Report from ... Terroirs & Signatures of Bourgogne 2011 - March 22, 2011

Burgundy can be a confusing piece of France: regions, appellations, sub-appellations, vineyard specificity.  The basics are pretty easy to grasp: the white grape is Chardonnay and the red grape is Pinot Noir, after that the head starts to spin.  We can talk about the 5 regions: Chablis & Grand Auxerrois; Cote de Nuits; Cote de Beaune; Cote Chalonnaise; Maconnais ... but the key here is to find a region or sub-appellation or something else you can hang your hat on and stick with it.  I have to admit that before today I had no idea where I really stood in the world of Burgundy wines - but looking back at various Vintages releases I started to notice my poking fun at the name of a certain sub-appellation.  As it turned out I was crazy 'bout a Mercurey (or many of them).  Not sure crazy is the word, but I sure did like them.  I decided to take this opportunity to see if it was a fluke of the releases or that I truly had found my Burgundy region of choice.

Crazy or Not ...
I focused my attention on the red Mercurey (Pinot Noirs).  I found 8 within the room, and discovered, after tasting, I was a fan of 7 of them.  What a revelation - I can now say I like Pinot Noir from the sub-region of Mercurey (part of the Cote Chalonnaise) - here were my top 5 wines:

Domaine Michel Juillot 2008 Mercurey 1er Cru, Clos Tonnerre -
deep rich blackberry / cranberry and strawberry with plenty of tannins and spice. (****+)

Maison Albert Bichot 2009 Mercurey -
good spice and dark fruit. (****)

Domaine de Suremain 2007 Mercurey 1er Cru, La Bondue -
really good red fruit mixed with vanilla and spiced strawberries. (****+)

Domaine de Suremain 2007 Mercurey 1er Cru, Le Clos L'Eveque -
floral and delicate with lovely cherry notes. (****+)

Domaine de Suremain 2008 Mercurey 1er Cru, Le Clos L'Eveque -
darker and denser than its older counterpart. (****)

More from Burgundy ...
Of course there is more than just Mercurey, and I tried plenty, below is a list (with selected notes on the wines tasted):

4 Star Selections -
Domaine Bachey-Legros 2009 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru, Morgeot - creamy vanilla and buttery goodness
Domaine Bachey-Legros 2009 Santenay, Les Charmes - rich in red fruit and red licorice
Maison Chanson Pere & Fils 2008 Santenay 1er Cru, Beauregard
Maison Joseph Drouhin 2008 Beaune 1er Cru, Le Clos des Mouches
Domaine Michel Prunier & Fille 2007 Auxey-Duresses 1er Cru, Clos du Val
Maison Loron & Fils 2009 Bourgogne Chardonnay, Montvallon ($12.95) - great value, lovely fruit
Domaine Jacques Prieur 2007 Meursault, Clos de Mazeray Monopole
Domaine Henri de Villamont 2008 Volnay 1er Cru Le Ronceret

4+ Star Selections -
Bailly-Lapierre 2006 Vive la Joie - a five year aged Cremant, very tasty and Champagne-esque
Maison Chanson Pere & Fils 2007 Beaune 1er Cru, Les Feves, Monopole
Domaine Daniel Rion & Fils 2009 Nuits-Saint-Georges, Les Grandes Vignes - this wine had spice to spare.

Finally, the curiosity of the day came from Maison Loron & Fils with a magnum of 1997 Pouilly-Fuisse, Les Vieux Murs, Reserve Caveau - 13 years and still going strong, delicious and good to the last drop.

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