"I like a good farmer!" says Jeanne-Marie De Champs, owner of Domaines et Saveurs Collection in Burgundy. Jeanne-Marie represents over seventy producers and exports them to various countries, including the USA and my favorite wine stores.

Jeanne-Marie is responding to my question about how she chooses the producers she represents. Each one I've met over the years has been passionate about their craft.

"Every time I like a bottle of Burgundy, I turn the label around and see your name!" I have told her. But then again, bottles I buy at home are usually Bourgogne AOC and today we are visiting some of her very best producers with bottles selling for well over $100.

You can see all the producer visits here, but today we are visiting Clos de la Perriere, Domaine Gallois, Domaine LaMarche, Domane Meo Camuzet (the picture above is a barrel of wine that Jeanne-Marie bought at the Hospieces de Beaune, which is being raised by Meo Camuzet) and Chateau de la Maltroye.

Jeanne-Marie is very strict about the producers she accepts into her fold -- they must make wine as natural as possible. And all the producers I've visited with her have been absolutely passionate about making the best wine possible. Without exaggeration, the feeling one gets when they talk about their wine and offer tastes of it is as if the wine is their children. Every day, the winemakers are in the cellar, tasting it, listening to its needs ...

On this visit I discovered some fabulous producers and it is always thrilling to find oneself in a restaurant or a wine store, recognize the label on the wine bottle, and have fond memories of the visit..

Winemaker and Chateau de la Maltroye owner Jean-Pierre Cournet has the exotic look of a jet-set film star as opens the door and greets us in his gorgeous 18th century Chateau in Chassagne-Montrachet.  It is high on a hill, with a gorgeous view of the village and darkening sky. And there's something a bit mysterious about it ...

"Hello," I say, as we shake hands. "I love your wines. I have had them at Jean-George ..." I begin, naming an expensive restaurant in New York.

"Today you will have them much cheaper," he replies, with a wry smile.

The house is incredible -- a lot of space, airy . We are lead to the spotless, yet ancient looking cellars one can't help but think it is a movie set.  This feeling is intensified by the large figure of a knight in silver armor standing guard near the barrels.

When the Cournut family purchased the estate in 1940, the 6.5 acre plot behind the house was a vegetable garden. The wine business simply wasn't profitable enough to warrant new plantings. Today, vines that run 200 meters down the hill behind the Chateau make up the priceless Maltroye 1er Cru holding, offering wines that sell for more than $70-$100/bottle. 

The domaine covers around 15 hectares; of which 40% of the vines are red Pinot Noir and the rest mostly Chardonnay. Each year there is enough for two barrels only of Batard Montrachet Grand Cru while there are 10 different Premier Crus whites; including La Dent de Chien, La Romanee, Grand Ruchottes, Maltroie Cretes, Clos de la Maltroye (red and white), Macharelle, Chevenottes and Baudine.

I try the various wines -- they are young but incredibly delicious, rich with what appears to be 100% oak. And they would indeed cost a fortune at Jean-George, yet at that restaurant I would have the luxury of really savoring them.

You won't find much on the Internet about Chateau de la Maltroye -- and Mr. Cournet does not appear to be the talkative type -- yet from what I can gather when he took over from his father in 1995 the quality of the wines improved dramatically. It could be better selection, new technology, or just his own personal approach to creating a rich, well-balanced wine yet whatever it is, the wines are fabulous.

Domaine Meo Camuzet is a gorgeous, very modern looking winery in Vosne-Romanee. For many years I have been very excited to visit, because I know that Jeanne-Marie De Champs, owner of Domaines Et Saveurs Collection who  represents many top Burgundy wineries for export, trusts Meo Camuzet exclusively to elevate the wines she buys at the Hospieces de Beaune auction each year and the wines she presents that have been raised by Meo Camuzet are always fantastic.

Jeanne-Marie's Hospice Wine being 'elevated' at Meo Camuzedt

As we enter the bright winery with its glass-enclosed walls we are met by Pierre, an assistant winemaker, who leads us down to the cellar and invites us to taste an assortment of wines.

Domaine Méo-Camuzet was founded at the beginning of the last century when Mr Étienne Camuzet, a member of the French Parliament for the Côte d'Or from 1902 to 1932, began to select vineyards whose location and reputation were of particular interest to him. The vineyards he acquired were among the best locations in the  appellations.

According to the winery, the objective is to make wines with structure and delicacy - with concentration as well as charm. The balance of a wine is essential: refinement and complexity are the hallmarks of great wines and represent the desired goals throughout the wine making and ageing processes. 

Harvesting is done by hand -- it is done this way at most Burgundian vineyards -- yet what is different here is that a large part of the selection is performed not just on table,s but during the harvest by Jean-Nicolas Méo, with a team of 4 to 5 skilled workers instead of hired pickers. Twenty percent of the fruit is dropped on the ground instead of being brought into the winery to be sorted there.

Special boxes are used to keep the grapes from getting crushed -- as they are often done elsewhere -- yet  it is clear that Domain Meo Camuzet is truly a stickler for taking every possible cautionary step to produce healthy, ripe grapes in their natural state and also treat them very gently and naturally during the vinification process.

Of course, the real proof was in the wines ... and as Pierre opened a sampling of various vintages and regions and quality levels from cru to village, it is clear that the wines shared a clean, balanced appeal.

When buyers are successful in bidding on a wine during the Hospieces de Beaune auction, the next step (after writing the check) is to find a winery to take the wine and "elevate" it which means putting it in barrel and gently guiding its progression into a fine wine.

After the visit I can see why Jeanne-Marie chose Méo-Camuzet!

“Welcome!” says Nicole Lamarche, a petite, dark haired young woman with a quick, confident manner that silently supports the fact she is a brilliant winemaker. Since 1997 she has taken responsibility for the family’s prestigious line-up of Grands Echezeaux, Echezeaux and Clos Vougeot, and the best of the Vosne 1er Crus (Malconsorts, Suchots Croix Rameau) from her winemaker father whom she joined after oenology school in 2003.

By 2007. Nicole was making wines on her own – and making changes in the winery as well, beginning with going organic in the vineyard and changing coopers, raising the percentage of new oak for most wines, and adapting vinification techniques like cold soaking, and the length and temperature of fermentation and maceration to suit each individual vineyard with careful attention to the vintage.

By all accounts quality has improved dramatically since her ascension … and I am eager to try these legendary wines in the cellar which she pulls directly from the stainless steel vats.

Very quickly, we go from stainless steel vat to vat tasting the current vintage of everything from village wines to grand cru. Though quite young, each wine has its own specific character, and each is quite balanced despite its youth.

As we taste, I can’t help thinking about the dramatic history of the Domaine (you can read about it here, but isn’t the history of every domaine dramatic) and think how lucky it is all working out that Nicole, with her modern ideas and thoughtful attention to each plot and specific needs of each vintage, is at the helm here.
 

“Welcome,” says the affable Dominique Gallois, owner and winemaker at Domaine Gallois, as his friendly dog wags a greeting. We have just driven through the charming, historic village of Gevrey-Chambertin to arrive at Mr. Gallois’s home and cellar, where a child’s bicycle is parked near the front door and two enthusiastic-looking music and video producers eagerly taste wine atop a barrel in the charming tasting room, minutes later exiting with several cases.

Gevrey-Chambertin wines are exclusively red, and made predominantly from Pinot Noir grapes. Widely regarded as being the most full-bodied and masculine of the region, the village's wines have an intensity of color and rich, deep flavors which many label as “masculine” while the wines of the nearby Chambolle-Musigny are called “feminine.” The distinguishing feature of these wines is their intensity, longevity and a distinctive gamey note not found in the wine of any other commune. Though the parish was originally called Gevrey, in 1847 the parish council added the name of their most prestigious vineyard Le Chambertin, to that of the village

I am here in Burgundy spending the day with Jeanne-Marie De Champs, owner of Domaines et Saveurs Collection, visiting a handful of her many producers who she has hand selected because of their natural approach to winemaking. Mr. Gallois’s great-grandfather built the family's wine cellar and home in 1901 among the family's vines in Gevrey. Today, this 12 acre estate has holdings in Bourgogne, village Gevrey, premier cru Gevrey and grand cru Charmes-Chambertin.

As I tentatively embark down the very steep steps of the very deep cellar, I am reminded that Gallois is known to have one of the coldest, oldest cellars in the region. This is important for long, slow fermentations and great aging potential.

First, let me describe the cellar. It is somewhat horizontal in shape, and very, very clean despite its age. The barrels look exceptionally well organized, almost like eager young students sitting with rapt attention in a classroom. Immediately one gets the impression that Mr. Gallois is a strict but benevolent master who goes to a great deal of effort to ensure his young “students” (the wines) have the best possible care and nutrition, but in return he expects a great deal out of them.

We start to taste, with Mr. Gallois opening bottles of the 09 Gevrey-Chambertin village wines. The style is bold and delicious and very well balanced with black fruit and black licorice on the nose and palate, This village wine has a cold soak for five days to give it color, and ten percent of new oak.

The Gevrey-Chambertin 09 1st cru uses 40% of new French oak and has that delicious toasted oak flavor on the nose, with that black fruit and licorice profile along with raspberry. The Gevrey-Chambertin 07 is an absolutely gorgeous wine with incredible balance, elegance, finesse, and deep concentration of fruit … a dark, deep, and delicious wine that is every collector’s fantasy.

At this point, we leave the tasting table and with his “wine thief” – a long pipette style glass for drawing wine from barrel – he leads us around the cellar, withdrawing precious drops of this year’s maturing Premier cru wine from his holdings in exclusive vineyards such as Les Petits Cazetier where he owns a .2 hectare parcel planted in 1954. The wine, still in barrel, is incredible with gorgeous raspberry fruit intermingling with French vanilla.

We also taste the delicious, fresh, creamy Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru made from a plot originally planted in 1910 by Dominique Gallois' great-grandfather but since replanted. The wine is complex though still quite young, with a very rich and delicious palate of ripe, earthy red fruit. Aging in oak lasts between 14-18 months in thecellar
Back at the tasting table, we finish with the Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru 2008, lip-smackingly delicious with the aroma and palate of ripe sweet fruit … think of tiny framboise on Valentine’s day, with sweet vanilla from French oak barrels.

The good times with Domaine Gallois wines continues at Chez Guy, as Jeanne-Marie and I enjoy a well-deserved lunch!

Gallois

For more information, contact:

FIELD WELSH
9, rue du Marechal de Lattre de TASSIGNY
21220 Gevrey - Chambertin
FRANCE

TEL: +33 (0) 3.80.34.11.99.
FAX: +33 (0) 3.80.34.38.62

EMAIL: contact@domaine-gallois.com
 

“Your grandfather actaually used that press!” I can’t help but exclaim, looking at the large, crude, roughly hewn 12th century wine press in the equally antiquated looking cellar.

Anyone might believe it was used by ancient Mesapotanian slaves rather than a hard-toiling Burgundian winemaker atop a small hill in the appellation of Fixin.

Yet it is true. Winemaker and owner Bénigne Joliet , a gentle looking yet passionate, strong willed man in his thirties, remembers his grandfather (not great grandfather) working this ancient 12th century press once used by Cistercian monks.

If you have been to the Clos de Vougeot to see its medieval vat-house and presses, you can well imagine what I am describing. Beside the press are equally ancient looking straw baskets for gathering grapes. Joliet’s father modernized the winery and seemingly inspired in his son a quest to get the most of the grand cru terroir and literally put it on the map of the fine wine world.

Fixin was made a wine appellation in 1937, but dates back to the ancient Romans who undoubtedly took advantage of its pre Grand Cru status. You will find both red and whites here, Grand Cru and village level, yet the white Grand Cru is a tiny percentage and wildly coveted.

Curiously, though summer holiday makers pay a large entrance fee at the Clos de Vougeot to gawk at the Cistercian wine press and must fight off the crowds, there is no entrance fee or crowds here … unless you are discussing the Germans speeding through Burgundy en route to St Tropez, eager to stock their cellar with delicious Grand Cru from this tiny, two-church appellation.

Joliets holding their prized 1er Clos de la Perriè Blanc

I used the word “passionate’ and “strong willed” to describe Joliet because he is in the word of Jeanne-Marie DuChamps a “good farmer.” Beyond that, he is the sixth generation to work the land and as an enologist knows its full potential. In 2004 he was able to buy out other family members so that he could make the wine he wants to make, and after my tasting today must concur it was fabulous.

The second most important thing to remember when you taste at Domaine de la Perriere, with its ancient walls and small hilltop forest that serves as a “hail break” and spares the vines, is not to wear high heels as the cellar steps are steep, narrow, and hundreds of years old...

… and the first thing to keep in mind is that tasting Joliet’s wine is tasting history. Absolutely magnificent. One can only imagine what the wine tasted like when the ancient Romans worked the property, or the Cistercian monks with their 12th century press.

Mr Joliet was kind enough to open several bottles of red, from 2010 to 2006.  Though the terroir is 1st cru, he makes two styles of reds, one from old vines, and one from younger vines. Both wines see 2 - 3 years of oak maturation depending on the vintage. The color, again depending on the vintage, is a beautiful clear translucent garnet. This is because he does not believe in punching down or pumping over for color. Fermentation is kept fairly low, under 32 degrees, and the wine is put in barrels made by French coopers using wood from three different forests, medium toast.

The wine from the young vines has core cherry fruit and is quite delicious, yet the old vine wine from all vintages have a clear succulent beam of cherry fruit that is unmistakable and rare. I tried the 2008 which is a fabulous vintage and incredibly well balanced with racy acidity and that delicious cherry. And the white wine (very precious!) 1er Clos de la Perriè Blanc was incredible - rich and succulent with east Indian spices.

If you visit Burgundy you must stop by for an appointment!
 

http://perso.orange.fr/joliet

Wine lovers in New York are gearing up for the The 151st Wine Auction of the Hospices de Beaune will take place November 20, 2011 in Beaune.

Last night (Monday, October 24th, 2011) I attended a tasting at Christie's, the auction house, of some of the wines that will be offered -- you can see the list below. All were absolutely fantastic! Bidding at auction is a way to get some fabulous wine and support a worthy charity. 

Happily I've attended the auction and festivities surrounding it for several years ... you can read more about below

"Magical Journey"
Saturday Events
Burgundy Visits

Wines at the Christie's Tasting
 

ROUGE

Beaune 1er Cru, Cuvée Nicolas Rolin 2009

Beaune 1er Cru, Cuvée Nicolas Rolin 2005

Volnay-Santenots 1er Cru, Cuvée Jéhan de Massol 2009

Volnay-Santenots 1er Cru, Cuvée Jéhan de Massol 2005

Pommard 1er Cru, Cuvée Dames de la Charité 2009

Pommard 1er Cru, Cuvée Dames de la Charité 2005

Corton Grand Cru, Cuvée Charlotte Dumay 2009

Corton Grand Cru, Cuvée Charlotte Dumay 2005

Auxey-Duresses 1er Cru red Cuvée Boillot 2009

Pommard-Epenots 1er Cru, Cuvée Dom Goblet 2007

Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru,

Cuvée Madeleine Collignon 2006

BLANC

Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru,

Cuvée François de Salins 2009

Saint-Romain blanc, Cuvée Joseph Menault 2008

Pouilly-Fuissé, Cuvée Françoise Poisard 2007

Meursault, Cuvée Loppin 2009

Meursault-Charmes 1er Cru, Cuvée Albert Grivault 2008

Today at the Winebow portfolio tasting I had the good fortune to meet Jean-Michel Chartron, owner and winemaker of Domaine Jean Chartron in Puligny-Montrachet.

He walked me through several of his wines and I was impressed by the quality!

Even a simple Rully Montmorin 2008 was juicy and delicious, yet I especially liked the Chassagne Montrachet Cailleret 2008.

Clearly one of the best Burgundy producers at the event, and one I hope to see soon!
 

 

One of the most fabulous things about Manhattan is that one has no need to jump on a jet to explore exotic wine regions, as the regions themselves come to us.

On March 16, Burgundy Wines came to Manhattan to educate journalists about "the lesser known village appellations from Burgundy."

Leading hte seminar was Jay Youmans, Master of Wine, who was brilliant and had a great sense of humor.  Jay took us through a tutored tasting of eight wines, showing us on a map (very helpful!) how the different village plots differentiated against one another in terms of aspect. At times we had two wines from the same producer, the key difference being the year and also the differenet vineyard and its "aspect."

After the tasting, guests could meet the three dozen producers and taste their wine.

Pictured above is Jean-Marie Du Champs, who had some examples of top producers with her. Jeanne-Marie is super keyed into Burgundy, and you can read more about her and our visits to different producers here.

Fabulous tasting at A Voce today of wines from Drouhin. I found the 2009 vintage fabulous ... and spent a lot of time comparing the different villages.

Laurent Drouhin explained the diffence between Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet in that the Puligny is usually more structured and acidic because of the limestone.

I found it interesting to compare the Gevrey-Chambertin to other villages. I got a sense of "Cherries jubilee" -  rich concentrated cherries that tasted almost a bit brandied, while in contrast the Volnay was exceptionally well balanced but a little less ebulliant. 

Favorites of the day included the Meursault, Gevrey,  and Clos de Vougeot.

It's always a pleasure talking to Laurent -- he always has time to explain the winemaking and today I had the opportunity to meet his Burgundy based sister Veronique as well.

More later!

 Laurent and Oregon based Ashley Bell