The Wicklow Wine Company Newsletter

Eating & tasting my way around Burgundy

Barbara Boyle

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I have recently returned from a fabulous visit to the Côte d’Or - the heartland of great Burgundy wine. It is divided into two main areas, the Côte de Nuits, north of the city of Beaune, where the most acclaimed red wines are made, and the Côte de Beaune, to the south, where the reds are eclipsed by the finest white wines. Geologically, Jurassic limestone predominates, which favours the production of the two main grape varieties, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. However there are many combinations of variant forms of limestone and other substrates which make up the different terroirs in this 30km stretch of vineyards.

To experience great white burgundy, I went first to the Côte de Beaune, a very rural and pretty area, much less populated and quieter than the Côte de Nuits. While there is as an equal amount of red and white wine made here, it is renowned for the very best whites. It is here that you find three of the greatest white appellations, Puligny-Montrachet, Meursault and Chassagne-Montrachet. Also in the Côte de Beaune is St Aubin, a name to bear in mind when on a more modest budget.

Are there more similarities than differences between these three appellations? I can offer some general ideas and impressions, having tasted wines from each one over a 24 hour period. I found them remarkably different in character and expression even though they are all made from Chardonnay with roughly the same methods of vinification and maturation. The characteristics of Puligny-Montrachet are freshness, elegance and finesse but most importantly minerality allied with citrus; it sometimes seemed like sucking stones and there was an almost salty minerality. Meursaults tend to express fuller aromas and flavours and while there is minerality in Meursault it is married with more fleshiness, combined with notes of spice, nuts and peach. Chassagne-Montrachet can really take oak, which sits well with the fruit and minerality in a subtler way than with Meursault and at the same time Chassagnes tend to be a little bit bigger and fruitier than wines from Puligny.

A lot more attention is being turned to St Aubin, just north east of Chassagne-Montrachet. It is generally a less expensive appellation and widely touted by many of winemakers I met as producing some of the most exciting and best value whites in the Cote de Beaune.

Whilst the Wicklow Wine Co is looking to extend it’s portfolio, both in Puligny and Meursault, it currently stocks the wines of Domaine Bernard Moreau in Chassagne-Montrachet. This is a 14 hectare family owned domaine. Alex Moreau is a charming host who explained the most important features of viticulture and vinification for great white burgundy. Planting density is high at 10,000 vines per hectare. To control yields they debud in April and this method is favoured over green harvesting. When debudding they will leave just 4 to 5 shoots per vine to give the same number of bunches. No irrigation may be used but hydration levels in the soil can be good after winter. Harvesting is by hand and based on the glorious weather that they experienced in April, which advanced the development of the vines, the harvest of the 2007 should be around the 10th of September.

I then headed north and spent a day and a half visiting a number of producers in the Côte de Nuits. It is here that you find all the truly great red appellations of Burgundy. I visited Cyprien Arlaud at Domaine Arlaud... [read on]

Read Barbara's notes on some of the wines she tasted at Domaine Bernard Moreau