2010 Burgundy: A Small Report

By Dan Rhodes

Wines from France are once again in the spotlight thanks to the superb, back-to-back quality of the already-legendary 2009/2010 harvests. By now, everyone is well-acquainted with the superstar status of Bordeaux from these two magnificent, yet very different, harvests. Both received extraordinary scores and great critical reviews from Robert M. Parker, James Suckling, and Wine Spectator.

Now it’s Burgundy’s time to shine! In similar fashion, the region was blessed with two extraordinary, back-to back affairs that mirror Bordeaux directly in that 2009 is a lush, fruit-driven vintage, très Pinot, as the Burgundians would say, while 2010 is a more classic, terroir-driven vintage in which the vast differences in soil composition truly find their sundry voices in the wine’s ripe and concentrated fruit.

I was fortunate enough to attend recently the La Paulée Grand Tasting Event in New York and walked away completely mesmerized by this vintage of vintages. For those of you unfamiliar with La Paulée, I urge you to go to their website at www.lapaulee.com. Organized annually by renowned wine impresario Daniel Johnnes, this bi-coastal tribute to the wines and glory of Burgundy alternates location between New York and San Francisco. Next year’s event will be held in the “City-by-the-Bay” and will be well-worth attending. Daniel and his top-notch staff do yeoman’s work in fashioning an indescribably unique wine experience that’s second to none.

SWA's Contribution to The Event

Now let’s move on to the wines. In similar fashion the Bordeaux UGC event, the La Paulée Grand Tasting event encompasses a lot of producers and it’s impossible to procure tasting notes for every wine presented. Rather than use scores, I have simply assigned asterisks (one, two or three) to the wines which I found particularly impressive.

Les Blancs

Domaine R & V Dauvissat

Petit Chablis 2010 *

Probably the best Petit Chablis I have ever encountered. Crisp, clean and flavorful with complexity and richness that goes way beyond the genre. Bargain hunter alert!

Chablis 2010 “La Forest” **

Stone nuanced lemon-lime fruit. Superb. Another great bargain given the quality at play.

Chablis 2010 Preuses ***

Limestone nuanced fruit, lemon meringue, and lemon zest. Nice richness to accompany the wine’s superb cut and grip.

Chablis 2010 Les Clos ***

Fantastic delineation of soil, vintage and fruit. Similar flavor profile to the above-noted “Preuses” with just a bit more finesse, depth and complexity. It’s that little bit extra that verily defines the greatness of “Les Clos”. This is a wine that approaches perfection in terms of what Grand Cru Chablis can deliver.

Domaine William Fevre

Chablis 2010 “Vaillons” *

The Fevre style is a bit more user-friendly than Dauvissat. This is a very good “Vaillons” that should be available in the market place at a fairly reasonable price.

Chablis 2010 “Preuses” **

Combines nice lemon meringue richness with a tart, stony custardy cut. Well done.

Chablis 2010 “Bougros” **

Similar to “Preuses” with just a bit more definition, cut and complexity. Grand Cru quality for sure.

Domaine Hubert Lamy

I have always loved this estate. Bargain hunters and those who appreciate well-made, traditional white Burgundy will not want to miss these.

St. Aubin 2010 “Frionnes” *

Crisp, clean and delicious. The wine juxtaposes tons of minerality with concentrated, pristine Chardonnay fruit.

St. Aubin 2010 “Clos de la Chatenière” *

Very similar to the above-noted “Frionnes”. But one senses an additional layer of complexity and nuance lurking beneath the surface which should reveal itself with time.

St. Aubin 2010 “Les Murgers des Dents de Chien” **

Classic Lamy in terms of its cut and minerality. Resides at a quality level similar to a top-notch Chassagne-Montrachet.

Domaine Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey

Chassagne- Montrachet 2010 “Ancegnières”**

Very stony, minerally wine, lean but in a good way. Certainly doesn’t lack in complexity. Clean.

Chassagne-Montrachet 2010 “Chenevottes” **

Very rich, honeyed, candied lemon fruit. Superb effort from this vineyard. Juxtaposes nicely with the more mineral focused, terroir-driven “Ancegnières”.

Batard-Montrachet 2010***

Grand Cru and classic Batard! Honeyed, rich orchard stone fruit with nice swirls of lemon butter complemented with unique hints of herbs and stone.

Domaine Leflaive

Puligny Montrachet 2010 *

Very high quality. Village wine in name only.

Puligny Montrachet 2010 “Clavoillon” **

One of the best “Clavoillon” I have ever tasted from Leflaive. Great balance, focus and finesse.

Batard Montrachet 2010 ***

Very sophisticated and polished for a Batard. Plenty of roundness and richness for sure but the Leflaive penchant for finesse and sophistication speaks in no uncertain terms. Lots of nuance and complexity lurking beneath the surface.

Domaine des Comtes Lafon

Volnay 2010 “Santenots du Milieu” **

Very flavorful red and classic Volnay. Lafon’s red wines from Volnay remain, in my opinion, some of the best bargains in the Burgundian universe. Very round and supple with ripe flavors of stony cherry/black cherry fruit. Very ample for Côte de Beaune.

Meursault 2010 “Clos de la Barre” *

Very nice wine. White peach, apricot skin. Understated elegance.

Meursault 2010 “Charmes” **

More classic Meursault and very “Charmes”. Rich without being flamboyant, layered golden peach, ripe apricot and nectarine flavors . Very unctuous without being cloying.

Les Rouges

Maison Joseph Drouhin

Beaune 2010 “Clos des Mouches” *

I am almost certain I am underrating this wine as the Drouhin style is one which is always quite reticent upon release. This is a very good Beaune which carries an assortment of wild cherry/wild berry fruit to play along with hints of forest spice.

Chambolle Musigny 2010 “Baudes”**

Very Chambolle. This is always one of my favorite Drouhin wines. Very silky, sensual red berry fruit. Glorious Chambolle nose of spice, sweet earth and rose petal is alone worth the price of admission.

Domaine Chandon de Briailles

Savigny-les-Beaune 2010 “Lavieres”*

Very good wines from this most underrated producer in 2010! Nice cherry/berry fruit here. Clean, ripe with above average complexity. Bargain hunter alert!

Pernand Vergelesses 2010 “Ile des Vergelesses” *

Here’s another great bargain! Very clean and pure with substantial richness and complexity from an appellation not necessarily known for such.

Corton 2010 “Bressandes” **

Grand Cru quality for sure. Regally feminine. Takes more of a finesse approach to this terroir with very positive results. Nice flambéed cherry, raspberry coulis fruit with subtle hints of truffle and earth.

Corton 2010 **

Slightly reductive but still very good. More masculine and forthright than the above-noted Bressandes. Both of these Corton are worthy of pursuit.

Domaine Michel Lafarge

Volnay 2010 “Mitans” **

Showing very well today. Nice warmth, richness and opulence. Easily the best “Mitans” I have ever experienced from Lafarge.

Volnay 2010 “Clos Château des Ducs” ***

A bit reticent today. But one senses a great wine. All sorts of complexity and nuance just below the surface. Time is definitely required but this will be a classic.

Volnay 2010 “Clos des Chênes”***

A bit broader and richer at first encounter than the Ducs. Lots of black cherry, wild berry fruit with hints of sous-bois and truffles. My guess is the Ducs will win the race in the long term but the Chênes is a bit more precocious and approachable for the short/mid-term. Two very impressive wines from Lafarge!

Maison Louis Jadot

Domaine Ferret 2010 Pouilly-Fuissé sous Vergisson *

Very nice PF from this legendary estate which is now administered by Jadot. Nice cut and minerality with complexity that goes way beyond Pouilly-Fuissé.

Pernand-Vergelesses 2010 “Clos de la Croix Pierre” *

Bargain hunter alert! Succinct flavors of red cherry/forest berry with decent complexity and nuance. This should be available in the market place at a fairly reasonable price.

Clos de la Roche 2010 ***

Grand Cru quality and very Jadot.    Round, rich waves of fruit with nice Morey spice. Fairly sophisticated Clos de la Roche. Quite precocious. Fans of the Jadot style will adore this. While somewhat fruit driven, it still captures the identity and quality of the appellation and terroir.

Maion Remoissenet

Meursault 2010 “Blagny” *

Very correct in terms of capturing the ripe richness that “Blagny” typically brings to bear. But has a nice bit of complexity and nuance. Always a nice Meursault from Remoissenet.

Gevrey Chambertin 2010 *

Very nice village wine. Above average richness and complexity for village wine.

Domaine Robert Chevillon

Nuits St. Georges 2010 “Boussleots” *

Very NSG with hints of smoke and toast. Nice dark fruit, slightly sauvage.

Nuits St. Georges 2010 “Roncieres” **

Brighter fruit, more polish. Sleek and fairly sophisticated NSG. Cool cherry fruit.

Nuits St. Georges 2010 “Les Cailles” ***

Even better. Soil inflected nuances for the dark cherry fruit. Hints of truffle. Concentrated dark cherry/blackberry fruit.

Nuits St. Georges 2010 “Vaucrains”***

Grand Cru quality. Scintillating nose of earth, spice and dark fruit. A bit reticent on the palate but everything is in place for a superb experience. A potential classic.

Domaine de L’Arlot

Nuits St. Georges 2010 “Clos de l’Arlot” *

Very nice wine. Superb delineation of fruit and terroir.

Nuits St. Georges 2010 “Clos des Forêts” *

Very similar. Darker fruits. A bit more complexity and nuance.

Maison Faiveley

Mercurey 2010 “Clos des Myglands” *

Bargain alert! Nice cherry, wild berry fruit. Hints of pomegranate and sweet earth.

Mazis Chambertin **

Grand Cru and classic Mazis. Powerful black cherry and black berry fruits yet restrained in that old-school Faiveley manner.

Corton Charlemagne 2010***

Best white wine of the event! Minerals galore. In this sense, classic CC. But one senses an enormous fruit complexity lurking just beneath the surface. Embryonic wine well worth pursuing and cellaring. I have always been a big fan of Faiveley’s Corton Charlemagne.

Domaine du Comte Liger-Belair

Vosne Romanee 2010 “Reignots” **

Dark fruits, very rich on the palate. Classic Vosne spice.

Echezeaux **

Combines elegance and power. Dark cherry/berry fruits. Nice underlying complexity and my favorite at this table.

Domaine Mugneret-Gibourg

Vosne Romanee 2010 *

This was one of my top tables. Even their basic Vosne Romanée is superb in 2010. Gorgeous cherry vanilla fruit with hints of spice. Classic Mugneret-Gibourg.

Nuits St. Georges 2010 “Chaignots” **

Classic NSG. All sorts of earthy iron and soil nuances to complement the wines dark cherry fruit. Still, a refined wine of elegance and breed. Especially for the appellation of NSG. Liked this a lot. Very interesting juxtaposition of terroir and winemaking acumen/identity.

Echezeaux 2010***

Off the charts! Outstanding mélange of cherry/black cherry fruit. Regally feminine and drop dead gorgeous. One of the top wines of the event!

Clos Vougeot 2010 ***

Outstanding! Layers of red raspberry/black cherry fruit. Finely interwoven strands of complexity and nuance. Majestic, ethereal. Just has that feminine touch and mystique that Marie-Andrée always brings to bear. One of the top wines of the show! Un objet d’art.

Domaine d’Eugénie

Vosne Romanee 2010 “Clos d’Eugénie” *

This is the old René Engel estate. Now managed by Frédéric Engerer of  Château Latour. Whereas the Mugneret-Gibourg wines bring a mystical femininity to bear, the Eugénie wines are powerful, full – bodied affairs. Stylistically, very masculine but with breed, finesse and savoir-faire. This is a village wine in name only. Classic, old school with structure, and nuance.

Vosne-Romanee 2010 “Aux Brûlées” **

Darker, more concentrated than above wine with more grip, structure and nuance. Similar flavor profile.

Echezeaux 2010 ***

Big, deep, brooding, intense. Echezeaux sauvage. It will be fascinating to taste in 10+ years.

Grands Echezeaux 2010 ***

As with Engel, the Grands Echezeaux was always my favorite at this estate and this remains consistent. This is a larger than life, powerful wine. Verily Wagnerian in terms of its über-dimensionality. Clearly one of the top wines at the show. A head-turner.

Domaine Hudellot-Noellat

Vosne Romanée 2010 *

Retrained in that classic Hudellot style. Nice Bing cherry, wild cherry fruit with hints of Vosne spice. Super village wine and great quality at the price point.

Vosne Romanee 2010 “Suchots” **

Very well done wine and a classic expression of the “Suchots” terroir. Finely honed red/black cherry fruits with hints of spice.

Clos Vougeot 2010 ***

Refined Clos Vougeot of breed and finesse. Red fruits and spice cake.

Romanée St. Vivant 2010 ***

Quite powerful for an RSV. Gorgeous delineation of component fruits and terroir. Red fruit delight. 2010 could be the best ever from here. One of the show’s best wines.

Domaine Bruno Clair

Clos de Beze 2010 **

Powerful and classic Beze. Rich, robust on the palate with copious red and black fruits.

Domaine Jean-Louis Trapet

Gevrey Chambertin 2010 *

Very nice village wine. Cherry/black cherry fruit with decent complexity and length.

Gevrey Chambertin 2010 “1er Cru” *

Another nice effort. Fruit sourced from Clos Prieur, Corbeaux and Combottes.

Latricieres Chambertin**

All in all, 2010 may have enabled this estate to produce some very good wines. Leaner and in this sense classic Latricieres. Floral nose with cherry palate and superb minerality. Needs some time. A terroirists delight. Latricieres is one of my least favorite Grand Cru sites but I really enjoyed this.

Chambertin 2010 **

Softer and rounder than the Latricieres with more black cherry, plum fruits, Hints of spice, truffles and sweet earth. Represents one of the best wines I have ever tasted from here.

Domaine Fourrier

Gevrey Chambertin 2010**

Jean-Marie’s wines are superb in 2010. This was one of the top tables at the show. Superb village wine.  Sweet, ripe cherry/maraschino cherry fruit. Sappy with good extract and concentration. I believe this is an old vine cuvée. Very seductive and flirtatious wine.

Morey St. Denis 2010 “Clos Salon” *

Very aromatic. Seductive on the palate. Very Morey.

Gevrey Chambertin 2010 “Combe-aux-Moins” ***

Great persistence on the palate. Full –bodied, rich black cherry fruit. Very Gevrey and very Combe-aux-Moins. One of the event’s top wines.

Gevrey Chambertin 2010 “Clos St. Jacques” ***

Another one of the show’s top wines. Kirsch, framboise, cherry/black cherry nougat. Creamy, hints of milk chocolate and wild berries. Off the charts. A show stopper!

Domaine Georges Roumier

Chambolle Musigny 2010 **

Magnificent village wine. Gorgeous, perfumed nose. Classic Chambolle on the palate. Silky red fruits, Very pure, very precise. Village wine in name only. Quality goes way beyond the appellation on the label.

Chambolle Musigny 2010 “Cras” ***

This is a superb Cras. Scintillating nose of rose petal, spice and perfume. Gorgeous red fruit palate with hints of anisette.

Morey St. Denis 2010 “Clos Bussierre” **

Possibly the best MSD Bussiere ever from this estate. Nice mix of red and black fruits. What I really like about the wine is that it speaks to Morey in the same way as Cras speaks to Chambolle. With precision, purity and finesse. Unadulterated terroir at play.

Ruchottes Chambertin 2010 ***

One of the top wines of the show. A pleasure from start to finish. Great attack with a lush and concentrated mid-palate followed by a long finish. All sorts of dusty cherry fruit with hints of pit and skin. Nice underlying minerality and soil notes as well. Grand Cru and classic Ruchottes.

Domaine Dujac

Morey St. Denis 2010 *

Another village wine in name only. Allspice, gorgeous fruit. Superb concentration for a village wine.

Gevrey Chambertin 2010 “Combottes” **

Classic in every sense of word. Nice black fruits on nose and palate. Very powerful wine.

Clos de la Roche ***

Superb. One of the top wines of the show. Grand Cru and classic Clos de la Roche. Perfumed nose of violets and rose petals followed by a layered black fruit palate that’s both seductive and powerful. Hints of licorice and sweet spice provide additional complexity. Wow!

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