TN: Female Burgundy Winemakers

TNS: FEMALE BURGUNDY WINEMAKERS DINNER - Yan, National Gallery, Singapore (16/9/2019)

We started out with an interesting theme, but this somehow became more of an Anne Gros and friends’ dinner. Not complaining though - it was a great chance to do a mini-vertical of Anne Gros’ Richebourgs, which I have always considered as being one of the most special expressions of the vineyard.

BUBBLES

  • 2008 Dom Pérignon Champagne - France, Champagne
    Absolutely lovely. This is just beginning to open up. The nose, which was tight and citrusy a couple of bottles back, has now taken on more expressive tones of apples, strawberries and buttery brioche, with a little touch of mineral and lemon zest in there. Lovely stuff. The palate was just delicious. The balance was absolutely spot-on, with precise focus and definition, yet a lovely soft freshness and transparency to it, all this framing beautifully detailed flavours of red apples, lemons, and gentle spice, with a touch of sweeter strawberry at the edge. All very subtle and unfailingly charming, but there was clearly quality and depth to go around here. Effortless and elegant, this was beautiful stuff, all the way into a long minerally tail. Yummy. I loved this. (94 pts.)

WHITES

  • 2000 Marquis de Laguiche (Joseph Drouhin) Montrachet - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Montrachet Grand Cru
    A wonderful wine. This had such a nice nose to it, with wafts of white fruit, buttery cream and gentle florals, underlined with by a little streak of minerality. Lovely, and speaking so eloquently of Montrachet too. The palate was drinking beautifully at this point of its evolution, with rich apple flavours pierced with juicy lemons, a spine of stony minerality and nice hints of earthiness, and then just an edge of roasted almonds leading into a beautiful creamy finish. Full, powerful, and mouthfilling, yet so elegantly balanced and eminently drinkable. This was yummy and drinking absolutely on point. (94 pts.)
  • 2008 Domaine Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Pucelles - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru
    Really good too - this was not too far behind a tremendous bottle of 2000 Drouhin Laguiche Montrachet served alongside. The nose was pure Leflaive, with a little flinty lilt, a nice bit of chalk, and bits of white fruit and seashell minerality. The palate had a real sense of energy to it, with bright, lemony acidity racing through beautifully delineated flavours of fresh apples, and a base of chalk and lovely stony minerality trailing away into a wonderfully detailed finish. Gorgeous stuff, lots of power and depth, great length, yet wed to a tremendous sense of definition and focus. While far from undrinkable now, this will only get better with time. I thought it probably needed another 5-6 years before really hitting its stride. (93 pts.)

THE Lone Ranger

  • 2005 Joseph Drouhin Griotte-Chambertin - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Griotte-Chambertin Grand Cru
    Still youthful, but this was really nice. The nose was very Gevrey, with a nice earthiness underpinning lovely wafts of red cherry, bacon and a gentle minerality. Lovely stuff. The palate still felt a little tight, but was already quite delicious. Here were powerful layers of dark cherries and wild berries playing against a solid backdrop of earth, mineral and a little spiciness - beautiful stuff. There was still quite a bit of solid 2005 structure to it though, with fine but still chewy tannins and juicy acidity leading the way into a lovely full finish that just went on and on. Beautiful stuff, and will get better with time as it softens and fans out. Lovely. (94 pts.)

CLOS VOUGEOT

  • 2013 Domaine Francois Lamarche Clos Vougeot - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru
    A nice wine rather than a great one. This had an attractive nose of ripe dark cherries, earth and meat, ringed with a nice amount of Vosne spice. The palate was full and rich, with lovely gobs of dark cherries seasoned with a nicely savoury blush of spice and earth and mineral, leading into a wonderfully full finish. Drinking really nicely young, if just lacking a touch of intensity. (92 pts.)
  • 2005 Domaine Anne Gros Clos Vougeot Le Grand Maupertui - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru
    A very solid if unspectacular wine. It had a rather dark, savoury nose, with dark fruit and spice couched in notes of earth, meat and a touch of funk. the palate shared some of that savoury character, with notes of olive tapenade, earth and meat forming bassy backdrop for muscular, yet nicely focused flavours of black cherries earth. It was a full, powerful wine, with a good chew lent to it by firm 2005 tannins and juicy acidity as well. There was a just a hint of oxidisative browned fruits towards a long finish on the back-palate, otherwise this can together quite nicely. I would wait 5-10 years more on the bottle though. Like many 2005s, it still needs time to evolve. (92 pts.)
  • 2001 Domaine Anne Gros Clos Vougeot Le Grand Maupertui - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru
    This was very nice - the best and most enjoyable of a trio from Clos Vougeot tonight. It had a great nose - dark berries shading into cherry liquor aromas, earth and mineral, spice and perfumed violets. A noticeably ripe, but still rather controlled bouquet. Nice. The palate echoed the nose nicely, with dark cherries touched with savoury notes of earth and meat, herb and bramble, moving into gently structured finish of fine velvety tannins and juicy acidity wrapped around a core of dark fruit and spice. Quite Vosne-like CdV I thought. Delicious stuff, drinking nicely now. (93 pts.)

RICHEBOURG

  • 2007 Domaine Anne Gros Richebourg - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Richebourg Grand Cru
    This was just lovely. It had such a pretty nose, floral and fruity, with drifts of violets, a burst of red cherries, then a lovely underpinning of Vosne spice and earth, and a nice seam of Richebourg minerality. The palate was surprisingly open for such a young Richebourg, even for a 2007. There was a beautiful blush of red cherries and berries, earth and spice on the attack - powerful, deep, and inexorable; yet also absolutely effortless and seemingly without weight. This just filled the mouth with delicious layers of flavours. Past the midpalate, an slightly earthier, spicier notes came out and stretched their legs into a beautifully long, full, focused finish. Silky and elegant, beautifully balance and poised, and absolutely yummy to drink now - an almost unusually feminine for a Richebourg, but such a lovely, transparent, precise wine. I loved this. (94 pts.)
  • 2003 Domaine Anne Gros Richebourg - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Richebourg Grand Cru
    This was smashing - really surprisingly good for a 2003. I really liked the nose on this, with its deep aromas of dark cherries couched in more savoury tones of earth and meat, and then lovely drifts of Vosne spice. Very nice. The palate was very expressive - rich, ripe and delicious, it unfolded in the mouth with wafts of dark cherries, berries and plums, riding on a savoury underlayer of earth and spice. Very nice. There was maybe a hint of Anne Gros’ usual elegance here, but this was certainly less graceful of a wine than say the 2007 that preceded it, lacking some of the filigreed finesse of the earlier wine. Still though, this was delicious, and really impressively balanced for a 2003. Nice long finish too, with sweet, dark cherries patted down with a touch of earth. A lovely wine, drinking fairly well now, but still with some room for improvement. (94 pts.)
  • 1999 Domaine Anne Gros Richebourg - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Richebourg Grand Cru
    Superb - this was quite unanimously voted the wine of the night amidst a strong line-up. It had beautifully rich nose to start, with layers of black cherry, plums and cherry liquor, a drift of violets, and then lovely, deep draws of earthy sous bois and stony mineral. A really multifaceted bouquet, but somehow while rich, deep and compelling, it was never showy - just quietly drawing you in. The palate then just carried on where the nose left off. It was still a tight I thought, but boy was it lovely - powerful, full, deep, with dark cherries and plums, mineral and spice, all playing against a savoury, earthy, meaty backdrop. Great long finish too, with velvety tannins nicely integrated with an almost profound depth of fruit and mineral, earth and spice. A full, complex, and very complete wine. Superb stuff, which will only get better over the next 6-8 years and beyond. (95 pts.)
  • 1995 Domaine Anne Gros Richebourg - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Richebourg Grand Cru
    A good wine, but this lacked the sheer enjoyment factor of the other Anne Gros Richebourgs (2007, 2003 and 1999) on the flight . This was very 1995 - a whole lot tighter and less generous, which definitely counted against it. I must say it had a gorgeous nose though, with black cherries and spice garlanded with some lovely floral notes, and then flecks of bramble, rubber and earth. A gorgeous nose. The palate was still very much marked by its structure though - here, super-tight, rather teeth-coating tannins and bright acidity formed a rather stern backdrop for otherwise attractive flavours of black cherries, earth and meat, and then a finish with twists of bittersweet bramble and mineral. A chewy, powerful, sinewy wine, with a lot of restraint on it - so much so that this came across rather stern and serious. A real child of its vintage then. I am not sure whether time will improve it all that much though - the structure may well outlast the fruit. (92 pts.)

Posted from CellarTracker

Female winemakers? Anne Gros indeed. You could and should add Alix Millot, The Mugneret sisters, Nathalie Lamarche, Ghislaine Barthod, Sylvie Esmonin to name but a few. At Rousseau’s I think Corinne Rousseau (Eric’s daughter. Not quite sure her first name is Corinne…) is assuming more and more responsabilty as is Mathilde Grivot at Grivot’s. I refuse to mention LALOU.

SINCERELY JOHAN

Eric Rousseau’s daughter’s name is Cyrielle. Met her once, really pleasant to talk to.

I would add Cecile Tremblay, Claude de Nicolay, Caroline Morey and Camille Thiriet. Are we yet at a time where we should term it as the Mugneret sisters and their daughters, who I have heard are now are very involved in the winery.

I was actually quite disappointed at how narrow our selection was :slight_smile:

Will definitely need to redo this tasting again!