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Burgundy Bonanza
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Burgundy Bonanza |
| Stop by the wine shop this Saturday. We'll be sampling a line up of wines from Burgundy, where Pinot Noir is King and Chardonnay is Queen. These are beautiful wines, full of complexity. All of them are made by small wineries and most of them are from single vineyards. They all focus on sustainable farming practices and embrace organic or biodynamic principles. Due to the irregularity of the economy, these wines are discounted from what they normally sell for. It's a bonanza you don't want to miss. |
| 2006 Domaine Billard, Hautes Cotes de Beaune Blanc, La Justice $14 Regularly $19 |
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Domaine Billard is located in La Rochepot, a small village noted for its elaborate 13th century chateau which is set into a rocky hillside. Jerome Billard is the fifth generation of his family to run this estate. Farming is done all organically. Yields are kept low through the use of cover crops and severe pruning. All the vines are harvested by hand. And only indigenous yeasts are used for the fermentation. The La Justice is 100% Chardonnay from a single vineyard. The soil is very chalky and the land has good drainage and exposure. The grapes are fermented in barrel and then matured for 10 months "sur lie" before bottling. The wine is rich and well structured but also quite elegant.
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2007 Domaine Dupre, Beaujolais Terre Noire Vieilles Vignes $13 |
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Just south of Burgundy is Beaujolais where the main grape is Gamay. Jean-Michel Duprè makes his single vineyard Gamay from 40 year old vines located on one of the highest hillsides in Beaujolais. The subsoil is a mixture of sand, clay and limestone, with topsoil of rough sands and stones. He harvests as late as possible. The "cuvaison" lasts 5 days with some heating of the vats for increased extraction. The wine matures in vat for a few months and then is given a light filtration and is bottled in February. The 2007 is a brilliant garnet-red. The nose is expressive and complex with notes of red and black berries. The attack is frank, the wine is elegant, full bodied.
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| 2006 Domaine Marechal, Ladoix $27 Regularly $35 |
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Claude Marechal's principles in the vineyards are
straightforward: the vineyards are plowed, no herbicides are used, treatments are kept to a
minimum and the pruning is severe to keep yields low. Vinification is done in open wooden
vats, all grapes are totally destemmed, and fermentation is not induced by adding yeast,
so it can take a few days to start (the "natural" cold pre-maceration common in
Vosne-Romanée). New wood barrels
are added every year, but their proportion stays low, because Marechal
doesn't look to make over-oaked wines: he'd rather have each vineyard express its own individual character, and make wines where fruit dominates. The Ladoix is supple with delicate tannins and discrete aromas of raspberries and morello cherries.
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| 2006 Domaine Paul Pernot, Beaune Clos du Dessus des Marconnets $25 Regularly $35 |
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Paul Pernot is a farmer first. His
production is very old style, working the vines by hand, harvesting early, employing nearly
entirely neutral barrels, and does very little batonage. Paul sells 80% of his wine
to négociants in Beaune (mostly Drouhin). The 20% that he retains and bottles
himself are the absolute crème de la crème.
The Beaune Clos de Dessus les Marconnets is as evidenced by the name, above the 1er
Cru vineyard Marconnets and borders Savigny-Les-Beaune. The wines have a classic Beaune
character of lively red fruits, a beautiful earthiness and a complex mineral character.
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| 2006 Domaine Raquillet, Mercurey Rouge, Les Combins 1er Cru $30 Regularly $35 |
| Before Francois Raquillet inherited this 11 generation family estate, the wine had been pretty generic. After he took over he enlarged the underground cellar, purchased new equipment and raised the quality to become one of the top domains in Mercurey. He keeps the yields from the vineyards low and minimally handles the fruit. Francois does not punch down or chaptalize. The wine receives between 30-40% new wood and each vineyard expresses its own character. Made from grapes of a Primier cru vineyard, the Les Combes captures the essence of fine Burgundy -- gorgeous fruit mingled with oaky spice and a lingering earthiness. Rich, ample, with a touch of earthiness. |
| Take the tasting home!! |
| Want to try them all again? Buy one bottle each of the five featured tasting wines and get 10% off. |