Summing Up Two Trade Tastings - 120 Wines Tasted - Part I

It has been a lot of wine tasted the last weeks. Beside the lunch tasting with Bründlmayer I attended Vingruppens tasting of their assortment. Due to the current work load I arrived late and bottles of 2006 Cristal and 2011 Meursault Perriéres, Lucien le Moine from magnum had already been drained by greedy fellow tasters - I know who you are! :-)

But there was still lots of intersting things on the tables to taste, below are short notes of some of the wines I tasted, with a approximate score. It is fun and you learn a lot by this kind of speed tasting, but at the same time it is like cykling through a museum, you get a glimpse but there is no time for deeper analysis.

What better way to starte then with Champagne - none! From Louis Roederer the NV Brut Premier shows a steely, chalky pure nose and a crisp taste that lacks a bit of oomph (~86p), their 2007 Brut Vintage sports a creamy nose full of ripe yellow apples and a soft, very good taste (~88p), and the best of the bunch (since the Cristal stood their in empty majesty...), the 2009 Brut Rosé with its upfront, elegant starwberry scent paired with a lusty, creamy, lingering taste (~92p).

I moved on to another trio, this time from Pierre Péters. The NV Réserve Oubliée has a gorgeous caramelly note and lots of freshness. The taste is young, tight and focused. This has to be bought. (~92p). It time, the 2006 Cuvée Spéciale Les Chétillons will surely eclipse the Oubliée, but for now it shows of a restrained, refined and laid back nose and a concentrated, racy taste that reveal its potential but doesn´t bring much enjoyment today (~90p). Their Rosé for Albane has a pure, simple, upfront nose and a rather foursquare, tight taste with some dried raspberries. Good but lacks spirit (~82p).

I took the opportunity to retaste Lenoble Cuvée Intense Brut and Lenoble Rosé Brut and they showed the same as on the tasting lunch a while back.
The NV André Clouet Silver Brut Nature has a young, fresh, apply nose and a fresh, salivating taste with a high acidity and ripe yellow fruit. This is very good (~89p). Last  bottle tasted from the Champgane table was the NV Jacquesson Cuvée No 737. The nose is very elegant, poised and creamy with chalk, red apples and hyachint. The taste is young and perky with lots of sweet lemons, minerals and a hint of chocolate. Really fine (~91p).

I moved on the white wines and started with a duo from Catena. I retasted 2013 Chardonnay and it behaved exactly the same. The 2010 White Stones Chardonnay has a stony, elegant, withdrawn nose and a tight, juicy taste with yellow fruit and cap gun smoke. A bit narrow in the middle taste, although very good (~88p). I then poured the 2011 Vasse Felix Heytesbury Chardonnay and was met with a stunning nose full of ripe lemons, butter cookies and assorted nuts. The taste is long and intense and filled with gorgeous fruit and a firm backbone. This is a stunner and a must buy (~94p).

White Burgundy is one of my favourite wines and the next bottles was fun to taste. 2011 Meursault and 2011 Meursault Clos des Ambres, both from Domaine Arnaud Ente both showed ripe, spicy Chardonnay fruit paired with a chalky, pure taste with a fine intensity. The Clos des Ambres has a fatter character and slightly more depth. Both were great examples of young white Burgundy, (~92p) and (~93p).
Another 2011 was poured next, the Savigny lés Beaune Clos des Guettes from Louis Jadot. The nose is young, cool and hebal with finely tuned lemon fruit. The taste is lean (in a positive way) with lots of lime and lemons, and some additional dry butter cookies. Very, very good (~90p).
La Chablisienne was represented by two bottles, the first was 2012 Chablis 1er Cru Montée de Tonnerre that showed a young, flinty nose with a fine nerve. The taste is racy, finely tuned and with a high, refreshing acidity (~91p). The Crand Cru, 2010 Château Grenouille is a gorgeous creature with finesse, refinement and purity. The taste has a laser like focus and notes of lemon cream, chalk and a impressive length. Give this beauty at least 5 years (~93p).

The 2011 Clos Mireille Blanc de Blanc from Domaine Ott displays a upfront, gorgeous, summery nose with gooseberries, grass and white currants and has a wilful. cool, fresh taste. This I really like (~91p).
JA Ferret´s 2010 Pouilly Fuissé Author de Fuissé has a fine, elegant, grassy nose and a delicate, young taste with a fine acidity (~90p). Next up is two bottles of Sancerre, the 2012 Pierre Deschamps is light and friendly both on the nose and taste with fresh gooseberries and minerals (~86p). The 2013 Les Belles Dames, Gitton is pure and correct but rather anonymous (~83p).
Lastly, in this part, I tasted the 2010 Châteauneuf-du-Pape Magis Blanc from Lucien le Moine. I usually love the wines from le Moine, but not this one. A over the top, sweet nose with overripe yellow apples and glue. The taste is intense and hot with some bitterness in the end. No (~78p).