On 16th September we were pleased to co-opt one of our members, Andy Finklaire, to present his selection of wines from Burgundy

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Burgundy is one of France's more interesting (and probably amoung the most expensive) wine regions: Burgundy. The region is a central area of France with a long valley streaching from Auxerre in the north to Mâcon in the south (or even to Lyon if you include Beaujolais) along the Saône river as well as the Chablis area north-west of Dijon.

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Andy curated a selection of wines to reflect the region’s variety based upon his and Dawn's love of the area which includes their house in the region. Andy  presented wines from the Cote Châlonnaise part of Burgundy and a  red Beaujolais Villages (noting that these are produced from the Gamay grape rather than the Pinot Noir of Burgundy).

 

Andy was also looking to add an interesting compare & contrast of two very closely related wines - see below

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All the wines were sourced by Andy in Burgundy (mostly at the cellar door), so prices are in Euros

These are the wines we tasted, with a brief description for each.  

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The welcome wine was a Crémant de Bourgogne sourced from Domaine Renarde - (marked as a very pleasant wine and good value)

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1. Bourgogne Blanc, Domaine Renarde 2023 (13%) Cuvee Molouca        9.90
Medium straw in colour, with a fresh aroma of pure Chardonnay. On the palate this is smooth and buttery

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2. Montagny 1er Cru, Les Vignes Longues Domaine Renarde 2023 (13.5%)        16.60
This is a wine sourced from a single field, again with the med straw colour. The nose is very fruity, with buttery

undertones which carries through to the palate delivering smooth fresh flavours.

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3. Santenay, Les Daumelles, Ponsard-Chevalier 2023 (13%)            21.00
Again a medium straw colour, but with a slight aroma of oak (which is not common in Burgundy). On the palate, the fruit shows well with a minerally background giving a good structure to the wine.            

              

4. Moulin a Vent, Caves de Fleurie  2022 (13.5%)                    10.00
Surprisingly dark red (for a Beaujolais) with aromas of cherries and red fruits. On the palate this wine is light and fruity and very refreshing. Best served lightly chilled.

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The next two wines are from vines in the same field in the same year, but by two different producers to emphasise that the winemaker has a great deal of influence over the finished wine.

5. Givry, Champs Pourot, Domaine Renarde 2022 (13.5%)                16.00

Medium red in colour, red fruits on the nose and fresh and fruity on the palate

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6. Givry, Champs Pourot, Domaine Drain    2022 (13%)                    18.00
Again a medium red colour, but with more typical Burgundy nose of fruit with a "farmyardy/composty" aroma.

On the palate, this wines is deeper in flavour with more weight and structure to the flavours.

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The next two wines were from the same producer, but sourced from different fields demonstrating the complexities of the Burgundy environment and the effect of "terroir" on the wines produced.

7 Santenay, Les Cornieres, Dom. Ponsard-Chevalier 2023                21.00
A medium red colour, very smooth on the palate with red fruit aromas

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8. Santenay, Le Haut Village, Dom. Ponsard-Chevalier 2023            21.00
Again, medium red in colour with the fruit aromas, but a touch more acidity on the palate

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9. Givry 1er Cru, Crausot, Dom. Drain 2022                            21.00
A deeper red than the earlier Givrys, with a mix of fruit and spice on the nose with a touch of oak to complement.
An excellent wine to finish, the flavours on the nose showing well in the taste.

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Thanks to Andy for an excellent showing of wines from a beautiful part of France.

Thanks also to Andrew Duggan, assisted by Sue Rossell, for providing the half-time buffet