Tuesday, September 25, 2007

Martin Scott Portfolio Continued - White Burgundy

The beautiful thing about going to the Martin Scott Portfolio Tasting, for me, is that I get to taste Burgundy wines that I have never before tasted, and that in all likelihood I will not taste again unless I go next year. None of my friends drink Remoissenet at home, unless they're hiding it from me (which would be wise, I suppose). Such an impressive lineup of producers, such a pleasure to taste through the wines. Such a great way to learn about the character of the '05 vintage in white Burgundy.

A comment before getting started: I continue to notice that I seem to prefer the style of the 2004 vintage over the 2005 for whites in Burgundy. Not knocking the '05s - they're very tasty, and since I will never taste the highest level of Grand Cru wines, so take this with a grain of salt. The leaner, crystalline, taut style, but with lovely fruit all the same, is more satisfying to me than the big, fleshy, and robust '05s I have tasted. Lucky for me, since you have to pay far more for the same wines in '05.

Here are my notes, same system as last time, with wines scoring "8" or above being noteworthy to me. I do not have retail prices, but this time I will indicate if the wine is inexpensive (I), moderate (M), expensive (E, meaning over $50), or Hedge Fund Manager Style (HFMS).

2005 Domaine Bernard Moreau et Fils Chassagne-Montrachet (7+, M) Nose not revealing much right now, pleasant white fleshy fruit and a light texture.

2005 Domaine Henri Boillot Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos de la Mouchere (9, HFMS) Lovely floral nose, some stone fruit too. Intense palate, fills the mouth, perfume of citrus and minerals after swallowing. Not elegant, but not overwhelming either. Safely on the intense side of the spectrum, but very well balanced.

2005 Maison Henri Boillot Bourgogne (7+, M) Perfectly pleasant. This is the negociant arm of Domaine Boillot.

2005 Maison Henri Boillot Meursault (7+, E) Nuts and some wood on the nose, a bit clunky. I kept waiting for the underlying acids to shine through...

2005 Remoissenet Pere & Fils Puligny-Montrachet (8, E) Impressive lemon oil and flowers on the nose, palate still shy,with fresh fruit poking its head in and then withdrawing, but seems to have nice minerality and texture.

2005 Dujac Fils & Pere Puligny-Montrachet (7+, E) Flowers on the nose, also oak. Oak distracting me on the palate too.

2005 Domaine Dujac Morey Saint-Denis (7, E) I just didn't care for this - lots of wood and associated cloves and spices, but no fresh fruit. Maybe I got there right after they opened the bottle.

2005 Domaine Simon Bize & Fils Bourgogne Chardonnay (8, I) The value white of the tasting without question. Fresh nose of flowers and lemon oil. Fresh fruit, great pure feeling on the palate. Highly drinkable. This is about $15-20 a bottle, and would make a great drink-now white Burgundy for the next year or so.

2005 Domaine Simon Bize & Fils Beaune 1er Cru Aux Vergelesses (7+, M) Tight nose not revealing much, but flashes of perfume. Citrus on the palate, but shy fruit. Seems good, hard to tell at this stage.

2005 Domaine Jean Noel Gagnard Chassagne-Montrachet Les Masures (7+, M) Flinty nose, hints of flowers. Mineral palate, good purity.

2005 Domaine Patrick Javillier Bourgogne Cuvee des Forgets (7+, I) Very light and forward wine, citrus flavors.

2005 Domaine Patrick Javillier Meursault Les Tillets (8+, M) Really impressive. Tight nose, but reveals roasted nuts and hints of flowers. Viscous texture, almost oily, but with good acidity to balance. Fleshy and floral palate. Yum.

2005 Domaine Pierre Morey Bourgogne (8, M) White flowers, light palate with stone fruit and some lemon, highly drinkable.

2005 Domaine Pierre Morey Meursault Les Tessons (8+, E) Excellent. Nose of white flowers, ripe fruit, good acidity, intensely mineral. Just delicious.

2005 Morey-Blanc Auxey-Duresses (8+, M) Really impressive Auxey. Deep nose of fresh flowers and lemon oil, medium weight palate with good fresh fruit. Maybe not for long term, but so delicious now. Morey-Blanc is the negociant arm of Pierre Morey.

2005 Morey-Blanc Saint-Aubin 1er Cru (7+, M) Simple but pleasant.

2005 Domaine Leflaive Macon-Verze (7+, M) I know that this wine is supposed to be so good, but just didn't do it for me. Pleasant nose, but somewhat bitter on the palate, not balanced.

2005 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Clavoillon
(8+, HFMS) Toasty roast nuts on the nose, complex and weighty palate with flowers, more nuts, good acidity, purity.

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