FICOFI: Les Climats du Coeur 2016

These are notes from a FICOFI event held at the Ritz-Carlton Hong Kong on 06 November 2016. Les Climats du Coeur is a charitable organisation founded in 2009 when a group of producers in the Cote d’Or decided to band together during that highly successful and plentiful harvest to donate generously to charities in Burgundy, hence continuing a long tradition dating back to 1453 with the Hospices de Beaune. These producers include Domaine Leflaive, Maison Louis Jadot, Maison Joseph Drouhin, Domaine de la Romanee-Conti, Domaine Faiveley, Domaine Dujac, Domaine Roulot and Maison Louis Latour.

For this evening in Hong Kong, a long promenade for pre-dinner tasting had been set up, many with the respective estate owners in attendance, and I think I managed to complete almost the entire line-up. Most producers have brought their whites of 2014, 2013 and 2009, and the evening reinforced my view that the 2014 whites are truly exceptional. Readers are well advised to stock up as many of these as possible whilst they remain available. Of the rest, those of Ramonet and Dujac were, predictably, outstanding while the Nuits-Saint-Georges of Henri Gouges punched well above their weight.2004 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet. Great concentration of complex citrus, creme and sublime acidity with attractive oily textures, slim in profile but certainly not lean, finishing with stern austerity from its ferrous minerality. Drinking well.

2004 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet Clavoillon 1er. Compared with the preceding village, this wine possesses a similar profile but with greater depth and concentration of complex citrus and white flowers, displaying excellent precision and definition, more ferrous at the finish which imparted a slightly stern posture. Excellent.

2009 Les Climats du Coeur Puligny-Montrachet 1er, a magnum vinified, aged and bottled jointly by Domaine Leflaive and Maison Louis Jadot. This interesting bottling displays rich oily textures with plenty of opulence, highly aromatic on the nose with a minerally dominance on the palate culminating with a bit of sharp accentuation towards the finish. Will be great but needs time.2013 Domaine du Chateau de Meursault Les Charmes-Dessus Mersault 1er, poured from magnum with M. Stephen Follin-Arlebet in attendance. The first vintage of this wine exudes generous aromas of white flowers and vanillin with plenty of fat, crème de la crème and minerals, displaying exciting intensity and great acidity. Excellent.

2014 Jean-Claude Ramonet Saint-Aubin Murgers des Dents de Chien 1er, with the beautiful Mlle Anne-France Ramonet in attendance. This under-rated commune is truly shining here, rich in minerals and crème de la crème, displaying excellent presence, layering and integration between the delicate fruit and minerals. A wine of great precision. Very refined and classy. Just proves time and again that the producer matters most in Burgundy.

2014 Domaine Henri Gouges Nuits-Saint-Georges Clos des Porrets Saint-Georges 1er monopole, poured from magnum with M. Gregory Gouges in attendance. This wine exudes aromas of red berries and incense with a mild earthiness classic for Nuits-Saint-Georges, displaying good concentration, tannic structure and acidity, just a tad firm. Excellent potential.2014 Domaine Dujac Clos de la Roche Grand Cru. Deep nutty flavours with overtones of wild berries and white pepper, excellent concentration and harmony with very fine tannin structure and definition amidst dryish textures. Lovely.

1998 Domaine Dujac Clos de la Roche Grand Cru, served from jeroboam. Evolved in color and tone with a generous floral fragrance while tangerines, kumquat, ash and incense combine in a lovely complex that is open and seamlessly layered, exuding great finesse and elegance. A classic in every sense. Superb.

2014 Domaine Dujac Puligny-Montrachet Les Combettes 1er. Minerally on the nose with overtones of crème de la crème and white pepper, displaying gentle but excellent concentration of citrus and complex minerals with great subtlety, ending in a mild peppery finish. Very fine.

2014 Domaine Dujac Puligny-Montrachet Les Folatieres 1er. More forward with chalky minerals, clear citrus and white flowers, quite rounded, layered with excellent concentration and displaying good early complexity. Excellent.2013 Domaine Jean Grivot Nuits-Saint-Georges Aux Boudots 1er. Forward in glorious concentration of dark roses, camphor and dark red fruits along with generous saline minerals, rounded with subtle acidity and structure. Very fine.

2013 Domaine Jean Grivot Clos Vougeot Grand Cru. Good poise and balance with good concentration of classic pinot flavours but, like most wines from this oversized and over-rated Grand Cru, lacks distinction.

2005 Maison  Louis Jadot Chapelle-Chambertin Grand Cru. Mild earthiness amidst a generous offering of raspberries and dark roses, medium-bodied with traces of hardness and mint, subtle in acidity but a tad short.

2013 Maison Louis Jadot Beaune Clos des Ursules 1er, poured from jeroboam. Classic pinot aromas with a dash of earth, gentle and rounded in body with good concentration, displaying great subtlety and harmony. Very successful.

2009 Maison Louis Jadot Puligny-Montrachet Les Referts 1er, poured from jeroboam. Great bouquet of icing, vanillin and ash, displaying good intensity, definition and concentration of complex citrus, developing some early complexity, finishing on a persistent minty note with a dash of nutmeg. Excellent

2005 Domaine Faiveley Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru. Displaying an evolved red with notes of incense and some earthy pungency, structured and masculine with a broad expanse of camphor, dark roses and dark fruits, medium-full with subtle acidity and intensity, yet to peak. Excellent.2014 Domaine Jean-Claude Ramonet Chassagne-Montrachet Le Clos du Caillerets 1er Monopole. This wine displays a great concentration of wonderful fruit, deep and minerally with a generous complex of intense citrus, lime, white flowers and chalk, already quite open with great definition, linearity and gentle acidity, slightly nutty and glowing with great persistence. Wonderful stuff.

2012 Domaine Jean-Claude Ramonet Chassagne-Montrachet Le Clos du Caillerets 1er Monopole. More evolved than the preceding 2014, more minerally with graphite and flint and minty overtones, displaying again great linearity and concentration of sublime fruit. Excellent. While 2011 and 2012 are excellent for whites, I’ve always opined that 2014 surpasses them all.

2009 Maison Joseph Drouhin Chassagne-Montrachet Morgeots Marquis de Laquiche 1er. Closed at this stage, revealing some mint and minerals and creme with a gentle icy presence. Needs time.

2011 Domaine Henri Gouges Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Pruliers 1er. Gentle aromas are all one could discern from a wine that is essentially closed, though the palate is subtly structured and poised with classic pinot characters and saline minerals, oozing traces of sweetness with subdued acidity. Will turn out well.

This was followed by a superbly crafted dinner (where I was honoured to be seated next to M. Gregory Gouges) featuring lobster, foie gras, beef tenderloin and an exquisite selection of cheese from the Fromagerie Quatrehomme, and more wine:

2004 Domaine Jean-Claude Ramonet Puligny-Montrachet Champs-Canet 1er. Quite effusive in earthy pungency and icing, minerally with great concentration and quiet intensity, layered with good complexity, displaying plenty of vigour, structure and elegance, ending in a gentle finish. Most lovely.

2004 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet Les Folatieres 1er. Some gentle earthy pungency dominate on the nose, minerally and tightly-knit on the palate with lovely acidity and great balance. Very fine.

2011 Domaine Jean-Claude Ramonet Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru, poured from magnum. Minerally and crisp with a lovely concentration of clear complex citrus, fabulous in intensity and sophistication, ending again with a tone of graphite minerals. Excellent.

M Gregory Gouges et moi

2011 Domaine Henri Gouges Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Saint-Georges 1er. Open and attractive, still youthful, almost seductive with its gentle bouquet, displaying good presence with a deep vein of darker fruits, medium-full, not heavy at all, superbly balanced. Very lovely.

2010 Domaine Jean Grivot Vosne-Romanee Les Beau Monts 1er. Deep and effusive floral fragrance from the excellent concentration of red fruits and dark berries, seamlessly supported by saline minerals, turning a tad stern towards the finish with some early complexity. Excellent, with a long life ahead.

2009 Domaine Louis Jadot Corton-Pougets Grand Cru. Gentle with an abundance of bright red fruits and great acidity with traces of citrus, displaying excellent presence and persistence. Excellent.

1995 Domaine Dujac Clos de la Roche Grand Cru, poured from magnum. Quite an ardent bloom of dark fruits on the nose with a teasing fragrance. Open and delicious with a certain deftness on the palate, displaying a rich body of gorgeous fruit with a tangerine core, structured with great complexity and acidity. Superb!

2005 Ch D’Yquem. Nectarine, apricot, cedar, toast and cider vie for attention on the crowded palate, richly layered, complemented by aged acidity and creamy textures, highly aromatic and placid.