WCC White Burgundy Blind: Dead or Alive?
Home of Chef Andrew Plummer, East Greenbush, NY
7/16/2015

My regular Albany group met to taste White Burgundy in the home of the great local chef Andrew Plummer. We have been enjoying Andrew's brilliant food for more than 20 years now, at Cafe Capriccio, at Allegro Cafe, at McGuire's, at Creo, and now with his own catering company, Plummer's Private Dining.

Of the 17 wines, 5 were terrible, mostly due premature oxidation (aka premox), and one was more naturally passed its prime, but drinkable. The other 11 were excellent to outstanding, 93-96 points out of 100 in my book. 11 really good wines along with really good food makes for an excellent evening.

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The Setting and the Menu.


Flight 1: Meursault
Octopus and Diver Scallops with Heirloom Tomato, Meyer Lemon, Fresh Herbs, and Tsume (an eel reduction sauce often served with eel sushi).
Two of the best scallops I've had. Everything on the plate was delicious and harmonized.
  1. 2008 Louis Latour Meursault 1er Cru Charmes - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
    Light yellow color. Crisp citrus nose. In the mouth, crisp with a hint of fizz on the tongue. Young, fresh, tasty. Sadly, the only decent bottle in this flight. (93 points)
  2. 2008 Domaine Matrot Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
    Amber color. Rotten banana nose. Bitter on the palate. Off. (NR/flawed)
  3. 1995 Remoissenet Père et Fils Meursault 1er Cru Les Genevrières - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
    Amber color. Fishy nose. A touch oxidized. Otherwise just blah. (NR/flawed)
  4. 1988 Albert Grivault Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
    Amber color. Dirty, fishy nose. Long fishy finish. Nasty. (NR/flawed)


Flight 2: Puligny and Chassagne
Lobster Consommé: Poached Lobster, Celeriac Custard, and Aromatic Vegetables.
This was amazing. Every bite was delicious. The celeriac custard in the middle was exquisite.
  1. 2011 Domain Henri Darnat Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Champs-Gain - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru
    Light straw color Crisp, buttery nose. Thick, crisp with an appealing bitterness on the finish. (92 points)
  2. 2009 Olivier Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet
    Light yellow color. Big buttery nose. Big and rich in the mouth. Classic white Burgundy. Reminds me of the 2000 Domaine Leflaive Chevalier-Montrachet I had last week. Maybe a consistent family style which I like! (95 points)
  3. 2007 Louis Jadot Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru La Romanée - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru
    Amber color. Lightly oxidized nose. OK in the mouth, but probably a bad bottle. (NR/flawed)
  4. 2009 Blain-Gagnard Bâtard-Montrachet - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru
    Light yellow color. Muted marzipan nose. Crisp, delicious and complex in the mouth. Expansive. Excellent. Group WOTN. (94 points)
  5. 1989 Remoissenet Père et Fils Montrachet Le Montrachet - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Montrachet Grand Cru
    Amber color. No nose. Lightly oxidized, but still appealing. Now that I see the vintage, this one is probably right for its age, not premoxed. This is labeled as Royals Club, but the person who brought it was assured that it is over-production from Montrachet. That is, it the same wine that was labeled 1989 Remoissenet Père et Fils Montrachet Le Montrachet, more was produced than was allowed by law, so the rest was bottled this way. (88 points)


Flight 3: Chablis
Wild Mushroom Risotto with Locally Foraged Golden Chanterelles, Black Trumpets, Snow White Summer Oysters, and Parmigiano.
I usually think of mushroom risotto as a match for red wines like Barolo, but this was a perfect match for
these white wines. The Shrooms were foraged by Andrew's wife Sarah and her sister.
  1. 2012 Gilbert Picq & ses Fils Chablis 1er Cru Les Vaucoupins - France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis 1er Cru
    Light yellow. Big buttery nose. Complex minerals. Young, crisp complex and delicious. Should drink well for at least 5-10 years. My WOTN, which was nice since I brought it! Group #2 WOTN. (96 points)
  2. 2010 Domaine Christian Moreau Père et Fils Chablis Grand Cru Valmur - France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
    Light yellow. Huge buttery in the nose and mouth. A delicious, complex young wine. Group #4 WOTN. (95 points)
  3. 2009 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Bougros Cote de Bouguerots - France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
    Light yellow. Stunning nose. Rich and complex. A wow wine. My #2 WOTN. Group #3 WOTN. (96 points)
  4. 2004 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Valmur - France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
    Light yellow. Rich, thick, complex, naked and raw in a good sense. I would not have guessed that this is 5 years older than the previous wine. (94 points)


Flight 4: Corton-Charlemagne
Pan Roasted East Coast Halibut Encrusted with Shallots and Toasted Corn with Red Quinoa, Sweet Pea Purée, and Corn Crème.
Another wondeful dish. Excellent match to these hearty Cortons.
  1. 2008 Bouchard Père et Fils Corton-Charlemagne - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
    Light, almost clear yellow. Complex marzipan and lemon custard nose. Crisp, young. Good bottles should improve for 5 more years. (93-95 points)
  2. 2002 Domaine Maurice et Anne-Marie Chapuis Corton-Charlemagne - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
    Medium-dark yellow. Big lemon custard nose. Crisp, tart, flavorful. Still unresolved, but comes brilliantly into focus with the halibut. 95 points with the halibut! (93 points)
  3. 2000 Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
    Light yellow. Muted lemon custard nose. Crisp and complex. Plenty of life ahead. (94 points)
  4. 1994 Remoissenet Père et Fils Corton-Charlemagne Diamond Jubilee - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
    Amber color. Sherry nose. Completely oxidized. Undrinkable. (NR/flawed)


Conclusion

When they're good, they're very good. When they're bad, they're very bad. Three of the top four wines were in the Chablis flight.

If you look closely at the photos of the wine in the glasses, you can see a strong correlation between the darker colors and the oxidized wines. Whether that is detectable without opening the bottle is unclear to me.


Notes posted from CellarTracker.


WOTN Voting (3pts each for #1, 2pts for #2, 1pt for #3)

RankPts#Wine
12282009 Blain-Gagnard Bâtard-Montrachet
218102012 Gilbert Picq & ses Fils Chablis 1er Cru Les Vaucoupins
313122009 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Bougros Cote de Bouguerots
49112010 Domaine Christian Moreau Père et Fils Chablis Grand Cru Valmur
58152002 Domaine Maurice et Anne-Marie Chapuis Corton-Charlemagne
6552011 Domain Henri Darnat Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Champs-Gain
7412008 Louis Latour Meursault 1er Cru Charmes
8262009 Olivier Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet
9(tie)172007 Louis Jadot Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru La Romanée
9(tie)1132004 Domaine William Fèvre Chablis Grand Cru Valmur
9(tie)1162000 Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne
12(tie)022008 Domaine Matrot Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières
12(tie)031995 Remoissenet Père et Fils Meursault 1er Cru Les Genevrières
12(tie)041988 Albert Grivault Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières
12(tie)091989 Remoissenet Père et Fils Montrachet Le Montrachet
12(tie)0142008 Bouchard Père et Fils Corton-Charlemagne
12(tie)0171994 Remoissenet Père et Fils Corton-Charlemagne Diamond Jubilee

People Photos

Click on an image with a border for a larger view of that image.
Andrew cutting up the 15 pound halibut for the 4th course.
Photo by Sarah Ulan Plummer.

Matt, Sarah, Joel S, Bob B.

Bill, Dick, George, Joel H, and Mike T in the mirror.

Andrew setting up the first course.

Bob F, Keith, Matt.

Joel S, Bill, Keith, Bob S.

 

 

 


All original content © Ken Vastola