Wine List

Jancis Robinson - Total vineyard area is 7 ha and picked over several days. Some barrels declassified to Côte de Beaune this year. Cask sample.
Intense and lightly spiced nose. Gorgeously open mealy/lees creamy citrus. Fills the mouth with generous and creamy fruit. Moreish and fresh but with the rounded character of the vintage. Tight, precise and yet clothed in lees-rich texture and has power and depth – relatively soft though. (JH)

Tasting note: A pretty combination of pear, white peach, resin, earth and floral nuances leads to naturally sweet medium-bodied flavors that possess fine energy and freshness before concluding in a suave, round and delicious citrus-infused finish. This is quite well-concentrated for a villages and delivers fine length as well if only moderate depth.

Tasting note: A mild trace of reduction is enough to push the fruit to the background but I doubt that it will last; if you are tempted to try a bottle young simply decant it first. The lush and unusually full-bodied flavors in the context of what is typical for a villages level Puligny possess both fine volume and ample power while delivering excellent length on the impeccably well-balanced finale. This is a terrific effort and highly recommended.
 

Tasting note: A very subtle reductive character knocks down the expressiveness of the lemon and pretty white flower aromas so I would strongly suggest decanting this for 20 to 30 minutes first. The detailed, pure and lightly mineral-driven flavors possess really lovely balance and fine length. If there is a nit it is that this doesn't possess the complexity of the best 1ers here though the track record of this wine is such that I wouldn't bet against it developing materially more complexity in the bottle.

Maison Joseph Drouhin
2015
Beaune "Clos des Mouches"  ♥
1er Cru White 750 ml
Score: 91
Tasted: Jun 11, 2017
Drink: 2021+
Issue: 67
Outstanding
Producer note: I met this time with enologist and winemaker Jérôme Faure-Brac as well as Véronique Drouhin who collectively noted that the 2015 growing season "wasn't nearly as difficult as the prior seasons and particularly so with our parcels in the Côte de Beaune. You had to be really careful pruning the vines as the accumulated effects from three consecutive years of hail in the Côte de Beaune had made many of them quite fragile. We also had significantly different yields as they were normal in the Côte de Nuits but quite low in the Côte de Beaune. One of the really nice things about the vintage is how clean the fruit was and given that the harvest weather was so clement we could basically pick each parcel when we felt it was ready, a luxury that isn't always available. We were also super-vigilant about the pressing as we absolutely wanted to avoid the higher pHs that typically result from using the press juice. As such we vinified it separately and then, depending on the characteristics of the press wine, we incorporated it or, if we didn't like it, we sold it. We also did no lees stirring because it was clear from the beginning that the whites were going to be very rich. One of the interesting aspects of this vintage is how much the wines have changed over time as initially they seemed almost heavy and a bit flat at first but as the élevage progressed, they tightened up and actually became fresher and more focused. At that point we said that there was nothing further to be gained from keeping the wines in cask so we bottled the entire range between December 2016 and February 2017." I found the quality of the Drouhin 2015 whites to be generally better than what I found on balance elsewhere. (Dreyfus, Ashby & Co., www.dreyfusashby.com, NY, USA; Pol Roger Ltd., www.polroger.co.uk, UK).
Tasting note: Here the nose is quite firmly reduced so be sure to decant it if you're yearning to try a bottle upon release. On the plus side there is a really lovely texture to the elegant and vibrant medium weight flavors that possess very fine complexity on the highly persistent finish where the only nit is a hint of warmth.
 

Tasting note: Wafting aromas of essence of pear, iodine and copious amounts of mineral reduction are also trimmed in just enough wood to mention. The succulent yet powerful broad-shouldered flavors possess excellent muscle and intensity on the super-saline, indeed this has an almost salty finish. Fine quality here and built-to-age as well.

Tasting note: Here too the admirably pure aromas are distinctly cool with its ripe nose of white peach and essence of pear that is trimmed in notes of subtle wood, spice and citrus zest. Once again there is fine volume to the solidly concentrated and sappy medium-bodied flavors that possess first-rate complexity and persistence on the balanced finale. A classic Charmes.

Tasting note: A completely different aromatic profile is comprised by notes of bright, cool and exceptionally fresh red currant, floral, earth and subtle spice nuances. There is excellent intensity to the beautifully precise medium weight flavors that possess a sophisticated mouthfeel while delivering outstanding length on the moderately firm, serious and ever-so-mildly austere finish. Classy juice that is fashioned in an understated style.