June 11th, 2006, Bouilland, Burgundy, France

Overall:

On June 11th, I was fortunate enough to be invited to a wonderful tasting that the wine broker Becky Wasserman-Hone puts on each year, in her home. It takes place in a little village called Bouilland, which is up in the Haute Cote, just beyond Savigny les Beaune. Surrounded by trees, with towering cliffs overhead, it is a beautiful spot, particularly in the long days of June. The weather was warm, but less sweltering than in 2005. and the vignerons did not mind, since it was the first warm weather they had had, and near-perfect for the flowering of the grapes, which is a great start for the 2006 vintage.

Various vignerons in Burgundy bring several bottles of one of their wines from a decade earlier, and everyone gets together for a grand tasting of all of the wines. It is a delightful chance to taste so many wines form the vintage at once, see Clive Coates once again, and enjoy Becky Wasserman-Hone and Russell Hone’s hospitality. At the conclusion of the tasting, Russell cooks up a huge batch of French lentils, with sausage and meats from the local charcuterie in it, and a big green salad.

I want to send my heartfelt thanks to Becky, Russell and Peter for their work, their heroic efforts in organizing and running this event, and for pulling together such a delightful day in Burgundy. And thanks also for providing the opportunity to see so many vigneron friends and restrauteurs at one time.

The crush of people can make it hard to get to everything, and there is not time enough to write detailed notes. But it is an unparalleled chance to taste so many wines of the vintage at one go and get a sense of where the wines from various villages are today. As always, please keep in mind that any Burgundy tasting is only a single snapshot. On another day, with different barometric conditions or a different moon phase, the wines may present very differently. I bravely (or foolishly) attempted to taste through all 27 whites, 27 Cote de Beaune reds and 51 Cote de Nuits Reds. Some palate fatigue may be reflected in my notes, of course.

I take notes more as a memory enhancer than as comprehensive notes at this kind of tasting, since there is too little time and too much wine to make it possible to write longer and more coherent notes. So you have my apologies if they seem either too brief or too cryptic. I have no scoring system, either ordinal or cardinal, so you will not find scores. But, if there was something particularly noteworthy about the quality of a particular wine, I tried to reflect it in my notes. If you have questions about individual wines, I can try to expand on the notes, if my memory allows me.

Before I give you these necessarily abbreviated tasting notes on the individual wines, I’ll give you my general impressions from the tasting. In some cases, there are no notes on a wine, primarily because the bottle was not available as I moved through the press of folks to try to get to everything, or because it was a flawed bottle, waiting to be replaced with a better one. The tasting is large enough that the vignerons bring 4 bottles of each wine to the tasting, so a change of bottles does happen. And the event is too busy and too chaotic to guarantee that I get to taste and write notes on every wine. If I missed one, I may not have been able to get back to it. But I am including all wines at the tasting, just for completeness. Some wines were poured from magnum, and I have noted this in my individual tasting notes, since it obviously affects the aging process.

About the Whites:

The whites were showing quite well. Although a few of them were showing some advanced notes or bits of oxidation, in most cases the bracing acidity of the vintage had stood them in very good stead. I did not see a raft of prematurely aged whites, as some comments on the internet might lead you to believe. I did talk to some vintners who are convinced that one key to longevity is higher quality corks. And I heard from a reliable source that the Portuguese started irrigating their oaks about this time. With more moisture, you can have as few as 3-4 growth rings in a cork, which means that the density is low, due to the rapid growth.

Many of the best corks seem to be coming from Spain, particularly Catalonia. While Portuguese corks may have as few as 3-4 years of growth in a cork, the dry-farmed Spanish corks will have 10-12 and the Catalonian corks 12-15 growth rings in a single cork. The density of the cork is particularly important, more than one wine-grower explained to me.

About the Reds:

The Cote de Beaune wines from Beaune and Savigny were just a bit strict, without the lushness of fruit to offset the acidity of the vintage. Wines from Pommard were mixed but better, and those from Corton were much better, in general.

In the Cote de Nuits, although Nuits St. Georges showed generally well (but with some unevenness), the vintage was particularly successful from Vosne Romanée north, with the lush fruit needed to support the structure and acidity of the vintage. In general, these wines are still basically babies, except for some of the village wines. Although they are showing well, one gets the sense that another year or three will only work to assist them in their development.

The Tasting Notes:

White Wines:

Cote de Beaune, La Grande Chatelaine, Domaine Emmanuel Giboulot
Showing some oxidation, but good acidity and still sound

Montagny, 1er Cru, Domaine Stephane Adame
Bright, fresh, very nice

Pernand Vergelesses, Domaine Jacques Germain (Chateau de Chorey)
Mineral-driven, but not a lot of drive

Auxey Duresses, Comte Armand
Creamy middle, a bit advanced on the palate

St. Aubin 1er Cru, Clos de la Chatenière, Hubert Lamy
Creamy mouthfeel. OK

Meursault, AC, Comte Lafon
Mature, with good acidity. Ready to go

Meursault Tessons, Clos de Mon Plaisir, Domaine Roulot (from magnum)
Very nice, with really lovely citrus notes and white flowers. Lots of charm, fresh.

Nuits St.. Georges 1er Cru, Clos de l’Arlot, Domaine de l’Arlot
Structured and rich, with an interesting spice. Quite good!

Meursault 1er Cru, Poruzots, Domaine Francois Jobard
Bright and rich, but still a bit closed and slightly reductive. Solid.

Meursault 1er Cru Charmes, Domaine Comtes Lafon
Very lovely. Bright, rich, very alive. Nice!

Meursault 1er Cru Charmes, Domaine Francois Mikulski
Lighter than the Lafon, very lively, bright and elegant.

Meursault 1er Cru Charmes, Maison Morey-Blanc
Reduced and impossible to read. Solid core.

Meursault 1er Cru Genevrieres, Domaine Jobard
Lovely, with pronounced minerality, both rich and bright. Good

Meursault 1er Cru Perrieres, Domaine Roulot (magnum)
Just a bit reduced. Long, lovely, very rich. Lots of life. Nice flavor.

Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru, Caillerets, Domaine Jean-Noel Gagnard
This seems tired. Also showing a touch of volatility. Still alive, finish is good, but this is not showing well.

Puligny Montrachet 1er Cru Folatieres, Jadot
Very rich palate, nice minerality. Good weight and life.

Puligny Montrachet 1er Cru Truffieres, Domaine Jean-Marc Boillot
Much more advanced than the Jadot. Ok, but not fresh.

Puligny Montrachet 1er Cru Caillerets, Domaine de Montille
Lovely, rich, long, complete. WOW! This is exactly what it should be.

Corton, Grand Cru, Domaine Chandon de Brialles (magnum)
Richer than the Martray. Long, complete. Much more open at present than the Charlemagne. Very good.

Corton Charlemagne, Grand Cru, Domaine Bonneau de Martray
Lots of minerality. Just showing a touch of that Corton honeyed note. Still very young at present.

Corton Charlemagne, Grand Cru, Vincent Girardin
Creamy and mature. Much more ready than the Martray. I’d drink up if it were in my cellar. Good finishing acidity.

Montrachet, Grand Cru, Marquis de Laguiche (Drouhin)
Très élégante. Long. Spicy. Very good, very long, very complete wine. Let’s you see why Montrachet is so pricey, and worth it. YES !

Red Wines:

Cote de Beaune:

Savigny les Beaune, Maison Champy
Mature, lovely, with nice fruit. Not a dense wine, but good.

Savigny les Beaune 1er Cru Dominode, Domaine Pavelot
Structured, big, young, quite tight. More extract and color. A bit edgy.

Beaune 1er Cru, Grèves, Domaine Michel Lafarge
Big, tight, long, spicy.

Beaune 1er Cru Les Cras, Chateau de Chorey (Jacques Germain)
Showing older notes, but still tight and a bit severe.

Beaune 1er Cru Teurons, Chateau de Chorey (Jacques Germain)
Bright, alive, more youthful, but showing very high acidity, without the weight to support it.

Meursault 1er Cru Caillerets, Domaine Francois Mikulski
Mature flavors, but the acidity is still high, and a bit prominent. This wine is still tight, and may show more with additional development.

Chassagne Montrachet 1er cru, Morgeot, Domaine Jean-Noel Gagnard
So-so. Alive, but not showing much density.

Volnay 1er Cru, Marquis d’Angerville
Not big but lovely. Long finish, good, almost minty flavors on the palate.

Volnay 1er Cru Carelles, Maison Camille Giroud
Big, structured style. Not a lot of fruit. Very nice, in a masculine style.

Volnay 1er Cru les Pitures, Domaine Jean-Marc Boillot
OK, undistinguished

Volnay 1er Cru Santenots, Domaine Chateau Rossignol-Jeanniard
Masculine, rich, good size, good length.

Volnay 1er Cru Champans, Domaine de Montille
Big, focused, very masculine. Tight. Good. Shows quite a lot of tannins at the finish. Needs time.

Volnay 1er Cru Clos de Chien, Domaine Lafarge
Big, spicy style. Focused, with very good length.

Volnay 1er Cru, Santenots du Milieu, Domaine des Comtes Lafon (magnum)
Very good, with lots of life. This has matured to a fine, very elegant style of Volnay.

Pommard 1er Cru Pézerolles, Domaine Billard-Gonnet
Minty, meaty, and oddly herbal with animal notes.

Pommard 1er Cru Grand Clos des Epenots, Domaine de Courcel
Very tight and showing some vegetal notes. Is it just in a backwards state?

Pommard 1er Cru Clos des Epeneaux, Domaine du Comte Armand
Very good, with an attractive nose. Rich fruit, a hint of mint and sous bois, and lots of complexity.

Pommard 1er Cru Clos des Epeneaux, Maison Camille Giroud
Much more rustic, earthier, little evident fruit. Solid Pommard, with meaty notes. Closed, but very good length.

Pommard 1er Cru Rugiens, Domaine de Montille
More structured than the Armand Epeneaux, with some chocolate notes. Tasty wine, with lots of rich fruit and a long finish. Good.

Corton, Grand Cru, Maison Champy
Supple, long and a bit meaty, with a bit of sweetness on the palate. OK

Corton, Clos des Corton, Faiveley
Interesting nose, but still quite closed on the palate. Shows some sauvage notes.

Corton Grand cru, Les Maréchaudes, Domaine Chandon de Brialles (Magnum)
Framboise notes on the nose, very pretty wine. Good flesh on the palate. Very nice, rather approachable style.

Cotes de Nuits:

Nuits St. Georges, Au Bas de Combes, Domaine Jean Tardy
Ok flavors, but a bit light. Shows the young vines here.

Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Champs Perdrix, Domaine Alain Michelot
Prominent minerality. Bright, mineral-driven finish. Very focused. Quite Good

Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Clos de l’Arlot, Domaine de l’Arlot
Very good, with meaty notes. Long, spicy, rich mid-palate but quite substantial tannins at the finish.

Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Chaboeufs, Domaine J-J Confuron
High acid on the palate, with prominent minty notes. Needs more time and food to accompany it.

Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Murgers, Domaine Bertagna
Oaky but with enough fruit to support this wood level. Tannins are just a bit dry at the finish.

Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Pruliers, Domaine Robert Chevillon
Structured, with lots of minerality. Tannins seem just a touch dry, but the wine has good character.

Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les St. Georges, Domaine Robert Chevillon
Bigger than the Pruliers. Also more tannic, more structured. But there is also an added density here that supports it.

Vosne Romanée, Domaine Michel Gros
Spicy, with interesting Sous bois notes. Note a lot of weight, but nice flavors

Vosne Romanée 1er Cru Brulées
Rich and surprisingly soft for this terroir, which is usually a bit harder. Good Fruit. Nice.

Vosne Romanée 1er Cru, Malconsorts, Domaine Cathiard (magnum)
Masculine, rich, long. Excellent finish. Lovely character, with some NSG minerality and Vosne weight

Vosne Romanée 1er Cru Clos des Reas Monopole, Domaine Michel Gros
Very fine character, more minerality than the Malconsorts, but not as focused. Nice character.

Vosne Romanée 1er Cru Les Suchots, Domaine Confuron-Cotetidot
Structured, masculine, and quite young. Very good, though.

Clos de Vougeot, Grand Cru, Maupertuis, Domaine Jean Tardy
Less weighty than the Michel Gros Vougeot, and also more transparent and lighter on its feet. Shows well, but it is not as big a wine as I expected

Clos de Vougeot, Grand Cru, Maupertuis, Domaine Michel Gros
Meaty and structured, big wine. More maturity towards the finish. Very nice.

Echézeaux, Grand Cru, Domaine Jean Grivot
Masculine, rich, very long finish.

Grands Echézeaux, Grand Cru, Domaine de la Romanée Conti
More focused, more tannic, more backwards than the Grivot. Very Good.

Grands Echézeaux, Grand Cru, Domaine Gros Frère & Soeur
More elegant in style. Fine, nicely structured. Good

Richebourg, Grand Cru, Domaine Gros Frère & Soeur
Much more backward, with lots of structure. Almost brooding in temperament. Very young. Lots of potential.

Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru les Beaux Bruns, Domaine Ghislaine Barthod
Structured and young, but very good wine

Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru Les Feusselottes, Domaine George Mugneret
Quite mature flavors. Ready to go now!

Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses, Domaine J-F Mugnier, Chateau de Chambolle Musigny
Firm, very elegant style. Long finish. Still very young and rather undeveloped.

Musigny, Grand Cru, Domaine Comte de Vogüé
Elegant but very reserved. Is this just backwards, not showing today, or not quite as good as expected. I’ll have to come back to this later in the tasting. (When I did, it had been consumed by some folks who were raving about how good it was. SIGH)

Morey St. Denis 1er Cru Clos de la Bussiere, Domaine Roumier
Rich, big, structured, with very nice flavors. Quite young, and in need of time.

Morey St. Denis 1er Cru Vieilles Vignes, Domaine Hubert Lignier
WOW* Rich, focused, young, but this has lots of drive, energy and structure.

Bonnes Mares, Grand Cru, Domaine Roumier
Very nice wine. A bit earthy in character. Long and complex. Needs time.

Bonnes Mares, Grand Cru, Domaine Comte de Vogüé
Very lovely, rich in character. Good nose. Shows lots of length. Definitely Grand Cru.

Clos de Tart, Grand Cru, Domaine du Clos de Tart
Very nice plum notes. Long and tannic. Good!

Clos des Lambrays, Grand Cru, Domaine des Lambrays
Lighter than the Clos des tart, but very good length. Long and complex.

Clos de la Roche, Domaine Dujac
This is very lovely, very rich with lots of length on the palate. Black fruit notes, licorice, sous bois, complex. Very good!

Clos St. Denis, Grand Cru, Domaine Dujac
More masculine. Long, rich and very good!

Gevrey Chambertin en Champs, Vieilles Vignes, Denis Mortet
Great richness and very complete wine. rich mid-palate

Gevrey Chambertin Vieilles Vignes, Domaine Denis Bachelet
Animal notes. Good. Fine, elegant, very long.

Gevrey Chambertin Vieilles Vignes, Domaine Alain Burguet
Smoky, meaty, more tannic in character

Gevrey Chambertin Les Seurées, Vieilles Vignes, Domaine F. Magnien
Very good, with nice fruit, toasty oak and meaty notes.

Gevrey Chambertin 1er Cru Champeaux, Domaine Alain Burguet
More size, more depth and more toast than the Magnien. Good, but a bit oaky for my palate.

Gevrey Chambertin 1er Cru Champeaux, Domaine Denis Mortet
Toasty oak, but this has the material to easily handle it. Needs time Very good

Gevrey Chambertin 1er Cru Cazetiers, Domaine Bruno Clair
Big, focused, backwards. Lots of extraction. Needs time.

Gevrey Chambertin 1er Cru Cazetiers, Domaine Serafin Père & Fils
Big, meaty, very Gevrey, with lots of high toast oak. Very attractive, if a bit marked by oak for my taste.

Gevrey Chambertin 1er Cru Clos St. Jacques, Domaine Louis Jadot
Serious wine. Long, rich, concentrated, elegant and with nice minerality.

Charmes Chambertin, Grand Cru, Frederic Esmonin
Good fruit, nice length. Concentration OK. Charming wine.

Charmes Chambertin, Grand Cru, Très Vieilles Vignes, Domaine Denis Bachelet
Much more here than the Esmonin. Very good palate impression. A complete wine.

Charmes Chambertin, Grand Cru, Domaine Taupenot Merme
More open wine. Solid enough, a bit gamey in character.

Ruchottes Chambertin, Grand Cru, Domaine Georges Mugneret
Lovely sweet fruit, very nice aromatics. Lots of structure here that needs time to resolve.

Griottes Chambertin, Grand Cru, Domaine Drouhin
Pretty cherry notes. Very elegant style, restrained, with great length. Very fine.

Chambertin Clos de Beze, Grand Cru, Maison Camille Giroud
Very old style Burgundy. Tannic, structured and with lots of weight to stand up to the tannins.

Latricieres Chambertin, Grand Cru, Domaine Simon Bize
Floral and charming, but no blockbuster for a Grand Cru

Chambertin, Grand Cru, Domaine J& J-Louis Trapet (magnum)
Backward and tannic but lots of lovely blueberry fruit notes. This really needs time but it most impressive!

Chambertin, Grand Cru, Domaine Armand Rousseau
The wine of the tasting for me!! Superb, complete, very, very young, but near perfect wine. WOW!

Keith Wollenberg, K&L Burgundy buyer