Louis BOILLOT-- 2012 Côte de Nuits Burgundies tasted from cask in November 2013 (Chambolle-Musigny)

Louis Boillot said that he began his harvesting about 20-21 September (which would have been on the Côte de Beaune, where he also has vines). Some wines finished malolactic fermentations in December 2012, others in May 2013. His Côte de Nuits production is off 40% from a normal year, but that is not bad compared to his Côte de Beaune production, which is off 60%.

Each of these wines is a great success for the level of its vineyard. (Continue reading here.)

Louis BOILLOT: 2012 Volnays and Pommard tasted from cask in Autumn 2013 (Chambolle-Musigny)

Production for Louis Boillot on the Côte de Beaune was down 60% due to the hail at the end of June. For Volnay-Caillerets, 90% was lost to hail, and so there is but a single small barrel of it (which, of course, was not available for tasting). Harvesting began about 20-21 September. Part of the malolactic fermentations started in December, others in May. (Continue reading here.)

BONNEAU-DU-MARTRAY -- 2012s tasted in November 2013, prior to bottling. (Pernand Vergelesses)

Due to the severely reduced quantities in the 2012 vintage, I was not able to taste the wines from bottle when I visited in November 2014. Below are my notes on the wines from my tasting in November 2013. (Continue reading here.)

David DUBAND -- 2012s from bottle (Chevannes)

Duband has generally impressed me with his wines since the change in style some years ago to a less extractive, more nuanced one. (Continue reading here.)

Domaine d'EUGENIE -- 2012s tasted from bottle (Vosne-Romanée)

Francçois Pinault, one of France’s, and indeed the world’s,s wealthiest individuals, acquired Domaine René Engel in 2006 in the wake of the tragically premature death of Philippe Engel. It was the first significant movement of ultra-rich outsiders into Burgundy in modern times, and was followed more recently by the purchase of Domaine des Lambrays by Pinault’s arch-rival, Bernard Arnault.

Pinault renamed the Engel estate Domaine d’Eugénie and entrusted its management to Frédéric Engel, president of Pinault’s great Pauillac property, Château Latour. (Continue reading here.)

RIDGE VINEYARDS -- Spring 2015 releases

2013 Chardonnay    estate

Santa Cruz Mountains     monte bello vineyard

(Continue reading here.)

Domaine PARENT -- 2012s from bottle (Pommard)

These wines are typical of what I’ve long found here: slight rusticity, not competing for the best of their respective appellations, but honest and well-made. (Continue reading here.)

Domaine LEFLAIVE -- 2012s from Bottle (Puligny-Montrachet)

Many 2012 White Burgundies below the grand cru level are marked by a fatness that renders them less racy than normal. Leflaive is to be complemented for avoiding that problem and producing typical, racy, mineral wines. (Continue reading here.)

ROULOT -- 2012s from bottle (Meursault)

Jean-Marc Roulot is one of my favorite producers of white wine in the entire world. If my evaluations below are not quite as enthusiastic as in other vintages, that’s because 2012 whites, in my opinion, overall are somewhat disappointing except at the grand cru level. Still, these are very good wines for the vintage. (Continue reading here.)

Domaine de MONTILLE and Château de PULIGNY-MONTRACHET -- a few 2012s from bottle

Château de PULIGNY-MONTACHET

2012 Saint-Aubin    1er Cru   En Remilly

(Continue reading here.)

Miscellaneous Beaujolais and red Mâconnais (2012-2013-2014)

The 2014 vintage early on looks promising. I’ve not liked the 2013s as much as I expected, finding many of the wines bony and lacking in charm, but it may just be that they need more time for the acidity to round out. The 2012s were very attractive, but given the small yields, you may not find too many of them around any more. (Continue reading here.)

de MONTILLE -- 2012 Côte de Nuits reds tasted in November 2013 prior to bottling. (Volnay)

Etienne de Montille said that malolactic fermentations were very late – but for one wine, all finished in August and September. The late malolactics fixed the color, and so the wines are quite dark, he noted. He expected to bottle the wines in April through June 2014. All of the wines reviewed here are made with 100% whole cluster fermentation. (Continue reading here.)

DEux MONTILLE and Château de PULIGNY-MONTRACHET -- 2012 whites tasted in November 2013, prior to bottling

DEux MONTILLE

DEux Montille is a negociant operation, producing almost exclusively white wines under the direction of Alix de Montille. (Continue reading here.)

H. de MONTILLE -- 2012 Côte de Beaune whites tasted prior to bottling in November 2013. (Volnay)

As I mentioned in the previous post, with de Montille’s acquisition of the Château de Puligny-Montrachet, there has been some shifting around of the labels, and hence the Meursault-Perrières and Chevalier-Montrachet, which are new wines under the de Montille label. (Continue reading here.)

H. de MONTILLE -- 2012 Côte de Beaune reds tasted prior to bottling in November 2013. (Volnay)

My condolences first to Etienne, Alix, and Isabelle de Montille who lost their father Hubert, last November 1. He was a singular figure in Burgundy who made no compromises in following his own route to excellence in his wines.

But also my congratulations to Etienne and Alix (Isabelle is not involved in wine) and their team for these extremely successful wines made under the demanding conditions of 2012. Etienne had been managing the Château de Puligny-Montrachet, and then farming it, for some years, but he and his sister Alix have now acquired it; there is some changing around of vineyard holdings and it is possible that some de Montille wines may appear under the Château de Puligny-Montrachet label; and some wines that formerly were under the Château de Puligny-Montrachet label will now be bottled under the de Montille label.

Malolactic fermentations were very late here, and but for one wine, all finished in August and September 2013. Yields on the Côte de Beaune, including whites, were down 45-70%; overall production was about half of the ten-year average. (Continue reading here.)

Jacques Prieur -- 2012s reviewed from bottle (Meursault)

This is a very good selection from Prieur, an estate that has not been getting all the recognition that it is due and confirms the high regard that I had for these wines when I tasted them prior to their bottling. My reviews of Prieur’s 2012s tasted in November 2012, prior to their bottling (and including these wines) are here (Côtes de Nuits), here (Côte de Beaune reds), and here (Côte de Beaune whites). (Continue reading here.)

Miscellaneous Jura red wines

As with the whites, I find the red wines from the Jura fascinating and great bargains for the quality they deliver. 

Those who like Burgundy, especially those who have recently begun to feel priced out of the Burgundy market should check out Jura Pinot Noirs, and also Jura wines made from Ploussard (sometimes spelled Poulsard) and Trousseau, as well as blend from those grapes. (Continue reading here.)

Jacques PRIEUR -- 2012 Côte de Nuits tasted in November 2013 prior to bottling (Meursault)

The only whole clusters used in these wines were in the Musigny. (Continue reading here.)

Jacques PRIEUR -- 2012 Côte de Beaune reds tasted prior to bottling in November 2013 (Meursault)

As I reported earlier, harvesting began about 20 September. Malolacitic fermentations were late. Grapes were entirely destemmed on the Côte de Beaune. (Continue reading here.)

Jacques PRIEUR -- 2012 Whites tasted in November 2013, prior to bottling (Meursault)

Harvesting at the estate began about 20 September. Malolacitic fermentations were late, with some were still finishing when I tasted in November 2013. (Continue reading here.)

BOUCHARD Père & Fils/Domaine BOUCHARD Père & Fils* -- 2012s tasted from bottle (Beaune)

As I mentioned in my reviews of Bouchard’s 2012s prior to bottling, the whites were more successful at the grand cru level than below and the reds were more uniformly successful. From bottle, those observations are borne out by this selection of wines.

I review Bouchard’s 2012 Côte de Beaune reds prior to bottling here; the 2012 Côte de Beaune whites prior to bottling here, and the 2012 Côte de Nuits wines prior to bottling here. I review Bouchard’s 2013’s here, here, and here. 

We start with the whites:

(Continue reading here.)