At Le Carmin, we spent another wonderful evening in Beaune yesterday. The maître d’hôtel was superb. Merci beaucoup, monsieur! Not to mention, they’re dog-friendly, too. From their extensive wine menu, I picked the 2013 Philippe Pacalet Meursault.
Philippe Pacalet is a négociant based in Beaune. He has been making wine since the early 2000s. Today, he processes grapes from around 20 hectares of vineyards. His style of winemaking is natural in that he relies on spontaneous fermentation and not too much new oak.
Today, I was at Maison Champy in the town of Beaune for a tour of their cellar and a brief dégustation. Maison Champy started out as a tonnellerie in the 19th century, then moving to the purchasing of grapes or grape must for vinification and bottling in their role as négociants, and eventually growing their own vines, too. They are one of the oldest wineries in the region and still have all of their production within the city of Beaune.
Today, controlled fermentation takes place in steel tanks to keep much of the expression of each terroir. For maturation, Maison Champy uses Burgundian pièces with only a medium toast. More new oak for the bigger wines.
This evening, my wife and I enjoyed a splendid dinner at the beautiful restaurant L’Ardoise in Beaune. On their good and fairly priced wine menu I found this 2020 Hubert Lamy Saint-Aubin 1er Cru “En Remilly”.
Tasting note
Cream color with light green reflections. Fresh and mineral on the nose. Lime, wet stones, later also flowers and some nut with very subtle sweetness. This is a beautiful, stimulating perfume. Precise in the mouth with now stronger citrus, underpinned by the fresh acidity. Lots of pull on the palate and long lasting. With more maturity, the fresh fruit will certainly be accompanied by more mineral notes. I would try this wine from Domaine Hubert Lamy again from 2025. It should then be in a good drinking window at least for the next five years. DM93.
EN: A mature white Burgundy by Domaine Cachat-Ocquidant. The cork in this half bottle is intact, it all looks good. But when you pour it, the colour is immediately noticeable: a deep orange, more whisky than white wine. The bouquet is nutty with butter and caramel. With more time in the glass, a hint of pear. But the tertiary notes have already taken over. On the palate, this impression is confirmed. The acidity is strongly restrained, freshness rather absent. Walnut, mushrooms, otherwise few impressions. No, the wine has its good time behind it. A rating above 80 is hardly possible for me, so no rating. NR.
DE: Ein gereifter weißer Burgunder von Domaine Cachat-Ocquidant. Der Korken in dieser halben Flasche intakt, das sieht alles gut aus. Beim Einschenken fällt aber gleich die Farbe auf: ein tiefes Orange, mehr Whisky statt Weißwein. Das Bukett nussig mit Butter und Karamell. Mit mehr Zeit im Glas ein Anklang von Birne. Die tertiären Noten haben aber schon übernommen. Am Gaumen bestätigt sich dieser Eindruck. Die Säure ist stark zurückgenommen, Frische eher Fehlanzeige. Walnuss, Champignons, sonst wenig Eindrücke. Nein, der Wein hat seine gute Zeit hinter sich. Eine Bewertung über 80 für mich da kaum möglich, somit keine Bewertung. NR.
While in Busan, South Korea, we discovered this pretty wine bar @winevin_ at Gwangalli Beach. There, you’ll find a carefully crafted wine menu that goes beyond what you typically find in most bars in Korea. The focus seems to be on burgundy and champagne. Even though we picked a bottle of wine ourselves today, they offer an “Omakase” style wine course where they will suggest several wines for you.
2020 Benoît Ente Bourgogne-Aligoté “Antichtone”:
EN: Tasted at a wine bar, so didn’t take detailed notes. In the nose, light spices and citrus fruits. This continues on the palate with a fresh acidity of lemons, paired with nuts and a stony minerality. This doesn’t have the complexity of a burgundian Chardonnay from a good appellation, but it is a very enjoyable wine that felt perhaps like a “mini” Chardonnay. Somewhat lighter on the earthy elements and not as deep, but still mirroring all of the characteristics of white burgundy. If anything, it reassured me to add more Aligoté to our cellar! DM90.
DE: In einer Weinbar verkostet, daher keine detaillierten Notizen gemacht. In der Nase leichte Gewürze und Zitrusfrüchte. Dies setzt sich am Gaumen mit einer frischen Säure von Zitronen fort, gepaart mit Nüssen und einer steinigen Mineralität. Er hat nicht die Komplexität eines burgundischen Chardonnay aus einer guten Appellation, aber er ist ein sehr angenehmer Wein, der sich vielleicht wie ein “kleiner” Chardonnay anfühlt. Etwas weniger erdig und nicht so tief, aber immer noch mit allen Merkmalen eines weißen Burgunders. Dieser Wein hat mich darin bestärkt, mehr Aligoté für unseren Keller zu kaufen! DM90.
Two new arrivals from Kierdorf Wein for a mini tasting today. Can’t wait to see how these two matured burgundies from a half bottle will show. 😊 Tasting notes coming soon.
EN: Light blonde colour. A very fragrant aroma with subtle earthy notes and hazelnuts. Already in the nose, the wine appears buttery and creamy. The mouthfeel is lush, creamy and mineral. However, paired with a present acidity. This gives the wine balance. On the palate, I have grapefruit, almonds and a slight vanilla sweetness. The finish is long. A really outstanding Chardonnay that is already a lot of fun to drink. But I think it will still develop beautifully over the next 5-7 years. DM93-94.
DE: Hellblonde Farbe. Ein sehr duftendes Aroma mit subtilen erdigen Noten und Haselnüssen. Schon in der Nase erscheint der Wein buttrig und cremig. Das Mundgefühl ist üppig, cremig und mineralisch. Allerdings gepaart mit einer präsenten Säure. Dies verleiht dem Wein Ausgewogenheit. Am Gaumen habe ich Grapefruit, Mandeln und eine leichte Vanillesüße. Der Abgang ist lang. Ein wirklich hervorragender Chardonnay, der schon jetzt viel Spaß macht. Aber ich denke, er wird sich in den nächsten 5-7 Jahren noch wunderbar entwickeln. DM93-94.
