We arrived in Beaune at around 2.30 and headed straight for Drouhin’s Offices and cellars on Rue Enfer. We were greeted by Frederic Drouhin, the Great Grandson of Joseph and taken down to the cellars by Jean-Pierre Cropsal.

In theses cellars they age some of their most prestigious wines and walking past the barrels you will see the names of famous climats and appellations such as Clos des Mouches and Gevrey-Chambertin. The tour was short and we proceeded to the tasting room to taste and compare a number of different wines. The whites were first and the line up was impressive.

We started with St Veran 2010 which was fresh but with ripe fruit and decent length, then straight into the Domaine Drouhin Vaudon (Drouhin’s property in Chablis) Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos 2008 which is way too young but showing it’s pedigree in it’s concentration, finesse and length.  Then Puligny Montrachet 2009 was lighter in body but concentrated and expressive with some of the oak showing through and finally the Clos des Mouches Blanc 1er Cru 2009 was the pick of the bunch, the finesse of these better wines is so apparent when tasted against a village appellation.

The red wines were equally impressive with the line up as follows. The Chorey les Beaune 2008 was fairly simple and possibly didn’t show as well coming after the whites. The Gevrey-Chambertin 2008 was still young showing good concentration of fruit, balanced acidity, medium plus body and medium finish, no thin wine here. The Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru 2008 was much more seductive with violet perfumed notes and almost sweet dark cherry flavours mixed with clove and vanilla spice. Finally we tasted the Clos des Mouches 1er Cru Rouge 2009. Mouches does not refer to flies but to bees. ‘Mouches a miel’ means honey flies.

We thanked our hosts and headed for Place Carnot and on to Rue Monge. Rue Monge has 2 of my favourite places in Beaune. First is Magnum where you can sit outside and catch some Sun while drinking a glass of Cremant and the second is Bourgogne Bistro where you can do exactly the same but have a meal also. 

Although in the dead centre of Beaune I have never felt I was being treated as a tourist in these places, this cannot be said of a number of other establishments. Part des Anges comes to mind where I have never received the genuine welcome you get in the former.

I mean I love Red Burgundy, Pinot Noir.

Good red burgundy is expensive. However, I have on occassion found good Pinot Noir that does not break the bank, within context.  I have found a cracking wine which retails at €30 but certainly punches above its weight and it does not come from Burgundy.

People mention Otago and Oregon as offering superb Pinot Noir but little mention is made of Australia. Stonier Reserve Pinot Noir 2005, from Mornington Peninsula in Victoria is superb.

James Haliday has given this wine 94 points which again is only 1 of a number of accolades and good reviews. One other great thing about this wine is that it is in screwcap. So after 6 years this wine still tastes great and from tasting it,  it will age for a few more years to come. I am going to keep a few bottles and taste them over the next 3 years and track their evolution.

A Little spiel on Pinot Noir from Mornington on the Wine Australia Website.

‘ Pinot Noir – There is an enormous range of styles to the region’s flagship variety, from a haunting elegance and lingering intensity through to the more complex, structured and rich expression of the land. The constant factor is the clear varietal character which is clearly pronounced throughout the different sub regions of the Peninsula. From cherry and raspberry flavours with soft tannins in the higher areas to more tannic, elegant yet assertive wines with plum fruit in the warmer areas. Mornington Peninsula winemakers understand Pinot Noir vines are fussy – they choose their homes with fastidious care, insisting on precise combinations of temperature, humidity, aspect and ripening time. Such special conditions are difficult to find in Australia, but the cool, green rolling hills and valleys of the Mornington Peninsula provide a perfect home’

http://www.wineaustralia.com/australia/Default.aspx?tabid=4521

By the way I polished off the remaining bottles at the weekend.

I tend to drink Chablis regularly so am attuned to the taste and profile, what I found most surprising was that in the space of a week a wine that I had regularly tasted up to that point was still fresh with good fruit and indications that it would last another year or 2. Now it may be that I was unlucky and that other bottles of the same wine will be ok but it has made me change my preference for a particular Chablis producer

There has been much discussion about prematurely oxidised Burgundies or premox if you like. The alledged causes vary from lowered sulphur levels, corks to battonage – especially extensive stirring of the lees after malolactic fermentation.

The main detectable fault for oxidised wine is the darker colour, the sherry nose and the flavour of bruised apple. With age this is what can happen to wine anyway; it is a problem when the wine should have potential to age.

Here is a Chablis that is not oxidised and one which is fast becoming my new favourite. Drouhin Reserve de Vaudon 2008. Typical Chablis flavours of citrus and green apple, but soft as it has been aged 12 months in oak – none of which is new. Available is most good independent off licences and wine shops

When discussing the appearence of a wine I have often gone straight to tilting the glass 45 degrees and commenting about its appearence. Really when discusing the appearence of a wine it should be done in 3 stages.

Firstly you should look at the wine from above the glass to accurately assess the depth of its colour. Secondly look at the side of the glass  for any inclusions, haziness, bubbles etc and then finally tilt the glass 45 degress to see the actual colour of the rim and the core.

This may seem quite obvious but although I would have covered these steps I have previously not highlighted them as being separate. The image below is a great poster I bought which shows the different colours for certain wines. I find it helps students get their heads around colour in wine and how subtle they can sometimes be.

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