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WTN: Try Before You Buy Burg tasting

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WTN: Try Before You Buy Burg tasting

by Jenise » Wed May 23, 2018 12:12 pm

So a bunch of friends got together and shared the cost of nine burgundies currently available at the British Columbia LCB shops
in order to see if there were any killer 2015s around. A jolly thing to do on a sunny day in Les' back yard. I don't think Bill Spohn posted any notes, but he also attended.

The wines were served blind: opened by one guy, bagged by another, and numbered by a third to bury any knowledge/bias. It is complete coincidence that the least interesting wines came out first and the most interesting were later. When it was over, orders were placed for someone in the group to fill.

2015 Antonin Guyon Chorey-les-Beaune Les Champs Longs
Floral, anise, herb, tighter/leaner, slightly bluer hue than the others. An hour later, faded, sour. $70C. Pass.

2015 Bouchard Père et Fils Gevrey-Chambertin Grande Vin de Bourgogne
Less exciting nose than the Guyon, but more fruit on the palate without showing anything compelling. Faded an hour later. $69C, and another easy pass.

2015 Philippe Colin Chassagne-Montrachet Les Chênes Rouge
Nice step up from the first two--nice richness, has charm and feels complete. Everybody but me preferred it to it's flightmate below. $55C.

2015 Domaine Taupenot-Merme Chambolle Musigny
Nose is a bit reductive which puts others off initially, but it's quite complex and I seemingly alone prefer it to the Colin above. Integrates nicely in the glass, so others came around to my point of view later. But it's still not worth the $90C LCB price.

2015 Domaine Michelle Philipon Santenay
Lightest color and body of the day, watery and dilute on the palate. $51C? No takers.

2015 Domaine Taupenot-Merme Morey St. Denis Rouge
Now here's the real deal: fair concentration, effusive aromatics, less giving on the palate but I'm getting a lot of structure along with the distinctive MSD spice. First place so far for me and will remain so for the entire tasting. $91 at the LCB. I didn't order any but might rethink this. Hard to find in the U.S. except on the east coast, and sells for $75, slightly more than I'd pay in BC, currency conversion included.

2015 Nicolas Potel Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Vaucrains
Grippy tannins, concentration equivalent to the Morey St. Denis, lots of depth, spicier. My #3 wine of the day, but $140C. Ouch.

2015 Domaine Jean-Marc / Thomas Bouley Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Chênes
Cherry cola, vitamin minerality, very Carneros-like to my American palate--some ding it for that, I don't. Absolute gorgeous and my 2nd fave of the day, but I balked at $140.

2015 Michelle Philipon Côte de Beaune Villages
Good acidity and tannins, pretty fruit, shows more facets the more it sits but presents more like Beaujolais/gamay to me than pinot noir. Extremely tasty, just lacks typicity. Everybody's 2nd fave and my last place in the final four. However, when the price is revealed at $35C ($28 American), I order six like everybody else.
My wine shopping and I have never had a problem. Just a perpetual race between the bankruptcy court and Hell.--Rogov
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Re: WTN: Try Before You Buy Burg tasting

by Rahsaan » Wed May 23, 2018 2:48 pm

Nice idea and fun tasting. But brutal pricing. One of the downsides of Canada.
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Re: WTN: Try Before You Buy Burg tasting

by David M. Bueker » Wed May 23, 2018 5:55 pm

I like the Taupenot-Merme wines, but not at that pricing.
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Re: WTN: Try Before You Buy Burg tasting

by Tim York » Thu May 24, 2018 5:07 am

Interesting tasting. Burgundy young is easier to taste than Bordeaux but many of those in that line-up need at least 10 years more age to be really enjoyable for my palate. I think that there is a definite place for lighter styles like that Chorey; it's a pity that it faded in the glass but that could just be a sign that it is entering a closed phase.

As prices of GC and 1erC Burgundy from the best known Côte d'Or villages reach the stratosphere, there is a lot of incentive to explore outlying villages like Ladoix, St.Aubin, Marsannay, Fixin, the Côte Chalonnaise and the Hautes-Côtes de Nuits et Beaune as well as the more northerly Côtes d'Auxerre and Irancy.

Over the years I have enjoyed Mercurey, Givry and Rully 1erCs from Dureuil-Janthial, F.Lumpp and Jacqueson bought when they were priced in € mid-teens but now their prices are creeping up to the mid/late-20s. Still good QPR IMHO.
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Re: WTN: Try Before You Buy Burg tasting

by Mark S » Thu May 24, 2018 7:38 am

Rahsaan wrote:But brutal pricing. One of the downsides of Canada.


But FREE healthcare! What country would you want to get sick in?! :lol:
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Re: WTN: Try Before You Buy Burg tasting

by Rahsaan » Thu May 24, 2018 8:13 am

Mark S wrote:
Rahsaan wrote:But brutal pricing. One of the downsides of Canada.


But FREE healthcare! What country would you want to get sick in?! :lol:


No such thing as free healthcare.

But yes, I agree there are many upsides to Canada!
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Re: WTN: Try Before You Buy Burg tasting

by Tim York » Thu May 24, 2018 9:51 am

What is the customs and tax position bringing wines from Canada to the USA?
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Re: WTN: Try Before You Buy Burg tasting

by Jenise » Thu May 24, 2018 12:37 pm

Tim, the rule is no duty on two bottles if you're there 48 hours or longer. Any other circumstance is allowed but subject to duty. However, the duty isn't what most people think--it's not, in our case, a Washington state penalty or tax, it's actually the federal sin tax which is a pittance of a fee and they'd just as soon ignore you as do the paperwork. They generally just wave you through as long as they have no reason to suspect you're hiding a commercial purpose. One does get the occasional bible thumper hell bent on punishing you, though. Oh, and one time I had a lady agent who leaned over and told me, confidential-like, about Yellow Tail. "You don't have to go to Canada to buy good wine!", she said.
My wine shopping and I have never had a problem. Just a perpetual race between the bankruptcy court and Hell.--Rogov
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Re: WTN: Try Before You Buy Burg tasting

by John S » Thu May 24, 2018 7:05 pm

Thanks for these notes, I rarely buy Burgundy here anymore, due to the insane prices. But I see there might be a couple of possibilities in your list!
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Re: WTN: Try Before You Buy Burg tasting

by Jenise » Thu May 24, 2018 7:12 pm

John! Good to hear from you. Another tip: Les had to go to several stores to get all the Philipon CdB our group wanted, and at one he discovered another $35 wine from this producer so he bought it to try. His verdict: at least as good as the CdB, perhaps better. He bought half a dozen of those for himself too.
My wine shopping and I have never had a problem. Just a perpetual race between the bankruptcy court and Hell.--Rogov
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Re: WTN: Try Before You Buy Burg tasting

by ChaimShraga » Fri May 25, 2018 1:29 pm

I love Taupenet-Merme.

What's the point in free healthcare if you can't utilize your health to drink good wine?
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Re: WTN: Try Before You Buy Burg tasting

by Jenise » Fri May 25, 2018 6:32 pm

Taupenot-Merme was a new discovery for me. Great stuff--I've placed an order with K&L. Coming soon!
My wine shopping and I have never had a problem. Just a perpetual race between the bankruptcy court and Hell.--Rogov

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