Champagne Henriot Brut Souverain, courtesy of Vincent and Jimmy Leung at Imperial Treasure Great World, 04 Nov 2024. Pale. Lifted nose of clear citrus in soft focus, matched by excellent concentration of fruit and distant minerally elements that exert reductive tightness with fine clarity, though a little short.
2015 Hospices de Beaune Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru Cuvée Madeline Collignon, courtesy of Dennis at Imperial Treasure Great World, 04 Nov 2024. Good colour, proffering a burnished tone from the excellent concentration of red fruits and cherries undergoing early secondary development, structured with sweet rounded tannins.
2016 Domaine Faiveley Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Les Saint-Georges, courtesy of Sir Bob at Imperial Treasure Great World, 04 Nov 2024. Bright crimson. Already into its secondary development characters with a sweet undertow beneath its rich velvety textures, yielding lovely definition within its chiseled structure.
Champagne La Closerie Les Béguines Extra Brut NV, courtesy of Wong Gang at Otto Ristorante, 07 Nov 2024. Light golden. Fairly effusive in yeast, preserved plums and medicinal overtones. Medium-full. Fleshed out with further notes of olives haw and orange peel with a sweetish undertow.
2017 Hospices de Beaune Meursault-Charmes 1er Cuvée de Bahèzre de Lanlay at Otto Ristorante, 07 Nov 2024. Poured from magnum. Luminous, taking its time to proffer overtones of cool icing amid ripe citrus, fig and honeysuckle with subtle complexity. The medium-full palate is beautifully nuanced with a rounded velvetiness, seamlessly integrated with excellent detail, eventually settling down with glacial elegance and regal sophistication. Yet to develop secondary characters, but this is so irresistible.
2008 Domaine Jean-Claude Ramonet Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Les Vergers, courtesy of Gary at Otto Ristorante, 07 Nov 2024. Pale golden, exuding gentle white floral hues amidst capsicum and spicy white pepper. Medium-weight, imbued an oily density and slick acidity that impart fair intensity. Impeccably balanced and proportioned, settling down with the classic glowing white tones of Chassagne that stretched with lengthy persistence. Still astonishingly youthful.
2018 Esprit Leflaive Puilly-Fuissé, courtesy of Isabel at Otto Ristorante, 07 Nov 2024. The inaugural vintage of this wine displays a relative pallor and understated concentration that bely the controlled intensity of fruit, producing lifted white tones with fine detail against a deeper vein of subdued minerals. Became wonderfully slick as it morphed together with lovely length and restrained elegance.
2013 Domaine Roulot Meursault 1er Clos des Bouchères monopole, courtesy of Andrew at Otto Ristorante, 07 Nov 2024. Luminous golden. Highly aromatic in complex citrus, brioche and honeysuckle. Medium-weight. Open with supple intensity from its sleek tangy acidity tinged with saline minerals. Beautifully integrated with great precision, turning even more minerally over time.
2015 Domaine Coffinet-Duvernay Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru, courtesy of Edmund at Otto Ristorante, 07 Nov 2024. Pale golden. Weighty bouquet of cider and freshly roasted cashews. Much more developed on the medium-full palate than expected where there was a distinct autumnal note, turning more racy over time, developing chromatic tones with a bit of pebbly shine from the saline minerals, underscored by sublime acidity. Moderate finish.
2014 Domaine François Lamarche Grands-Échezeaux Grand Cru, courtesy of Morgan at Otto Ristorante, 07 Nov 2024. Deep crimson. Effusive in bright rosy hues from the generous body of red fruits undergoing early secondary development, framed by dryish tannins that offer good definition, displaying refined balance. Modest finish.
2006 Domaine Hudelot-Noëllat Vosne-Romanée 1er Les Suchots, courtesy of Gary at Otto Ristorante, 07 Nov 2024. Good colour. Generously endowed in red fruits and cherries, imparting glorious lift with a bright supple intensity, layered with a deeper darker vein of currants. Highly integral. Excellent terroir character.
1998 Château Musar, courtesy of Isabel at Otto Ristorante, 07 Nov 2024. Clearly mature in appearance, exuding a powerful plummy glow from the abundant medium-full palate. Remarkably fresh and rounded with lively acidity, its tannins having melted to yield savoury sweetish tones. Reminds me of Tertre Roteboeuf.
2010 Domaine Taupenot-Merme Mazoyères Grand Cru, courtesy of Edmund at Otto Ristorante, 07 Nov 2024. Some age is evident from its bright crimson, proffering red fruits, raspberries and haw with a perfumed lift. Softly contoured with velvety textures, imbued with ferrous elements.
2019 Occidental Running Fence Vineyard Cuvée Catherine, courtesy of Hiok at Otto Ristorante, 07 Nov 2024. Deep crimson. Forward nose of delicious red fruits. Equally full on the palate, cushioned by a certain velvetiness, boasting great purity of fruit within a frame of soft sweetish tannins. Highly integral but short.
2004 Château Cheval Blanc, courtesy of Iqbal at Otto Ristorante, 07 Nov 2024. Deep crimson. This wine proffers a fairly deep bouquet of red capsicum with a hint of nail varnish. Already well into its secondary development, its ample fruit open with inviting supple intensity, the cabernet franc coming into play with overtones of haw, imparting subtle tension of the fullish palate. Yet to reach peak maturity but this is shaping up very well.
2010 Cloudburst Chardonnay, courtesy of Wong Gang at Otto Ristorante, 07 Nov 2024. Light golden. This Margaret River white opens with great sophistication on the nose, so very correctly nuanced with a lovely lift of capsicum and nutmeg. Equally sublime on the fullish palate, imbued with sleek acidity and a certain oiliness that impart a hint of earthy diesel, impeccably integrated with elegant complexity as it finished with lengthy persistence. Highly burgundian. Outstanding.
2013 Domaine Jean-Marc Millot Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru Grand Marpetui, courtesy of Morgan at Otto Ristorante, 07 Nov 2024. Classic pinot tint. Delicious. Softly focused and integral, boasting elegant intensity of red fruits laced with ferrous elements, yielding fine definition and linearity.
2017 Domaine Bruno Clair Chambolle-Musigny Les Véroilles, aired in bottle for couple of hours ahead of dinner at Asia Grand, 19 Nov 2024. Aromatic profusion of red fruits and cherries, lighting up the medium-full palate with classic Chambolle character. Quite fleshy and rounded, displaying excellent ripeness and freshness with understated intensity. Lovely.
2019 Champagne C.H. Piconnet Brut Nature at Les Amis, 25 Nov 2024. Pale golden, exuding brilliant crisp citrus and traces of flint that burst through a mild yeasty sheen, boasting great balance and clarity with further notes of summer hay and floral tones, taking on an even greater flinty intensity. Drinking very well.
2015 Domaine Henri Boillot Meursault 1er Les Genevrières at Otto Ristorante, 26 Nov 2024. Displaying a golden luminosity, this wine was more developed than expected at nine years, opening with an oxidative restraint of honeyed toast, straw and glazed icing. Medium-full and fairly lithe, layered with oily density and slick acidity that gave way to a concentrated chalky shine.
2020 Domaine Yvon Clerget Volnay 1er Clos du Verseuil monopole, courtesy of Vic at Otto Ristorante, 26 Nov 2024. Bright purple. Utterly seductive in its lush expanse of ripe raspberries, very gently oaked with a hint of sweet vanillin, matched by sexy tannins that flatter with seamless supple intensity almost to the point of voluptuousness. Distinctly feminine, and irresistibly delicious.
2018 Domaine Bernard Moreau et Fils Chassagne Montrachet 1er Clos Saint-Jean Blanc, courtesy of Sanjay at Otto Ristorante, 26 Nov 2024. Pale. Rather cool and placid at first, displaying light grassy elements with understated intensity, the fruit set a little backward, proffering a little more inner detail over time though its overall restraint remained.
2016 Domaine Faiveley Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru, courtesy of Vic at Otto Ristorante, 26 Nov 2024. Classic pinot tint. Rather unusual note of rhizomes and capsicum on the nose. Medium-full. Open and fleshy with a predominance of red fruits and haw, structured with supple tannins that exert delicious juicy succulence with lovely purity.
2002 Domaine Armand Rousseau Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru, courtesy of MH at Otto Ristorante, 26 Nov 2024. Classic pinot tint, proffering delicious red fruits caught at peak maturity where the supple freshness is infused with understated feminine intensity, imparting lovely purity with an undertow of limestone and other subtle minerally elements. Highly elegant, not flashy at all.
2012 Guado Al Tasso, courtesy of CHS at Otto Ristorante, 26 Nov 2024. Very deep purple. Forward bouquet of delicious dark currants and black berries still tinged with vanillin, matched by a full presence of glorious fruit infused with black tea leaves and dry medicinal notes, structured with pliant supple tannins.
2016 Domaine Thibert et Fils Puilly-Vinzelles Les Longeays. Aired in bottle for three hours ahead of dinner at Liang Kee, 30 Nov 2024. Pale. Excellent presence of white fruits and clear citrus supported by a tinge of austere minerally elements. Slightly racy in its focused tangy intensity and fresh but understated acidity, developing a lovely floral bloom over time with a hint of pineapples. Great value.
Rescuing your bottle from cork taint
You bring a prized bottle to the restaurant only to discover substantial cork taint after popping it. Is there any way out of such despair and embarrassment? Fear not, advised the old lady serving us tea at Imperial Treasure Great World, Singapore, when a bottle of 2000 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Chambolle-Musigny 1er Les Amoureuses was found to be affected. She poured the entire bottle into a wide-based decanter, then immersed a square-foot of clear plastic cling wrap into the wine and swirled gently for several minutes, after which she removed the cling wrap using a pair of chopsticks. And, voila, the Les Amoureuses was back to its effusive perfumed self without any tell-tale sign of its previous maladie. It seems the molecules of 2,4,6-trichloroanisole (TCA) would cling conveniently onto the plastic wrap, ridding the wine of itself. First reported in 2007, it is surprising that few wine afficionados are aware of this little trick. But don’t overdo it, warned the highly knowledgeable old lady: no more than ten minutes.
For a change, we drank whites from the Côte-de-Nuits and reds from the Côte-de-Beaune at Imperial Treasure Great World on 04 November 2024, paired with its new menu of grilled meat and seafood. It proved to be a most insightful theme, for there is so much to enjoy outside of the usual favourite communes. Volnay and Pommard are likely to see explosive growth as vinophiles, finding themselves priced out of the Côte-de-Nuits, rediscover absolute gems just south of Beaune. Many thanks, gentlemen!
1995 Domaine Louis Latour Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru, courtesy of Sir Bob. Orangey in colour, proffering distinct autumnal tones of grapefruit and orange peel. Still quite fleshy and lively, very smoothly integrated with fine linearity though it’s somewhat one-dimensional, lacking true terroir identity.
1996 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Bourgogne Blanc, courtesy of KG. Luminous, exuding restrained floral hues. The medium palate is wonderfully delicate and fleet-footed, imbued with distilled tones of complex citrus and haw, blossoming with lovely weight and presence before settling down with disarming charm, still underscored by sublime acidity, yielding superb definition and layering. Outstanding! From a 0.66 ha of chardonnay planted within Musigny Grand Cru. Not declared (bottled simply as Bourgogne Blanc) from 1994 to 2014 when old vines were uprooted and new ones planted.
2018 Domaine Joseph Drouhin Beaune Clos des Mouches 1er Blanc, courtesy of Victor. Pale. Resolutely shut on the nose though the medium-weight palate is softly contoured with a rounded velvety mouthfeel, imparting a slight sweetness amidst its sleek acidity and understated intensity, finishing with a minerally dash.
2015 Domaine Henri Gouges Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er La Perrière. Pale, proffering distant white tones leading to an attractive medium-full supple presence, exuding floral hues and cool glacial tones with delicate elegance. Fleshed out well, tapering to an understated finish. Difficult to place, for this is, of course, not chardonnay.
2017 Domaine de la Vougeraie Vougeot 1er Le Clos Blanc de Vougeot, courtesy of LF. Light golden hue, exuding a distant chalky lift with a dash of crème. Medium-full. Wonderfully taut with crisp acidity and precision, yielding lovely definition with a hint of pineapples. Has real class and pedigree.
1976 Domaine Robert Ampeau Père et Fils Volnay Santenots 1er, courtesy of Vic. Distinctly mature, opening with a suggestion of taint that, thankfully, dissipated to reveal a profusion of rose petals amid sweet autumnal tones. Still astonishingly fresh, exerting lovely supple intensity. Impeccably balanced and integral, elegantly poised.
1993 Domaine Robert Ampeau Père et Fils Volnay Santenots 1er, courtesy of LF. Mature crimson, boasting ample presence of red fruits and rose petals on the nose and fullish palate that exert supple intensity with a bit of reductive earthiness that do not distract from the velvety freshness and gorgeous acidity. Unbelievably good.
2005 Domaine Louis Jadot Beaune 1er Clos des Ursules, courtesy of Kieron. Deeper tint of pinot. Cherries, earth and dark plums dominate with medium-full presence, softly contoured and integral. Still wonderfully fresh and youthful, dressed in silky smooth tannins. Delicious though a little short.
2011 Domaine Michel Lafarge Volnay 1er Les Mitans, courtesy of Kieron. Bright crimson, imbued with abundant red fruits entering early phase of maturity. Wonderfully fresh and supple, laced with fine acidity that evoke understated masculinity.
2005 Domaine Bouchard Père et Fils Beaune Grèves 1er Vigne de L’Enfant Jésus, courtesy of KG. Mature crimson. Effusive in rosy hues, plums and haw from the concentrated ripe fruit entirely shorn of excesses, producing focused intensity with refined precision.
2017 Domaine Bernard Moreau et Fils Chassagne-Montrachet 1er La Cardeuse. Crimson. Superb complex of beguiling red fruits that teased with supple understated intensity, superbly integrated with sublime acidity. Thoroughly delicious.
October 2024: 2012 Moulin Saint-Georges, 2010 Chasse-Spleen, 2019 Colgin IX Estate, 2004 La Conseillante
2010 Château Chasse-Spleen. Popped and poured over dinner at Imperial Treasure Great World, 03 Oct 2024. Deep purple. Some early secondary development on the nose where plummy characters and mahogany dominate. Medium weight, imbued with a slick oily density of predominant red fruits that exude cool elegance. Very beautifully proportioned and balanced, highly supple with understated intensity throughout its delicious length, culminating in a lifted glow. Excellent. Probably the best value claret ever.
2012 Château Moulin Saint-Georges. Double-decanted for an hour ahead of dinner at Bedrock Bar & Grill, 14 Oct 2024. Deep garnet. Moderate bouquet of red plums, violets, blueberries and mahogany. Beautifully supple with rounded warmth, its detailed earthy tannins imparting a distinct gravelly mouthfeel at first, giving way to some degree of plush velvetiness after some time, displaying fine linearity with moderate depth. Good balance and proportion, wonderfully lithe and agile as it finished with a dash of sweetness. Quite indeed the poor man’s Ausone.
2016 Domaine Thibert Père et Fils Pouilly-Fuissé Les Ménétrières. Popped and poured over dinner at home, 20 Oct 2024. Pale yellowish. Delicate glow of clear citrus, distant green fruits and floral hues. Somewhat minerally at first with some mid-palate glare, giving way to a moderate teasing intensity of tropical fruits as it warmed to the correct temperature though it never quite gelled with the minerally spine, accentuated further by its attenuated depth.
Champagne Delamotte Brut NV, tasted at Vintage warehouse, 24 Oct 2024. Pale greenish. Effusive in fig and green fruits. Good presence, displaying fine clarity of clear citrus and lemon bitters with overtones of icing. Not too dry.
2021 Domaine Grand Veneur Alain Jaume Châteauneuf-du-Pape La Fontaine, tasted at Vintage warehouse, 24 Oct 2024. Pale greenish. Good lift of floral hues and summer hay. Medium-bodied. Well-structured with fine clarity and understated intensity.
2019 Château de Chamirey Mercurey 1er En Sazenay, tasted at Vintage warehouse, 24 Oct 2024. Classic pinot tint. Warm ripeness of abundant raspberries and cherries, boasting supple refined intensity and good balance.
2017 Valentin Zusslin Les Kammerlas, tasted at Vintage warehouse, 24 Oct 2024. Powerful nose of kerosene leading to a sleek medium-full palate of nutmeg, spices and green capsicum, displaying fine inner detail and balance.
2020 Racines Sta Rita Hills Pinot Noir, tasted at Vintage warehouse, 24 Oct 2024. Californian pinot noir that is a collaboration between Étienne de Montille and Brian Sieve of Burgundy and Rodolphe Péters of Champagne. Good colour, exuding a very lovely rosy fragrance to match the cool fleshy ripeness, elegantly dressed in refined tannins. Very correctly nuanced with great understatement.
2019 Colgin Cellars IX Estate Syrah, tasted at Vintage warehouse, 24 Oct 2024. Deep garnet. Restrained bouquet of red fruits leading to a fleshy presence of dark plums and black truffles on the fullish palate, boasting fine tension and sleek acidity. A case of controlled hedonism.
2004 Château La Conseillante. Poured from magnum at Yang Ming Seafood (Ubi), 24 Oct 2024. Deep garnet, proffering plums, mahogany and raspberries with an initial restraint. Medium-full. Became rounder and more velvety over time, fleshing out with layers of delicious dark fruits and currants before its tannins turned a little earthy and austere. Needs plenty of time.
2019 Senses Charles Heitz Vineyard Chardonnay, courtesy of Carey at Yang Ming Seafood (Ubi), 24 Oct 2024. Pale. Rather delicate. Medium weight, boasting a refined inner detail of tropical fruit amid overtones of icing, tapering with fine linearity to a modest finish.
2018 Domaine Rapet Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Sous Frétille. Aired in bottle for almost three hours prior to dinner at Crab At Bay, 28 Oct 2024. This wine opens with an oily density of chiseled chromatic white tones imbued with an incisive high-toned acidity amid overtones of longans. Doesn’t quite plumb the depths, developing a prominence of stony minerals over time with emerging lemon bitters that impart some degree of austerity at its modest finish.
2016 Château de Chamirey Mercurey 1er La Mission. Aired in bottle ahead of dinner at GEMMA, 30 Oct 2024. Displaying luminous hues, this monopole opens with aromatic white tones that suggest some early chalky maturity, displaying lively acidity with good inner stuffing and detail of icing and caramel. It blossomed over time with regal intensity, underscored by a distant tow of nutmeg and crystalline minerals. Excellent but still half a step behind the illustrious 2014 and 2017.
An evening of Chambolle on 08 October 2024 at Imperial Treasure Great World while the whites all turned out to be Puligny. All tasted blind.
2006 Champagne Dom Pérignon P2, courtesy of CJ. Pale greenish. Distant green fruits and fig on the nose, matching beautifully the intense fresh citrus layered with mint and creamy overtones, structured with supple crystalline clarity and fine precision. Developed an even drier intensity over time, tinged with a splash of austere minerals.
2017 Champagne Leclerc Briant Abyss, courtesy of LF. This is a most unusual champagne, deliberately aged in seawater at a depth of 60 metres where the water pressure is believed to shape the bubbles more evenly. Indeed, there were barnacles stuck to the bottle. If anything at all, this wine does really open with an attractive gentle yeastiness, rounded with a suggestion of lovely depth although it doesn’t quite deliver on that promise, displaying instead a focused intensity of supple white tones structured with superb precision, finishing with a hint of malt at finish.
2020 Etienne Sauzet Puligny-Montrachet. Pale luminosity, exuding glacial tones and cool icing that went well with its smooth sleek oily density. Fleshed out with lovely weight and a layered chalkiness with overtones of nutmeg, stretching out with glowing intensity.
2004 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 1er Les Pucelles, courtesy of Sir Bob. Luminous gold, opening with a distinct note of mature chalkiness on the nose. The medium palate is, surprisingly, lithe with light textures where the fruit is clearly receding, giving way to a dominant acidity that exert fleeting presence.
2010 Domaine Leflaive Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru, courtesy of Kieron. Luminous gold, opening with certain restraint, proffering a hint of diesel. Much more inviting on the medium-full palate, open with sleek integration, highly supple and cohesive, imparting fine precision and tensile presence with an undertow of nutmeg and rye. Finished well. Still youthful, but its breed and sophistication are palpable.
2009 Domaine Jean Grivot Chambolle-Musigny La Combe d’Orveax, courtesy of LF. Displaying a brownish opaque crimson, this village (not to be confused with its premier cru counterpart some distance away) proffers a lovely lift of red fruits tinged with malt and a hint of stems. Beautifully focused with a distilled intensity and fine linearity throughout its supple length. Delicious. Goes to show what a really good producer can do.
2011 Domaine Taupenot-Merme Chambolle-Musigny 1er La Combe d’Orveau. Opaque crimson. Rather restrained on the nose though the fullish palate is amply lit with a subtle depth of bright red fruits on a bed of svelte sweet tannins, beautifully integrated and balanced, imbued with refined verve and understated intensity. Modest finish. Part of this premier cru has been absorbed by Les Petits Musigny Grand Cru.
2000 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Chambolle-Musigny 1er Les Amoureuses, courtesy of CJ. Displaying a bright crimson, this wine was distinctly tainted. After immersing a piece of cellophane in the glass for about ten minutes, the cork taint was gone, revealing a feminine rosy fragrance with overtones of tangerines and haw. Still reasonably fresh and fleshy, imbued with layers of maturing fruit though it lacks the additional dimension of a really memorable Amoureuses. Perhaps another bottle in better condition may well be different.
2013 Olivier Bernstein Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru, courtesy of Sir Bob. Good colour. Cherries, strawberries and red fruits dominate on the nose, exuding elegant fragrance. The medium palate is seamlessly integrated, brightly lit with youthful character amid overtones of haw, imbued with understated tension.
2011 Domaine Robert Groffier Chambolle-Musigny 1er Les Amoureuses, courtesy of KG. Opaque crimson, evoking characters of early maturity that belie the generous concentration of red fruits that impart focused intensity on the evenly proportioned palate, just into its secondary development where its distilled essence is beginning to emerge with greater inner definition. Superb!
2001 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Musigny Grand Cru, courtesy of Kieron. Opaque crimson. Opening with lifted rosy hues that leapt out of the glass, this wine is wonderfully lush and opulent in its layered depth and supple intensity, the richness adding further dimension to its inherent authority, stamping the palate with aristocratic pedigree. Outstanding.
2019 Henschke Euphonium. Aired in bottle for two hours ahead of dinner at Bedrock Bar & Grill, 02 Sep 2024. Deep purple. Concentrated bouquet of blackcurrants, raspberries and black cherries with a hint of gravel. Creamy smooth, displaying lovely supple balance with a controlled intensity, producing an understated spicy lift. Morphed very well with lithe definition and precision. Excellent.
2016 Antinori Castello Sella Sala Cervaro at Buona Terra, 05 Sep 2024. Pale golden. Some reductive pungency on the nose amid warm pebbly tones. Medium weight, the fruit a tad backwards initially though it fleshed out well with full presence of clear citrus and pomelo. Harmonious.
2017 Domaine Jean Chartron Saint-Aubin Murgers Des Dents de Chien 1er at Buona Terra, 05 Sep 2024. Poured from magnum after about ninety minutes of aeration. Luminous. Restrained bouquet of white floral fragrance with a faint note of vanillin. Good density and intensity of white fruits laced with a distinct salinity, turning more chromatic and agile over the next two hours, developing early characters of nutmeg and spice. Good value.
2018 Jordan Chardonnay. Aired in bottle for about an hour ahead of dinner at Bedrock Bar & Grill, 09 Sep 2024. Pale. This wine opens with a restrained lift of clear citrus tinged with lemon bitters, carrying well onto a medium-full palate layered with subtle intensity. Turned a little more crisp and minerally over time without being too reductive.
2018 Mondot, courtesy of Li Wei at Bedrock Bar & Grill, 09 Sep 2024. Popped and poured, proffering a restrained rosy fragrance with distant currants. Rather mellow and well-balanced, tinged with a slight minerally glare before fleshing out with attractive plush intensity.
2014 Domaine Henri Gouges Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Saint-Georges 1er, courtesy of Vic at Bedrock Bar & Grill, 09 Sep 2024. Aired in bottle for an hour prior, this wine exudes a lovely glow of red cherries and rose petals from the ample depth of fruit. Beautifully ripe and evenly proportioned, dressed in silky smooth tannins that impart elegant restraint. Highly integral. Still far from full maturity but its allure is quite irresistible.
2021 Peccavi Chardonnay. Aired for two hours ahead of dinner at Shao, 12 Sep 2024. Quite effusive in white floral tones, nutmeg and vanillin emulsion, boasting a beautifully nuanced mid-palate laced with gorgeous acidity and well-integrated minerally detail throughout its glowing length and finish. Highly burgundian in every way. Great value.
2019 Etienne Sauzet Puligny-Montrachet 1er Champ Gain, courtesy of Sir Bob at Shao, 12 Sep 2024. Lovely luminosity, exuding a light tinge of menthol amid white floral tones whilst the fullish palate recalls raw nutmeg and distant green fruits. Very evenly proportioned, developing a superb teasing intensity of jackfruit whilst maintaining its crystalline clarity. Delicious!
2011 Domaine Martelet de Chorisey Puligny-Montrachet 1er Hameau de Blagny, courtesy of Sir Bob at Shao, 12 Sep 2024. The crumbly cork here has not affected the wine, displaying a golden luminosity glowing with gentle floral hues. The fresh medium-weight palate is structured with fine precision and clarity, exerting an urgent intensity that settled eventually into more relaxed tones.
2017 Domaine Duroche Gevrey-Chambertin Champ, courtesy of LF at Shao, 12 Sep 2024. This wine is distinctly feminine, a tad forward in delightful red fruits and berries that seduce with graceful elegance on the slender palate. Quite impeccably balanced. Modest finish. Doesn’t call attention to itself.
2018 Villaneuva de Avila La Breña, courtesy of LF at Shao, 12 Sep 2024 Pinkish red with some bricking at the rim. Almost shy in its highly restrained rosy fragrance, slightly reductive as well. The slender palate is wonderfully fresh, predominantly driven by soft red flavours that impart a lovely controlled intensity laced with a distinct minerally edge.
2012 Taittinger Comtes de Champage, courtesy of Russ at Hayop, 18 Sep 2024. Luminous golden hue, proffering intense yellow citrus with attractive overtones of brioche and yeast. Quite full but rather slender in spectrum, not too dry, underpinned by a minerally tinge that does not obscure the trace of sweetness from the fruit.
2000 Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste. Aired in bottle for well over two hours ahead of dinner at Hayop, 18 Sep 2024. Fairly deep garnet, exuding wafts of dark currants, rose petals, blueberries and raspberries from the glorious expanse of ripe fruit on a plush bed of velvety tannins, now well into its secondary development with overtones of cedar, cinnamon and cigar box, teasing with mild focused intensity that added further to its poised elegance. Very close to peak maturity and will hold.
2021 Louis Jadot Chablis Cellier du Valvan at Changi Airport T3 First Class Lounge, 20 Sep 2024. Light golden. Slightly buttery with a restrained chalkiness, yielding fine clarity. Medium-weight. Modest finish.
Champagne Charles Heidsieck Blanc de Blancs, at Changi Airport T3 First Class Lounge, 20 Sep 2024. Pale golden. Light-medium, boasting gun metal flint and white ash with a minerally glint. Moderate intensity, developing a fine density of fig, yellow citrus and distant green fruits. Good balance.
2022 Deep Woods Hillside Chardonnay on board SQ336 SIN-CDG, 20 Sep 2024. Luminous. Lovely bouquet of green fruits and floral bloom, laced with some sweet vanillin. Medium presence. Very clean in feel, exuding understated elegance.
2016 Château Livran on board SQ336 SIN-CDG, 20 Sep 2024. Sandalwood, dark plums and wild berries dominate with a tinge of sweetness. Medium-full, boasting supple intensity and good levels of ripeness.
2021 Sons of Eden Marschall Shiraz on board SQ336 SIN-CDG, 20 Sep 2024. Restrained deep bouquet of ripe plummy fruit doused in vanillin. Full and evenly proportioned, sporting a firm backbone of tensile tannins from the dense Barossa fruit with overtones of licorice.
1996 Château Clinet, from the list of Tan Dinh, Paris, 27 Sep 2024. Still rather deep garnet in colour, proffering a deep bouquet of black cherries, currants and dark roses. Rather sleek and slender at first before fleshing out very well with layers of dense but supple fruit with classic overtones of soy amid a vegetal tinge, structured with silky smooth tannins. Drinking very well.
1990 Château Calon Ségur, from the list of Tan Dinh, Paris, 27 Sep 2024. Opaque purplish core. Opens with a delicious soft darkish fragrance right from the first pour amid a lifted earthy pungency. The sleek medium palate is imbued with ample depth of cool ripe fruit, structured with lively acidity and detailed sweet tannins, yielding fine inner detail of exotic herbs and spices, developing a rounded intensity over time. Good finish. Caught at peak maturity and will hold.
Ric re-visits Domaine des Lambrays
Shortly after my last visit to Domaine des Lambrays in November 2017, the commune of Morey-Saint-Denis was rocked by a couple of power plays where this estate was bought over by luxury consortium LVMH while rival tycoon François Pinault did likewise to neighbouring Domaine du Clos de Tart. Interestingly, master winemaker Jacques Devauges also moved from Clos de Tart to Domaine des Lambrays following the buyouts, the 2019 vintage being entirely his maiden effort at the latter estate. To the consumer, the takeovers translated into immediate price hikes for these two grand crus; each of them now commands almost SGD900 upon release, a three-fold increment. Part of this, as far as Domaine des Lambrays is concerned, is due to the construction of a large brand-new chai (astonishingly within the space of two years during the pandemic) to allow vinification to be carried out according to the parcellaire approach that Jacques favours. Just as he had previously done so at Domaine de l’Arlot and at Clos de Tart, Jacques has divided the 8.8-hectare grand cru into several smaller plots, vinifying each separately as he deems fit before combining them together as the final bottling. As the entire plot slopes upward from clayey soils bordering the D122 Route des Grands Crus towards limestone on higher ground in the west, it makes sense to manage each micro-terroir individually. Indeed, when we tasted each of these micro-cuvée separately from barrel, the differences were palpable. When we met up with Jacques Devauges again on the morning of 26 September 2024 (seven years after he last hosted us at Clos de Tart), he was keen to emphasise that the final bottling is not a blend; nothing has been removed and neither has the proportions been tweaked. The interim sample that we tasted from barrel was superlative. Elsewhere, Domaine des Lambrays has also acquired choice parcels in Vosne-Romanée and Nuits-Saints-Georges, and they were showing beautifully. Clearly, the arrival of Jacques Devauges and the flush of unlimited resources from the new owners have sparked a renaissance for Domaine des Lambrays. Prices are much higher, undoubtedly, but the wines are absolutely compelling, forcing your hand as quantities are so limited. A very big merci beaucoup, Jacques, for your friendship and time in spite of the difficult harvest. Till we meet again.
2023 Domaine des Lambrays Morey-Saint-Denis. Classic pinot tint. Perfumed bouquet of rosy hues with good presence of plummy fruit. Very lithe and lively with tensile acidity. Good verve and length.
2023 Domaine des Lambrays Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Les Loups. Good colour. Dryish nose of malt and rye. Very well integrated and structured with fine minerality and complexity, exuding subtle intensity and sweetness. This cuvée no longer includes “younger” vines of Clos des Lambrays as they have matured.
2023 Domaine des Lambrays Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Clos Baulet. Good colour. Rosy hues with a dash of malt, somewhat restrained. The fruit here is excellent, layered with refined acidity and good complexity, producing fleshy textures with a trace of sweetness. Located right in front of the domaine.
2023 Domaine des Lambrays Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Clos Sorbe. Just across the road from Clos Baulet, from reddish soils rich in iron. Good colour. Lovely lift of rose petals and raspberries. Appreciably fuller, showing plenty of body and layering with rounded elegant tannins. Lovely freshness, finishing with tangy mouthfeel.
2023 Domaine des Lambrays Vosne-Romanée 1er Beaux Monts. Good colour. Somewhat restrained on the nose though the palate is imbued with excellent depth of fruit that recall blueberries, dark cherries and currants. Appropriately weighty, very well integrated with understated intensity and sublime acidity, imparting superb fleshy mouthfeel. Doesn’t call attention to itself. Moderate finish. From a 0.45 ha plot.
2023 Domaine des Lambrays Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er La Richemone. Good colour. Some restraint is evident though the classic Nuits-Saint-Georges character comes through in its minerally earthiness that imbues the darkish fruit. Seamlessly integrated with great refinement and rounded elegant tannins, laced with a dash of sweetness. Excellent.
2023 Domaine des Lambrays Clos des Lambrays Grand Cru (Plante Bas). Coming from the lower portion of the estate (clayey soils), next to Clos de la Roche. Good colour. Generous in red fruits and raspberries. Ripe and velvety with some sweetness in tow, tinged with earthy ferrous elements.
2023 Domaine des Lambrays Clos des Lambrays Grand Cru (Milieu). Coming from the middle portion of the estate. Deep colour. Dryish nose of malt and rye, recalling wet pebbles as well while exotic spices and herbs dominate on the palate, displaying good vigour with elegant tension and intensity.
2023 Domaine des Lambrays Clos des Lambrays Grand Cru (Haut). Coming from the highest part of the estate (ie. westerly) adjacent to Clos de Tart, predominantly from limestone soils. Good colour. Weightier bouquet of red fruits with understated characters on the fleshy medium palate, underscored by a dash of minerally elements. Highly integral, showing good sophistication with aristocratic restraint.
2023 Domaine des Lambrays Clos des Lambrays Grand Cru. This provisional sample boasts great colour and complexity, displaying a glorious lift of fruit with a full spectrum of flavours. Very generously imbued with sublime acidity and complex layers of fruit and spices on a base of understated minerals with a dash of sweetness in tow, glowing with controlled energy throughout its superb length. Every bit the Grand Cru that it is, and more. This is destined for greatness. Outstanding.
Ric visits Atelier Laurent Ponsot
Those who have been following the recent fortunes of Monsieur Laurent Ponsot would know that he is no longer part of Domaine Ponsot which he had helmed from 1981 to 2015; he is now an independent vigneron, along with his son. Within an astonishing space of less than two years (during the difficult Covid pandemic, no less), Laurent had set up a brand-new ultra-modern purpose-built facility at Gilly-lès-Citeaux, a stone’s throw from Vougeot. From here, Laurent produces a bewildering range of whites and reds, each of which is a blend of several subplots within a lieu-dit or commune, supplied by several different growers. Only the Griottes-Chambertin and Clos-Saint-Denis grand crus are domaine wines. When we visited the so-called Atelier Laurent Ponsot in the early morning of 25 September 2024, we were stunned by the beautifully sleek complex, immensely functional yet aesthetically pleasing with elegant chic, the very anti-thesis of the rustic properties of Burgundy. Cleanliness in a wine-producing facility is key for Laurent. Even now in the midst of harvesting, the entire chai is squeaky clean and spotless. The stainless-steel vats have been carefully re-designed separately for white and reds, for their vinification requirements are different. The latest equipment is also utilised for bottling and for cleaning the barrels. Every aspect of the facility has been thought through by Laurent’s scientific mind and he has left no stone unturned. Only then do we understand why his labels sport those space-age fonts in luminous green: it is all very appropriate. Does it all translate into top quality inside each bottle? It would seem so. The 2022 we tasted (as well as many others that I’ve had in recent years) are perfectly balanced, imbued with palpable terroir character. Throughout much of the past two decades, Laurent has had to contend with difficult people and difficult business matters while making sure that an infamous Indonesian faking wines on the auction market is properly indicted and writing up the exposé in his new book, and still having to do all the usual winemaking without missing a step. He only sleeps four hours per day which, perhaps, explains his prolific capacity. Most people would have been contented to call it a day after all these. But Laurent is only at the dawn of a new renaissance. Merci beaucoup, Monsieur Ponsot, for spending time with us and we wish you every success. Au revoir et à bientôt.
2022 Laurent Ponsot Gevrey-Chambertin de l’Aulhe. Profusion of rose petals and cherries, carrying well on to the medium palate with a dash of salinity amid plummy characters, showing lovely balance. Rounded with lively acidity and understated intensity. Very sleek. A blend of twelve plots from various suppliers.
2022 Laurent Ponsot Chambolle-Musigny Les Sentiers 1er Cuvée du Sorbier. Lovely colour. Cherries and red fruits dominate with lovely freshness and purity. Highly supple and harmonious with a fleshy mouthfeel. Superbly integrated with an undertow of earthy salinity. Great balance. Doesn’t call attention to itself.
2022 Laurent Ponsot Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru Cuvée du Cedre. Great colour. Restrained bouquet of red fruits. Open medium presence, structured with detailed tannins and distinct ferrous elements that impart a slightly dryish finish. Great balance. A blend of ten plots.
2022 Laurent Ponsot Griottes-Chambertin Grand Cru Cuvée du Saule. Good colour. Highly aromatic. Medium-full. Delicious, imbued with certain richness and lithe tannins that impart a fleshy velvetiness. Excellent definition. Domaine-owned but only 0.25 ha.
2022 Laurent Ponsot Meursault Cuvée du Pandorea. Luminous. Effusive in white fruits and floral tones that evoke a very clean feel. Superbly balanced, displaying keen lift and freshness, tinged with a dash of saline. Very correct in character, not reductive at all. Highly harmonious. A blend of fifteen plots.
2022 Laurent Ponsot Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru Cuvée du Kalimeris. This wine opens with a certain restrained complexity on the nose, matching the fleshy but understated impeccably proportioned palate. Shows great clarity and definition, opening up with emerging white fruits though one senses a deeper vein of coiled energy. Highly successful.
Short notes from Burgundy 2024
These were wines tasted during my recent week in Burgundy in September 2024, outside of formal estate visits. Only in Burgundy can one find bottles from “renowned” producers at decent prices on restaurant lists. How else would we have been able to afford Comtes Lafon? As burgundy is best appreciated by understanding its terroir, we made a point to drink the wines of the commune we happened to be at. Yvon Clerget’s Clos du Verseuil 1er monopole was a real standout while the Chassagne-Montrachet Blanchot Dessus 1er by Olivier Leflaive (or any producer, really) shone for the whites, with Jean Chartron being a revelation as well. Some estates were still harvesting here and there, even though the weather had turned wet. Yields are dismal for 2024, marked by extensive mildew and rot.
2022 Familie Savary Chablis Fourchaumes 1er, from the list of Une Air de Famille in Auxerre, 21 Sep 2024. Pale. Rounded bouquet of green fruits, somewhat restrained. There is a certain minerally shine on the medium palate though it disappeared after it fleshed out with growing intensity. Drinking well.
2020 Olivier Leflaive Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Blanchot Dessus, from the list of Klima, Puligny-Montrachet, 21 Sep 2024. Pale greenish. Restrained reductive notes of lemon and clear citrus on the nose. The medium palate is wonderfully sleek, imbued with a stylish agility that complemented its minerally intensity and precision, developing greater richness and distant white tones over time with a hint of nutmeg, attaining exemplary balance and delicate elegance all through to its glowing lingering finish.
2019 Olivier Leflaive Pommard Rugiens 1er, from the list of Klima, Puligny-Montrachet, 21 Sep 2024. Quite deeply coloured, exuding a deep rosy fragrance matched by a concentrated spine of ripe raspberries and cherries, wonderfully fresh but still relatively understated in its supple intensity. Fleshed out with pliant detailed tannins and refined balance though a tad forward in fruit. Moderate finish.
2022 Domaine Jean Monnier et Fils Meursault La Barre, tasted at the domaine in Meursault, 22 Sep 2024. Pale. Clean fresh while tones on the nose, slightly reductive. Elegant, understated intensity, structured with clean precision and refined length.
2022 Domaine Jean Monnier et Fils Meursault Genevrières 1er, tasted at the domaine in Meursault, 22 Sep 2024. Pale luminosity. Highly enticing nose of nutmeg and white fruits. Wonderfully sleek, displaying lovely detail and integration with great harmony and balance, made even more elegant through its understated intensity.
2021 Domaine Jean Monnier et Fils Meursault Les Rougeots, tasted at the domaine in Meursault, 22 Sep 2024. Pale. Slightly darkish on the nose but no less complex in its floral overtones, delivering refined power with a distinct salinity and bright minerally intensity, made more pronounced by its high-toned acidity. Modest finish.
2018 Domaine Bouchard Père et Fils Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru, from the list of Le Charlemagne, Corton, 22 Sep 2024. Greenish with distant minerally hues, developing a gentle gleam through its concentrated density, seamlessly layered in fruit and minerality. Settled down with a more relaxed tone and exemplary balance after two hours, imparting refined acidity and intensity.
2019 Domaine Follin Arlebet Corton Bressandes Grand Cru, from the list of Le Charlemagne, Corton, 22 Sep 2024. Deep purple. Very lovely on the nose where dark cherries and deep red plums dominate, carrying over onto the palate with concentrated controlled power, gelling together very well with superb harmony and subtle detail. Moderate finish.
2019 Domaine Jean Chartron Puligny-Montrachet 1er Clos de la Pucelle monopole, from the restaurant list of Como Le Montrachet, Puligny-Montrachet, 22 Sep 2024. Light golden hue, exuding a very elegant delicate floral glow that blossomed with rich detail. The full palate is supported by a distinct minerally spine, imparting a highly focused intensity that leaves a dry puckering mouthfeel with an austere tinge at its modest finish. Exerts its terroir with tremendous authority.
2014 Domaine Tollot-Beaut Corton Bressandes Grand Cru, from the restaurant list of Como Le Montrachet, Puligny-Montrachet, 22 Sep 2024. Purplish core, slightly opaque. Glowing bouquet of raspberries and dark cherries with a tinge of reduction that gave way to a sharp plummy lift. Medium-full. Expansive but a little darkish, somewhat minerally with medicinal undertones, becoming quite integral over time. Modest finish.
2020 Domaine Des Comtes Lafon Meursault, from the list of Auprès du Clocher, Pommard, 23 Sep 2024. Greenish hue, proffering cool glacial tones amid an evolving complex of dense citrus, opening with a coiled oily density that gradually unfurled its layers with exquisite tension and rounded depth, supported by an undertow of subdued minerals. Quite the epitome of sophistication and chic elegance.
2017 Domaine Nicolas Rossignol Pommard Charmots 1er, from the list of Auprès du Clocher, Pommard, 23 Sep 2024. Plummy crimson. Seductive bouquet of rosy hues and red fruits though the palate is layered with darker shades amidst the predominant red fruits, open with supple sweet tannins that exert lovely tensile presence. Very well integrated and balanced, developing growing intensity over time. Excellent.
2016 Domaine Hubert Lamy Saint-Aubin Les Murgers Des Dents de Chien 1er, from the list of Ma Cuisine in Beaune, 23 Sep 2024. Luminous golden hue. This wine opens with a restrained oily density on the nose without any hint of the terse high-toned acidity and intense reductive minerality that leaves a mouth-puckering buzz. A little more open over time with food, but still not for the faint-hearted.
2019 Domaine Yvon Clerget Volnay Clos du Verseuil 1er monopole, from the list of Ma Cuisine in Beaune, 23 Sep 2024. Darkish in colour, opening with muted dark cherries on the nose, leading to a fullish palate of structured tensile tannins that exert supple intensity. Settled quite quickly with well-integrated lighter textures, beautifully balanced, developing a layered lithe agility after an hour. Great potential.
2018 Domaine Jacques-Frédèric Mugnier Nuits-Saint-Georges Clos de la Marechale 1er monopole, from the list of La Cabotte, Nuits-Saint-Georges, 24 Sep 2024. Deep garnet. Equally darkish on both the nose and palate where black fruits dominate with supple density, structured with tensile tannins. Still rather tightly coiled, opening up with emerging cherries though the darker shades still prevailed. Well-proportioned and balanced.
2022 Vincent Dancer Meursault Les Corbins, from the list of Bistrot de l’Hôtel, Beaune, 24 Sep 2024. Pale golden, proffering a gleaming chalky bouquet of fig and chromatic tones amid traces of earthy funk. The high-strung palate is imbued with a bold minerally density underscored by terse acidity and concentrated clear citrus, adding up to a tensile reductive presence that persisted throughout the evening.
2018 Domaine Jean Grivot Vosne-Romanée Bossières, from the list of Bistrot de l’Hôtel, Beaune, 24 Sep 2024. Darkly coloured, exuding delicious dark currants and black cherries with a huge tensile presence underscored by a minerally earthiness that imparted an austere undertow. Opened up only at the end of dinner with supple layers of red fruits that is the hallmark of Grivot.
2022 Domaine Sylvain Langoureau Puligny-Montrachet La Garenne 1er, a half-bottle from the list of Le Millésime in Chambolle, 25 Sep 2024. Pale luminosity. Chalky cool glacial tones on the nose. Well-proportioned with excellent concentration of fruit that impart fine precision and dryish intensity.
2016 Domaine Georges Roumier Chambolle-Musigny, from the list of Le Millésime in Chambolle, 25 Sep 2024. Deeply coloured. Dense bouquet of dark cherries and raspberries amid some mild earthy funkiness, leading to a full-bodied weighty palate. Supple enough at first before gaining further power and intensity in the glass, almost closing up. Still not ready.
2022 Domaine Quivy Gevrey-Chambertin Les Journaux. Tasted at the domaine, 25 Sep 2024. Good colour. Dark rosy hues. Lovely density on the palate, imbued with minerally elements. Fleshy and rounded with supple intensity. Well integrated. Modest finish.
2022 Domaine Quivy Gevrey-Chambertin Les Evocelles. Tasted at the domaine, 25 Sep 2024. Slightly darker in colour. Deeper nose of red fruits and haw. Good density and purity of fruit, imparting excellent mouthfeel. Structured with precise tannins. Not heavy. Very well crafted.
2022 Domaine Quivy Gevrey-Chambertin Les Corbeaux 1er. Tasted at the domaine, 25 Sep 2024. Classic pinot tint. Effusive rosy fragrance. Medium presence. Seamlessly integrated with lovely balance and purity. Somewhat understated but very correct in Gevrey character. Modest finish.
2022 Domaine Quivy Gevrey-Chambertin Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru. Tasted at the domaine, 25 Sep 2024. Classic pinot tint. Lifted bouquet of red fruits and rose petals. The slender palate is well integrated with teasing intensity and overtones of exotic spices. Good length.
2021 Château de Chamirey Mercurey 1er La Mission monopole, from the list of Le Richebourg, 25 Sep 2024. Luminous. Soft bouquet of delicious floral tones matched by a fine expanse of citrus and chalk that grew with delicate intensity and layered detail in the glass, structured with cutting precision. Superbly balanced.
2022 Domaine Georges Noëllat Vosne-Romanée, from the list of Le Richebourg, 25 Sep 2024. Darkish pinot tint, proffering delicious red fruits and currants with open detail, its understated tannins never in the way, seducing the palate with delicious intensity. Totally harmonious. Finished well.
2020 Domaine de L’Arlot Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Clos De L’Arlot monopole, from the list of Castel de Tres Girard in Morey-Saint-Denis, 26 Sep 2024. Deep purple. Bold and weighty in black fruits and dark currants on both the nose and palate. Very well extracted with intense darkish fruit and dryish tannins to an overwhelming extent where the NSG terroir is lost, even though it opened up a little with deep velvety layers. I’d have thought this is Vosne.
2022 Pierre Mayeul Santenay 1er, tasted at the domaine, 26 Sep 2024. Pale. Aromatic diesel fumes and lavender. Medium-full. Rather racy with lively acidity sitting on a deeper vein of ferrous elements. Good verve.
2022 Pierre Mayuel Puligny-Montrachet, tasted at the domaine, 26 Sep 2024. Pale. Hint of créme and white flowers on the nose. Rather high-toned with a distinct note of saline, producing some minerally glare.
2022 Pierre Mayuel Beaune Clos des Mouches 1er, tasted at the domaine, 26 Sep 2024. Pale. Hint of petroleum on the nose. The palate is rather lean and reductive, tightly coiled with lively acidity amid overtones of olives. Modest finish.
2022 Pierre Mayuel Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru, tasted at the domaine, 26 Sep 2024. Pale. Effusive bouquet of nutmeg and early complex characters with a sense of oiliness, though the palate is only medium-weight, displaying delicate clarity from a distinct minerally presence. Well integrated. Plenty of promise but it is in no hurry to unfurl its potential glory.
2021 Pierre Mayuel Pommard 1er Clos de Verger, tasted at the domaine, 26 Sep 2024. Classic pinot tint. Waxy red fruits with rosy hues. Quite delicate, tinged with distinct saline minerals that a bit of austerity, laced with high-toned acidity.
2021 Pierre Mayuel Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Les Cailles, tasted at the domaine, 26 Sep 2024. Classic pinot tint. Effusive in aromatic red fruits. Good presence. Well integrated with lively acidity, underpinned by a distinct earthiness that is entirely appropriate for NSG.
2022 Pierre Mayuel Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Les Champonnets, tasted at the domaine, 26 Sep 2024. Good colour. Alluring lift of ripe red fruits. Highly supple, its pliant silky tannins imparting delicate textures and fine clarity.
2022 Pierre Mayuel Corton-Marechale Grand Cru, tasted at the domaine, 26 Sep 2024. Deeper in color. Ample presence of dark plums and ripe raspberries with a sense of “wet” pebbles. Generously structured and proportioned with bold darkish tones.
2021 Pierre Mayuel Clos Vougeot Grand Cru, tasted at the domaine, 26 Sep 2024. Rosy hues. Medium weight. Quite intense and fleshy though the fruit is set a little too backward, resulting in dryish tannins with a tinge of austerity.
2021 Domaine Des Comtes Lafon Meursault Charmes 1er, from the list of La Cuverie in Vosne, 26 Sep 2024. Pale golden. Complex nose of jackfruit and white fruits. Sleek reductive quality, underscored by sublime acidity though the fruit was a tad backwards initially. Fleshed out well over time, more richly layered with overtones of créme de la créme. Very evenly proportioned. Highly refined and sophisticated.
2021 Domaine Michel Gros Vosne-Romanée Clos Des Réas 1er monopole, from the list of La Cuverie in Vosne, 26 Sep 2024. Deeper tint of pinot, proffering a lovely profusion of cherries and dark roses. Rather sleek, imbued with inner detail of ferrous elements that impart a bit of minerally shine. Developed superb fullness and depth over time with a focused intensity underpinned by a rich darker vein. Fine finish. Excellent.
2015 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault Clos de la Barre, from the list of Tan Dinh, Paris, 27 Sep 2024. Luminous. Complex bouquet of nutmeg, chalk and white. More oxidative than reductive, laced with some salinity and a high-toned acidity amid cool glacial tones that confer superb clarity and definition. Impeccably balanced with very lovely Meursault character.
Ric re-visits Domaine Henri Gouges
I had the real pleasure of visiting Domaine Henri Gouges again on the morning of 24 September 2024 after six years, where it was really good to meet up again with the highly engaging and knowledgeable Ms Viviana Jaimon. Still located at 7 Rue du Moulin at the heart of the Nuits-Saint-Georges township, the domaine now sports a brand-new reception area where tastings are conducted. Founded in 1919 by Henri, himself a highly influential person in Burgundy at that time, this domaine only features the wines of Nuits-Saint-Georges, making it truly the doyen of this commune. With holdings of only 14 hectares, demand far outstrips supply. This will be particularly acute for the 2024 vintage, where excessive rainfall has caused severe mildew, resulting in very low yields way below 50%. We were delighted to meet Gregory Gouges again (its fourth-generation co-proprietor along with his cousin Antoine Gouges) in the chai where he was busy supervising the morning’s harvest. In spite of his packed schedule, Gregory took the time to show us the work that was going on. The very low yield this year hit us when we saw only one vat of its Vaucrains 1er and one vat of its Les Saint-Georges 1er. The doors of several empty vats were wide open, whereas they would normally have been full. Multiple crates of grapes badly damaged by mildew sat in the open. You could see the pain in Gregory’s eyes when he revealed that there would not be any pinot blanc for 2024 apart from a very tiny production of its La Perrière 1er.
After touring the cellars and viewing its library stock (with bottles down to the 1920s), we proceeded back to its tasting room where Viviana had lined up its entire range of reds and whites, along with generous plates of charcuterie. The maison has acquired grapes from Les Cailles 1er, a choice plot nicely sandwiched between Les Saint-Georges 1er and its own monopole of Clos Des Porrets St-Georges 1er to supplement its range and output. This is a real masterstroke, for this wine has turned out to be an undiscovered gem. Elsewhere, I find the reds of Henri Gouges to be consistently elegant without calling attention to itself, always true to their terroir without being flashy. Even the Clos des Porrets St-Georges 1er monopole and Pruliers 1er showed well, only that they tend to be overshadowed by the excellent Vaucrains 1er and Les Saint-Georges 1er, the latter being truly its flagship. Another real discovery is the range of whites unique to Henri Gouges, for they are made with the mutant grape pinot blanc, whose extraordinary character on the nose and palate is difficult to place but they are truly excellent. This is the first time I’ve tasted the Les Crots Blanc and the Clos des Porrets St-Georges 1er Blanc. Who needs overpriced Bordeaux whites? A huge and heartfelt merci beaucoup, Gregory, for your friendship and for spending time with us in spite of the difficulties with the harvest, and to you too Viviana, for fussing about with your superb hospitality. When wine can stir the senses and emotion between people of different cultures and background as it did during our visit, you know you are experiencing the distilled essence of burgundy. We shall miss you. Hopefully, it won’t be too long before we meet again.
2021 Maison Henri Gouges Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Cailles 1er. Classic pinot tint. Unexpectedly superb on the nose where rose petals dominate with a truly beguiling fragrance, tinged with a dash of paraffin. Doesn’t disappoint on the medium palate as well, very well-balanced with a lovely supple intensity that taper to a glowing finish. Non-domaine, but a true gem.
2021 Domaine Henri Gouges Nuits-Saint-Georges Clos des Porrets Saint-Georges Monopole 1er. Rather shut on the nose, proffering only distant red hues though the medium palate is very subtly layered with fine presence of fruit that exude a distinct minerally shine, morphing together very well into a seamless entity. Modest finish.
2019 Domaine Henri Gouges Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Pruliers 1er. Good colour. A bit of early development of red fruits is evident on the nose. The fleshy medium-weight palate is imbued with supple red fruits tinged with overtones of ash and pebbles, boasting good length, excellent freshness and purity of fruit.
2018 Domaine Henri Gouges Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Vaucrains 1er. Plummy red with some bricking. Medium-weight. Generous presence of supple fruit that show excellent ripeness and purity, rounded with velvety tannins that express juicy succulence. Very well balanced. Good finish.
2018 Domaine Henri Gouges Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Saint-Georges 1er. Superb ruby. Appreciably deeper bouquet of red fruits and plums. Very generously imbued, just a little darkish from its deep but subtle vein of black fruits and currants, displaying elegant intensity. Very impeccably proportioned and balanced, finishing well with palpable sophistication and pedigree. Outstanding. Since the 2019 vintage, the label of this flagship has reverted to its original design in honour of the wine’s centenary.
2021 Domaine Henri Gouges Nuits-Saint-Georges Pinot Blanc Bourgogne. Golden greenish. Clean bouquet of leafy tones and green fruits, carrying well on to the medium palate with excellent clarity and freshness, displaying clean precision and understated intensity with a slightly “wet” finish.
2021 Domaine Henri Gouges Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Crots Blanc. Golden green. Quite effusive in chromatic white tones with a dash of mint. Full, fleshy medium presence, showing great balance and detail. Finishes with lingering persistence.
2021 Domaine Henri Gouges Nuits-Saint-Georges Clos des Porrets Saint-Georges 1er Monopole. Golden yellow. Effusive in yellow citrus and grapefruit. Very clean and lithe, superbly integrated with great length and understated verve with a faint overtone of gasoline fume.
2022 Domaine Henri Gouges Nuits-Saint-Georges La Perrière 1er. Highly luminous, exuding subtle white tones. Medium weight, Superbly balanced with great harmony and sophistication, boasting cool glacial tones and fine clarity from its unobtrusive minerals. Utterly seamless. Outstanding.
Ric's Wine Journal 