I don’t think I’ve ever visited Burgundy without tasting here. Camille Giroud is a négociant house, a tiny one in the grand scheme of things, that owns very little in the way of vineyards but has privileged relationships with some of the best growers in Burgundy. They also have a fantastic cellar with wines dating back to the 1930’s and occasionally put some of these on the market. Unlike many négociants who take whatever fruit, juice or made wine they can get their hands on, often with little regard for anything but prestigious appellation, David chooses only the best. In fact, he recently stopped working with a grower in one of Volnay’s top sites, Taillepieds, because he felt the fruit was consistently problematic. This is a wine I’ve been a fan of for years (shows you what I know). This also means that you can expect excellent quality from lesser appellations, one of the reasons Giroud dominates my selection of sub $35 Burgundy.
David’s take on the 2008 vintage is that the low natural sugars required chaptalization, one of the few winemakers I know who openly talk about this sort of thing, in many cases but to increase alcohol by no more than a half point. He also felt that the pips weren’t quite ripe for the most part which meant that they needed to be handled carefully so as not to infuse the wine with green tannins. Phenolic ripeness was the key in this vintage and the September wind, the Bise , helped in that regard and was indeed credited with saving the vintage. These winds come out of the Alps and blow constantly and vigourously, helping to dry out fruit bloated from a couple of weeks of rain; often the difference between a disaster and an excellent harvest. All in all David feels that this a classic, terroir driven vintage a bit like 2001 but perhaps a bit more generous. A sentiment shared by every winemaker I visited with this week. Our tasting, like all tastings this week, focused on the 2008 vintage which is approaching bottling in the next couple of months and shipping to the US later this year. As a caveat, tasting at this stage may tell us much about the potential of the wine but these aren’t quite finished yet and any notes of reduction, disjointedness etc. are not judgements of quality as such. There are tasting notes for a couple of great wines from the cellar at the end with pricing, availability and ETA.
Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Beaune Au Crêtot
A bit closed but spice and flowers coming through along with notes of raw ferment, to be expected at this stage. High acid, a hallmark of the vintage, but supporting tannins and core of pure fruit. Low yielding plot at 30 hectolitres per hectare in the Hautes Côtes just west of the Côte de Beaune.
Bourgogne Rouge 2008
Always one of my faves here. Very floral, particularly violet, and a bit of spice with bright red fruit on the nose. Crystalline structure with crunchy red fruit flavors. Firm acid and ripe tannins. From a plot across the N74 from Volnay.
Cote de Beaune Villages 2008
Violet and crisp red fruit. More meat here than the prior two wines and a bit rounder with good punch. A bit taut with crisp acids and firm but not chalky tannins.
Volnay 2008
From the lieu-dit Les Grands Champs below Mitans. Deep, clayey topsoils which provide wines of richness if lacking a bit of finesse. Classic Volnay perfume of flowers and raspberry, very Chambolle-like. High-toned but detailed and precise with structural components in balance.
Beaune 1er Cru Cent-Vignes 2008
Cent-Vignes is in the northern section of the commune where the slope turns to face almost directly east. Lots of perfume and spice with a hint of oak. A bit of reduction as well. Taut but with good body and the roundness of good Beaune without the roughness.
Beaune 1er Cru Les Cras 2008
From one of the top couple of climats in the commune. Tight on the palate with some red fruit and mineral but very long and pure.
Santenay Villages 2008
I was wondering why we were poured this wine from the pedestrian Santenay appellation after the Volnay and Beaune until the moment I stuck my nose in the glass. Very expressive nose of violet and iron, big fat mid-palate with lots of meat and blue fruits. Great drinker. If it’s anything like this after bottling, I’m buying as much as possible.
Maranges 1er Cru La Croix Moines 2008
Pretty floral and red fruit notes. A bit more refined than the Santenay and certainly not as loud. More minerality, tension and length.
Pommard Epenots 2008
From the parcel Clos de Citeaux. Notes of rose, violet and mineral. Light in color. Floral, stony nose with a bit of toast. Rich, warm mid-palate with excellent, sappy length. Very elegant wine.
Gevrey-Chambertin Les Crais 2008
Les Crais is situated below the road next to La Justice. A zone where the slopewash from the grands crus above has deposited great topsoil. This wine hasn’t been racked yet so still a bit of CO2. Pretty nose, good sweet fruit soft structure and good length.
Vosne-Romanée 2008
Classic Vosne nose of spice and mineral. Richly textured dark fruit flavors, very dense and fine. Bright acidity but full bodied. Excellent.
Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru les Vaucrains 2008
Very expressive nose of rose and iron with hints of ripe red fruit. Dark and powerful fruit and dense, persistent mid-palate. Big and brawny, loaded with potential.
Corton-Rognets 2008
Quiet but dark nose of black fruit and mineral. Punchy and expansive on the palate with dense core of fruit. Well balanced for such a big wine. Grainy, prodigious tannins with great length.
Charmes-Chambertin 2008
Subtle but pretty red and black fruits on the nose. Nervy dense and elegant. Reminiscent of the great Bachelet Charmes.
Chambertin 2008
David started his career at Giroud in 2001 and his Chambertin from that vintage is one of the great Burgundy’s I’ve ever tasted. Though he lost the fruit source in the following vintage, the quality has remained excellent ever since. This one hadn’t been racked yet and showed signs of reduction but notes of oak and black fruit were there. This one seemed clean otherwise and with good length though lacking a bit of weight. Maybe it’ll flesh out after racking, we’ll see.
Clos de Vougeot 2008
All black fruit and toast. Big and punchy, not a shy wine. Good weight and balanced with decent acid and fine tannins though a bit four-square.
Meursault Clos de ls Barre 2008
Not many people know that Giroud produces any white wine which is a shame; the wines are excellent from the little stuff all the way up to the Corton-Charlemagne. This one, from one of the great deuxièmes crus of Meursault, is a knockout. Rich nose of toasted hazelnuts and mineral. Rich, almost tropical fruit flavors and firm acidity carrying through to a long, clean finish.
Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Vergeres 2008
Rich nose of flowers, spice and toast. Lots of citrus and tropical fruits on the palate. Pretty ripe with fairly low acid and shortish finish.
Corton-Charlemagne 2008
Classy aromas of mineral, spearmint and white fruit, little in the way of oak notes. Tight and punchy, very dense with a strong phenolic feel. Almost tannic.
A couple of older bottles.
Saint-Romain Blanc 1999
I commited to 25 cases of this practically on the nose alone. David keeps finding these treasures in the cellar and he though it was time to get this to market. Just yellowing a bit. Luscious nose of toast, custard and citrus. Deep flavors of white fruit and hazelnut. Stylish and elegant. Great stuff, no-name appellation notwithstanding. 25 cases available @$33. ETA summer 2010
Volnay Carelle 1995
Beautiful nose of old Burgundy, a scent in itself. Complex bouquet dominated by sous bois and ripe red fruit with some mineral and rose. Great purity of fruit. Taut and long, still blossoming with a bright future. 5 cases available @$90. ETA summer 2010.
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