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Burgundy Night at Conrad
22/10 2008

2004 Bruno Clair Chambertin Clos de Beze Grand Cru

The theme for the evening anchors on the Burgundy gems – Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Besides being self-indulging, we were also ambitious – we wanted to compare the top Chambertin Grand Cru vineyards; to contrast the typically silky and feminine Vosne Romanee against the typically bold and masculine Gevrey-Chambertin; to see if a top Aloxe-Corton Grand Cru can overpower a Charlemagne Grand Cru; and to see how a high-rated New Zealand Pinot would fare among the Burgundy titans.

We tasted 7 bottles, including one from New Zealand for comparison:
2003 Bonneau du Martray Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru

2006 Jackson Estate Vintage Marlborough, New Zealand

2000 Serafin Pere et Fils Charmes Chambertin Grand Cru

2005 Maison Champy Mazis Charlemagne Grand Cru

2005 Philippe Charlopin-Parizot Gevrey Chambertin BelAir 1er Cru

2005 Robert Arnoux Vosne Romanee Les Chaumes 1er Cru

2004 Bruno Clair Chambertin Clos de Beze Grand Cru

As indicated by the map above, with the exception of the Vosne Romanee (south of Gevrey-Chambertin) and Corton-Charlemagne (in Cote de Beaune), these vineyards are located very close to each other.

Tasting Notes:

2003 Bonneau du Martray Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru

The wine looks pale gold in the dim light. Complex bouquet, a beautiful tune of honey, almond, vanilla, and white flowers. Stony fruits on the palate. Medium-long finish. Full bodied, good acidity – a powerfully structured and balanced wine. This wine will age.

2006 Jackson Estate Vintage Marlborough, NZ

Sweet spice, light hint of mint, leading to a bombardment of red fruits and aromatic raspberry. It is a very enjoyable wine with a solid finish. A steal at its price.

The wine has a lighter color than the Burgundy Pinot, potentially indicated lower fruit extract.

2005 Robert Arnoux Vosne Romanee Les Chaumes 1er Cru

Tight upfront, the wine took couple hours to open in the glass. An opulent nose of rosy flowers, sweet spices, and red fruits followed. Chewy, the wine is much heavier in body than expected of a Vosne Romanee premier cru.

2005 Philippe Charlopin-Parizot Gevrey Chambertin BelAir 1er Cru

The upfront wine personality is more reminiscent of a Bordeaux than Burgundy – with a powerfully tight nose of dark fruits, ceder, vanilla and oak. The complex nose eventually evolved into a fresh field of raspberries and strawberries. While perfectly delicious and jammy on the nose, the palate fell short on complexity.

2000 Serafin Pere et Fils Charmes Chambertin Grand Cru

This wine opened very nicely and quickly. Ruby in color, red cherry on the nose, dried fruits and prune on the palate, confirming sign of development. The wine is very ready for consumption.

2005 Maison Champy Mazis Chambertin Grand Cru

At desert time, this wine finally opened, revealing a deep, intense bouquet of blackberries. Fresh, juicy raspberries and red cherries exploding on the palate, yet the body is delicate and velvety. Very well balanced, with all the right elements for aging. This wine has the most potential!

2004 Bruno Clair Chambertin Clos de Beze Grand Cru

Expressive nose, with flying red fruits, exotic spices, and sour cherries. It is like opening an antique drawer packed with a potpourri of fruits and spices. Sadly, the body failed to match the nose. There are hints of dried fruits on the palate, indicating that this wine would not age very long.

Summary:

The Corton Charlemagne was so rich and complex that it could even be tasted after the flight of reds. The Vosne Romanee and Clos de Beze have the nose most representative of their birthplace. Though in body, both wines could not match the nose. Many of us like Philippe Charlopin-Parizot’s BelAir. The 2005 Maison Champy Mazis Chambertin has the most potential. It is definitely a bottle I would like in my cellar.

Beside the 2000 Serafin Charmes Chambertin, most of the wines are still quite young for consumption. Give it several years and these bottles will taste quite different. These tasting notes will serve as good reference points.

Last but not least, while terroir influences the wine, vintage and producer are the more powerful shaping hands. The ideal comparison would be having the wine produced by the same producers in the same year, but come from different vineyards. Let this be another theme for a future tasting!