Mark Davis
Mark Davis
Some tasting notes of 2009 Cru Beaujolais. Everything was tasted blind by a small group of pretty experienced tasters.
FLIGHT 1 - BROUILLY, REGNIE, OTHER
$13.49 750ml 2009 Domaine C. Ducroux Régnié Sans Soufre
really stood on it's own in the first flight. dark fruited, insane floral aromas...so wide open...so elegant...so sans soufre in that the fruit was wildly pronounced, clean, pure. there MAY have been a little oak in this???...if so just a little bit...nice acidity on the palate. on day 2 the wine presents good structure. makes you want to gulp it like Marcel Lapierre Vin de Pays de Gaules, yet it has some serious qualities that makes you want to age it...fascinating wine. #1 of 6 in flight 1 and one of the wines of the night.
~$18 750ml 2009 Chanrion Cote de Brouilly
slightly corked, dark fruits on the nose. old-school funk. slightly ripe cranberry on the palate #2 of 6 in flight 1. outperformed my view of the producer...seemed less mediocre than i would have expected. i wonder how a non-corked bottle would have showed.
$14.39 750ml 2009 Domaine des Terres Dorées (Jean-Paul Brun) Beaujolais Cuvée l'Ancien Vieilles Vignes
candied, over-ripe cranberry, yet very structured. on day 2, the tannins and astringency presented themselves a bit more than on day 1. overall: blah and atypical. #3 of 6 in flight 1
$15.29 750ml 2009 Domaine du Vissoux / Pierre-Marie Chermette Beaujolais Cuvée Traditionalle
decent wine, but not earth shattering. the ripeness of fruit is NOT overwhelming here, which is refreshing. yet, the wine lacks complexity, interest, singularity, and has a short finish. blah. #4 of 6 in flight 1
$17.99 750ml 2009 Domaine des Terres Dorées (Jean-Paul Brun) Côte de Brouilly
ripe dark fruits. good acid, yet short finish. on day 2, the ripeness was diminished...yet the wine still lacked complexity. #5 of 6 in flight 1. perhaps one of the more typical wines from this producer, yet still not too interesting to me.
? 750ml 2009 Guy Breton Régnié
this producer is always all over the place for me...I loved the 2007 Morgon, yet many years it's just mediocre. this wine was so ripe it was candied on both the nose and palate...very disturbing. a sense of hotness from the alcohol on the palate as well. short finish. i thought this wine thoroughly sucked. #6 of 6 in flight 1
FLIGHT 2 - FLEURIE
$35.00 750ml 2009 Yvon Métras Fleurie Cuvée Printemps
once part of the "gang of 5"...imported by Kermit...then disappeared from the market for about 10 years....I don't have any experience with them from the old Kermit days...people say the wines exude finesse? -- what is your impression of the producer?...this wine was pretty impressive on day 1...very aromatic slightly ripe cranberry and rasberry leading into a well balanced palate with pronounced flavors of strawberry and cranberry. long on the finish....wine #1 of 5 in flight 2 and one of my wines of the night...Yet, oddly, on day 2, the wine turned very intensely herbal...WTF happened? I liked the wine so much on day 1 I was going to order more...cancel that.
$17.99 750ml 2009 Coudert Fleurie Clos de la Roilette
elegant, with good balance on day 1 - #2 of 5 in the flight of Fleurie. on day 2, slightly herbal on the nose and palate....i quite enjoyed this wine, as usual. (did not taste the VT in this tasting...but I'm thinking about my 02s now :))
$24.95 750ml 2009 Domaine du Vissoux / Pierre-Marie Chermette Fleurie Les Garants
this wine was extracted...it showed substantial particulates...so atypical of what I'd expect from Fleurie and just not my thing for that reason...#3 of 5 in flight 2.
$23.39 750ml 2009 Domaine du Vissoux / Pierre-Marie Chermette Fleurie Poncié
i liked the acidic backbone on the wine, but it was dominated by EA to an extent that it was distracting. on day 2, the EA seemed less pronounced, yet the wine wasn't too interesting. #4 of 5 in flight 2
$45.00 750ml 2009 Yvon Métras Fleurie Vieilles Vignes
this had some odd sweetness present both on the nose and palate that i couldn't quite get my head around...others also were like WTF is this? ..very subtle EA-VA-stuff too...still, the sweet character is a first for me. on day 2, I thought the wine was slightly herbal, and slightly ripe/candied, but still dominated by the odd sweetness that was present on day 1. perhaps bubblegum aromas....high sorbate???? #5 of 5 in flight 2....not pleasant for a $45 bottle of Fleurie.
$22.49 2009 Domaine des Terres Dorées (Jean-Paul Brun) Fleurie
was strongly corked...poured out before the flight started...
FLIGHT 3 - MORGON
$29.97 750ml 2009 Jean-Paul Thevenet Morgon Vieilles Vignes
pronounced floral and animal/funk aromas, followed on the palate with good structure and balance. good acidity. the ripeness was managed well on day 1, but started to come across more on day 2. still, a very well made wine that manages to present itself as one of the more balanced wines of the night. #1 of 6 in flight 3
? 1.5L (decanted into a 750ml) 2009 Rochette Morgon
light EA, menthol on the nose...well balanced...not overly ripe...good structure. #2 of 6 in flight 3
$32.92 750ml 2009 Jean Foillard Morgon Côte du Py
orange peel, floral, citrus on the nose, structured on the palate...ripeness there, but not overbearing...lots of things happening on the palate...interesting. on day 2 - port-like aromas -- the ripeness is now dominating...more astringent with tannins emerging as well. #3 of 6 in flight 3....could get better with time though -- lots going on here.
$21.37 750ml 2009 Marcel Lapierre Morgon
pretty closed down on both the nose and palate...not overly ripe though...#4 of 6 in flight 3.
$15.29 750ml 2009 Domaine Savoye Morgon Côte du Py Climat
notably ripe red fruits on both the nose and palate..not too long on the finish or interesting on the palate...#5 of 6 in flight 3.
$23.39 750ml 2009 Louis Claude Desvignes Morgon Côte du Py
dominated by EA to perhaps the greatest extent that I've ever experienced..like sniffing a nail polish container...nose stuck in jar -- none of that waving your hands from the smell stuff. absolutely undrinkable. #6 of 6 in flight 3.
FLIGHT 4 - MaV and Chenas
$15-ish 750ml 2009 Aufranc Chenas VV De 1939
slight signs of ripeness, yet great balance and acidity..#1 of 3 in flight 4...a standout given the price...
$22.86 750ml 2009 Domaine des Terres Dorées (Jean-Paul Brun) Moulin-à-Vent
really structured, yet pretty well balanced wine on day 1...astringent and tannic on day 2...will age well. Of all the Brun's, this is the one I would buy...I find most of the others too atypical for their appellation. #2 of 3 in flight 4.
$25.19 750ml 2009 Domaine du Vissoux / Pierre-Marie Chermette Moulin-à-Vent Les Trois Roches
one thing I noticed about this flight in general was how structured and somewhat more "serious" these wines came across...not so much in the elegance dept...not very nuanced...but certainly balanced ...this wine had solid acidity. #3 of 3 in flight 4.
Thoughts:
1. Some of the wines were a little too ripe for me...too much 2009...Yet some wines managed to show none of the sur mature aromas and flavors and presented themselves as fairly balanced wines, especially for the vintage. No clear consistency across the board or any appellation.
2. Wine of the night: Ducroux Regnie San Soufre. Honorable mentions to Aufranc, Metras Printemps on day 1, Coudert, Chanrion, Thevenet, Foillard, etc...I suspect the list will change in 5 years. :).
3. None of the Brun's really did it for me...the MaV was the best of the bunch, yet all of them were big...perhaps atypical.
4. Metras was just odd...
$13.49 750ml 2009 Domaine C. Ducroux Régnié Sans Soufre
really stood on it's own in the first flight. dark fruited, insane floral aromas...so wide open...so elegant...so sans soufre in that the fruit was wildly pronounced, clean, pure. there MAY have been a little oak in this???...if so just a little bit...nice acidity on the palate. on day 2 the wine presents good structure. makes you want to gulp it like Marcel Lapierre Vin de Pays de Gaules, yet it has some serious qualities that makes you want to age it...fascinating wine. #1 of 6 in flight 1 and one of the wines of the night.
~$18 750ml 2009 Chanrion Cote de Brouilly
slightly corked, dark fruits on the nose. old-school funk. slightly ripe cranberry on the palate #2 of 6 in flight 1. outperformed my view of the producer...seemed less mediocre than i would have expected. i wonder how a non-corked bottle would have showed.
$14.39 750ml 2009 Domaine des Terres Dorées (Jean-Paul Brun) Beaujolais Cuvée l'Ancien Vieilles Vignes
candied, over-ripe cranberry, yet very structured. on day 2, the tannins and astringency presented themselves a bit more than on day 1. overall: blah and atypical. #3 of 6 in flight 1
$15.29 750ml 2009 Domaine du Vissoux / Pierre-Marie Chermette Beaujolais Cuvée Traditionalle
decent wine, but not earth shattering. the ripeness of fruit is NOT overwhelming here, which is refreshing. yet, the wine lacks complexity, interest, singularity, and has a short finish. blah. #4 of 6 in flight 1
$17.99 750ml 2009 Domaine des Terres Dorées (Jean-Paul Brun) Côte de Brouilly
ripe dark fruits. good acid, yet short finish. on day 2, the ripeness was diminished...yet the wine still lacked complexity. #5 of 6 in flight 1. perhaps one of the more typical wines from this producer, yet still not too interesting to me.
? 750ml 2009 Guy Breton Régnié
this producer is always all over the place for me...I loved the 2007 Morgon, yet many years it's just mediocre. this wine was so ripe it was candied on both the nose and palate...very disturbing. a sense of hotness from the alcohol on the palate as well. short finish. i thought this wine thoroughly sucked. #6 of 6 in flight 1
FLIGHT 2 - FLEURIE
$35.00 750ml 2009 Yvon Métras Fleurie Cuvée Printemps
once part of the "gang of 5"...imported by Kermit...then disappeared from the market for about 10 years....I don't have any experience with them from the old Kermit days...people say the wines exude finesse? -- what is your impression of the producer?...this wine was pretty impressive on day 1...very aromatic slightly ripe cranberry and rasberry leading into a well balanced palate with pronounced flavors of strawberry and cranberry. long on the finish....wine #1 of 5 in flight 2 and one of my wines of the night...Yet, oddly, on day 2, the wine turned very intensely herbal...WTF happened? I liked the wine so much on day 1 I was going to order more...cancel that.
$17.99 750ml 2009 Coudert Fleurie Clos de la Roilette
elegant, with good balance on day 1 - #2 of 5 in the flight of Fleurie. on day 2, slightly herbal on the nose and palate....i quite enjoyed this wine, as usual. (did not taste the VT in this tasting...but I'm thinking about my 02s now :))
$24.95 750ml 2009 Domaine du Vissoux / Pierre-Marie Chermette Fleurie Les Garants
this wine was extracted...it showed substantial particulates...so atypical of what I'd expect from Fleurie and just not my thing for that reason...#3 of 5 in flight 2.
$23.39 750ml 2009 Domaine du Vissoux / Pierre-Marie Chermette Fleurie Poncié
i liked the acidic backbone on the wine, but it was dominated by EA to an extent that it was distracting. on day 2, the EA seemed less pronounced, yet the wine wasn't too interesting. #4 of 5 in flight 2
$45.00 750ml 2009 Yvon Métras Fleurie Vieilles Vignes
this had some odd sweetness present both on the nose and palate that i couldn't quite get my head around...others also were like WTF is this? ..very subtle EA-VA-stuff too...still, the sweet character is a first for me. on day 2, I thought the wine was slightly herbal, and slightly ripe/candied, but still dominated by the odd sweetness that was present on day 1. perhaps bubblegum aromas....high sorbate???? #5 of 5 in flight 2....not pleasant for a $45 bottle of Fleurie.
$22.49 2009 Domaine des Terres Dorées (Jean-Paul Brun) Fleurie
was strongly corked...poured out before the flight started...
FLIGHT 3 - MORGON
$29.97 750ml 2009 Jean-Paul Thevenet Morgon Vieilles Vignes
pronounced floral and animal/funk aromas, followed on the palate with good structure and balance. good acidity. the ripeness was managed well on day 1, but started to come across more on day 2. still, a very well made wine that manages to present itself as one of the more balanced wines of the night. #1 of 6 in flight 3
? 1.5L (decanted into a 750ml) 2009 Rochette Morgon
light EA, menthol on the nose...well balanced...not overly ripe...good structure. #2 of 6 in flight 3
$32.92 750ml 2009 Jean Foillard Morgon Côte du Py
orange peel, floral, citrus on the nose, structured on the palate...ripeness there, but not overbearing...lots of things happening on the palate...interesting. on day 2 - port-like aromas -- the ripeness is now dominating...more astringent with tannins emerging as well. #3 of 6 in flight 3....could get better with time though -- lots going on here.
$21.37 750ml 2009 Marcel Lapierre Morgon
pretty closed down on both the nose and palate...not overly ripe though...#4 of 6 in flight 3.
$15.29 750ml 2009 Domaine Savoye Morgon Côte du Py Climat
notably ripe red fruits on both the nose and palate..not too long on the finish or interesting on the palate...#5 of 6 in flight 3.
$23.39 750ml 2009 Louis Claude Desvignes Morgon Côte du Py
dominated by EA to perhaps the greatest extent that I've ever experienced..like sniffing a nail polish container...nose stuck in jar -- none of that waving your hands from the smell stuff. absolutely undrinkable. #6 of 6 in flight 3.
FLIGHT 4 - MaV and Chenas
$15-ish 750ml 2009 Aufranc Chenas VV De 1939
slight signs of ripeness, yet great balance and acidity..#1 of 3 in flight 4...a standout given the price...
$22.86 750ml 2009 Domaine des Terres Dorées (Jean-Paul Brun) Moulin-à-Vent
really structured, yet pretty well balanced wine on day 1...astringent and tannic on day 2...will age well. Of all the Brun's, this is the one I would buy...I find most of the others too atypical for their appellation. #2 of 3 in flight 4.
$25.19 750ml 2009 Domaine du Vissoux / Pierre-Marie Chermette Moulin-à-Vent Les Trois Roches
one thing I noticed about this flight in general was how structured and somewhat more "serious" these wines came across...not so much in the elegance dept...not very nuanced...but certainly balanced ...this wine had solid acidity. #3 of 3 in flight 4.
Thoughts:
1. Some of the wines were a little too ripe for me...too much 2009...Yet some wines managed to show none of the sur mature aromas and flavors and presented themselves as fairly balanced wines, especially for the vintage. No clear consistency across the board or any appellation.
2. Wine of the night: Ducroux Regnie San Soufre. Honorable mentions to Aufranc, Metras Printemps on day 1, Coudert, Chanrion, Thevenet, Foillard, etc...I suspect the list will change in 5 years. :).
3. None of the Brun's really did it for me...the MaV was the best of the bunch, yet all of them were big...perhaps atypical.
4. Metras was just odd...
