When you read a missive from one of the Publicity Hounds that like to fill you in on the “prestige” wines, Beaune will be dismissed in a wave of condensation, “too many premier crus” and “lets go somewhere where there is only a barrel per Luit Dix made” somewhere in the Nuits.
There is the lie within the truth. The big “B” is too difficult to wrap under one breezy tasting. There is an argument for focusing differently, but lets take another approach. Lets begin by segmenting the commune by style/soil, so as to concentrate our efforts.
If we divide into thirds this fare, we can focus on the depth of the wines. I think of it as #1The south, full and rich, lets call it BEAUNARD: #2 The MIDDLE EARTH map of stones: #3NORTHERN LIGHTS, historical breed.
NORTHERN LIGHTS center is FEVES, always included in the earliest classifications as ‘Tete de Cru’. The watch word is breed, longevity, and complexity, and it has some worthy neighbors: The upper part of CENT VIGNES, and the lower part of BRESSANDES. Cent Vignes will give you spice and delicacy, Bressandes will give you persistence.
CENT VIGNES [Sans vignes?] is a poster child for the ‘Lost Beaune syndrome’. 1890s maps draw a line through the vineyard, indicating that the lower, bottom of the hill third is more likely to have been happier as ‘Marriages, the commune vineyard. But the upper two-thirds of this 23.5 ha site rubs shoulders with the stars. Executed correctly, CENT VIGNES masters aggressive fruit and opens to cascading complexity.
How serious is this? Three examples.
1976 Rene Monnier, 1993 Chateau de Chorey,Jacques Germain, and 1945 Hospices Nicolas Rolin.
[1]The 1976 Monnier arrived in an auction lot with Meursaults, when opened it floored tasters with its complexity in this hot year. [2]The Jacques Germain was one of many that shone in the same manner in a cellar full of forceful statements: I purchased cases of the 1993 from the famous Tour d’Argent restaurant in Paris. [3]The Cuvee Nicolas Rolin, anchored by the large amount of Cent Vignes in its mix, could stand up against many a titan from the Nuits in 1945, and emerge the victor.
Photo: Cuvée Nicolas Rolin 1962
Clearly this is not just a fluke or a ‘great value’ issue, but a chance to open your eyes to quality unobstructed by expectations: If the wine is in the glass, it is proof enough. Blind tastings can do this. I once conducted such a tasting of great 1969s, 4 each from the Nuits and the Beaune. The tasting was weighted in favor of the Nuits, a Dujac, a Vogue, and a DRC were on that side. The winner? BRESSANDES from Remoissenet. The crowd favorite. If it hadn’t been presented that way, the length and stature of the BRESSANDES would not have been measured.
The fact that the winning wine cost 25% of the others, thats just a good secret between us. Or to put it another way, ‘What DO you want to drink tonight?’*
Bob ###
* [Young talents to watch include Thibaut Marion {Seguin-Manuel} and David Croix. 2014 and 2015 are fertile vintages for ‘Northern lights’]