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Burgundy From A To R: The Wines of Antonin Rodet and Jacques Prieur November 27 Amaury Devillard, North American Sales Manager, Domaine Antonin Rodet and Jacques Prieur Everyone loves Burgundy. The supple flavors, the velvety texture, the ethereal lingering taste and the silky opulence combine for a perfect glass of wine. The secret is to find the still undiscovered producers whose wines are not only great drinking but also great value. Two of the best producers in this category are Antonin Rodet and Jacques Prieur, both owned by the Devillard family. Wines are listed in the order of presentation. The 40 attendees were asked to vote for their two favorite white wines and their three favorite red wines. Prices listed are full retail mark-up. Notes are a combination of the speaker and Kim Ginsberg's. Ms. Ginsberg is a wine educator and was formerly a professor of wine education at Fairleigh Dickinson University. Flight I: Aperitif Votes Full Retail $ Pommery Brut Royal Champagne I can think of no more delightful way to formally usher in the holiday season than to arrive for a Burgundy tasting and be greeted at the door with a glass of Pommery champagne! I found the wine, once it warmed up, to have a rather sweet nose, very moussy, and a very short, but clean finish. (I don't know why people insist on serving sparklers ice-cold; as with ANY beverage, you can't taste anything when it's that cold.) I missed the fuller flavors and the toast that this product used to have. Flight II: White Wines Votes Full Retail $ Rodet, Bourgogne Chardonnay, 1999 Mr. Devillard announced that 1999 was a great vintage in Bugundy, and I wonder if the word "great" here means "large, ripe harvest" as it did with the 1997 Italian "great" vintage and the 1976 "great" German vintage. I wonder because I found this wine, which he described as being "light and fresh" to be very and unpleasantly alcoholic, heavy and maligned with new oak. Surprising since only 15% of the wine is fermented and aged in new oak. 4 $9.99 Rodet, Chablis, 1999 The wine smelled of sweet vanilla oak, the winery tells us that the wine went through 100% malolactic fermentation and 20% aged in oak! IN CHABLIS! No wonder I did not find it, as the speaker did, to be flinty, citrusy and minerally, the trademarks of Chablis. 16 $14.99 Rodet, Chateau de Rully, 1999 Beautiful golden color, lots of lush, glycerol mouthfeel, a very round and flabby wine finishing with an unpleasant alcoholic burn. 13 $17.99 Rodet, Chassagne-Montrachet, 1998 True to its appellation, the wine is richer and thicker than the Rully. More unctous, more nutty flavors, apricot and flowers as well. 30% of the wine goes into new oak barrels. 21 $40.50 Rodet, Meursault, 1999 Back to the 1999 vintage and hotness in the finish. The speaker described it as having a smokiness from the soil, a flintiness and rich, elegant long finish. I longed for that rich hazelnut creaminess that is unmistakeably Meursault. 6 $30.00 Domaine Jacques Prieur, Puligny -- Montrachet 1er cru,"Les Combettes," 1998 What a difference! Generally more angular than Chassagne because of the limestone soil, this Puligny is true to form. Despite the fact that it is a 1998, a year older than the Meursault, it posseses a liveliness and vibrancy not found in the other wines. It boasts of juicy acidity, lemony and a delightful saltiness- just a spray - leading to a long, long finish! 27 $90.00 Flight III: Red Wines Votes Full Retail $ Rodet, Bourgogne, Pinot Noir, 1999 This 100% pinot noir is a very pretty, charming wine. Good concentration of fruit, nice acidity and full of sour-bursting cherry flavors. 8 $9.99 Chateau de Chamirey, Mercurey, 1999 Good black cherry fruit and spiciness, especially powdery cloves. 14 $22.99 Rodet, Pommard, 1999 Again, the wine's breeding shows! Unmistakeably Pommard, Cote de Beaune, one of the meatiest of all Burgundies. Great big, earthy, tannic wine, with that naughty little gaminess about it all held together with some tar. 10 $30.00 Rodet, Gevrey-Chambertin, 1999 From the Cote de Nuits, a more feminine, smooth, velvety wine. Delicate and floral. This is the best part of these tastings -- to have the opportunity to really understand, get a sense of the different appellations in Burgundy. To drink, side by side, completely different wines from the same producer and same vintage is not only a treat, but a real learning experience. 10 $30.00 Rodet, Nuits St. Georges, 1999 A bigger, deeper wine than the Gevrey. Lovely dark ruby color, full middle and nice finish. 6 $30.00 Domaine des Perdris Nuits St. Georges ler Cru, "Aux Perdrix," 1998 A new acquisition for the Rodet family. They bought the 30 acre estate of Domaine des Perdrix in 1996, allowing them to make this wine from a 9 acre parcel of old vineyards. A robust wine, bigger, more tannic, richer, more acidity than the AOC Nuits St. Georges. Again, an irrefutable and tasty example of the difference between an AOC wine and a Premier cru. 19 $61.99 Rodet, Nuits St. Georges, "les porets" 1997 A lesson in interpreting vintage charts, which lists 1997 as not a good vintage, persuading people not to buy them. And here is a perfect example of what that means. It was a lighter vinatge, not a bad vintage. These wines are drinking better younger, as this one proves. When the acidity calms down, the wine fleshes out and it is beautifully drinking wine. Smooth, rich fruit with hints of bacon. 22 N/A Rodet, Cave Privee, Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru, 1997 Finish marred by acidity, though that might have dissipated if decanted. A dusty color, and too much sweet vanilla and cedar from the 100% new oak aging. It is nice to taste wines with at least a bit of age on them. 29 $94.99 Top