- 3rd June 05
Not long ago, I formed a tasting table with a few friends and customers so unfortunately bitten by the Burgundy-bug and from there became seriously infected. Burgundy has become one of our sole pre-occupation! The aim of this table is to unveil the sacred mysteries of this wine region. There is no wine region in the world that is as complicated and confusing as Burgundy (multiple singular vineyard names and ownerships) yet it seems to be the only one area today where terroir may still be expressed. I made it a point to discover if certain “exclusive” terms the French uses to describe such wine attributes truly exist. The French is in my opinion very innovative (or just plain lazy?) in their use of language. For example, if they could not describe a certain taste in a wine, they simply call it – minerals. Any wild flavors such as leather, or animal, they simply spell it as – sauvage. Flavors such as aged-wood and wet forest, would be termed – Sous-Bois.
So, what is terroir? There is no singular English translation to this word. Terroir comes from the French term, goût de terroir, or “the taste of terroir”. Simply stated, it refers to the capability of a wine to pronounce its individuality. A good “terroir” wine is a wine that one can sense its place of origin.
Burgundy is one of the few wine-growing regions in the world which permits the use of only singular grape – Pinot Noir for their reds and Chardonnay for their whites. Burgundy wines are governed by a well-established classification system. Starting at the very basic level, there is Bourgogne (generic burgundy), followed by the Villages (generic villages), the Premier Cru (first growth) and then at the very top, the Grand Cru (great growth). There are certain Villages wines that carry a designated vineyard name besides the name of its originating village. For all Premier and Grand Cru wines, however, these are all made from individual plot of vineyards which have been identified and ranked by the monks. Through years of cultivation, the monks discovered the uniqueness and superiority of certain vineyard plots. Now, recall that in the old days, there were no wine critics, no new oak barrels, and no division of ownership (the vineyards were entirely owned by the Church until 1789, when during the French Revolution they were then seized and divided into easily marketable lots called "climats" and subsequently sold off to groups of local farmers. Multi-ownership of Burgundy vineyards has been a tradition that has persisted ever since. Each grower is entitled to sell his wine bearing the name of that vineyard.) and so the monks treated all vineyards equally. The resultant wines were rigorously compared and over time, they identified the finest, most special vineyards, which consistently exhibited higher quality and pronounced individualistic characteristics over their peers. These then became the "climats" that we now come to recognize as the Premier and Grand Crus.
Today, consumer preferences are influenced by wine critics and with the introduction of aging Burgundy in brand new oak barrels to some extent, tastes have altered or demolished the presence of terroir. Yet, members of BurgFest (short for Burgundy Festival) hope that the presence of older style winemakers left in Burgundy, joined by the many new emerging terroir-driven young talents will uphold the spirit to produce wines whose uniqueness are preserved.
To me, two of the more distinctive villages of Burgundy are Gevrey-Chambertin and Vosne-Romanee. I do not wish to overly generalize the characteristic of wines coming from these two areas, since Burgundians often make wine outside their own home-base villages. It is entirely possible that a certain “house-style” may affect the expression of the “terroir” in the wines. For example, a Clos Vougeot (the grand cru vineyard in Vougeot) made by a producer from Chambolle-Musigny may taste quite different from the version of a Vosne-Romanee producer who makes the same wine. As another example, a Volnay Champans from Comte Lafon will come across entirely different from those made by De Montille in terms of both size and style. That is not to say that “terroir” does not exist. “Terroir” is often present (although somewhat obscured to differing degrees) and will become more obvious if one tries to taste multiple wines from a singular producer. I also believe that some producers can demonstrate the regional characteristic better in their wine than their peers – it’s a question of approach.
I frequently taste Burgundy blind. My gross interpretation on the differences between Vosne-Romanee and Gevrey-Chambertin would be this: Gevrey wines tend to have a broader, more structured frame than those from Vosne. Gevrey also has more obvious mineral quality and higher pitch, whereas Vosne’s fruits often show sweeter, candied, caramelized element. Besides, Vosne come across more sensuously warm (or pliant), spicier, more lush and velvety than Gevrey, which is more broad shouldered and masculine.
Through this Vosne-Romanee challenge, we wanted to explore the differences between all its Premier Crus. For this event, we managed to feature only 10 out of the 13 designated Premier Cru plots (previously 14, but La Grand Rue was eventually promoted in 1992 to Grand Cru status so we could not include it). Before the tasting, many of us – fairly or unfairly – placed high hopes on certain celebrated Premier Cru vineyards such as Cros Parantoux (a vineyard made famous by the Burgundy guru, Henri Jayer, who is responsible for the resurrection of this vineyard), Aux Brulees and Les Gaudichots (vineyard adjacent to the famous La Tache & La Grand Rue). Unfortunately, none of these showed well that night. Such is the fact of life when tasting burgundy!
The following are my detail tasting reports on the Vosne-Romanee Premier Cru dinner that took place at Four Seasons Hotel, Jiang Nan Chun restaurant - the tasting for this occasion where wines are all served in semi-blind.
1) 2000 Meo-Camuzet VR aux Brulees – medium color, with “sous-bois” (underbrush), iron and dark raspberries. Hint of spice and nose seem indicate some ages? Good mineral quality with dark raspberries, blackberry in a superb and seamless palate. The tannin is soft and leaning toward chalky dry. Not particularly interesting and seem prematurely aged. Good. (From Thos SB)
2) 1998 Emmanuel Rouget VR Cros Parantoux – From another good producer and an exceptional vosne-romanee’s vineyard. Again, very youthful nose and does not give away anything. Pristine nose of fresh dark cherries and raspberries. Some “crème de framboise” emerged with air. Quite typical Vosne’s warm, pliant palate, with pronounced plum and licorice. Toward the end, some awkward acidity appeared. This wine come across clumsy, seem suffering for bottle shock? Not recommended.
3) 2000 Desaunay-Bissey VR Beaumonts – Brilliant ruby red color. Ripe dark raspberries that leaning toward liqueur-like sweetness. Some stalk like, dirt rustiness in addition a hint of aged burgundy, soy elements. Persistent raspberries on the palate and balancing acidity to keep the wine well delineate. Toward the end, more raspberry jam, currant emerged with air. The wine distinctively combined richness with exceptional acidity, which indeed very 2000 like. Very Good. (Available at APFW for S$89.00)
4) 1998 Bouchard VR aux Reignots – some of the attendants liked this wine. I found this wine to be too technically “correct” and lack personality. Showing some age in color. Firm, steely, with high-pitched fruits of blueberries and mulberries. Some menthol, garrique (provençal herbs) notes. Superbly, in fact slightly grossly fat palate. Flawless is this wine, but it just came across too clinical and precise to my liking. I spotted it right away for being wine from Bouchard. Good. (From Taste Merchant)
5) 2002 Nicolas Potel VR aux Malconsorts – I disagreed with those critics that underrated this wine. This simply one of the finest two wines of the night. Despite the pale appearance, the palate was full of excitement (once again proving that we should never judge a Burgundy by its color!). Attractive aromas of brandy-soaked cherries and sweet raspberries. Well build structured combined silky palate of rose petal, raspberries and red berries. Good precision and density of fruits, and punchy. Excellent. (From Crystal Wines)
So, what is terroir? There is no singular English translation to this word. Terroir comes from the French term, goût de terroir, or “the taste of terroir”. Simply stated, it refers to the capability of a wine to pronounce its individuality. A good “terroir” wine is a wine that one can sense its place of origin.
Burgundy is one of the few wine-growing regions in the world which permits the use of only singular grape – Pinot Noir for their reds and Chardonnay for their whites. Burgundy wines are governed by a well-established classification system. Starting at the very basic level, there is Bourgogne (generic burgundy), followed by the Villages (generic villages), the Premier Cru (first growth) and then at the very top, the Grand Cru (great growth). There are certain Villages wines that carry a designated vineyard name besides the name of its originating village. For all Premier and Grand Cru wines, however, these are all made from individual plot of vineyards which have been identified and ranked by the monks. Through years of cultivation, the monks discovered the uniqueness and superiority of certain vineyard plots. Now, recall that in the old days, there were no wine critics, no new oak barrels, and no division of ownership (the vineyards were entirely owned by the Church until 1789, when during the French Revolution they were then seized and divided into easily marketable lots called "climats" and subsequently sold off to groups of local farmers. Multi-ownership of Burgundy vineyards has been a tradition that has persisted ever since. Each grower is entitled to sell his wine bearing the name of that vineyard.) and so the monks treated all vineyards equally. The resultant wines were rigorously compared and over time, they identified the finest, most special vineyards, which consistently exhibited higher quality and pronounced individualistic characteristics over their peers. These then became the "climats" that we now come to recognize as the Premier and Grand Crus.
Today, consumer preferences are influenced by wine critics and with the introduction of aging Burgundy in brand new oak barrels to some extent, tastes have altered or demolished the presence of terroir. Yet, members of BurgFest (short for Burgundy Festival) hope that the presence of older style winemakers left in Burgundy, joined by the many new emerging terroir-driven young talents will uphold the spirit to produce wines whose uniqueness are preserved.
To me, two of the more distinctive villages of Burgundy are Gevrey-Chambertin and Vosne-Romanee. I do not wish to overly generalize the characteristic of wines coming from these two areas, since Burgundians often make wine outside their own home-base villages. It is entirely possible that a certain “house-style” may affect the expression of the “terroir” in the wines. For example, a Clos Vougeot (the grand cru vineyard in Vougeot) made by a producer from Chambolle-Musigny may taste quite different from the version of a Vosne-Romanee producer who makes the same wine. As another example, a Volnay Champans from Comte Lafon will come across entirely different from those made by De Montille in terms of both size and style. That is not to say that “terroir” does not exist. “Terroir” is often present (although somewhat obscured to differing degrees) and will become more obvious if one tries to taste multiple wines from a singular producer. I also believe that some producers can demonstrate the regional characteristic better in their wine than their peers – it’s a question of approach.
I frequently taste Burgundy blind. My gross interpretation on the differences between Vosne-Romanee and Gevrey-Chambertin would be this: Gevrey wines tend to have a broader, more structured frame than those from Vosne. Gevrey also has more obvious mineral quality and higher pitch, whereas Vosne’s fruits often show sweeter, candied, caramelized element. Besides, Vosne come across more sensuously warm (or pliant), spicier, more lush and velvety than Gevrey, which is more broad shouldered and masculine.
Through this Vosne-Romanee challenge, we wanted to explore the differences between all its Premier Crus. For this event, we managed to feature only 10 out of the 13 designated Premier Cru plots (previously 14, but La Grand Rue was eventually promoted in 1992 to Grand Cru status so we could not include it). Before the tasting, many of us – fairly or unfairly – placed high hopes on certain celebrated Premier Cru vineyards such as Cros Parantoux (a vineyard made famous by the Burgundy guru, Henri Jayer, who is responsible for the resurrection of this vineyard), Aux Brulees and Les Gaudichots (vineyard adjacent to the famous La Tache & La Grand Rue). Unfortunately, none of these showed well that night. Such is the fact of life when tasting burgundy!
The following are my detail tasting reports on the Vosne-Romanee Premier Cru dinner that took place at Four Seasons Hotel, Jiang Nan Chun restaurant - the tasting for this occasion where wines are all served in semi-blind.
1) 2000 Meo-Camuzet VR aux Brulees – medium color, with “sous-bois” (underbrush), iron and dark raspberries. Hint of spice and nose seem indicate some ages? Good mineral quality with dark raspberries, blackberry in a superb and seamless palate. The tannin is soft and leaning toward chalky dry. Not particularly interesting and seem prematurely aged. Good. (From Thos SB)
2) 1998 Emmanuel Rouget VR Cros Parantoux – From another good producer and an exceptional vosne-romanee’s vineyard. Again, very youthful nose and does not give away anything. Pristine nose of fresh dark cherries and raspberries. Some “crème de framboise” emerged with air. Quite typical Vosne’s warm, pliant palate, with pronounced plum and licorice. Toward the end, some awkward acidity appeared. This wine come across clumsy, seem suffering for bottle shock? Not recommended.
3) 2000 Desaunay-Bissey VR Beaumonts – Brilliant ruby red color. Ripe dark raspberries that leaning toward liqueur-like sweetness. Some stalk like, dirt rustiness in addition a hint of aged burgundy, soy elements. Persistent raspberries on the palate and balancing acidity to keep the wine well delineate. Toward the end, more raspberry jam, currant emerged with air. The wine distinctively combined richness with exceptional acidity, which indeed very 2000 like. Very Good. (Available at APFW for S$89.00)
4) 1998 Bouchard VR aux Reignots – some of the attendants liked this wine. I found this wine to be too technically “correct” and lack personality. Showing some age in color. Firm, steely, with high-pitched fruits of blueberries and mulberries. Some menthol, garrique (provençal herbs) notes. Superbly, in fact slightly grossly fat palate. Flawless is this wine, but it just came across too clinical and precise to my liking. I spotted it right away for being wine from Bouchard. Good. (From Taste Merchant)
5) 2002 Nicolas Potel VR aux Malconsorts – I disagreed with those critics that underrated this wine. This simply one of the finest two wines of the night. Despite the pale appearance, the palate was full of excitement (once again proving that we should never judge a Burgundy by its color!). Attractive aromas of brandy-soaked cherries and sweet raspberries. Well build structured combined silky palate of rose petal, raspberries and red berries. Good precision and density of fruits, and punchy. Excellent. (From Crystal Wines)
6) 1995 Robert Arnoux VR les Suchots – I never tasted better VR Les Suchots than those made by Pascal Lachaux. The amber color gave away the age (most people got this wine correctly in blind). The nose of this beauty is simply the single most profound, complex of all wines served on that night. Exotically sweet nose of raspberries, framboise, liqueur, spices and some smoked meat elements. Penetrating palate of intense berry-scented fruits coated with caramels. Despite the lush personality, the wine posses excellent purity and verve. The tannin is noticeable, but largely concealed by the fruits. Excellent. (Available at APFW for S$268.00)
7) 1996 Mongeard-Mugneret VR Les Orveaux – The color of this wine seemed prematurely aged, also less brilliant. Damp wood, mushroom, Sauvage – leathery like mustiness. Tarry and plumy, with old wine aged tea personality. The finish falls short overwhelmed by tartness. Not recommended.
8) 1996 Meo-Camuzet VR Charmes – This wine has similar unclean nose of aged wood, dusty element. The palate was surprisingly better, with verve. Possessed an interesting round, fleshy palate of briary blackberries, barnyard, roasted nut-like flavors. Despite slightly old-Chianti like rusticity, it has sufficient stuffing to generate some interest. Good.
9) 2002 Nicolas Potel VR Gaudichots – This vineyard was previously made famous by Regis Forey. It is located at the prime site, neighboring famous Grand Cru plots like La Tache and La Grand Rue. However, it did not stand up well alongside with the better Vosne 1er cru served on that night. Bright ruby red color (good indication of acidity). Supple with clean and bright red Pinot’s fruits nose with slightly medicinal tinge. Seamless palate, with precise fresh raspberry notes and some mineral quality. Ripe, thought slightly sugary feel and perhaps due it youthfulness, the wine came across as quite simple. Good. (From Vinum)
10) 2001 Desaunay Bissey VR Les Rouges – Quite similarly bright ruby color as it early Beaumont. Perhaps marginally deeper in color. This bottling tasted more pristine, but at the same time less exciting. It lack the middle palate one compared to his 2000 Beaumont, as a result, it tasted fleshier and more obvious alcohol. Tasted alongside with Potel’s Gaudichots, this wine also come through as lighter. Good.
(Available at APFW for S$89.00)
(* I like to acknowledge my tasting partner, Henry Hariyono for assisting me in the editing of my above article)
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