Report from - the Ponciago, Fevre, Bouchard Tasting … April 4, 2012

It’s always a pleasure to get out and taste some fantastic old world wines, and the Ponciago (Beaujolais), Fevre (Chablis) and Bouchard (Cote d’Or) is one of those focused tastings that’s a pleasure to attend … just the right amount of wines and all of great quality.  With just under two-dozen wines it’s a tasting where you don’t feel rushed.  What follows are my favourites from the tasting – trust me this is a difficult list to amass …

Villa Ponciago …
2010 Fleurie – Cuvee les Hauts du Py ($30.00) … this one is all cherry, black and spicy; hints of mineral and woodsy notes bring it all together. (****)

2009 Fleurie – Grande Cuvee la Roche Muriers ($48.00) … a raspberry laden nose leads to a cassis / black cherry palate that seems almost creamy; rich with fruit. (****+)

William Fevre …
2010 Chablis Premier Cru Montmains Domaine ($49.00) … light pear with lime and lovely mineral notes. (*** ½+)

2010 Chablis Grand Cru Bougros Domaine ($81.00) … more robustly flavoured Chablis with more fruit than mineral with peach and pear leading the way; good weight and structure. (****)

2010 Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos Domaine ($107.00) … this one mixes the best of the above wines: the light fruit with pear and lemon curd, a touch of mineral adding the structure, good acidity and all leads to a long and lovely finish. (****+)

Bouchard Pere & Fils …
2010 Beaune Marconnets – Premier Cru ($58.00) … red fruit and earthy, good cleansing acidity with a cranberry finish; quite pleasant. (*** ½+)

2010 Gevrey-Chambertin Village ($55.00) … mineral and black cherry with nice fresh acidity with earthy and cranberry notes. (*** ½+)

2010 Pommard Premier Cru ($72.00) … nose of floral/violets with a perfumed raspberry note; palate delivers black raspberry, cherry and nice acidity to balance the lush fruit.  (*** ½+)

2010 Volnay Caillerets Ancienne Cuvee Carnot – Premier Cru ($87.00) … smooth rich black and red fruit with raspberry, cherry and strawberry within the make, though the strawberry really leads the pack here; nice clean finish. (****+)

2010 Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Cailles Premier Cru ($118.00) … great black fruit and anise/licorice notes; finish is quite nice and has good length. (****)

2010 Beaune Greves Vigne de L’Enfant Jesus – Premier Cru ($124.00) … creamy upon entry with a raspberry mid with cherry and a hint of chocolate tannin; a great big acid hit on the finish with some spice; this has got a big league chew. (****+)

2010 Le Corton – Grand Cru ($124.00) … up front dark fruit with a lovely finish. (****)

2010 Corton-Charlemagne – Grand Cru ($192.00) … nice fruit character shines through with a seam of vanilla and butter that carries the wine, all with a nice backbone of acidity. (**** ½)

Other Wines …
Henriot Brut Souverain (non-vintage Champagne) - ****

They’re Not All Expensive …

There was also a small table of generally available Bouchard wines, both red and white, here were the two best from this mini-tasting:

Bouchard Pere & Fils 2009 Bougogne La Vignee Pinot Noir (*** ½) - $16.95
Bouchard Pere & Fils 2010 Macon Lugny St. Pierre (****) - $14.95

To read about more interesting adventures thru the world of wine check out the On the Road With the Grape Guy blog.