My first tasting at the Loft, Bourgogne Crown's tasting room in south Tel Aviv. The star of the show was Hubert Lamy, both because his wines took up the larger portion of the show and because, quite frankly, he'd be a star anywhere. One of the wine world's tragedies is that he doesn't have any holdings in the Montrachet vineyards.
The tasting informally marked the tenth vintage of both Lamy and Chavy imported by Bourgogne Crown. I have very warm, formative memories of the arrival of the initial vintages. Lamy, especially, was Bourgogne Crown's rite of passage as an importer. Lamy always print a map of their vineyards on the back label and I remember buying my first bottles of the Bourgogne Blanc and the Princee village and ogling the Premier Crus.
The bottom line is these are two terrific producers (and, if I'm not mistaken, not usually prone to premox).
Any good Burgundy tasting ought to start with a Champagne, so here we go...
Marguet Pere et Fils, 'Shaman' Grand Cru Extra Brut 17
This is Marguet's basic non-vintage cuvee. 2017 is the base year and it was disgorged in 2020. Elegant with a delicate texture, yet very vital at the same time, slightly nutty and floral, with slight oxidation. High class for an non vintage.
Domaine Alain Chavy
An excellent and very dependable Puligny estate, always fairly priced.
Puligny Montrachet, Les Charmes, 2019
A rarely seen vineyard (or at least, rarely mentioned on the label), bordering on the Meursault Premier Cru Charmes. It convinces me as a terrific village wine, the nose showing dry grass and hints of flint, along with green apples. Some rusticity and a certain lack of sophistication are what ultimately make it a village and not a premier, but the palate, with its excellent balance, fine texture and saline finish, make a top-notch village wine and show Chavy's discrete use of barrels (350 liter ones).
Puligny Montrachet Premier Cru, Les Folatieres, 2019
The comparison here is two-way. Compared to the Charmes, it's cooler and less forward. The nose has more nuances, as the minerals include chalk as well as flint. The texture is finer, as well. It's a Premier Cru, no doubt about it. Focusing on comparisons to the Clavoillon, it's the more direct of the two, due to the warmer exposure and younger vines.
Puligny Montrachet Premier, Cru Les Clavoillon, 2019
Slower to open, showing at first mute fruit and a touch of nut oil on the nose. It would be a shame to share this bottle with too many drinkers, as any aficionado of white Burgundy would deserve an ample glass (or even two) to enjoy its development. It's a sophisticated, subtle wine and comes off as younger and less ready than the Folatieres. One of the attributes I enjoy in a wine on this level is that no single component, no matter how enjoyable, overwhelms another, which is certainly how this wine plays out as it starts to show minerals, which conjoin the other elements. Like the rest of the wines tonight, it is very saline and savory, which for me is a pre-requisite for any fine Bourgogne white.
Domaine Hubert Lamy
Since Olivier Lamy took over, he has put Saint Aubin on the map. In parallel, global warming has changed the map as the wines of Saint Aubin struggle less to ripen.
Bourgogne Blanc, Les Châtaigniers, 2019
This is a declassified village wine, as the vineyard is a bone fide village plot, but it's not as fine as the La Princee, admittedly. The nose is riper than any Lamy white I've ever had, and that ripeness remains in the background and rears its head across the 2019. This ripeness is vintage characteristic, according to Lifshitz, albeit one not present in the Chavy wines. The palate, though, is dry and taut, the finish very balanced.
Saint Aubin, La Princee, 2019
Since both wines are from de facto village vineyards, comparing them is quite apt. This is the more elegant of the two, the nose more detailed with additional nuances of minerals. The finish is riper, so it comes off as more mutli-dimensional.
Saint Aubin Premier Cru, Clos du Meix, 2018
For me, the highlight of the evening were the two 2018 whites. This, for example, is still very young, certainly compared to the year younger 2019. For me, the quality of a wine is not how many aromas and flavors crammed into it, but how nuanced they are and how interestingly they play off each other. Texture, too, is important. On all these fronts, this is a winner, an example why white Premier Crus have been sought after for years (and what a shame we had to live through so many years of premox).
Saint Aubin Premier Cru, Clos du Meix, 2019
Taken on its own, with no easy basis for comparison, you'd be impressed by its cool reserve and mineral sheen. But it has to compete with the 2018 and comes off as more forward and less sophisticated.
Saint Aubin Premier Cru, Clos de la Chateniere, 2018
Think of the Clos du Meix as a fine medium shot in a film. The director has perfectly framed the scene and you relish every detail. Clos de la Chateniere is what happens when the camera pulls away, yet managed to keep every detail in focus. You get a long, deep shot, but nothing is blurred. The canvas is bigger, but no nuance is lost. Such is the complexity and beauty here, the structure, the texture, the fine flavors.
Finally, two reds that need time, so don't lead first impressions mislead you. I also think you should open them in the near future, before they go into a slumber for a few years.
Saint Aubin Premier Cru, Derrière Chez Edouard Rouge, Vieilles Vignes, 2018
Starts a bit extracted, ripe and foursquare for a Pinot. That was the misleading first impression. Patience rewards with fresh fruit and pungent earthiness. As good and well built as it is, it's softer than the more remarkable 2019.
Saint Aubin Premier Cru, Derrière Chez Edouard Rouge, Vieilles Vignes, 2019
Again, don't rush to judge, wait until the earthy/spicy/minty aromas kick in. The acidity here is lovely, the finish complex. An exciting red.
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