Essex County Wine Society

2006 Drouhin Burgundy Recap

The current tasting season continued in grand fashion on November 5th. We had a near sell-out for Laurent Drouhin and Howard Menaker’s presentation of the 2006 Drouhin red Burgundies. Laurent provided some great background and photos on his family business, their holdings in Burgundy, and of course, the wines. He tasted along with us and provided a great and honest commentary on the wines and answered questions from attendees.

Laurent indicated that he did not necessarily view 2006 as a long-lived vintage, but felt that it could offer great pleasure while waiting for our 2005s to mature (assuming one has 2005s). While we did not take an official vote, it seemed that the wine of the night was the Drouhin Charmes Chambertin Grand Cru. Most of the wines were drinking very well, including the Clos des Mouches 1er and the Corton Bressandes Grand Cru.

Our next tasting will be December 3rd, when I will be presenting a Champagne tasting. To start off the holiday season, we will be tasting both vintage and non-vintage champagnes – with examples from “grandes marques” Champagne houses, as well as some of the up-and-coming stars of the “grower champagne” movement. Please send your replies as soon as possible, and in any case, no later than November 27th.

While most of us are familiar with Champagne’s grandes marques (a direct translation would be “big brands”) or Champagne houses, in recent years, much attention has begun to be paid to a smaller group of artisanal producers, known as “grower-producers” who farm the land from which they produce their Champagne – often using organic/biodynamic principles that have begun to take hold in other wine regions. Are these wines better, worse, or just different from better-known “house” negociant Champagne? This is one of the things we will try to determine.

The tasting will include:

2000 Moet et Chandon Dom Perignon – “The 2000 Dom Perignon is a gorgeous, seductive wine that floats on the palate with remarkable grace. Toasty aromas meld into freshly cut flowers, apricots and pears, with sweet notes of mint and licorice that linger on the long finish. This perfumed, inviting Dom Perignon is elegance personified, and in this vintage the wine fully merits its lofty reputation.” Antonio Galloni, Wine Advocate. 94 points.

2003 Bollinger by Bollinger – “ An atypical but very ripe Burgundy with bubbles…” Robert Parker, Hedonist’s Gazette. 95 points.

2005 Ulysse Collin Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs – “The Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs (2005) is a striking wine loaded with a mineral-laced expression of Chardonnay fruit. This taut, focused wine reveals notable inner tension, showing awesome focus and clarity. Notes of salinity on the finish recall a great Chablis.” Antonio Galloni, Wine Advocate. 93 points.

Jose Dhondt Brut Mes Vielles Vignes Blanc de Blancs Grand Cru – “The expressive nose is an interesting juxtaposition of very fresh and high-toned floral and citrus aromas against very yeasty and toasty aromas that typically come with age…this is already extremely complex and as a result, is one of those relatively rare examples from the ’04 vintage which could be drunk now…” Allen Meadows, Burghound.com. 93 points.

We will also be tasting wines from Cedric Bouchard and Pierre Peters, bright lights in the grower champagne movement.

The cost for the tasting will be $65 for members and $79 for guests.  

Our next event will be a California Syrah tasting on January 7, 2010, led by Ken Brady.

De gustibus non disputandum est,

“Remember gentlemen, it's not just France we are fighting for, it's Champagne!”

~ Winston Churchill

“Gentlemen, in the little moment that remains to us between the crisis and the catastrophe, we may as well drink a glass of Champagne.” ~ Paul Claudel

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