Monday, February 21, 2011

An Intro to Burgundy: What's On Tap for Thursday

I hate to say it but yes, after a week of silence, this is just a teaser post.  This Thursday, February 24, I'll be conducting an Introduction to Burgundy class at Tria Fermentation School in Center City Philadelphia.  The session has been sold out for weeks; nonetheless, I thought I'd share what I'll be pouring for any who might be attending and can't wait to find out, as well as for those who might like to research, shop, drink and/or drool along.

Here's what I'll be pouring.  It's a full slate this time 'round.  Eight wines—read 'em and weep:

  • Bougogne Aligoté "Cuvée des Quatre Terroirs," Domaine Chevrot 2008
  • Mâcon-Charnay "Franclieu," Jean Manciat 2008
  • Puligny-Montrachet, Chavy Martin 2008
  • Chablis "Terroir de Chablis," Patrick Piuze 2009
  • Fleurie, Terres Dorées (Jean-Paul Brun) 2009
  • Givry Premier Cru "Cellier aux Moines," Domaine Thenard 2007
  • Pernand-Vergelesses Premier Cru "Île des Vergelesses," Domaine Chandon de Briailles 2001
  • Gevrey-Chambertin "Clos Prieur," Patrice Rion 2007
Okay, so maybe it's not a list to induce tears.  This is an overview class, after all, not a 40-year retrospective of  (name your favorite Grand Cru).  The plan is to touch on all of the major sub-regions of Burgundy, throwing a bone to the Beaujolais along the way, and to cover the last three vintages, sneaking in a slightly older wine because, well, I like to sneak in slightly older wines.

If all goes well, and time and budget allow, this intro course may lead on to more in-depth, Burgundian explorations.  We shall see....  Hope to see some of you there.

2 comments:

Ted Kiefer said...

David, Looks like fun. Hope it was. How did the Chandon de Briailles show? I have some 05's laid away. One question, why did you pour it between the other 2 Pinots? Why not first as oldest, or last as biggest? Just curious.

David McDuff said...

Ted,
It was indeed fun. A bit daunting, too, as trying to cover all of Burgundy and pour eight wines in 90 minutes is a rather tall order. I'd like to think it went pretty well, though.

Aside from the Aligoté, which was poured as a "welcome wine" and which hailed from Maranges, my rationale for the order was to move from south to north in both the white and red flights, as a way to discuss the stylistic and terroir-driven differences from sub-region to sub-region.

The '01 Chandon de Briailles worked out quite well where it was -- only a tad weightier than the Givry but considerably more tannic, while not nearly as rich in fruit or body as the Gevrey. I think it might have been washed away a bit if poured after the Gevrey and likely would have overshadowed the Givry if poured first (same thing for the Fleurie, which was surprisingly lean and tangy).

In and of itself, the Chandon de Briailles was showing great. Some bottle bouquet has developed, along with a subtle onset of color evolution. The wine was still quite youthful; at once tannic and delicate when first poured, then opening up its grip and revealing more fruit and apparent richness by the end of class. It and the Piuze Chablis were my two faves of the night -- a tough call as all but the Fleurie were showing quite well.

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