» Burgundy

Chateau Béru in Chablis

Greg Roberts — Thu, 09 Jun 2011 17:22:34 +0000

Since the 1600′s the Béru family have made their home in this small village which is a ten minute drive from Chablis. After the phloxera louse wiped out the walled vineyards surrounding the chateau in the 19th century, wheat was grown in its place. Vines were not replanted until 1987.

Athénäis de Beru took over winemaking in 2004 after studying viticulture and oenology in Beaune. She runs the estate along with her mother. Grapes are hand harvested and yields are restricted. The vineyards are certified organic and Athénäis is looking to move to a biodynamic certification in the near future. Chateau Béru has one of two remaining moon-dials in Europe. Given biodynamic belief in timing treatments and cellar work to the lunar cycles the moon-dail may again become part of daily life at the chateau.

The Premier Cru Vaucoupin is aged in 1/3 new oak while the Clos Béru Monopole and village Chablis wines remain in stainless steel tanks. I found each of the wines to have the classic freshness and steely acidity that you expect from Chablis while maintaining a good intensity of citrus flavors.

The restored moondial at Chateau Beru

Athenais de Béru in the clos vineyards

renovation work is continuing at the chateau

Chablis: The Wine Region Not The Brand

Greg Roberts — Thu, 19 May 2011 15:38:26 +0000

Grand Cru Vineyards of Chablis France

In some parts of the world chablis is the brand name given to white wines made from almost any white grape. Chablis is also the name of the wine region at the northern boundery of Burgundy where white wines are exclusively made from chardonnay. Within the region there is also the small town of Chablis. So next time someone claims “I don’t like Chablis but love chardonnay” you can ask which one they are referring to, the wine region, the town or the “brand” and then mention Chablis from France is always made from chardonnay.

I recently spent a day there visiting a few of the producers that practice organic viticulture. Because Chablis is the close northern most limit of viable viticulture most growers want to have a full arsenal of products at their disposal to treat crops. The handful of producers who are certified organic must do a lot more work in the vineyards in order to have healthy grapes.

This work was going at full speed due to the warm and dry conditions. Vines are already two weeks ahead of recent vintages in the growth cycle and the all important flowering stage is getting ready to begin. Growers are worried about the lack of rain which combined with the warm conditions could produce another vintage like 2003. Wines from that year for the most part lacked the charm and restraint that makes Chablis great.

I love the style of chardonnay that’s dry, bright, has lively acidity, full-bodied but not heavy and has a lingering finish. Most producers in Chablis go for an similar understated style and are very restrained in their use of oak. They let the wines natural character shine through rather than the trying to marrying with vanilla and oak flavors.

Chardonnay planted in limestone and clay soils

Les Grands Jours de Bourgogne Day Three

Greg Roberts — Thu, 25 Mar 2010 08:54:26 +0000

Day three of the Grands Jours de Bourgogne took place at the Palais de Congres in Beaune and featured wines from the Maconnais and the northern Cote de Beaune appellations of Aloxe-Corton, Savigny les Beaune and Haute Cotes de Beaune. The sheer number of wines at events like these forces you to focus on a specific appellation rather than taking a shotgun approach to tasting. By my count there were 424 producers present and each has at a minimum at least three to four wines. Some claim to have the ability to effectively evaluate five hundred or more wines a day. However, for me, after about a hundred wines, especially the more tannic ones, I can discern the high and lows but I find difficult to taste the nuances. Thankfully, organizers set up a vinothèque or sample table featuring one wine from each producer. Here you can freely try wines and then after finding something interesting you go and meet the producer to taste his full range.

The endless table of wines

5 Days & 10,000 Wines To Taste In Burgundy

Greg Roberts — Thu, 18 Mar 2010 14:48:36 +0000

Next week I have the opportunity to participate in giant Burgundy tasting event called Les Grands Jours de Bourgogne. It’s held every other year with 15 different tastings spanning from Chablis in the north to the Cote Chalonnaise in the south. This year they are expecting 1600 journalists, importers, distributors and restaurateurs from 34 countries to take part in the tasting.

Despite having to be away from the office for five days for the event I’ve justified taking part since its an opportunity to taste a lot of Premier and Grand Cru Burgundy, which are not exactly everyday wines in our household. Also, it’s an occasion to taste and compare side by side the different styles of wines from producers in each appellation. Finally, since I’m sitting for the difficult blind tasting section of the Wine & Spirit Education Trust (WSET, London) Diploma in June, this is exam prep!

A tasting of wines from Clos de Vougeot & Vosne-Romanée takes place at the Chateau

Proof That This Wine Is Hand Made

Greg Roberts — Wed, 14 Oct 2009 16:35:27 +0000

Recently, I spent some time with one of my producers, Jean-Pierre Charton in the village of Mercurey in Burgundy. I’ve visited many times so it was no surprise that he had come straight from the vineyards and his hands were covered in dirt and grime so we exchange greetings without a handshake. With about 20 acres of vines he and his son do all the vineyard work almost entirely on their own. There are few shortcuts available for tasks like correctly pruning the vines, limiting the number of buds on each branch and conducting green harvests. Charton and son Vincent who recently graduated from the Lycée Viticole in Beaune do this difficult work by hand.

In his cellars we tasted his 2008 wines including his Premier Cru, Clos de Roi Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, Mercurey Vieilles Vignes and Bourgogne Pinot Noir from barrels, as well as the limited remains of the 2007 vintage in bottle. He’s rightfully very proud of his wines and enjoys tasting them as much as I do. Often he simply smiles and nods his head acknowledging that weather conditions and the hard work in the vineyards came together in the end to make a great wine.

Read a full profile of Domaine Jean-Pierre Charton here.

Jean-Pierre Charton, Mercury Vieilles Vignes 2006: This red is marked by its beautiful silky texture, a foil for the flavors of sweet cherry, spice, leather and a hint of truffle. Rich, this is softening nicely and begs for roast chicken, with a good firm finish. Drink now through 2014. Wine Spectator, 90 points

Tasting in Burgundy Continued

Greg Roberts — Mon, 12 Oct 2009 17:36:34 +0000

We spent the afternoon of tasting with Jean-Francois Maestre of Domaine Michelot and Martin Prieur of Domaine Jacques Prieur. Martin Prieur joined us for the night’s festivities in Vosne-Romanée where we had rented a small farmhouse for the weekend.

An outdoor fireplace / grill was fired up and gathered in the enclosed courtyard to enjoy an impressive selection of wines to pair with our meal. We raided the cellars of our host who graciously provided a selection of vintage champagne along with Burgundies from throughout the Cote d’Or. We started with dried sausage them moved into grilled andouillette (tripe sausage) – something that I can’t bring myself to enjoy even grilled and even with strong mustard. It’s pungent smell and flavors are just too much. The entrée was Cote de beouf. A cheese course finished the dinner. The highlight of the evening was a 1998 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Romanée- Saint-Vivant that was earthy, pungent …, fantastic.

Romanée-Saint-Vivant

The Subtle Art of Finding the Right Oak Barrel

Greg Roberts — Wed, 30 Sep 2009 21:54:14 +0000

A group of friends recently organized a weekend wine tasting trip to Burgundy. I would be the only foreigner among a group all of whom work in the wine business. I didn’t know where we would visit and taste but I knew I wouldn’t be disappointed.

After a leisurely lunch in Beaune after our three hour drive from Paris, we set out to visit some clients of our host. He works as a salesman for one of the major tonnellerie or barrel makers in Burgundy. As he explained, his job is very different from other suppliers of dry goods to the wine trade. He works more as a consultant by interpreting the winemakers style into a barrels that will best help then achieve their objectives.

All oak barrels are not created equal and most estates will test many barrels from different coopers to determine which best suits their wines. Differences in how the wood is pre-treated and aged, if the wood is either cut with a saw or split along the grain and how the inside of the barrel is heat treated all effect how the wine matures.

At Domaine Jacques Prieur in Meursault, we tasted through an exhaustive range of the wines coming from the same parcels but aged in barrels from different manufacturers. The differences sometimes were subtle and other times wines seemed to come from entirely different vineyards. It gave me new appreciation of the how difficult it is to master the delicate art of barrel aging to improve the wine without overpowering it.

Tasting in the cellars of Domaine Jacques Prieur, Meursault

Next: The Feast in Vosne-Romanée