Amy's notes: With all the excitement here around the launch of the new Vinfolio, our tasting notes from Saturday’s La Paulee were delayed a few days. I’ll admit I did a “power tasting” approach – marking wines I liked but not making detailed notes. Bottom line - I spent much more time on the whites than the reds, given their pretty aromatics and fruit. Overall standouts for me, here in their jumbled glory, included the whole lineup from Ramonet, especially the Batard Montrachet (too obvious?); Niellon Clos St Jean; Perrot-Minot Charmes Chambertin and especially the Combe d’Orveau; the Colin-Morey Meursault Perrieres (what a nose!); and Roumier’s Morey St Denis Bussiere and Chambolle Musigny Cras. My only disappointment was with the Dujac 2007 reds. I found them a bit thin and weedy, and tight on the nose; perhaps I went in with elevated expectations or am prematurely judging, but I found more to like with other producers. Find of the day was the Allan Meadows recommendation Patrick Piuze Chablis lineup. A new negociant label from a talented young winemaker, these are classic Chablis with beautiful fruit to balance the mineral.
Levi's Notes: Overall, I found the quality of the wines from last weekend to be high, with the scales tipping significantly towards the 2007 and 2008 whites. The reds where all solid, yet there were very few wines that I found truly mind-blowing. Of the Pinots that excited me, the unusually "white wine-esq" nose on the 2007 David Duband – Echezeaux was enthralling, evoking fresh passion fruit flowers. I was also captivated by the dark blackberry bramble and citrus spritz of the 2007 Domaine Dujac – Clos de la Roche which had interesting baking spice and pepper on the mid-palate, leading into a long creamy finish. For me, two of the stellar whites of the day had to be the 2007 Domaine Leflaive – Puligny-Montrachet Les Pucelles 1er Cru and the 2007 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey – Meursault Perrieres 1er Cru. The Leflaive was enticing, smelling of fresh cut button mushrooms and sand with skyscraper-like structure in the mouth, all supported by endlessly tight and driving acidity. I cannot reproduce much of my Colin-Morey tasting note here because it is laced with so many profane superlatives, suffice to say that just thinking about the epic nature of the sliced starfruit I found on both the nose and palate, along with the wine’s awesome acidity, is still making my mouth water a week later.
