Stop stirring, they’re fat enough already………..

In the last blog we discussed the succession of superb vintages coming out of the Rhone valley. We need to take a look at the home of Chardonnay and the reference point for the variety; Burgundy. After the atypically hot 2003 vintage, 2004-2006 wines offer classic flavors and textures that can not be replicated outside of this region.

The Cote de Beaune is the home of many of the world’s finest wines, namely Meursault, Puligny Montrachet and Chassagne Montrachet. The soils in the Cote that are used for Chardonnay tend to be lighter and with a higher degree of limestone than the richer limestone/clay soils that is preferred for Pinot Noir.

Let me hit you with some knowledge: The Cote de Beaune is the southern stretch of the Cote D’Or which stretches for 30 miles southward from the town of Dijon. You know, the mustard place. ‘The Cote D’Or represents the fault line of the hills of the Morvan from the plain of the Saone, which, in the Jurassic period 135 to 195 million years ago, was an inland sea. The predominant rock is Jurassic limestone, which favors both Chardonnay and Pinot Noir varieties.’ Oxford Encyclopedia of Wine

The 2004’s White Burgs are out in our stores, the 2005’s are just coming in and the 2006’s will begin to trickle in near the end of this year and into next year. The 2004 vintage was preferred by the purists to the 03 and 05 vintages as the wines have a reasonable amount of racy acidity that the 2003’s and 2005’s do not have. You need to decide for yourself what style of Chardonnay floats your boat when making your purchase.

The 2005 vintage was heralded in wine regions all over the world. The judgment of a particular vintage begins with the success that has occurred in the regions of Bordeaux, Burgundy and the Rhone Valley. These regions have all arguably produced some of the finest wines than they have made in the last 50 years. In the Cote de Beaune the yields were naturally low due to a cool spell during flowering in June which brought some uneven development of the berries and less of a crop set. Cool nights and reasonably warm days are good growing condition for ripeness and maintaining balancing acidity. Some isolated hail storms in June reduced crop levels further and actually stretched out the harvest as the leaves were also damaged which are the catalyst for the photosynthesis of the berries. When harvested, the grapes yielded wines that were intense and rich, fleshy and vibrant, and a vintage that will appeal immediately once poured into a glass.

One of the current examples of a French estate that is split because of the Napoleanic succession code (remember, you can’t spell succession without the letters succ-s) is the estate of Philippe Colin. Phiippe and his brother Bruno split what was the estate of Colin-Deleger. Phillipe has nice holdings in the vineyards of Chassagne Montrachet, St Aubin and Santenay. We have a beautiful preview to the 2005 Red Burgundy wines with Phillipe’s Bourgogne Rouge. This is a beautifully styled Pinot Noir, with class, elegance and a bounty of red fruits that will last for days once opened. The 2005 whites are here in force and are everything that you would want in a white wine; they combine power and elegance, grace and length, with complexity and balance.

Phillipe tends to produce a precise, restrained and minerally version of Chardonnay. He stopped stirring the lees in December as lees stirring adds texture and creaminess to the wine and felt that the wines already possessed enough ‘gras’ or fatness on the palate.

With all wine, it is essential to treat it with care. These Burgundies were shipped in a refrigerated container and stored in a temperature controlled warehouse. You will find them in the precise condition that they were in when they left the cellar.


Phillip Colin’s wines from 2005:

Reds:
Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2005, Retail $21.99 Warehouse $17.99

Whites:

Maranges ‘Vignes Blanches’ 2005, Retail $26.99 Warehouse $21.99

Montagny ‘Sous les Feilles’ 2005, Retail $29.99 Warehouse $24.99

St Aubin ‘Les Combes’ 2005, Retail $41.99 Warehouse $34.99

Chassagne Montrachet 2005, Retail $49.99 Warehouse $39.99

Chassagne Montrachet ‘Clos St Jean’ 2005, Retail $74.99 Warehouse $59.99

Chassagne Montrachet ‘Embrazees’ 2005, Retail $74.99 Warehouse $59.99

Chevalier Montrachet ‘Grand Cru’ 2005, Retail $294.99 Warehouse $219.99

Come on! Live a little! Try these Burgs while they are still around. Remember that in the world of wine, we are currently living in the best of times.

You’ll be doing the hand gyrations and the la-la-la-la song from the Paulee in no time.