November 3, 2022 - Burgundy
/All wines featured at the WAC Wine Club’s November Tasting hail from Burgundy, one of France's main wine-producing areas. It is well known for both its red and white wines, mostly made from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes, which holds true for the wines we’ll be tasting.
The Burgundy wine region covers a broad area of central eastern France. It encompasses Chablis in the north; the Burgundian heartland regions of the Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune, (the two regions are considered the Côte d’Or); the Côte Chalonnaise further south and the Mâconnais, near the town of Mâcon in the very south, almost level with Switzerland and not far from the Jura and neighboring Beaujolais. The reputation and quality of top Burgundian wines, together with the fact that they are often produced in small quantities, has led to high demand and a prestigious reputation.
2017 Agnes et Didier Dauvissat Beauroy
Chablis Premier Cru
Beauroy is a Premier Cru-classified climat of Chablis. Beauroy vines stretch along the northern banks of the small Ru de Beine tributary, where the terroir and aspect of the land is well suited to Chardonnay. Its soil is rich in clay and limestone covered with beds of fossilized oysters found throughout the region. Most Beauroy Premier Cru wines have a classic Chablis character with good fruit and intense minerality. The vineyard is currently in the hands of winemaker Florent Dauvissat (his father is a distant cousin to the legendary Vincent Dauvissat),
Tasting notes: The wine sees a tiny amount of oak, giving it a wonderful baked apple, quince paste and citrus personality, that complements the minerality and chamomile notes. On the palate can be found hints of mineral, citrus, pear and green apple. This Chablis displays high acidity, the lightest of salinity and sea spray too.
2012 Joseph Drouhin Gevrey-Chambertin
Gevrey is the village where the Grand Cru vineyard Chambertin is located. Vines have been cultivated here since 630AD, when a certain Bertin decided to emulate the monks, his neighbors. The wine he made turned out to be spectacular and the rest is history! Joseph Drouhin insists on total control of the weathering for a period of three years, one of the contributing elements to the elegance of the wine. Absolute priority is given to the true expression of terroir and character of the vintage.
Tasting notes: This bold, well-structured wine is packed with both rich fruit and tannins. Dense black fruits are layered with a dry, firm structure exhibiting a woody character that is subtle and marries delicately with the other aromas. As the wine evolves, there are more complex notes, such as mild spice, nutmeg and leather. Later still, mushroom and damp earth nuances make their appearance with cherry, strawberry and chalk notes.
2012 Morey-Saint-Denis Arlaud
The style of a classic Morey-Saint-Denis wine is a mid-point between the firm, substantial style of Gevrey-Chambertin and the bold, but slightly more open, perfumed style of Chambolle-Musigny. Domaine Arlaud Pere et Fils was created in 1942 when Joseph Arlaud, a man from the Ardèche (northern Rhone Valley), and Renée Amiot, a woman from a family with deep roots in Burgundy, were married. The bride’s dowry included parcels in some of Burgundy's top grand cru vineyards, which Joseph then added to, parcel by parcel, through the years. The winery has been in the hands of the family ever since. The Arlauds began to cultivate their vineyards organically in 2004. In 2009, they established biodynamic viticultural practices across all their holdings. As of the 2014 vintage, the estate holds both organic and biodynamic certification, the very first estate to do so in Morey-Saint-Denis.
Tasting notes: An interesting and very pretty nose combines notes of lavender, sour cherry, raspberry and just enough earth to notice. In particular, Pinot Noir from Morey-St-Denis is known for its deep red cherry, blackcurrant and blueberry fruit. Aromas of spice, licorice and purple flowers are present in the wines’ youth, evolving to forest and game as the wine ages.
2014 Gérard Mugneret Vosne-Romanée
Gérard Mugneret is a Burgundy producer based in Vosne-Romanée. It practices organic and biodynamic farming and produces Pinot Noir from regional, village, premier cru and grand cru vineyards. The wines age up to 18 months in the barrel and are racked just once, then bottled unfined and unfiltered. The Gérard Mugneret Domaine was founded in the late 1960s by Gérard Mugneret's father, René; Gérard became the estate's vigneron in 1973. In 2005, Gérard's son Pascal joined the family business and now manages the estate.
Tasting notes: On the nose can be found ripe and juicy cherry fruit tinged with spice. There are whiffs of cola from the barrel and a hint of meaty reduction. Tart red and black berry, sweet spice, a touch of cedar, appear on the palate.
2014 Sylvain Pataille Marsannay
Sylvain Pataille is a well-regarded wine producer based in Marsannay-la-Côte, just outside the town of Dijon, at the northern end of Burgundy's Côte de Nuits subregion. Estate winemaker (and consultant enologist for a number of Burgundy domaines), Sylvain Pataille, established his own operation in 1999 with just a single hectare (2.5 acres) of vines, while still working at a winemaking laboratory in Beaune. He went full-time in 2001, and today has around 15 hectares (37 acres) of vineyards all situated within or just outside the Marsannay boundary. All of Pataille's vineyards are certified organic.
Tasting notes: The nose includes notes of dark berry fruits and violets along with earth and a saline tinge. It is rich and perfumed, with attractive hints of yellow fruits as well as the new wood. On the palate, a lovely texture is reminiscent of a very fine cotton, soft and enveloping. The dark berry fruit is concentrated, well defined and ripe but with a mineral undertone and nice acid lift.
