What's Pressoir Drinking?

by Raj Vaidya
Tuesday, February 15th, 2021

Inspired by Max’s Lunar New Year feast of Poon Choi, I decided to celebrate the new year with some Cantonese seafood delivery (call it the poor man’s banquet!) I chose eel sautéed with peppers and onions and wilted pea shoots for the main course.

The sweet and savory flavors of the take out prompted me to open a bottle which paired extremely well with the wide range of flavors I had in play. I wanted something with a seriously saline and even gamey edge, yet something low in tannins and delicate in structure, as I find that high tannin wines tend to clash with the spice elements in some Cantonese dishes. Digging around my wine fridge, I came across this lovely, mature example from one of my favorite domaines in Burgundy. 1990 was a warm vintage, and a very lauded one for sure, but often I find the wines a tad overripe, sluggish and in the worst cases, somewhat boring. But this bottle proved to be a tremendous and happy exception! The wine had a beautiful perfume, with notes of dried flowers and a distinct mushroom aroma akin to black trumpets. On the palate there was a sucrosity which preserved the fruit, cherries in particular, and this paired beautifully with the sweetness and spice of the eel as well as with the dish’s somewhat oily texture. Domaine Lafarge’s Bourgogne Rouge is sourced from a vineyard called ‘Petit Pré’ in the regional appellation just east of the Volnay vineyards. The domaine treats this simple Bourgogne just as seriously as the Volnay and Beaune wines, with aging of around 18 months in barrel. Back in 1990 the vines here were about 25 years of age on average. A perfect bottle for the new year!

A tasting of the 2018 harvest from the Marquis d'Angerville in Volnay

by Daniel Johnnes, Max Goldberg Liu & Raj Vaidya
Tuesday, December 2, 2020

Tasting the D'Angerville 2018s was exciting and filled with anticipation as it was one of my first post bottling tasting of this vintage and I wasn't sure what to expect. Often a wine can shut down post bottling but these were true to my early impressions of the wines in barrel. It was a sunny vintage but these wines avoided the heavy, raisiny character that can show in a hot summer. They were rich and textured but had a lovely balanced freshness. Two wines stood out for me, punching above their weight class, starting with the Volnay 1er Cru. Although from several fine 1er Cru climats, this one had terrific breadth and class.

The other over-achiever was the Volnay 1er Cru Champans. This is always a charmer but in this vintage I found wonderful depth and complexity that I don't normally get. The Taillepieds, Caillerets and Clos des Ducs came in just where you would expect them to be - Superb! Bravo Guillaume…

~Daniel

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A takeaway for me from this tasting is that these wines really characterize how many growers in Burgundy (and especially the crème de la crème like d’Angerville) have mastered these warmer vintages in making wines with superb balance between richness and freshness. All of the wines were delicious and open for business but a standout was definitely the Volnay 1er Cru, which is around 2/3 Mitans and 1/3 Pitures. A clear step up in density and depth from the Volnay Village, the Premier Cru blend is only around 15% more expensive, making it a no-brainer value.

~Max

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I was also concerned about this vintage showing too much ripeness or a lack of precision but my fears were quickly put at ease. A few cuvées had some unusual weight to it but all in all the range was quite balanced. Guillaume told us that despite the slightly higher alcohol on some of the cuvées the wines of great pedigree found harmony easily, and I’d agree. As Daniel noted, the Champans stood out as superlative for its place in the line up, usually a wine which I think of as inferior (albeit slightly) to Caillerets, Taillepieds and Clos des Ducs. But the ‘18 seems on par with these in quality. I had a special affinity for the Caillerets, as I often do, being that it is the stoniest. Tremendous showing!

~Raj

Wines we tasted:

Volnay
Volnay 1er Cru
Volnay 1er Cru Fremiets
Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Angles
Volnay 1er Cru Champans
Volnay 1er Cru Caillerets
Volnay 1er Cru Taillepieds
Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Ducs

What's Pressoir Drinking? (Turkey Day Edition...)

November 25, 2020

Raj Vaidya - Ulrich Stein, Riesling Kabinett Feinherb 2013

I’ve long been a proponent of drinking whites with fowl rather than leaning into the habit of picking a red, and while I think turkey is a pretty blank canvas for pairings, I like to pay more attention to pairing wines with the rest of the spread on the Thanksgiving table. With the smokiness of the sausage in my stuffing (shamelessly purchased from Restaurant Daniel rather than making it myself), the grilled squash I plan to serve and the sweet and salty cranberry jelly, I like to drink a slightly off dry Riesling from Germany, so I’ve picked one of my favorite producers, Ulrich Stein’s Kabinett Feinherb from 2013. Delicate, super mineral, with the weight of a feather and the palate reminiscent of rainwater, the perfect wine for tomorrow’s festivities…

Justine Puaud - Domaine Huet, Vouvray “Le Mont” Sec 1993

I always love to pair poultry with a juicy and elegant Pinot Noir. But this year I will go for something different. We chose the wine based on the stuffing. For this Thanksgiving holiday, we will stuff the turkey with raisins, prunes, nuts and a little bit of foie gras (as always!!!) and decided to open a Chenin from Domaine Huet Vouvray “Le Mont” sec 1993. I bought this bottle from our good friend James of restaurant Popina. My husband and I are Chenin lovers and are looking forward to discovering it.

For many wine insiders, Le Mont is one of Vouvray’s greatest vineyards. Some people even say it is indisputably a Grand Cru vineyard. With age, Le Mont develops strong perfume, great length and finesse. The richness of this age worthy Chenin Blanc will pair perfectly with the dry fruits in the stuffing and the saline aromas and notes of petrol will go superbly with the foie gras. My mouth is already watering….

Max Goldberg Liu - Domaine Didier Fornerol, Côte de Nuits Villages Rouge “La Rue des Foins” 2013 en magnum

While our Thanksgiving table will be a bit smaller than usual this year, the wines we drink can give back some of the warmth of being with family and friends. I’m looking forward to sharing this magnum from a winemaker friend, Didier Fornerol - it’s more generous and fruit-driven than many 2013 Red Burgundies I’ve had, but still has the vintage’s trademark cranberry or grapefruit-like tanginess that I think will be a great foil for the turkey.

J

aime Dutton - Champagne Chartogne-Taillet Les Barres Extra Brut

As I was picking out wines for our Thanksgiving  festivities, I went straight to Champagne this year. Not just for the celebratory moment of the holidays but because I love Champagne and I love the wines of Alex Chartogne and I cannot wait to pop this bottle tomorrow! This year we will just be 6 at our table and 2 of them prefer sparkling cider, so I am very happy that I will be able to enjoy this Champagne not only at the start of the evening but also when we sit down to the table.

As our plates are filled with turkey, stuffing, fresh Cape Cod cranberry sauce, sweet potato and squash all doused in gravy, I can imagine there is nothing better than enjoying more than a glass of Chartogne’s Les Barres.

This bottle is from the 2011 harvest and is 100% Pinot Meunier.

Eléonore Lafarge - Domaine Trapet, Gevrey Chambertin 2017

I will celebrate my first Thanksgiving this year. Since this is a time to enjoy with your family, I wanted to feel like I was at home during these festivities, so I decided to drink a Gevrey Chambertin from Domaine Trapet from 2017. My family has always been close to the Trapet family, so enjoying a bottle of Trapet always makes me feel at home.

I am going to enjoy the traditional Thanksgiving menu, so this bottle should pair perfectly with the turkey. I am already hungry and thirsty when I think about tomorrow!

Daniel and Sally - Domaine Simon Bize, Savigny les Beaune 1er Cru Les Guettes 1993.

Our small family gathering this Thanksgiving will enjoy a magnum of Domaine Simon Bize, Savigny les Beaune 1er Cru Les Guettes 1993. Not only will the wine pair perfectly with the flavorful heritage turkey raised by our neighbor upstate but it is another way of giving thanks to friends and family. Patrick Bize was one of my dearest friends in Burgundy and this wine will remind me of how thankful I am to have known him and enjoyed so many great times with him.

Edouard - Domaine de la Grand’ Cour Fleurie Lieu-dit “Champagne” Cuvée Vieilles Vignes 2017 from Dutraive

For those who know me, my wine choice for Thanksgiving may not come as a surprise. Yes, I love Beaujolais. An often, this wonderful wine is considered the best companion for turkey, so I couldn’t resist. I’ve been wondering how the cliché of Beaujolais for Thanksgiving was born. Is it because of timing? Probably. Beaujolais nouveau is celebrated on the 3rd Thursday of November while Thanksgiving happens the week after. Or perhaps people found out that a juicy, delicious Gamay was the perfect answer to an often dry bird meat (not everyone masters turkey roasting like Julia Child…). Anyway, for me, Beaujolais has its place on the table everyday, with arguably all sorts of food, if any!

The wine pictured here was made by winemaker Jean-Louis Dutraive, an incredibly generous and talented man I had the chance to visit him at his domaine in Fleurie, Beaujolais. I was also around when, during a Paulée in NYC a few years ago, he opened some of his old bottlings from the 1990’s and the crowd, sipping on Pinot Noir from DRC and Chardonnay from Leflaive, dropped their jaw as they experienced the incredible freshness from such old wines, and on top of that, from Beaujolais!

Jean-Louis’ wines are easy to recognize among others. First, simply by looking at their robe. Because they’re never filtered nor fined, they usually appear slightly cloudy, with an intense light ruby color splashed with hints of fuchsia. I found his wines to always be incredibly expressive, almost exuberant at times. Aromatically, I guess the name of the appellation “Fleurie” has the psychological power to suggest scents of flower but I do find the aromatic palette to be loaded with violets, tulips and roses. The smell of wine may be called “bouquet” for a reason.

Whenever I serve Beaujolais to my guests and friends, I really enjoy watching them take a sip and immediately see an irresistible grin light up their face.

Celebrating La Paulée de Meursault "At Home"

November 11, 2020

Les Trois Glorieuses (Three Glorious Days) is the November trilogy of events in Burgundy beginning with the wine auction at the Hospices de Beaune followed by a dinner at the Clos Vougeot and culminating in La Paulée de Meursault, the famous BYOB lunch in the Château de Meursault that normally hosts around 750 guests but sadly had to be canceled this year.

In honor of the event that inspired our own Paulées de New York & San Francisco, we are drinking Meursault all week!

Follow us on Instagram to see what bottles we (and some special friends from Meursault) are opening.

La Paulée @lapaulee
Daniel @danieljohnnes
Jaime @jwestd
Max @maxgoldbergliu
Edouard @sommbody
Raj @rajvine
Justine @ju_puaud
Eléonore @eleonore_lafarge

What's Pressoir Drinking?

Raj Vaidya

October 5, 2020

It is becoming a rarity to come across great bottles of humbler appellations in Burgundy these days in many of the great collector’s cellars. Many of our Cellar Advisory services clients have cases upon cases of mature Grand Cru, but to be able to enjoy a delicious and mature Villages level Burgundy is a little harder these days. So while rooting around a friend and client’s cellar on the Upper East Side last Saturday night, him and I were delighted to happen upon this bottle of 1999 René Engel Vosne-Romanée Villages. A bottle that no doubt was purchased on release by his father in the early 2000’s. It was late in the evening, post dinner, and there was a request for an earthy red. Boy, did this deliver! Great length on the palate, somewhat rustic, leathery even. Not one of those floral and light, airy Vosne’s. Much more power here, the richness and intensity of the vintage certainly shined here. Engel’s wines are an important piece of Burgundian history, but over the years since Philippe Engel passed away and the Domaine was sold, these bottles have become quite pricy and all the more rare. Truly a memorable bottle! The Dauvissat Séchet was the follow up, well after midnight, and also delicious, but i’ll save describing that one for another time :)…

What's Pressoir Drinking?

by Raj Vaidya

September 14, 2020

This past weekend as the cool evening air returned to the North East and NYC, I fired up my grill to try and take full advantage of the last wisps of summer. Grilled Tandoori spiced chicken was on the menu, so I figured an aged red with some ripeness would be appropriate. Digging around in my wine fridge, I turned up this delightful bottle of village level wine that proves Daniel’s oft repeated motto: read the label from the bottom up! Drouhin has long been a favorite producer of mine, and the pedigree of their excellence in wine making plus the superlative vintage 1999 promised that this wouldn’t be a simple village level experience. The wine did not disappoint. Layers of spice and small red berries on the nose, tremendous depth on the palate with earthiness just starting to develop but the primary fruit flavors still very much present. Still youthful, though it was delicious and long on the palate. Lesson to be gleaned; age your Villages!

What's Pressoir Drinking? Domaine Clair-Daü, Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru 1980

June 25, 2020
by Max Goldberg Liu

This wine was a real treat to taste towards the end of the Gala Dinner at La Paulée de New York 2020. It was fully mature and showed the dark and intense side of Bonnes Mares but with enough fruit to keep things pleasurable. The wine was also a portal into the history of a now-defunct domaine, as Clair-Daü would be sold just five years later, mostly to Jadot.

Founded in 1919 in Marsannay by Joseph Clair and Marguerite Daü, this was one of the greatest estates in Burgundy by the 1970’s with holdings from Clos Vougeot to Bonnes Mares to Clos Saint Jacques. Disputes among the five children, however, caused the domaine to be divided up, with many parcels going to Jadot and the rest being locked into long-term leases with other producers.

Nevertheless, there is a happy ending to the story. Bruno Clair, a grandson of Joseph and Marguerite, was determined to follow in Clair-Daü’s illustrious viticultural footsteps and started his own domaine with his immediate family’s plots in Marsannay and a few other villages. As other family parcels have come out of their long-term leases, he has added them to his now 23 hectare domaine through which the Clair name lives on.

This bottle exhibited the glory of Clair-Daü at the top of its game before it was torn apart, a recurring Burgundian story we see in the histories of so many great estates.

For more information check out:
Daniel, Raj, Edouard, & Max’s podcast discussion of the 1980’s in Burgundy

Eléonore’s interview with Arthur Clair, Bruno’s son

Insider's Look - Wines at La Paulée de New York 2020 Gala Dinner

June 23, 2020
by Max Goldberg Liu

The Gala Dinner at La Paulée de New York’s 20th anniversary was our biggest yet, and winemakers and guests came thirsty! Check out these facts and figures from the full list of wines served that night by our crack team of sommeliers.

Total number of bottles
2 Methuselahs (6L)
41 Jeroboams (3L)
195 Magnums (1.5L)
514 Bottles
2 Half Bottles

813.75 liters of wine or 215 US gallons for 400 guests - an average of over 2 bottles per person. That’s the Paulée spirit of generosity!

Type breakdown
65% Red
31.5% White
3.5% Champagne

As we often see, guests enjoyed the whites but quickly moved into the reds.

Classification breakdown
58% Grand Cru
27.5% Premier Cru
6% Village
1% Regional
7.5% other region or class

Most popular villages
15% Gevrey-Chambertin
11% Vosne-Romanée
11% Puligny-Montrachet

Most popular vintages
2000
1999
1996

The first Paulée de New York took place in 2000, so many winemakers and guests leaned into the nostalgia by bringing wines from the 2000 vintage.

Oldest Wines
Violland, Romanée-Saint Vivant Grand Cru 1943
Drouhin, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru 1943

Most popular appellations
Clos de la Roche Grand Cru
Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru
Chambertin Grand Cru

Most popular domaines
Domaine Armand Rousseau
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti
Domaine Dujac

Approximately 1 in 15 bottles in the room was a Rousseau!

1980's Burgundy Vintage Podcast

 0:16: 1980

Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault 1er Cru Goutte d’Or
Domaine Michel Lafarge Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Chênes
Domaine Robert Chevillon Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Cailles
Domaine de la Romanée Conti La Tâche Grand Cru
Domaine Armand Rousseau Chambertin Grand Cru
Domaine Ponsot Clos de la Roche Grand Cru

2:13: 1981

Maison Drouhin Montrachet Grand Cru Marquis de Laguiche
Domaine Coche-Dury Meursault
Henri Jayer Echezeaux Grand Cru

4:54: 1982

Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault 1er Cru Charmes
Domaine Leflaive Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru
Domaine Ramonet Montrachet Grand Cru
Domaine de la Romanée Conti Montrachet Grand Cru
Henri Jayer Richebourg Grand Cru
Domaine de Montille Volnay 1er Cru Les Taillepieds

8:22: 1983

Domaine Vincent Dauvissat Chablis Grand Cru Les Preuses
Domaine Leflaive Chevalier Montrachet Grand Cru
Domaine Ramonet Montrachet Grand Cru
Domaine Michel Lafarge Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Chênes
Domaine Marquis d’Angerville Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Ducs
Domaine Armand Rousseau Chambertin Clos de Bèze Grand Cru

13:03: 1984

No highlighted wines.

14:25: 1985

Henri Jayer
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti 
Domaine Francois Raveneau Chablis Grand Cru Les Blanchots
Domaine Guy Roulot Meursault Tesson Clos de Mon Plaisir
Domaine Pierre Morey Meursault 1er Cru Perrières
Domaine Drouhin Beaune 1er Cru Clos des Mouches
Domaine de la Romanée Conti La Tâche Grand Cru
Henri Jayer Richebourg Grand Cru 

18:43: 1986

Domaine Francois Raveneau Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos
Domaine Ramonet Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru
Domaine Coche Dury Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
Domaine Georges Roumier Bonnes Mares Grand Cru
Domaine Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier Musigny Grand Cru
Domaine de la Romanée Conti Richebourg Grand Cru

22:13: 1987

Domaine Louis Michel Chablis Grand Cru Vaudésir
Domaine de l’Arlot Nuits Saint Georges 1er Cru Clos l’Arlot
Domaine Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
Domaine René Engel Clos Vougeot Grand Cru
Domaine de l’Arlot Nuits Saint Georges 1er Cru Clos des Porrets Saint Georges

25:06: 1988

Domaine François Raveneau Chablis Grand Cru Valmur
Domaine Blain Gagnard Bâtard-Montrachet  Grand Cru
Domaine Coche Dury Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières
Domaine René Engel Grands-Echezeaux Grand Cru
Domaine Henri Jayer Echezeaux Grand Cru
Domaine Armand Rousseau Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos Saint Jacques

28:05: 1989

Domaine Guy Roulot Meursault Les Luchets
Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault 1er Cru Genevrières
Pierre Morey Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru
Domaine Ramonet Montrachet Grand Cru
Domaine Simon Bize Savigny-les-Beaune 1er Cru Aux Guettes
Domaine de la Pousse d’Or Volnay 1er Cru Clos des 60 Ouvrées
Domaine Dujac Clos Saint-Denis Grand Cru

Interview with Camille Thiriet

May 11, 2020
by Justine Puaud

Can you tell us a little bit about your “micro” business?

After several trips to Australia and New Zealand, I moved back to Burgundy and my dream came true! In 2016, I was creating a micro negoce in my garage. At that time, I was making only 2 wines in 7 barrels. My goal was to enhance the lesser-known appellations of Burgundy and be able to produce NO more than 15,000 bottles per year.

Have you made some changes in the vineyard and cellar work since the creation of your domaine ?

As I said, my goal was to be able to produce between 13,000 and 15,000 bottles of wine in the next 5 years. Today, I can say that I achieved my goal after only 4 years!

To give you some history: In 2016, I only had 2 cuvees for a total of 2,000 bottles:
Côte de Nuits Villages Aux Montagnes
Bourgogne Blanc Cuvée Confidentielle

In 2017, I made a 3rd wine: Bourgogne Rouge les Blanches with my own vines from Pommard. I produced a total of 3,500 bottles.
In 2018, the production went up to 6,000 bottles! I added 3 wines in my micro domaine: a Vezelay, a Volnay and a Savagnin.
At the end of 2018, I bought some Aligoté vines in Pommard.
In 2019, I added the Bourgogne Aligoté and 2 news parcels of Côte de Nuits Villages which I am really proud of! The Côte de Nuits Villages Les Retraits and the Côte de Nuits Villages Les Vignottes. Total of the production of 2019 is 13,000 bottles.

Can you tell us a little bit about your Côte de Nuits Villages (from the most elegant to the most rustic)?

The three parcels are between Comblanchien and Premeaux-Prissey.

1. The Côte de Nuits Villages Les Retraits is literally next to Frederic Mugnier’s vineyard, Clos de La Maréchale. It is an elegant wine with a nice aroma of crushed strawberries. In my opinion, this is not representative of a Côte de Nuits Village because it is very subtle and delicate.

2. The Côte de Nuits Villages Aux Montagne is in front of Château de Comblanchien, on the slope. The vines benefit from exceptional exposure to the sun. Based on the geographical situation, it is definitely a terroir of a premier cru. This wine has more structure and more tannins.

3. The Côte de Nuits Villages Les Vignottes faces the Clos de La Maréchale but is on the other side of the road. This is the “big daddy” of the 3 parcels. Beautiful dark ruby color with good tannins. On the palate there is a dominance of dark fruits and raspberry. I love the fact that they are all in the same area but so different. It is a good example of Burgundy and its notion of terroir.

When do you think it is a good time to drink your wines in general?

Ideally with a minimum of 3 years!

Do you have new projects for the domaine?

Now I am in a phase of stabilization. I want to keep control of everything. At this time I cannot increase my production. My partner, Matt, is helping part time but most of the time I have to do everything by myself. There is quite a lot between the grape purchasing, the vinification, the client relationships, etc…

Have you always wanted to be a winemaker?

When I was younger, I always wanted to be the “nose” of a perfume company. I was not really into science... My major in college was literature so after my graduation I decided to enter a Business School specialized in Wine Marketing and Management. After my MBA I knew I didn’t want to work in sales...I moved back to Burgundy and worked with Nicolas Potel. I did the harvest and the vinification. This is where I realized I loved the production side of the wine. I quickly asked if I could buy grapes from him. I tried to convince my partner Matt. He said “no” the first time, the second time and then he finally said yes!! It was in 2014 when we started with our first purchased grapes.

What is your general winemaking philosophy?

I am learning everyday and asking myself consistently if I am doing the right thing. It is stressful but I am learning from my mistakes. I think making wine is like cooking. You need to know your products perfectly to make a great dish! You taste and then you adjust if necessary. All your senses are stimulated. I think the vinification is like the butterfly effect. Every single decision will have a huge impact on your wine. This is the most stressful and important moment in the wine making process. Each winemaker has his/her own identity and his/her own signature.