Imagine how lucky you would be to experience Burgundy right in the middle of Manhattan! Several lucky journalists were able to experience six wines from Burgundy, and two Cremant (sparkling wine) on December 8th 2010.  Narrating the seminar was Anne Parent of Domaine Parent, a very important producer in France that has been in the Parent family for generations.

I first met Anne - very briefly - at a tasting by women winemakers in Pommard a few years ago. She was an excellent presenter today, speaking in very good English about the terroir of Burgundy and why it is so special. The first three whites were Saint Veran Les Cras 2007 from Domaine des Deux Roches, Mersault 2007 from Albert Bichot Domaine du Pavillon, and Chablis 2st cru Vaulorent, 2007 from Jean-Marc Brocard.

I will speak of the three whites together, as each seemed a good example of their terroir. The Saint Veran was delicious, and had such intense minerality one of the group thought it was oaked. Yet it was rich, buttery, and racy, with intense acidity. It actually seemed a bit more buttery than the Meursault, which in contrast was a bit more elegant and had more finesse. More restrained in its vibrance. The Chablis 1er Cru had a very elegant expression of terroir and a restrained nose.

The reds included Givry 2008 Domaine Michel Sarrazin, a very juicy wine with concentrated fruit and a savory, rich, almost candied cherry nose and palate, Beaune 1er cru Les Champs Pimont 2007 from Domaines Jacques Prieur, one of my favorite wines - very well balanced with a long finish.  I liked its intensity and texture, and found the tannins tame yet refreshingly assertive. In my last travels to Beaune in November I ordered wine from Beaune quite a bit, impressed by the flavor profile and value. The Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru, Les Combottes, 2007 Domaine Alain Jeanniard was deeper than the other reds in color, nose, and palate, with substantial and intense fruit. It seemed as if it need at least three more years in bottle to fully appreciate.

The presentation was excellent, and I really enjoyed seeing the maps along with the presentation, which was really well structured and organized. You can read more about my travels to Burgundy here:

.... Most of you know what a fabulous experience I had this March in Burgundy, when journalists had a chance to visit the various regions and try wines of many different producers. I really enjoyed my time in Chablis, where I actually got very close to identifying the seven Grand Cru in a blind tasting.

Today Chablis has come to New York, and all my favorite producers are there. More on this later, but below are some links to producers I met in Chablis ....
 

http://awinestory.com/2010/03/hello-from-grands-jours-in-chablis.html

Wine friends, I’ve been obsessed with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir since my visit to Burgundy to take part in the Les Grand Jours De Bourgogne – a very exciting week in the lives of journalists and trade professionals, and of course the winemakers throughout Burgundy. This was my second visit and the officials who have organized it have done a spectacular job. This year, also, the weather cooperated, as two years ago I arrived in Chablis for the first day’s tasting in a suit without a coat.
 

Maison des Vins de Chablis - in the sun!

Now, if you have been to Chablis, you know that Saks Fifth Avenue is not exactly around the corner. And if you have not seen Chablis, but have been to Disneyland and have seen the castle of Sleeping Beauty, you get a sense of what this charming village is like. Making up for the freezing rain and wind that day two years ago were the delicious 2006 Chablis and the very warm welcome of the producers of Chablis and Auxerrois.
 

chablis room

This year, the welcome was equally warm – and so was the weather. I had dressed for a Siberian blizzard in anticipation of the grey cold, yet the sun was so gorgeous and warm it felt like St. Tropez. Though only two years had passed, this year I knew many of the producers by name, since a key team of producers from Chablis had come to Manhattan.

Also, Laurent Droughin had his own tasting, and I got some voice commentary about grand cru.

I was able to say hello once again to Jean Francois Bordet, last seen in Manhattan where after an impressive seminar and tasting he was off to shop. It was also thrilling to meet the producers whose name I had only seen on the bottles of Chablis, such as young Romain Collet whose family had been making fine wine for hundreds of years.
 

chablis buffet

In addition to knowing so many of the producers from past visits to Burgundy, such as the Hospices de Beanue, I recognized many friends I have made on many other trips to wine regions around the world, partly through WSET and the Masters of Wine program. During the incredible buffet lunch (the French do things so well) showcasing traditional cuisine from Chablis and Auxerrois, guests were able to taste all the different wines, as well as earlier vintages.

The first day of Les Grands Jours sets the tone for the rest of the week, and seeing all my favorite producers, tasting the new vintage and meeting new producer friends, was so fabulous I left just knowing the rest of the week would be fantastic!

(to see Day 2, please click here)
To see Day 3 please click here
To See Day 4/5 please click here

Sunshine so brilliant greeted our arrival in Chablis for this week long "fete" to showcase the treasures of Burgundy it was in direct contrast to the rain and chill of two years prior, where umbrellas and coats were necessary to protect against the winter chill.

One of the hazards of being a wine educator and writer is that as one palate's evolve, so does the price of the wines. It may be a slow progression for some -- a step up from village level Chablis to one from a trusted producer, and before you know it, you are buying first and grand cru.

Yet tasting through the village level Chablis in the 2008 vintage at the Union des Grands Crus de Chablis tasting this past Monday any wine lover would be pleased to buy on this level. It was a treat to see so many producers whose name I recognize from my local wine store standing by their wines, offering pours. And in contrast to two years ago, everyone seemed to speak English -- had my daily hour with Rosetta Stone Language software been in vain?

The wines I tasted were fresh and delightful with very high acidity and a strong mineral content. Depending on the producer and nature of his or her terroir, even the village level wines seemed to have enough balance, concentration of fruit, and acidity to age for quite a while.

As for the crowd, last year I saw Ed McCarthy, author of Champagne for Dummies, from New York but he said he wasn't going to make it. This go round I was pleased to see my friend Becky Sue Epstein along with Elin McCoy, a fellow member of Manhattan's Wine Media Guild.  But where was my friend Panos?

Amanda, a fellow Master of Wine student I tasted with during the Hospices du Beaune, said hello in the room reserved for the Grand Cru Tasting. You probably know there are 7 Grand Cru yet can you identify the differences? Identifying them may be a lifelong process, yet as time goes on and the more Grand Cru Chablis I drink the more the individual terroirs make themselves apparent.

Differences between Grenouilles and Bougros seem easier to note than the other Grand Cru areas. Bougros seems to have a very strong nose and palate of extreme minerality. Les Preuses, specifically Domaine Nathalie & Gilles Fevre, seemed to have a pronounced element of lime and citrus, and curiously, the acidity was not as racing as the Grand Cru Preuses from Domaine Simonnet-Febvre.. Perhaps it could be chalked up to Fevre's forty year old vines.

The entire 2008 vintage across all the Crus was showing quite well, with all wines having incredibly high acidity, solid concentration of fruit, excellent balance between the fruit and acidity and alcohol, and very gentle oak. The AOC that one my vote yesterday was Grenouilles - I particularly liked La Chablisienne Chablis Grand Cru Grenouilles 2008.

I also liked Blanchots, both Domaine Laroche "Reserve de l'Obedience 2008" and Chateau de Viviers which had quite a bit of texture, possibly from battonage and 15% aging in French oak barrels. Laroche was a particular study in balance, very elegant, with a pastry cream sort of aroma. It had been aged 9 months on lees, with 80% in French oak barrels.

Domaine des Malandes Chablis Grand Cru Vaudesir got notes of praise for its balance, finesse, and delicious palate of citrus and pastry cream. Le Clos, as represented by Domaine Servin, struck me as exceptionally full bodied - perhaps due to 100% alcoholic/malolactic fermentation and maturation in oak casks (average age 3 - 4 years).

Also great to see darkly handsome Jean Francois Bordet showing his First Crus - Jean Francois had been one of three Chablis producers who came to New York last fall on a media tour. And I was able to meet in person young Romain Collet, whose wine I wrote about during a Master of Wine related tasting practice.

The buffet was an extravaganza of incredible cuisine from the area's celebrity chefs.