Pressoir Dinner - Cool Verticals Recap

Nikita Malhotra

October 4, 2023

We had a chance to gather together on a rather chilly and wet autumn evening last Thursday to taste through wines that we had assembled under the playful term of ‘cool’ verticals. The term cool bringing to mind the aloofness of James Dean, Sandy’s spandex/leather outfit at the end of Grease, or Lana del Rey’s recent short stint at a Waffle House. It is hard to define cool, quite often because that which is cool is ever changing, but we can generally agree that the term applies to a sense of attitude and style that is admired. We view Burgundy through the lens of tradition and history, and yet there are discussions of change and shifts in attitude and the evolving idea of what can be ‘cool’ in Burgundy. Being in the apartment space above Winner was the ideal space to organize a tasting that was investigating what we had pinpointed as cool. Sheltered from the rain, with plates of sliced sourdough bread to start, we were ready to begin the journey of tasting through three wines from four producers.

William Fèvre was the first producer we tasted, starting the night off with Vaillons from 2018, 2017 and 2016. The domaine’s history starts in 1959 with seven hectares. Now they have 78 hectares, 16 hectares of Premier Cru sites and 15.2 of Grand Cru sites. William sold his domaine in 1998 to Joseph Henriot and Henriot moved his winemaker Didier Séguier from Bouchard to Fèvre. Tasting these three vintages side by side, you could see just how transparent the wines are and how varied they can be vintage to vintage. The 2016 was surprising for some; many of us remember it as a difficult vintage with hail being a problem in the region. It was a small volume vintage for the region. The wine showed a good balance of riper fruit up front and austerity and minerality on the finish, and it is unfortunate that you won’t find too many 2016s out there. The 2017 shimmered in its tension between citrus fruit and crystalline energy; this felt like classic Chablis. Both 2016 and 2017 saw lower yields so tasting the 2018, a vintage that is marked by high yields as well as being known as a warmer year, brought about an overall discussion of how we view 2018 in Chablis. Raj pointed out that perhaps a decade or so from now we will realize that 2018 is a better vintage than we have contemporaneously prescribed.

We had a chance to talk about the perception of an outsider and the dedication it takes to making world class wine with the next estate in the line up, Domaine Clos de la Chapelle. The Clos de la Chapelle was originally part of the historic Bousse d'Or estate. American Mark O’Connell owns and manages 4 hectares in the Côte-de-Beaune and purchased the estate in 2011. We had the opportunity to taste Volnay 1er Cru ‘En Carelle’ from 2017, 2010, and 2006. This particular site sits just below the chapel with the same exposure as Champans. Dr. Lavalle listed this vineyard in his 1855 classifications as a "Tête de Cuvée", meaning one of the best of the commune. The 2017 was perfumed and very open with exuberant riper red fruit balancing the elegant and transparent mouthfeel. The 2017 was a perfect example of what Volnay is known for, aromatic intensity of riper red fruit and elegance. 2010 was a good vintage for the region and this wine felt darker on the palate in comparison with the 2017. The 2006 was a bit reticent, especially after the 2010 and the near perfection of the 2017. This was also a vintage that Mark was not involved with, so the differences found in the glass in terms of density of fruit could be equated to different practices in both vinification and farming.

Our next flight came from Domaine Fourrier with their bottling of Vougeot 1er Cru ‘Les Petits Vougeot’ from 2015, 2014, and 2013. This site is situated between Clos de Vougeot and Musigny, and Fourrier owns about one third of a hectare here. The 2015 was brawny and bigger in comparison with the other two vintages, but all three had a similar red fruited component at the core of the wine. The 2014 was more high toned and had a more Chambolle disposition. I was surprised by how much I liked the 2013, there was a density to the fruit on the mid palate that was quite inviting in the glass. Edouard had a chance to show off the video he made in the vineyards last time he visited which highlighted the uniqueness of this particular 1er Cru site. You can see the Château du Clos de Vougeot in the background from the vineyard with Clos de la Perrière bordering the west and Le Cras flanking the southeast.

Henri Gouges is a producer steeped in history, for 400 years the family has been growing grapes in Nuits-Saint-Georges, and Henri was at the forefront of domaine bottling a century ago. This is where our discussion centered on generational shifts in Burgundy. The wines tasted were Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru ‘Les Vaucrains’ 2016, 2015 and 2007. The name of the site - Vaucrains - is a reference to the infertility of the soil and in the absence of Grand Cru sites this is considered one of the best sites for the region. With modernization initiated through the passing of responsibilities to the next generation, one could see a bit of a shift in style. The wine was still clearly Gouges in style, but there was a more expressive style to the recent vintages.

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