Meursault, St-Aubin & Chassagne-Montrachet
Vintage of a lifetime?
The easiest part of our visit to Burgundy last year was tasting the whites. The year had already promised much, with growers unable to conceal their excitement when we were there the previous year. Last November, when the 2014s were our focus, we kept coming across venerable overseas commentators who told us this was the best white vintage of their lifetime. Across the villages of the Cote de Beaune, what we found was wine with a vivid quality - even on the foggy and driech days when we were out tasting, we were energised by the vibrancy, energy and complexity of the Chardonnays. These were clearly wines of the vintage, and this is a vintage of terroir definition.
These are wines to age, though some are still wary of cellaring them for long periods. I don't believe that the producers in our offer warrant that suspicion. I am clear that they are all working to techniques that will allow these wines to mature splendidly. Take Charles at Ballot-Millot: he has developed a whole research programme using sealed glass ampoules to control against bottles from the cellar. Thierry at Paul Pillot oxidises his juice and uses guaranteed corks, as do many of his peers. Opening a Philippe Colin bottle for last Friday's tasting, we found one of the best quality corks we have seen in a bottle. Pommard based Jean-Marc Boillot, guided by his oenologist wife, uses these techniques too.
So, whether you are in Meursault, Chassagne, Puligny or St-Aubin, you'll find both wines and growers fizzing with enthusiasm. As, indeed, are we. /CW
Offered subject to remaining unsold for shipment 2016/17
Media tasting notes and scores can be found on the website by clicking on the wines below
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