2005 Grand Cru Burgundies

The following is a guest posting from my friend and wine mentor, Kris Prasad. Kris prepared these notes for a tasting of 2005 grand cru Burgundies.

WHAT IS A GRAND CRU?

Last night we (Ken and I) opened Baricci 2001 Brunello for dinner. The wine was medium dark and the nose almost absent. On the palate the wine had little in the way of density. The finish was clean and had yet to develop length. But the structure and balance , we felt was perfect and we agreed this was one of the finest brunellos of the vintage.( As we once did we when we tasted this wine blind). You say “what”?

The Baricci was clearly a wine from high up in the mountains (Montosoli region) and everything about it bespoke cool and composed. Haughty and reserved. Absent was the lush glossy fruit that , while it may appease the palate that seeks immediacy and fire some critics’ passionate response, there was instead fruit that was sleek, suave and understated . The more we drank the more we loved its hidden nuances. Precision was its hallmark, not port-like chocolatey fruit. While not yet complex we think we know where the wine is headed– to aromatic heaven! This was Grand Vin.

The phrase “Grand Vin” is not necessarily restricted to Grand Cru Burgundy. But Grand Crus should be synonymous with “Grand Vin”. It is sometimes not immediately apparent when a wine should deserve this exaltation because it is not possible to quantify the inherent quality. The more its renown the more nuanced and subtle it usually is. An intensity of fruit, while desirable, is not one of the prime assets of a Grand Cru but traits of precision, persistence and purity are what eventually exalt these wines. Floridity and immediacy are more attributable to wines of less class. But, like the Baricci Brunello that sparked this essay , a wine which was young , rough and tight , other wines of Grand Vin quality likewise only give sneak peeks of what is to come. They might not set the taste receptors on fire but they ought to send brain cells tingling with excitement.

The designation “Grand Cru” for certain vineyards is not because they yield fruit that have high alcohol potential. In fact it is almost the reverse. The vineyards are often on poor soil and poorly exposed and where fruit barely ripens. For instance, upper sections of Chambertin and Latricieres are cool and sheltered by woods just above them. Even in good years (at least in the past) they oftentimes give a measly 11.5% alcohol even though they have structure and intensity. So chaptalization is necessary just to balance the wine out with body (alcohol). Once that is achieved the qualities of a Grand Vin can only then be fully expressed and appreciated. But the 2005 vintage needed no such assist. Fruit came in at around 13.5 % alcohol in nearly all the Grand Cru vineyards. But so did 2003. Yet in the 03's the qualities of nuance, precision and finesse were completely swamped by the agressive intensity of the fruit hogging the limelight , whereas, as posited, that is not what Grand Vin is about. Balance is the key and that is why the Grand Cru 2005's, even with their rough & tough youthfulness at this young age, will mature and advance the definition of what it takes to be a Grand Vin. They may show less well, at least on the surface than 1er Crus or even Village wines at this point in time, but their greatness (hopefully) can be sensed even now.

Wines at this tasting include wines from CLOS DE LA ROCHE (Dom. Marchand), CLOS SAINT DENIS (J.P.Magnien) , ECHEZAUX(Girardin) , CHARMES (Huguenot) , LATRICIERES (Castagnier), MAZIS (Dupont Tisserandot) & CHAPELLE (Camille Giroud) CHAMBERTINS, CLOS DES LAMBRAYS & CLOS VOUGEOT (Prieur).

DINNER MENU:

Breast of Guinea Hen, Cabbage and Prunes stuffed with Foie Gras
Grilled Magret (Duck breast), Sweet-Potato “Gnocchi” and Chard
Filet of Beef, Potato Gratin Dauphinois and Green Beans
Selection of Cheeses: Comte, Petit Basque and Selles-s-Cher