The Toronto Vintners Club

2002 1re CRU WHITE BURGUNDY, February 12/08 

Guest Speaker: Charles Jewett, Trilogy Wine Merchants

How The Wines Scored

Notes on the Wines

"I’m dreaming of a white burgundy . . just like the ones I’ve drunk before."  We had our white Christmas, now we’re into the new year. If your New Year’s resolution is to drink high calibre, quality wines in 2008, then you are indeed fortunate since there really is NO equivalent to French white burgundy. And, when there’s an opportunity to taste mainly Premier Cru white burgundy from a vintage such as the 2002 - rated an excellent to outstanding vintage, all the better! You are off to a great start this year in sticking to your resolution. As we all know, life is too short to drink bad wine.

Six of the eight wines we present are Premier Cru. Premier Cru wines are produced from specific vineyard sites that are considered to be of high quality, making up 12% of production at 45 hectoliters/hectare. These wines need to be aged 3-5 years, and again the best wines can keep for much longer. Premier Cru wines will usually list both the name of the village of origin - together with the status of the vineyard - eg "Volnay 1er Cru" as the appellation, and then the name of the individual vineyard (e.g., "Les Caillerets") on the wine label. No matter which reviewer you favour - The Wine Advocate, The Wine Spectator, Decanter, La Revue du Vin de France - they all agree the 2002 white Burgundies are a must-buy and a must drink. Cynthia Hurley of La Route du Vin wrote that, "For the last decade or more, I have tasted most of the Burgundy vintages. I can tell you without hesitation that 2002 bowled me over again and again as I tasted through both the reds and whites. The wines are fleshy and lively with pure flavors that stay in your mouth. Remarkable!" When Burgundians are asked to compare their 2002’s to previous vintages, there are two years that are constantly mentioned: 1992 and 1996, both excellent years.

So, join us for an evening of some very fine wines from an outstanding vintage, perhaps not to be repeated - at least from our cellar - for a long time.

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The Wines

1. 2002 Chassagne Montrachet 1er cru Les Vergers $60
Deeply coloured, opulent white Burgundy with complex, ripe smoky, apple, pumpkin-orangey aromas integrated with vanilla, honey and lemon notes that give it personality. Mid-weight with a lush texture but bolted together by firm acidity. Solid, rich, creamy and balanced. Warm hearted with a hint of wood tannin amid the fruit and spice on the finish. Excellent length with various complexities staying in sharp focus all the way through. Give it another year or two. Best 2005 to 2009. (Steve Thurlow 10/04)

2. 2002 Chassagne-Montrachet, Boudriotte 1er Cru, 2002 Ramonet, $99
"Captivating nose combines lemon, lime, flowers, herbs, honey, gunflint and white truffle. Round, sweet and satisfying, with lovely purity of flavor and perfectly integrated acidity. This has very good volume and length. One could enjoy this now or lay it down for five years. 90 points. Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, Sept/Oct 04

3. 2002 Chassagne-Montrachet, Grande Montagne 1er Cru, Fontaine-Gagnard, $89
An intense green fruit aroma reminiscent of Chablis, as the stony characteristic is strong. The wonderfully fresh and vibrant middle weight flavours offer minerality to burn, and the finish is both long and superbly delineated. This is a beautiful effort and it should age very well indeed as the balance is near perfect. 2007+. Score - 92. (Allan Meadows, www.burghound.com, July 2004)

4. 2002 Beaune, Clos Foulot, 1er Cru, Louis Jadot, $45
Excellent white burgundy, still youthful and tight. Nose displays fresh apple with sweet oak, vanilla and mineral complexity, quite delightful. Palate is rich with plenty of acid.. Exquisitely balanced, midweight the flavours persist well on the finish. There is scope for further development. It will open up more and develop more complexity with a year or two more in the bottle. Excellent length. Best 2005 to 2009. ON Vintages Dec18/04

5. 2002 Meursault les Genevrières 1er Cru, Michel Coutoux, $119
Attractive green-tinged color. Pristine, cool aromas of lime, lemon and mint. Sappy and gripping, with an exhilarating balance of sweetness and tartness. The juicy lime and lime blossom flavors carry through to the brisk, persistent, sharply delineated finish. 92 points. Stephen Tanzer's International Wine Cellar, Sep/Oct 04

6. 2002 Chablis Montée De Tonnerre 1er Cru. Domaine Louis Michel, $45
Musky aromas of gunflint, wet stone, smoke and white flowers. Fat, full and seamless, with a silky texture and impressive volume and palate presence. Juicy acids and firm minerality give verve to this complex wine. Has the mounting, very long finish of a grand cru. Score - 90. (Stephen Tanzer, International Wine Cellar, July/Aug. 2004) 

7. 2002 Puligny-Montrachet les Referts 1er Cru, Louis Jadot $95
Features a mineral nose with power, but it is relatively closed for now. In the mouth, the wine is mineral without the same development . Score - (90-93). (Claude Kolm, The Fine Wine Review, #101, 2004).
"Aromatically demure, the soft, silky-textured 2002 Puligny-Montrachet Referts is light to medium-bodied, supple, and appealing. While it lacks the depth and concentration of the Perrières, it boasts an impressively fruit pear and apple-flavoured character. Drink it over the next eight years." Score 88-90. Pierre-Antoine Rovani (The Wine Advocate — February 27, 2004.)

8. 2002 Patrick Javillier, Meursault, Les Tillets, Cuvée Spéciale,  $69
Offers aromas reminiscent of cold steel, nutmeg, and spices. A beautifully expansive, concentrated, toasty wine, it offers pears, apples, syrupy minerals, and anise in its personality. Its finish is slightly compressed, which prevented a more exalted review. Drink it over the next 6 years.  Score - 90-92.  (Pierre Rovani, www.erobertparker.com, Feb. 2004) 

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How The Wines Scored

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