TN- 2001 Tollot-Beaut Corton Bressandes

M

Michel Abood

Michel Abood
Aaaaah, it's good to be back in Paris. My first lunch was with a fellow New Yorker, Kristina Sazama, whom I had the pleasure of meeting at a Donnhoff dinner in December. She joined me at my old standbye, Willi's Wine Bar, which is something of a tradition for me: every time I am in Paris, whether for a month or a day, I stop in at Willi's. Rarely have I been disappointed with either the food or the wine. And today was no different.

We ordered our dishes (for me it was a terrine of leeks and wild mushrooms followed by a guinea hen in more wild mushrooms - yum!), then spent a while going back and forth over the wine list. Well, duh, we are wine geeks, right? While there was no question as to what to order (Burgundy!), we couldn't decide which one. So we went with...

-2001 Tollot-Beaut Corton Bressandes
Right at first pour, this looked beautiful, with that crystalline red color that's always nice to see. At first sniff, I knew we were onto something special. Crisp cherries and strawberries, with some dirty, muddy, minerally aspects rolled into the thicket for good effect. As it breathed, we began to get a very light sort of fresh, crisp parsley accent that, believe it or not, really added to the wine. This was another fine example of weightless weight: it had presence on the palate yet wasn't big, it managed to stay beautifully balanced, with some fine tannins and a nice finish.

Needless to say, perfect with my food. What a way to start a trip!
Cheers!
 
I think Burgundy lovers-of whom I am one to the extent that other wine bores me even when it's terrific (except when it accompanies the best most expressive and most appropriate food)-often have rather low standards and are thrilled just by the fact that what they are drinking is real Burgundy. I don't think this is a very good wine yet I have no doubt at all that I would have been just as thrilled as you on this occasion!
 
Tom, you are singing my life with your song. The only silver lining to my rapidly metastasizing burgundy tumor (sorry Joe) is my ability still to thrill over pedestrian bourgognes and modest villages. I hope I never taste La Tache.
 
Wow, Tom, woke up on the wrong side of the asylum? Have you had this bottle? This was a beautiful wine, and while I do recognize that there is far too much plonk still being made in Burgundy (and throughout the world) this was really lovely.
 
I have had it, Michel. The bottle I had was perfectly OK but I would not claim more for it-though of course that says little about other bottles.
What I really meant to do was extol the marvels of even less exciting Burgundies, and I probably seem more negative here than I mean to be.
 
Ah ok, that I can get on-board with. I do love good Villages and 1ers, but this bottle showed really well, with a ton of precision and a nice balance between the fruit and acidity. Between that, the food and the general atmosphere (I do love Willi's), it was a lovely bottle of wine.
 
originally posted by Tom Blach:
I have had it, Michel. The bottle I had was perfectly OK but I would not claim more for it-though of course that says little about other bottles.
What I really meant to do was extol the marvels of even less exciting Burgundies, and I probably seem more negative here than I mean to be.
Click to expand...

I got it and it made perfect sense.
 
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