Home of suave and powerful Pinot
Wednesday 14 January, 5-8pm: 2013 Burgundy barrel sample tasting
Bishopsgate shop
Walkaround
£25 per person inc VAT (redeemable against 2013 Burgundy en primeur purchases over £200)
Travelling south from Dijon, Gevrey-Chambertin is arguably the first significant wine village one reaches, though it is the fourth you see. All the growers we work with who have Gevrey, based here or not, have made ripe and generous wines. Bear in mind that what we tasted is still very youthful. It will put on a bit more weight and I fully expect these reds to mature beautifully over the medium term. They don't have the tannins of 2005 thank goodness and they are beautiful and complete.
South of Gevrey we come to Morey-St-Denis. This is a village justly well represented in our list and its only problem is having some producers and wines so sought-after that we haven't enough to offer them widely. Romain Taupenot came back to his domaine in 1998 and his wines continue to develop. They show that characteristic spicy, cherry fruit. Like a lot of reds this year there is a floral character retained by that cool growing season. The wines aren't oaky here. Romain counts himself a disciple of Henri Jayer in all respects except the use of new oak and all his wood is outside seasoned for three years or so.
Dujac is the grateful recipient of their smallest ever crop. Clos de la Roche is half of the 2011 vintage and many of their wines will be of academic interest only. Even the Fils et Pere wines have been drastically reduced because of the dramatically increased demands for money from some of their growers. Like many producers Alec Seysses is very aware of the incipient Burgundy bubble and doesn't want to be a part of artificial inflation. They prefer to produce less than be held to ransom.
Cyprien Arlaud's accomplishments have become more obvious over the years and he is one of the most authoritative of his generation. Horse ploughing has eliminated problems with soil erosion and compaction; the roots are free to go everywhere and yields are climbing again after plummeting when biodynamics was introduced. /CW
Offered subject to remaining unsold for shipment 2015/16
