Answer: Vendange 2023 in Chablis is completed. Your scribe was there and most producers are optimistic on the final results. Older vines especially are adapting well to the hotter Summer conditions and all vines benefiting from well organized canopy covers. Not the same frost issues reducing many of the vintages over the past decade. After a small crop in 2021 the 2022 & now 2023 have produced above average therefore helping ease the pressure on rising prices. Also the earlier picking times have been helpful to maximize acidity balance. Encouraging!
We all remember several decades back the coming out of those expensive big ripe fruit bombs of Right Bank Merlot. Your scribe never bought any after tasting many of them but found them generally rather over the top. Our Vancouver branch of La Commanderie de Bordeaux cellared some and put together an interesting dinner on September 18 at the Vancouver Club matching some 8 older ones from 1990 to 2001 with the top-quality cuisine consistently served there. The opening with 2009 POL ROGER was creamy excellence of 60PN/40C eight years on lees from that riper year. The closing provided another brilliant showing of the outstanding 1988 Sauternes vintage with RABAUD PROMIS balanced with rich long botrytis. The surprise of the night was 2013 VALANDRAUD BLANC with the bright fresh crafting style of Murielle Andraud (wife of Jean-Luc Thunevin) Sauvignon Blanc with now the Semillon in the blend showing more textures plus barrel-aged – intriguing wine! More astute wine selections always of smart value by astute cellarmaster Alvin Nirenberg. Congrats.
The eight main “Garage” wines:
1. GRACIA 2000 Powerful young from 4.4 acres but tonight rather unclean and earthy. Past best.
2. LA GOMERIE 2000 Very dark modern super ripe 90M/10CF 6.2 acres
3. LA GOMERIE 1996 Less depth with paling mature edge from 35-year merlot vines.
4. TERTRE ROTEBOEUF 1990 Several off bottles. Variable but some of that jammy fruit & new oak in your face is still there. Not subtle or elegant.
5. VALANDRAUD 2001 Big deep softer fruit from 9 hectares. Opulent jammy fruit though drying has interest if you like that style.
6. L’HERMITAGE 2001 Coarser sappy merlot from 7.5 acres between Angelus & Beausejour-Duffau that is planted 75M25CF
7. LA MONDOTTE 2001 Vineyard 4.5 hectares next to Troplong Mondot of 75M & 25 Cab Franc. Much classier fruit left and so refined! Low yields and new oak but CF gives complexity. For your scribe, this was clearly best!
8. LA MONDOTTE1996 Also good but CF not used so simpler 100% concentrated merlot.
Tasting provoked comments but most felt the wines generally were not improving. Enjoy now.
Question: Which grape has adapted best to hotter climate change condtions?
Answer: That is a tough one. Don’t believe any one grape has been the most successful. There are lots of worthy candidates among those that didn’t quite get enough ripeness previously but now are thriving.
However, one of the grapes in the top group would be Barbera. This variety with large grapes and thin skins tends to overproduce so needs to have attentive pruning. Presently producing the best riper Barbera wines ever in Italy and plantings have expanded worldwide because of the helpful impressive underlining acidity always there for balance. Expect to see more Barbera wines in the future.
On September 21, 2023 the Vancouver Group of Eight held event #114 hosted by member Doug Loughran generously providing all the wines brilliantly matched with excellent choice food pairings prepared by Chef Kate Rice of At Your Table Catering.
We started with our aperitif 2000 DOM PERIGNON but not the current P2 one with longer fresh lees time but here more ready from that original release rich toasty brioche full textures with some ginger notes. We finished up with another classic 1990 CHATEAU D’YQUEM Sauternes the last of that magnificent trio each with their own distinctive vintage characteristics but this one produced by Lur Saluces is deliciously concentrated and luscious but only 12.7 abv & 126 grams/liter residual sugar so well balanced for the sweet vintage. Lovely now but will continue to develop more complex opulence but drier styling over the next many years.
The piece de resistance was 2019 Clos Vougeot (CV) from 8 different producers plus a mystery wine that turned out to be an older 2003 of Chateau De Latour. 2019 reds in the Cotes de Nuits have turned out rather well after a difficult flowering period start because of the warm dry high hours of sunshine in the Summer but fast development of sugars at harvest needed careful monitoring to keep higher alcohols down. It is the largest Clos (walled vineyard) area but a smaller AC commune of 50 hectares spread among 80-82 owners. The best part of the vineyard is just below and above the Vougeot chateau (rather than above the highway road). Another important factor confirmed by this tasting is that most producers here are conscientiously making much better quality wine in the last 15 years so it is less risky purchasing young Clos Vougeot.
CLOS VOUGEOT 2019 Wines all red Grand Cru tasted with a few comments:
1. DOMAINE ANNE GROS LE GRAND MAUPERTUI: Gros producers are confusing but this started as Domaine Francois Gros until 1988 then his daughter Anne joined him until 1995. Most expensive one here was served first as Doug Loughran wanted to show highest price not always indicative of top wine. Second darkest of First Flight. Lovely structured fruit with lighter Damy oak (often used for the whites) quite delicate and floral. Stylish & complex. Future.
2. DOMAINE DE LA VOUGERAIE: Boisset Family properties since 1999 but organic since 1998, approved Ecocert since 1989 and biodynamic from 2001 in 2 parcels. Lightest look of First Flight red fruits but creamy entry with some earthy intensity.
3. DOMAINE GROS FRERE ET SOEUR: Original Gros family since 1920 and this started 1963 division of Louis Gros to his 4 children. Gustave & Colette Gros combined to form this firm now run by Colette’s nephew Bernard Gros. Clearly way the darkest with powerful pure black cherries and less spicy.
4. FAIVELEY: Have 3 parcels (one Grand Maupertuis and two at the bottom) totalling 1.27 hectares but used no whole bunches. Very classic with a lot of concentrated depth and elegant vibrant freshness on the finish. Refined. Great food pairing here the wonderful rabbit course.
5. DOMAINE LAMARCHE: Energy from 3 parcels of Nicole Lamarche is lightest of Second Flight showing leafy greener statement rather muted. Not as intense as others but austere presently. Should develop.
6. DOMAINE TORTOCHOT: Chantal uses 25% whole clusters and you notice this in the open attractive aromas. Dense enough to approach earlier but body to age.
7. DOMAINE DROUHIN LAROZE: Have 2 parcels in middle and bottom. Experimenting with whole bunches but none used in their 2019 CV. Darkest deepest of 2nd Flight. Impressive big oaky fruit over 14 abv you notice on the finsh. Quality but almost too big as lacks elegance now. Future.
8. 2019 CHATEAU DE LATOUR: Big parcel of 5.48 hectares (11% of the AC) from Francois Labet & son Edouard makes truly Vins de Garde from older organic since 1992 vines. Follows strict pruning rather than green harvest. Picked from September 12 for 10 days. So intense and complex clear fav. They feel 2019 has more charm than 2018 but also power and advocates Burgundy wine from whole clusters ages better than destemmed grapes
9. 2003 CHATEAU DE LATOUR: Mystery blind tasting. Clearly old red Burgundy here. Browning look shows lots of age. Thrown a lot of fine sediment in the glass. Obviously much older than 2019. Lovely bouquet but not nearly the wine that 2019 is or is going to become in 20 years. Drink.
Question: How is the 2023 Champagne harvest going?
Answer: More or less over. Started early on the first days of September weekend in the southerly Aube region followed in the first week by the traditional Vendange. Reports show some of the heaviest grape bunches ever produced though initial yields were set at only 11,400 kilos/hectare but are coming in higher. INAO has increased the maximum reserves volume allowed from 8,000 kg/ha to 10,000. Therefore we are assured of a very large Champagne crop quantity in 2023. Overall the quality is yet to be determined. Good detailed link here on wine-searcher of September 11 by Caroline Henry.
