Lunch with Laurent Drouhin

I had the pleasure of being invited to a lunch at Felidia Restaurant in Manhattan to taste some young white Burgundies. The guest speaker was Laurent Drouhin, and 2 of his Montrachet Marquis de Laguiche accompanied our delicious lunch.
Prior to being served lunch we had the opportunity to taste several white Burgundies, mostly of the 2004 vintage. While most were unmemorable, thin and lacking in the mid palate, one wine did stand out. It was a 2004 LeFlaive Abbaye Morgeot Chassagne Montrachet. It had lovely, nutty aromatics, creamy, and, lightly oaked, leading to a long finish. My friend and I brought the remainder of the bottle to the lunch table and sipped it while Laurent spoke. He is a charming man and so passionate about his wines. Sadly, one of the bottles of 2003 Marquis de Laguiche was corked, so 30 of us had to manage with only a couple of sips of the remaining one bottle. The wine had the palest of colors with a soft and subtle nose. Lacking was acidity, but that could be a product of the vintage. On the other hand, a 2000 Marquis de Laguiche was bold with a golden color. It had a huge nose, a little smoky, and tasted fresh with pears and minerals, deeply concentrated and lingered on the finish. It was an amazing wine with which to end our delightful lunch.

Diane,
thanks for notes. What were the 2004 white Burgundies- Ive generally liked the vintage for whites.
Dale
PS was this the wine writers' group luncheon?

Thanks for the notes, Diane. You're getting me into a much needed Burgundy mood.

Dale - I left the list of wines at the restaurant, and didn't take notes during the tasting. Those that I recall were 2 Laboure Roi (Chassagne & Puligny), Jadot Chassagne, and Drouhin Chassagne and Puligny. There was a 2002 of a producer I never heard of and can't remember. As I said, the one that stood out was the LaFlaive, and, of course, the Marquis de Laguiche. The others were lifeless and hollow.

Yes, it was the wine writer's guild, and Felidia's food was delicious.

This was my first taste of 2004, although I do have several Chablis at home in my cellar.

Thanks for the notes, Diane. You're getting me into a much needed Burgundy mood.

Bob - I am always in the mood for Burgundy. I own so few, that I always hesitate before opening one.

Felidia... I am so jealous.... I worship Lidia Bastianich! Was lunch good? Are you a regular Burgundy drinker or was this new for you? I'm curious because of your comments.

Lunch was excellent. This was my third time at the restaurant, and each time it gets better.

Regular Burgundy drinker? I wish. I'm an occasional Burgundy drinker. I also enjoy some Oregon and California Pinot Noir and some of them satisfy my craving.

Lunch was excellent. This was my third time at the restaurant, and each time it gets better.

Regular Burgundy drinker? I wish. I'm an occasional Burgundy drinker. I also enjoy some Oregon and California Pinot Noir and some of them satisfy my craving.

As the Italians say: MAGGARI!!!!! meaning, "I wish!!". I am right with you, Diane. Every now and then I venture out and buy something from Burgundy and just dream of more. On occasion I have enjoyed Willamette Valley Vineyards Pinot Noir... last week I had a 2004, which had surprisingly a little more new oak than I expected, but, seemed balanced enough. One of these days I will get to Felidia!

[Jenise]

I'm with Dale--would have expected 04's to show better. I haven't had a single 04 Burgundy yet, but I've been buying some here and there based on reports that make me think I'll love this vintage.

I was also surprised at the disappointing showing of most of the wines. From what I had read, the white Burgundy did relatively well in 2004. I discussed this with a couple of others and they were equally disappointed. My only thought regarding this poor showing is that the wines were not decanted nor opened prior to the tasting since there was an oversight the day before when the person assigned to picking up the wines neglected to do that. One of the luncheon organizers caught a cab to the wine shop and brought them back as the guests were arriving. It was a basic pop and pour. The 2 Marquis de Laguiche were decanted about 30 minutes before serving.

[Jenise]

Diane, another thought: the wines had just been shipped in and were suffering travel shock. You think?

Jenise - that could very well be. I didn't get a sense of place with these wines. While the elegance of white Burgundy may have been lurking, I had a hard time finding it. Can that be blamed on travel shock?
Tonight, I will bring to dinner a bottle of 2001 Sauzet Puligny Montrachet Les Perrieres to help celebrate a friend's birthday, and to reaffirm my love of the region.

[Jenise]

While the elegance of white Burgundy may have been lurking, I had a hard time finding it. Can that be blamed on travel shock?

That's a perfect description of travel shock--there are no off flavors, but flavors you know darned well should be there just aren't.

Enjoy the Sauzet, that's one of my favorites.

Diane,
As has already been said: Great Notes. Lunch sounds as it was wuite an event. I do appreciate Chassagne Montrachet and will look for the 2004 LeFlaive Abbaye Morgeot. When you say ‘young’, do you meant that they have not been released yet? If that's true, any idea when I might be able to get a bottle or two? There's got to be some sooner or later in DC.
JP

As the Italians say: MAGGARI!!!!! meaning, "I wish!!". I am right with you, Diane. Every now and then I venture out and buy something from Burgundy and just dream of more. On occasion I have enjoyed Willamette Valley Vineyards Pinot Noir... last week I had a 2004, which had surprisingly a little more new oak than I expected, but, seemed balanced enough. One of these days I will get to Felidia!

Willamette Valley Vineyards is only a few miles from here. Other local include Benton Lane, Tyee, Sylvan Ridge, and King Estates, all within 50 miles or so, mostly to the south. Lots more to the north...

Jenise's idea of travel shock could be right. I haven't tasted any of the 2004s you mentioned, but I'm not a fan of Laboure-Roi in any case. And while I'm a huge Drouhin fan, that's mostly because of the reds, with the whites being spotty. If these Drouhins were the village level Chassagne and Puligny, they are negociant wines and not as strong as the owned wines. Thanks for the report!