Burgundy really gets wine geeks going. We love it. We wax lyrical about the challenges of making great Pinot Noir, the variations between vineyards separated by a wall or a few metres of altitude, the nuances of each producer’s style.
There is simply no denying that good Burgundy is incredibly exciting and incredibly delicious. And by good Burgundy I am not just talking about grand cru – we have Macons and Montagnys that are superb and massively over-deliver for their price point.
It is however pretty confusing. After more than five years working at Goedhuis I have a reasonable grip on how Burgundy works, but I stilll have a map on the wall in front of me to remind me that Beaune is south of Aloxe is south of Nuits-St-Georges, etc, etc. How someone without a professional interest is supposed to get to the bottom of the region’s complexities is quite beyond me. There are more than a few writers who have devoted their entire careers to getting to the bottom of Burgundy.
So, to shed some light on this most complicated of wine regions, we are holding a tasting of our full Burgundy range -from humble Macons and Brouillys right up to grand cru wines. This is not something we will be doing every year, possibly every few years at the most. So we really hope that as many people as possible will use this opportunity to get to know Burgundy better.
The tasting is to be held at the Saatchi Gallery near Sloane Square on Wednesday 3rd March from 6.30 to 9.00pm. Tickets will be £35 per ticket or £60 for a pair. If you would like to buy tickets please contact Harry Scott-Dempster on 020 7793 7900 or hsd@goedhuis.com
Organising more than thirty Burgundy producers was never going to be an easy task, but nobody said it was going to be quite this difficult… However, we are getting closer and we are getting excited.
The tasting will kick off with a room full of drinking wines all presented by their producers and all available to buy:
Mâcon-Loché Domaine Marcel Couturier 2008
St Véran Domaine de la Croix Senaillet 2007
Montagny 1er Cru Vieilles Vignes Stephane Aladame 2008
Pouilly Fuissé Domaine des Vallées 2007
Fleurie Cuvée Tradition Domaine de Robert 2007
Brouilly Lacondemine Domaine des Roches Bleues 2007
Bourgogne Champ de Perdrix & Mercurey Vieilles Vignes Domaine Jean-Pierre Charton 2007
Côtes de Brouilly Vieilles Vignes Sarl Potel-Aviron 2007
And we think this is where we will put Sylvie our indefatigable cheese lady to fortify you for the many many wines to come. We are banning the Epoisses as last year the smell drowned out the wine but I am sure the selection will be as delicious as ever.
And then on to the really serious stuff spread through four more rooms. It is worth remebering that only a few of these wines will be available to buy. Much Burgundy can only be bought En Primeur – so at the tasting get an idea about which villages and which producers’ styles you like and then see whether we have the odd older case, if you can still pick up some 2008 or just wait and get involved next January in the 2009 vintage when it is released.
From Chablis Benoit Droin will be showing a vertical of his 1er Cru Montee de Tonnerre and Denis and Isabelle Pommier are showing a vertical of 1er Cru Cote de Lechet. From Jean-Philippe Fichet a vertical of Meursault Chevalieres and from Maroslavac Leger a vertical of Puligny Montrachet 1er Cru les Combettes.
Confirmed reds are verticals of Savigny les Beaune 1er Cru Les Lavieres from Tollot-Beaut, Pommard 1er cru Les Jarollières from Jean-Marc Boillot, Gevrey Chambertin 1er Cru Le Fonteny from Christian Serafin and clos des Lambrays Grand Cru from Domaine des Lambrays.
Domaine de l’Arlot, Joseph Voillot, Marc Colin, Henri Prudhon, Maison Roche de Bellene, Paul Pillot and Hudelot-Noellat are all coming for the evening and we will know what wines they are bringing soon.
Michel Colin, Jean-Marie Fourrier, Antoine Jobard and Etienne Grivot can’t make it but have promised to provide wine. We are still waiting for confirmation from Laurent Ponsot, Drouhin Laroze, Geantet Pansiot and Meo-Camuzet but some will be attending and many, if not all of them, will be providing wine for the tasting.
And somewhere in the midst of all this we will find room for Manicomio’s stunning prosciutto. Always one of the most crowded corners of our tastings.
So, watch this space for updates on addditons to the tasting as we hear from the growers.