and timezone.

[Benchmark]

What if you are an omniswirler?

[Chris H]

Talk about gibberish. I can visualise one hand is on your glass and the other hand is.....

[Ozzie W]

Two of my favourite wineries are biodynamic, Cullen and Castagna. There's no doubt they produce very high quality wines. But I question if the same results could be achieved just by using organic farming techniques and a meticulous attention to detail. I don't believe in the astrological aspects, nor all that spiritual and mystical stuff.

[dave vino]

Glasses, rugged decanters, corkscrews, Durand, Ah-so, pens, Sharpie, paper, camera, blind tasting covers, spittoons, strainer, small funnel, cash for dinner, oh and maybe some wines...

[conformistpete]

Ozzie: I didn't realise today was a good day for biodynamically cleaning windows!

Benchmark: I believe that is called shaken, not swirled.

Thanks for being so organised Dave, reminded me to pack a pen and notebook.

[mjs]

Two of my favourite wineries are biodynamic, Cullen and Castagna. There's no doubt they produce very high quality wines. But I question if the same results could be achieved just by using organic farming techniques and a meticulous attention to detail. I don't believe in the astrological aspects, nor all that spiritual and mystical stuff.

What, no cow's dung buried in sheep skulls at the end of each row?

[mjs]

Thanks for being so organised Dave, reminded me to pack a pen and notebook.

I've seen Dave in action, definitely highly organised!!

[Benchmark]

And I thought I was overpacked Dave!

[Benchmark]

Thank you to everyone who took part in the inaugural Melbourne Burgundy Social Club dinner.

A special thanks to Chris H who did most of the organisation and to swirler who's input and enthusiasm helped get this up and running.

We had a terrific time. Educational and fun.

The wines-

1. Regis Flinioux NV Brut Champagne

2. 2009 Franck Bonville Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs ‘Azure’ Champagne

3. 2008 Jean-Claude Bessin Valmur Chablis Grand Cru

4. 2001 Domaine Cornu Cote de Nuits Le Clos de Magny Villages

5. 1999 Domaine Robert Chevillon Nuits-Saint-Georges Le Cailles 1er Cru

6. 1996 Domaine Magnien Michel & Fils Morey-Saint-Dennis Clos de la Roche Grand Cru

7. 2013 Domaine A. Et P. De Villiane Cote Chalionnase La Digione Bourgogne

8. 2009 Domaine Michele & Patrice Rion Nuits St Georges Clos Saint Marc 1er Cru

9. 2009 Domaine Jean Grivot Vosne-Romanee Villages

10. 2009 Domaine Bertagna Nuits Saint Georges Les Murgers 1er Cru

11. 2009 Domaine Follin-Arbelet Aloxe-Corton Clos Du Chapitre 1er Cru

12. 2005 Alain Burguet Gevrey-Chambertin Grand Vin de Burgogne



Thanks again to everyone.

Keep an eye out for the next meeting in a couple of months.

[Ozzie W]

What an awesome evening! A big thanks to everyone involved for making it such a great evening. I learned heaps and had so much fun doing it. Looking forward to the next one.

[Chris H]

Well done benchmark, even got a photo of all the bottles

A really enjoyable night, thanks to all of you for the bonhomie.

For me, the wines confirmed the fruit intensity pretty much goes up a notch with every level in the hierarchy from Bourgogne to Grand Cru.

Might have to better utilise boganrouge's command of Chinese next time to ensure attentive service (although to be fair, I think the combination of public holiday next day and the Tennis meant they were more hectic than usual).

[conformistpete]

Great evening! Thanks to all those that attended and shared some great wines. The knowledge in the group along with the variation in wine from each vintage, commune and winemaker made for an educational night. Thanks to Benchmark and swirler for getting this up and going and ChrisH for organising the night. Much appreciated.

[Boganrouge]

Fantastic night. Thanks Chris for your excellent organising skills. Great group of people and excellent wines.

[Polymer]

Any particular highlights wine wise?

[conformistpete]

For mine the Chablis, clos de la Roche and the Aloxe-Corton were the highlights. Was good to compare a bunch of different 2009, each completely different. I don't often get the chance to compare the various terroir of burgundy and also wine making styles.

Some tasting notes to follow.

[mjs]

OK, I'm not a burg-phile and I haven't really had much burgundy over the last twenty or so years. Had a fair bit when I went to live and work in London in the early 80's but that was yonks ago!! So, last night was going to be an interesting re-acquaintance and it certainly delivered. Thanks to Chris H, Benchmark and Swirler for prompting/organising. Lots of interesting wine, generally very good, good company and conversation and food was good, although we probably could have done with another course. Really, all the things you look for in an off-line. Kudos also to Hacker for making the trek from Sydney, good to catch up again after the last time at The Devonshire.

Benchmark listed the wines above, they were all interesting in their own way, very interesting to see the difference between Villages and 1er Cru (didn't seem to be too many Grand Cru wines haha). Also the fact that Burgundy is such as small scale thing, lots and lots of wines, but all relatively small volumes. Will really be a task to get to know even a reasonable number!! For me the ones I liked/stood out were the '96 Clos de la Roche, the 09 Domaine Bertagna, the 09 Aloxe Corton and the 05 Gevrey Chambertin. But as I said they were all interesting in their own way. The 2001 Domaine Cornu was past its prime, but had some interest. The 2013 Chalonnaise was almost confected and very New World. The 99 Les Cailles was also good. Plenty of substantial wines in the overall group, which I found good, if not surprising.

So, hopefully another meeting of the MBSC in late Mar/early April with more of the same. Thanks everyone for a great night.

Jury is still out as to whether "I get it"

cheers, Malcolm

[Ozzie W]

I had my first glass of Burgundy only 4 months ago and this is my second offline with a Burgundy theme. I can say without a doubt that the Burgundy bug has infected me good and proper.

The WOTN for me was the 1996 Clos de la Roche. Like others have mentioned, it was also facinating to compare all those 2009's. I can now appreciate why Burgundy is the final destination for so many wine enthusiasts. The region has nearly limitless possibilities in styles. How is one to fully understand every difference of every vineyard there? One thing's for certain, it'll be fun trying!

I find it's often easier to remember labels than names, so below are photos I took of all the individual wines.

[Chris H]

.....and some notes.....

Regis Fliniaux NV Brut Champagne
Nice yeasty nose leads to a full fruited palate with some Pinot meatiness and yeasty complexing characters. Good length.

2009 Franck Bonville Grand Cru Blanc de Blancs ‘Azure’ Champagne
Very fresh and effervescent as you'd imagine from the vintage. Can be drunk now enjoyably, but ideally needs a year or two in the cellar to develop.

2008 Jean-Claude Bessin Valmur Chablis Grand Cru
Classic Oyster shell, minerality and taut lemony fruit. Plenty of mid palate fruit in the relatively austere Chablis style.

2001 Domaine Cornu Cote de Nuits Le Clos de Magny
Now quite tertiary - earthy, rustic, some sweet vinous fruit and mild acid finish.

1999 Domaine Robert Chevillon Nuits-Saint-Georges Le Cailles 1er Cru
Gently aromatic dark fruits on the nose. Soft tannic structure underpinning black fruits. Nice complexity. In a very good drinking window now, fully reflective of good maker, vineyard and vintage.

1996 Domaine Magnien Michel & Fils Morey-Saint-Denis Clos de la Roche Grand Cru
A step up in power. Perfumed complex aromas of dark cherry fruit, Chinese five spice and the start of some sous-bois development. Good depth of fruit. Long, soft tannin length. Great drinking.

2013 Domaine A. Et P. de Villaine Cote Chalonnaise La Digoine
From the personal estate of Aubert de Villaine. Very young and elemental. Pretty florals and some white pepper to smell. No great fruit depth or length - having no previous experience with his estate wines, not sure if due to youth or appellation.

2009 Domaine Michele & Patrice Rion Nuits St Georges Clos Saint Marc 1er Cru
Reasonably four-square for mine. Fruit mainly on the front palate, and maybe needs some time to flesh out and build weight.

2009 Domaine Jean Grivot Vosne-Romanee
Oaky structure is there but fairly lean in the fruit department. Not sure about it developing as the colour is already maturing.

2009 Domaine Bertagna Nuits Saint Georges Les Murgers 1er Cru
Red fruits, soft tannic structure. Maybe just lacks depth of fruit to be any better than pleasant.

2009 Domaine Follin-Arbelet Aloxe-Corton Clos Du Chapitre 1er Cru
Perfumed strawberry-raspberry fruit, some violets. Opened up in the glass. Enjoyable drinking and will probably improve further over the short term.

2005 Alain Burguet Gevrey-Chambertin Tradition
Relatively deep in colour Earthy, ripe dark cherry-raspberry fruit on the nose.Ripe, sweet fruit in the mid palate. Reasonably good length.

[Benchmark]

Great notes gentlemen.