The Wicklow Wine Company Newsletter

Burgundy Wines - Domaine Bernard Moreau

Tasting Notes by Barbara Boyle

Page 1 2 3 4 5

These notes are extracted from the experiences of four days eating and tasting my way around Burgundy with a group of friends and accomplices known collectively as the Certified Dipsos. They concentrate on the wines of Domaine Bernard Moreau and Domaine Arlaud who are represented in Ireland by the Wicklow Wine Co.

Domaine Bernard Moreau
St Aubin 1er Cru en Remilly 2005, Domaine Bernard Moreau Bottled in September 2006, it spent 10 months in barrel of which 20% to 25% is new oak and the rest is of various ages up to 3 years. 2005 was a dry year, not too hot, giving wines that are pleasant and open. It has a great nose of peach and citrus and the palate is very fresh and lively, balanced with peach flavours. This was much more upfront as a style than the Chassagne-Montrachet that followed.
Chassagne-Montrachet Villages 2005, Domaine Bernard Moreau This wine is made with no sulphur being used at any stage in its production. We think that this wine needs to be decanted in order to allow it to breathe and settle. This brings out the lovely freshness of the fruit on both the nose and the palate.
Chassagne-Montrachet, La Maltroie 1er Cru 2005, Domaine Bernard Moreau This wine spent a full year in barrel, 30% of which was new oak, and then rested in stainless steel tank until bottled in February 2007. Premier crus take 4 to 5 years to be at their best and will show more honey and nutty flavours but in youth they can be closed or seem too oaky. Comparison with the last two wines was instructive. There are wines that can and should be drunk younger and these tend to have less oak. It is better to leave premier crus for several years before approaching them. The wait will be worth it as some of the following notes hopefully demonstrate.
Chassagne-Montrachet Chenevottes 1er Cru 2004, Domaine Bernard Moreau The fruit is much more to the fore with peach and some honey. The palate is still steely and tight and the level of acidity is noticeable and it clearly needs more time but is already much more expressive than the last wine. Great length.
Chassagne-Montrachet Morgeot 1er Cru 2003, Domaine Bernard Moreau From the very hot vintage of 2003, harvested on 27th of August, this wine is very much a product of that vintage (true of all the wines, of course!). The acidity of these wines is very vintage dependant and that is what marks out good from great vintages. This is simply a good vintage. A little darker in colour, it is lemony with touches of smoke, green apple acidity and the oak has become integrated.
Chassagne-Montrachet Grands Ruchottes 1er Cru 2001, Domaine Bernard Moreau Over lunch in a lovely restaurant in Puligny Montrachet we had a magnum of this wine. The nose had delicious honey and lemon aromas with whiffs of oak. The palate was quite racy with balanced acidity and an oaky mid palate with nut and lemon flavours which persisted, giving great length. I think that it is really at its best at this age and though the wine will certainly live longer, I really enjoyed drinking it as it was on the day.

We then went on to taste three reds from Chassagne-Montrachet. The received wisdom concerning the reds has been that they are rustic and old fashioned but of good value. With lower yields, gentle pressing and pumping over preferred to pigeage and more use of oak, some very fine wines are being produced.

Bourgogne Rouge 2005, Domaine Bernard Moreau There is great purity of pinot noir character which was fighting a little with the oak and tannins but with decanting or another year in bottle this should be smoother. 30% new oak was used and it spent one year in wood without filtration or fining.

Bourgogne Chassagne-Montrachet Villages 2005, Domaine Bernard Moreau Made from old vines, this wine was bottled in January 2007. Perfumed, with red fruits, smoke, a very appealing nose, great fruit to the palate and firm tannins which call for food. Maceration and fermentation took about 15 to 25 days, it spent one year in barrel and was basically left to do its own thing with minimal intervention!

Chassagne-Montrachet La Cardeuse 1999, Domaine Bernard Moreau A monopole in the Côte de Beaune. Together with the primary fruit aromas of cherries there are other more vegetal components. Tannins are evident but balanced and the wine appears quite youthful with depth and a long finish. According to Alex Moreau, 1999 is a great year, probably better than 1990. After 6 years you can’t feel the winemaking but just the Pinot Noir. This is a great wine, the perfume and red fruit are to the fore and it has great persistence.

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.