• Tweet

Dinner at Clos Vougeot was the highlight for many at the festivities surrounding Hospices de Beaune, yet every aspect of it was educational and broadening.

For me, the day began walking from Beaune to the Palais de Congres in the rain and attending the 11:30 special presentation of 2007 and 2008 Chablis Grand Cru and Cote de Nuits-Villages. I saw friends Mike DeSimone and Jeff Jenssen and Alder Yarrow from Vinography.com and many others.
 

Cecile Mathiaud, Attachée de presse in green

After the press lunch, which featured wines from past Hospices de Beaune bottlings, as well as Grand Cru Chablis and Cote de Nuits Villages, there was a special 4:00 tasting "Vente des Vins" des Cuvees de la Recolte 2010 du Domaine des Hopsices de Beaune, or rather, a tasting of the wines that would be auctioned on Sunday.

I tasted next to Alder and said hello to old friends I sat with last year. It is hard to taste the current vintage in barrel ... one must use quite a bit of imagination and also rely on experience. Of the wines, I enjoyed the Beaune 1er cru Rousseau-Deslandes, Beaune 1er Cru Guigone de Salins (incredible nose with smoke, oak, sweet vanilla), Volnay Santenots (very well balanced), Pommard Suzanne Chaudron, Corton Grand Cru Charlotte Dumay (soft elegant nose, cherry, elegance.

Last year, as part of the "official" press brought in by the BIVB, I had first met Jeanne-Marie De Champs of Domaine et Saveurs at her charming apartment. This year we had become friends, and I attended a Friday night dinner party as an honored guest. As last year, she served wines she had bought at a Hospices auction (usually raised at Meo-Camuzet)  as well as her other producers.  Remi Brice of Champagne Brice, a charming man, told a story of his grandfather who met a woman and before going to war, said "I will marry you upon my return." Theirs was the first marriage in their village after the war.

Wines of the evening included 06 Puligny-Montrachet "Le Cailleret" from Michel Bouzereau with notes of saffron, 1er Cru 03 Savigny Les Beaune "Les Marconnet" from La Table De Guigon, 1er cru 04 Hospices de Beaune Meursault - Genevieres Cuvee Baudot, 03 Pommard Hospices de Beaune with notes of fig, raisins, oak, spice, a carafe of 1er Cru 2004 Nuits St George, 2003 Don Francois LaMarche "Le Croix Romeau" Vosne-Romanee, very well balanced with notes of spice and prune, 03 Grand Cru Echeveaux "Les Rouges Du Bas .... and much more.

You can read related Hospices and Burgundy stories here:

• Tweet