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Chablis 2008, Domaine Billaud-Simon We will shortly be taking delivery of our allocation of Domaine Billaud-Simon's delicious Chablis from the 2008 vintage. Whereas in the rest of Burgundy the cool growing season has given lighter, sometimes insubstantial white wines, the later harvest in Chablis, accompanied by drying winds, resulted in a crop of healthy ripe grapes which have given high quality Chablis with a classic steely mineral character. Bernard Billaud reckons that his 2008s are the best wines since the great 2005 vintage. They have a lovely balance of ripe fruit & acidity plus great length and structure.
Despite the increase in the rate of VAT and the continued weakness of Sterling against the Euro (albeit marginally better today), Billaud-Simon have actually reduced their prices a little from those for the 2007 vintage and we are pleased to pass this on. Chablis of this quality still represents good value compared to the wines of the Cote d'Or. Billaud-Simon are most definitely in the Premier League of Chablis growers and their prices remain keen compared to their rivals. Prices shown here include duty and VAT at today's rates (but may be subject to change if we have a budget in March).
Feb 2010
Burgundy Offer - March 2010 [To download this offer as a pdf please click here]
I have just returned from my annual visit to Burgundy. My mission was mostly to assess the 2008 vintage but some growers hold back and release their wines a little later so I also tasted many 2007s, a few 2006s and even a few slightly older wines.
The Vintages
Initial reports about the 2008 vintage focused on the lack of heat during the growing season and suggested that it was difficult to attain full ripeness. While this was undoubtedly true in some cases, those growers who took advantage of the cool but dry second half of September and early October and then made rigorous selection (Virgile Lignier rejected over 30%) have made well-balanced wines. The whites have a delicious freshness that makes them enjoyable for early drinking, yet the better wines have sufficient structure for medium-term ageing. The better reds have sufficient fruit and ripe enough tannin to balance the fresh acidity. They too will drink quite young but will also benefit from mid-term ageing. If we are to believe all we are hearing about how good the 2009s will be, the 2008s (and 2007s for that matter) will make very enjoyable drinking while we are waiting for this apparently exceptional vintage to mature. The characteristics of the 2008 vintage allow a very good expression of terroir in the wines. Rather than being mere fruit bombs, there is a real sense of individuality between the different appellations. And within the same village different vineyard sites exemplify well the Premier Cru/Grand Cru system [viz Bachelet-Monnot’s two 1er Cru Puligny-Montrachets]. Where I tasted 2007s as well or in addition to the 2008s the wines are mostly beginning to show well. The top red wines will still reward patience [e.g. Chauvenet’s Nuits-St-Georges 1er Crus] but some of the village wines are surprisingly forward [e.g. Bitouzet-Prieur’s Volnay and J-B Lebreuil’s Savigny-les-Beaune], possibly more so than their 2006 counterparts. The few 2007 whites that are still available are mostly already delicious though there is no hurry to drink the more serious ones.
The Growers
Château de la Saule: Alain Roy continues to make very reliable white Montagny. Unusually I prefer his oaked Cuvée Fût de Chêne in 2008 over his unoaked Cuvée Classique. Domaine du Meix-Foulot: Agnès Dewe tends to release her lovely red Mercurey a little later than some other growers. The 2006 Mercurey 1er Cru [a blend from 3 different sites] is beginning to drink well. The single vineyard wines would benefit from keeping for 2-3 years. Domaine Michel Briday: Stéphane Briday’s Rully, and in particular his 1er Cru Grésigny, knock spots off many much more expensive white Burgundies from the Côte de Beaune. His 2008s are as reliable as ever. Domaine Bachelet-Monnot: Still in their 20s, brothers Mark & Alexandre Bachelet are rising stars. Their Bourgogne Blanc comes from Puligny-Montrachet and rivals many much grander wines while their Pulignys are great examples – great steely concentration. Despite being the cheaper I marginally prefer the Referts. The red Maranges should not be overlooked – quite Volnay in style with attractive “crunchy” redcurrant fruit. Jean-Claude Belland: Sadly this domaine has a somewhat chequered history but occasionally throws up gems, particularly now that the wines are being made by Jean-Claude’s brother-in-law. The 2008 Santenays are all well-made, good examples. The 2004 Santenay is now fully mature and great value. Domaine Vincent Bouzereau: It is difficult not to present a biased view of the wines of the remarkably affable Vincent & Aline Bouzereau with whom we have made good friends over the years. Here the 2008s are worthy of praise with no shortage of fruit and good balance. Vincent’s wines are drinkable quite early (his 2007s are delicious already) but do have the structure to age well. The Narvaux is worth the small premium over the village Meursault and of the 1er Crus I prefer the minerality of the Poruzots. Domaine Bitouzet-Prieur: Vincent Bitouzet is slowly handing over full charge of the domaine to his son François. While the whites continue to be first rate benchmark examples of Meursault, there is no doubt that the reds have improved significantly recently – I shall certainly be buying some of their 2007 Volnay Caillerets. While the Bouzereau Meursaults (above) are attractive very young, the Bitouzet style is a little more steely and the wines repay longer keeping. Of the three 1er Crus the Perrières is the most mineral in style & the longest lived – a 1992 tasted last year was still incredibly fresh! Domaine Jean-Baptiste Lebreuil: I am delighted to have been introduced to this domaine for the first time this year. Jean-Baptiste makes silky elegant medium-weight reds. The 2007s will make attractive drinking soon. The 2008s will repay keeping for 2-3 years. Domaine Bonneau du Martray: One of the very few domaines to only make Grand Cru wines, Bonneau du Martray have the largest holding of Corton-Charlemagne. Their 2007 is powerful yet elegant. The red Corton has delicious ripe fruit but needs cellaring for at least 5 years. Domaine Jean Chauvenet: Chauvenet, whose wines are made by son-in-law Christophe Drag, is one of the two or three top estates in Nuits-St-Georges. The 2007s are all well up to the usual standard - well-structured but currently quite backward. The village wine needs 2-3 years while the 1er Crus need longer – at least 5 years for the Vaucrains. Domaine Virgile Lignier: Virgile Lignier has made elegant, well-balanced 2008s which are great examples of his appellations. While the Grands Crus are stratospheric, the 1er Crus are up the standard of many growers’ Grand Crus. The two Vieilles Vignes Cuvées are great examples and of the 1er Crus I prefer the power of Virgile’s Faconnières to the elegance of his Charmes but this is merely fine tuning! Ordering Please see below for full details and prices of the wines available. Special prices are applicable to purchases of 6 bottles of any wine (or 3 bottles of the Grand Crus). Please order by phone, email or click here to download an order form which you may return by fax or post. This offer will close on 30th April 2010. Wines are offered subject to remaining unsold. Delivery Delivery will follow shipment during May 2010. Delivery is free throughout London and the Home Counties for orders of 6 bottles or more from this offer. Further afield delivery is charged at £14.50 per consignment to UK mainland addresses. Prices All prices include duty & VAT at current rates [post 2010 budget].
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