As I said before, there are not many wines which leave me with a lasting memory. I may taste dozens of wines every week but only so few stood out and are worthy of mention in this column.
Young Sylvie Boyer (29 year-old) from Yves Boyer-Martenot in Meursault was in town with me earlier this month. During her wine presentation at Confrerie’s event, I was impressed with her 2004 vintage. Again, the whites are clearly more superior to the reds. The unmistakably strong show on “malic acid” in 2004 is evident in every one of her bottles. The wines are fresh, precise and endowed with exceptional clarity and details. These are clearly from the old world and unlike many new world wines, which, granted may occasionally buffered with good acidity yet rarely share the same pitch and acid/fruit integration. Among all her whites, I liked the 2004 Meursault 1er Cru Perrières best. The wine seems to have more in common with its neighboring village, Puligny-Montrachet, than a Meursault. The delicate smoothness combined the racy and mineral personality barely calls to mind the usually voluminous, obvious, textured Meursault. The acidity also came through less pineapple-acid like than the other Meursaults, and was especially evident when compared alongside with their Meursault Charmes & Narvaux.
Monthelie, a relatively unknown village sandwiched between Volnay & Meursault often makes early accessible, uncomplicated but delicious fruit wines. I was pleasantly surprised with Coche-Dury Monthelie 1998, who is in my opinion the master winemaker of white burgundies. This red not only survived (Monthelie usually should be consumed young), its aged sweetness, soy, earth (evident of stems), yet in a cleansing, smooth, edge free palate is both pleasurable and delicious. The same night I attended the Clos de Lambrays dinner, and the wines were smacked with frontal sweet oak, with typical pain grille, high toned dark fruit, liqueur, and tar which lacked personality and came across identical to each other apart from the differences in weight and readiness. They had none of the balancing, bracing liveliness of the early Monthelie. Bravo to the down-to-earth, unassuming Jean-Francois Coche-Dury.
Another night out to search for the best value wine of Burgundy and I found myself continually going back to the glass of Domaine Leflaive Bourgogne Blanc 2002. Despite being a humble Bourgogne Blanc, the wine outclassed the rest, throwing in a good dose stoney, mineral fruit and surprisingly penetrating flavor. Another impressive wine is Jadot Beaune 1er Cru Cent Vignes 1995. Telltale Beaune’s damp-earth, with aged, dusty, plum-like fruits, yet the frame remained structured and focused with the promise of tannins to melt in time. Not bad for a wine that cost S$80.
Lately, I have increasingly focused on wines coming from three regions – Piedmont, Northern Rhône & Burgundy. They all have something in common: singular grape (save for Côte Rôtie, where Viognier is occasionally added), sensitive to weather (reflecting clearer vintage definition), minimalism of “vanillazation” (oak treatment) and lastly, superior distinction since none can be replicated outside their originating territories. The trend of these three regions incidentally leans toward making wines with the emphasis of fruit purity over oak, finesse over weight and fresh acidity over sugar ripeness. I have never tasted Ogier’s Côte Rôtie and my first experience was memorable. The 2001 Côte Rôtie Les Embruns was very impressive and distinctly northern Rhône’s syrah. Unmistakable white pepper, spicy with unyielding yet voluminous palate and at once structured and precise. The co-existence of dense, textured palate and presence of acidity lend the wine with great class and finesse. This was tasted alongside with 1988 Jamet Côte Rôtie, which was already showing tiredness, losing grip and came across chunky and dehydrated sweet.
Young Sylvie Boyer (29 year-old) from Yves Boyer-Martenot in Meursault was in town with me earlier this month. During her wine presentation at Confrerie’s event, I was impressed with her 2004 vintage. Again, the whites are clearly more superior to the reds. The unmistakably strong show on “malic acid” in 2004 is evident in every one of her bottles. The wines are fresh, precise and endowed with exceptional clarity and details. These are clearly from the old world and unlike many new world wines, which, granted may occasionally buffered with good acidity yet rarely share the same pitch and acid/fruit integration. Among all her whites, I liked the 2004 Meursault 1er Cru Perrières best. The wine seems to have more in common with its neighboring village, Puligny-Montrachet, than a Meursault. The delicate smoothness combined the racy and mineral personality barely calls to mind the usually voluminous, obvious, textured Meursault. The acidity also came through less pineapple-acid like than the other Meursaults, and was especially evident when compared alongside with their Meursault Charmes & Narvaux.
Monthelie, a relatively unknown village sandwiched between Volnay & Meursault often makes early accessible, uncomplicated but delicious fruit wines. I was pleasantly surprised with Coche-Dury Monthelie 1998, who is in my opinion the master winemaker of white burgundies. This red not only survived (Monthelie usually should be consumed young), its aged sweetness, soy, earth (evident of stems), yet in a cleansing, smooth, edge free palate is both pleasurable and delicious. The same night I attended the Clos de Lambrays dinner, and the wines were smacked with frontal sweet oak, with typical pain grille, high toned dark fruit, liqueur, and tar which lacked personality and came across identical to each other apart from the differences in weight and readiness. They had none of the balancing, bracing liveliness of the early Monthelie. Bravo to the down-to-earth, unassuming Jean-Francois Coche-Dury.
Another night out to search for the best value wine of Burgundy and I found myself continually going back to the glass of Domaine Leflaive Bourgogne Blanc 2002. Despite being a humble Bourgogne Blanc, the wine outclassed the rest, throwing in a good dose stoney, mineral fruit and surprisingly penetrating flavor. Another impressive wine is Jadot Beaune 1er Cru Cent Vignes 1995. Telltale Beaune’s damp-earth, with aged, dusty, plum-like fruits, yet the frame remained structured and focused with the promise of tannins to melt in time. Not bad for a wine that cost S$80.
Lately, I have increasingly focused on wines coming from three regions – Piedmont, Northern Rhône & Burgundy. They all have something in common: singular grape (save for Côte Rôtie, where Viognier is occasionally added), sensitive to weather (reflecting clearer vintage definition), minimalism of “vanillazation” (oak treatment) and lastly, superior distinction since none can be replicated outside their originating territories. The trend of these three regions incidentally leans toward making wines with the emphasis of fruit purity over oak, finesse over weight and fresh acidity over sugar ripeness. I have never tasted Ogier’s Côte Rôtie and my first experience was memorable. The 2001 Côte Rôtie Les Embruns was very impressive and distinctly northern Rhône’s syrah. Unmistakable white pepper, spicy with unyielding yet voluminous palate and at once structured and precise. The co-existence of dense, textured palate and presence of acidity lend the wine with great class and finesse. This was tasted alongside with 1988 Jamet Côte Rôtie, which was already showing tiredness, losing grip and came across chunky and dehydrated sweet.
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