2003 Burgundy Tasting

[Maximus]

The tasting consisted of wines under the 2003 Bouchard family. There were three flights, with three wines showcased in each flight (total of nine wines, excluding the ‘quaffer’ white Burgundy to wet everyone’s whistle). The first two flights had two Burgundies paired with a Kiwi Pinot of high stature. Notes are as follows:

First Flight

Savigny les Beaune “Lavieres” 1er Cru (NZ$64)

Nose is earthy with vanilla and restrained fruit; mainly black and red cherry. ThereÂ’s a hint of something in the background yearning for the spotlight, but I canÂ’t make it out. Raspberry coulee on the palate with a savoury, tannic finish. I thought this wine was dull and it didnÂ’t impress.

Beaune “Teurons” 1er Cru (NZ$79)

Much better nose – far richer, fruit driven style. Almost perfumed with a slight floral lift. Spiced fruit on the palate with a generous mouth feel and tannins that kick in late. Not sure about the acid, but if there’s enough there it should age very well. Group consensus was that acid wasn’t lacking and the style appeared to be oriented to a ‘new world’ audience. At NZ$80 (on special) it’s good value for a Burgundy. The nose was one of the most enjoyable all night.

Felton Road Block 5 (N/A)

Great nose, with an obvious cooler climate overtone (as much a result of the extreme heat in Europe this vintage than anything else). Raspberry and game nose. Tight acid backbone fortified with dark fruit in the mouth. Pleasant and my style of pinot, although a small half-mouthful was left in the glass until the end of the night and appeared to have lost the fruit depth and richness on the nose.

Second Flight

Beaune Greve “Jesus” (Darling) 1er Cru (NZ$149)

Nose of vegetation, forest floor and bramble patch berries. Velvety and almost unctuous in the mouth for a pinot, with a terrifically long and satisfying finish. Tannins are well integrated. Based on the quality of the wine in the mouth IÂ’d come back to this in 2-5 years, hoping and anticipating some development/improvement on the nose. Again, a small portion of this wine was kept and finished at a later stage in the tasting, with tobacco characteristics adding to the complexation occurring on the nose.

Volnay “Clos de Chenes” (Field of Oaks) 1er Cru (NZ$106)

Sweeter fruit on the nose when compared to the previous pinots. Raspberries, strawberries and red cherry, with an underlying blackberry nuance too. Nice nose. Cherries on the palate with a mineral finish, further heightened by the high acid. Delicious and easily best QPR for the night in my opinion (only 4000 bottles produced). Excerpt from the winery reads “…combines richness and generosity without losing the reputed elegance and finesse of Volnay”. I’d have to agree.

Escarpment “Kupe” (NZ$57)

This is the first vintage of Kupe from the ex-winemaker of Martinborough Vineyards, Larry McKenna. Known by many in the NZ media as the “prince of pinot noir”, Larry could well be linked to the likes of Ben Glaetzer and Riggs in Australia as hot new talent and a much talked about personality, despite Larry’s wine career spanning nearly three decades thus far. The Kupe is produced from single vineyard fruit and only made in exceptional vintages. A real game nose, meaty with dark fruit. Truffles and dark cherry on the palate, with a pleasant finish, albeit a little short when compared to some of the Burgundies. Unfortunately I was a little rushed with my analysis of this wine and would like to try another one soon with a bit more time. Quantities of the wine are extremely limited.

Third Flight

Le Corton Grand Cru (NZ$160)

Raspberry, vanilla and cherry on the nose; fragrant, elegant and bewildering. Mocha and black cherry on the palate with a good finish. First sip I baulked thinking I detected a slight heat of alcohol on the finish, but second mouthful confirmed this wasn’t the case (not unheard of given these wines are ‘high’ at 13.5 degrees given the intense ripening consistent with ’03 heat). Many at the tasting were weighing up this wine versus the last as wine of the night. Even though I was impressed by the Corton, the last was definitely the best.

Gevrey Chambertin “Cazatieres” 1er Cru (NZ$186)

Initially a subtle, reserved nose that very slowly opened out to almost medicinal aromas. Raspberries and cherries but not as enticing as the Corton. The fruit on the nose follows through on the palate with ‘trojan horse’ tannins. I’m unsure about this wine, not quite decided on how I rate it. Would love to try one from a great (reputable) vintage with a decade of age to gather how well the wine ages and, perhaps blossoms which I think it would. However, it was outshone on the night.

Gevrey Chambertin “Clos de Beze” Grand Cru (NZ$352)

This has an amazing nose, unlike anything I’ve ever smelt. Rich, with plenty of finesse and charm – I was being lead to bed. A vanilla essence character imparted by the oak lies just beneath the surface of mocha and typical pinot red fruit; raspberry, strawberry and cherry with a pleasant sweetness developing as the wine breathes. Great texture in the mouth, the sweet fruit present all over the palate. Tannins are restrained. Exceptionally long finish (as one would expect). Wine of the night for mine, but I certainly won’t be buying any and it could be a while before I try my next…


There were assorted cheeses and breads available at this seated tasting which lasted two hours. With general conversation and breaks for a palate cleanser, I struggled to keep up as I tried my best to analyse these wines. Talk amongst the more experienced Pinotphiles (ie. not me) and Burgundy fanatics reiterated similar thoughts as public reviewer sentiment that the heat helped the lesser known and not-so well regarded names (although these wines still fetch a handsome price irrespective of vintage). Vineyards in the south of Burgundy should be looked out for especially, this region privy to lower temperatures than the north. Certainly a wonderful experience for me, considering my previous Burgundy tasting history consisted of some $20 Faiveley… as a result, hard for me to provide any real insight to the wines and vintage given I have no familiarity with other years. Still, I think the kiwis are on the right track with their winemaking and viticulture of pinot, perhaps now in search of that elusive ‘x factor’ epitomised by so many Burgundies…

Cheers,

[michel]

Thanks for the notes- I appreciate any impressions.

[Rob]

Thank you for the note. I am a big fan of Burgundy.

[Rob]

Thank you for the note. I am a big fan of Burgundy.

[Pascal]

La France a produit le meilleur pinot noir. L'élasticité de terrior il complexité. Ailleurs il n'y a aucune égale.

[Maximus]

La France a produit le meilleur pinot noir. L'élasticité de terrior il complexité. Ailleurs il n'y a aucune égale.

Maintenant Pascal, vous ne vous avéreriez pas justement être français vous ?

C'était certainement une grande expérience pour moi, mon premier vrai échantillon de Bourgogne. Comment est-ce que vous évaluez-vous le cru, vu anormalement le chaud survivez à ?

[Pascal]

Sera rappelé en Bourgogne pour sa vague de chaleur féroce d'été. En août il y avait quinze jours consécutifs des températures au-dessus de quarante niveaux causants centigrades de sucre de degrés à monter et de l'interdiction de Vendages étant déclaré août moyen, jamais la date la plus tôt. Les plus grands vignerons de revêtements de défi étaient la basse acidité. Quelques cultivateurs n'ont pas acidifié du tout. D'autres mettent dans une dose minimale pour empêcher la détérioration microbienne dans leurs cuvées plus faibles tandis que les histoires d'horreur abondent suggérant que certains aient pu avoir incliné en vaste quantité d'acide tartrique conformément à l'avis de leurs oenologists. La plupart des cultivateurs ont légèrement réduit la durée dans la cuve et presque toutes réduit marcher - pigeage - pour pour ne pas extraire les tannins durs. Il est apparu clairement que le 2003 pourrait soutenir un pourcentage plus élevé qu'habituel du nouveau chêne. Les producteurs que nous avons achetés de ont fait les vins spectaculaires, mais, avec des rendements considérablement réduits par les conditions atypiques, les quantités des vins supérieurs sont bien plus rares qu'habituelles.

[Guest]

Maxi, Je suis dans le commerce de vin.

Salut!

[Gavin Trott]

Je ne parle pas.

[Guest]

i think someone has hacked into the system again ... everything looks french to me!!

[Daniel]

Pascal,

Any Burgundy recomendation?

Merci.

[Pascal]

Mon favori est Geantet Pansiot.