Burgundy is Easy!

“Burgundy is easy!” is how Nicolas Dewe of Bourgogne de Vigne en Verre started each of his two tasting events this week at Merchant Tavern and Raymond’s. The region has a reputation of being hard to understand, with many sub-regions and tiny appellations, and labels dominated by village names instead of domains and producers. Nicolas shifted our focus: “If it is white wine, it is Chardonnay, and if it is red wine, it is Pinot Noir – what could be simpler than that?” he asked. He added that the label merely indicates a specific geographic location as the source of the grapes.

Up to that point it is pretty simple, and that is certainly enough to be able to enjoy a good bottle of wine. Understanding (and remembering) the subtle differences in the inherent qualities of the wines coming from the different appellations and vineyards, as curated by the efforts of the vinifiers, is the hard part. To know that Gevrey-Chambertin is “fruit and power” and Volnay is “elegance and finesse”, and which producers have the best reputations, that’s the next level of insight for Burgundy.

Whether you have reached that level or not, it was easy to appreciate the wines presented, which were served paired with exquisite four course menus at both venues. There was an overlap of some wines in both tastings, but we were able to enjoy ten different wines. Here are my notes and favourites:

Whites

• Domaine Moreau Bourgogne 2014 ($26.98), La Côte Mâconnaise  – Round, sunny, warm, and full, with just a touch of oak, this was a very good value Chardonnay – Score:15.5/Very Good.
• Domain Bitouzet-Prieur Meursault, Clos du Cromin 2013 ($80.73), La Côte de Beaune – Located at the top of a hill, on the edge of the appellation beside a Volnay 1^er Cru vineyard, the thin soils accentuate minerality in the wine. This wine was made in a “reductive” style, which is supposed to build complexity, but when young, seems to create an off-putting nose, which was not appealing to me. The rest of the qualities of this wine fully live up to expectations for Meursault – Score: 16/Very Good.
• Domain E. Cornu & Fils Ladoix 2014 ($55.02), La Côte de Beaune – My immediate reaction to my first sip of this wine was “Stunning!”. Mouth-watering acidity was balanced with unfolding complexity as the wine lingered to a long finish – Score:18/Exceptional.

Reds

• 

  Domain Meix-Foulot Mercurey “Les Monthelons” 2014 ($34.14), La Côte Chalonnaise – No oak here, but an extra week of maceration helped round the wine.Cherry and raspberry aromas dominate with a background of smoke. The taste was smooth with that pleasant tartness I enjoy; overall good value – Score: 16/Very Good.

• Domain E. Cornu & Fils Ladoix “Clos Diconne” 2014 ($39.54), La Côte de Beaune – A soft, lingering blackberry and cherry aroma; with some up-front tannins in the mouth – Score: 15/Very Good.
• Domain E. Cornu & Fils Côtes de Nuits Village 2013 ($47.81), La Côte de Beaune – More deeply coloured and more concentrated than their Ladoix it shows more depth in both aroma and flavour – Score: 16.5/Very Good.
• Domain Jean Chauvenet Nuits-St-Georges “Les Six Pieces” 2014 ($58.01), La Côte de Nuits – This wine is in its early development and will want some aging before it will peak. It shows its promise with its dense fruit and structure, nonetheless – Score: 17/Very Good.
• Domain Bitouzet-Prieur Volnay 1^er Cru “Pitures” 2013 ($84.64), La Côte de Beaune – Lovely tart cherry fruit, lots of smoke, elegance and finesse with some backbone, amazing finish – Score: 17/Very Good.
• Domaine Georges Lignier Chambolle-Musigny 2013 ($87.19), La Côte de Nuits – Both Lignier wines showed an intriguing blood orange citrus element in their bouquet. This wine was full of power but showing elegance with abundant cherry and slightly floral aromas – Score: 18/Exceptional.
• Domaine Georges Lignier Morey-Saint-Denis 1^er Cru “Clos des Ormes” 2011 ($85.82), La Côte de Nuits – A smooth entry with juicy acidity was chased with an amazing emerging complexity. This is a keeper – Score: 18/Exceptional.

BVV is a collection of small producers throughout the greater Burgundy region who have come together for marketing and logistics, but who maintain their individual styles and methods. These wines and the tasting events were brought together by Greg Winter of Dialog Wines. Sweet wines for the dessert courses, and an aged Nuits-St-Georges for comparison purposes were much appreciated additions to the events by Jeremy Bonia.