John Howard

Harvest production at Hirsch and Cobb Wineries

9.4

Beautiful. elegant. Lost structure a bit after warming up. Dropped score a tiny bit. — a year ago

Mario Vaillancourt

9.0

I miss the tastings with this semi-confinement we are still in and stole the idea of @Benoit Duhamel here, so we made one at home with my son and my wife who are both wine fanatics as I am too. We chose 6 red Burgundies Villages 2017, 3 Côtes de Beaune and 3 Côte de Nuits and we tasted these blind, each of us giving ranks and points for each wines. Tasting blind usually doesn’t lie and it can bring numerous surprises which it did in that case. All wines were fo a good level here, no bad wines and all were fun and good indiviually but the results were pretty clear cut in terms of the Côte de Beaune winning this battle.

1- Chassagne-Montrachet villages 2017 Jean-Claude Ramonet 32 pts
2- Volnay Vieilles Vignes 2017, Henri DeLaGrange 28 pts
3- Auxey-Duresses Très Vieilles Vignes 2017, Alain Gras 26 pts
4- Chambolle-Musigny Les Véroilles 2017, Bruno Clair 20 pts
5- Gevrey-Chambertin 2017, Lucien Boillot 12 pts
6- Gevrey-Chambertin 2017 Les Évocelles, Louis Boillot 8 pts

DelaGrange: spices and a touch animal too on the nose. Vivid acidity with a nice medium bodied structure, very balanced, good length and delicious finish. My number 3. 90-91


On s’ennuie des dégustations et j’ai bien aimé l’idée de @Benoit Duhamel , merci Benoit. Alors s’en est fait une à la maison à trois (en respectant les règles bien sûr). Nous avons choisi 6 Bourgogne Villages Rouges 2017, 3 Côtes de Beaune et 3 Côtes de Nuits, nous avons dégusté à l'aveugle et accordé des points à chaque position, il n’y avait aucun mauvais vin dans le lot et tous étaient très bien si bu individuellement, mais la dégustation à l’aveugle ne ment pas et les résultats peuvent être surprenants, les vins de la Côte de Beaune ont remporté la palme facilement ici, alors pour s’amuser un peu, voici le classement que cela a donné :
1- Chassagne-Montrachet villages 2017 Jean-Claude Ramonet 32 pts
2- Volnay Vieilles Vignes 2017, Henri DeLaGrange 28 pts
3- Auxey-Duresses Très Vieilles Vignes 2017, Alain Gras 26 pts
4- Chambolle-Musigny Les Véroilles 2017, Bruno Clair 20 pts
5- Gevrey-Chambertin 2017, Lucien Boillot 12 pts
6- Gevrey-Chambertin 2017 Les Évocelles, Louis Boillot 8 pts

DelaGrange: Fruits noirs, épices, une touche animale aussi. Belle structure de corps moyen avec une acidité vive, bel équilibre et assez long en bouche. Mon no 3 personnellement. 90-91 — 4 years ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.5

There are certain occasions that call for Krug Rosé. So, HBTM! The bottle was corked in the summer of 2014. It’s a blend of 45 reserve wines with the oldest being from 2007 and the youngest 2002. This is why I think Champagne Makers are some of the most talented people making wine. They are constantly blending up to 100 plus wines to bring that bottle to bottle and year to year branded flavor of consistency. On the nose; red & pink spring flowers, cherries, strawberries, watermelon, black cherry, black raspberries, notes of blood orange citrus, baked bread, soft volcanic mineral and elegant chalkiness. The palate is always ridiculously delicate. Micro bubbles, silky rich texture with beautiful soft acidity. The palate fruits are similar to the nose; rich & ripe cherries, strawberries watermelon, black cherry, black raspberries, notes of blood orange citrus with hints of marmalade. Red & pink spring flowers, baguette crust, soft powdery minerals that give the palate a slight sting and super powdery chalkiness done just right. The finish is beautifully rich, textured, revealing itself in layers and lasts minutes. Photos of; Founder Joseph Krug, House of Krug, Winemaker Eric Lebel, Krug’s Clos du Mesnil, a small plot of 1.85 hectares of Chardonnay...one of the world’s greatest vineyards and their salon tasting room. Producer history & notes...Krug was founded by Joseph Krug in 1853. They are based in Reims, the main city in France’s Champagne region. It is one of the famous Champagne houses that formed part of the Grande Marques. Today the house is majority owned by the multinational conglomerate LVMH, which owns Moët Hennessy, Louis Vuitton S.A. and who’s wine producer portfolio includes other well known wine brands such as; Moët & Chandon, Veuve Clicquot, Château d'Yquem, Ruinart & Cheval Blanc, Dom Perignon and many others. Despite LVMH's majority ownership, the family is still actively involved in all the key decisions of the house but does not manage the day-to-day operations. Joseph Krug was born Johann-Joseph Krug, a butcher’s son, in Mainz, on the Rhine in 1800 when the city was part of the Napoleonic Empire. Having dispensed with the name Johann, he left Mainz in 1824 and in 1834 moved on to Paris. Germans were in demand in France as accountants and bookkeepers. So, Joseph joined Champagne Jacquesson in Châlons-sur-Marne. He spent eight years with Jacquesson. His work took him beyond accountancy. He went around Europe testing the market and assessing criticism from wine sellers and customers. He learned about composition and taste so that by 1840 he already seemed to have been blending Champagne for at least one other house. In 1841, he married Emma-Anne Jaunay. The daughter of a French hotelier based in London’s Leicester Square. The following year their son Paul Krug was born. In 1842 he moved to Reims and following a year later, Krug et Cie was founded with his partner, Hyppolite de Vivès. Joseph was fluent in French, English and German and even spoke some Russian, putting the company in position to exploit key overseas markets. Joseph died in 1866 and was succeeded by his son Paul Krug, who had been trained by his father to takeover. Joseph under the supervision of Paul, Krug was established as a Grande Marque. By the 1880s the prestige of Krug was acknowledged in the United Kingdom and became the primary overseas market for Champagne. In 1866, the House moved into Rue Coquebert, in Reims as it remains. After Paul’s death in 1910, he was succeeded by his son, Joseph Krug II. However, during World War I Joseph II was taken prisoner and his wife Jeanne played a key role in the House at a time when the Western Front divided the region between the Allies and the Germans. After the war, Joseph II’s slow recovery led to his nephew Jean Seydoux becoming joint manager in 1924. In that decade, the Krug 1926 and 1928 vintages were created, which have been considered by critics to be amongst the greatest Champagnes. Lawyer and wine writer Maurice Healey declared “Krug” the king of all Champagnes. Further, “that the 1928 Krug was the best wine made in the present century.” By the mid-1930s, Paul Krug II, the son of Joseph II, was active in the business and would become head of the House from 1959 to 1977. His father died in 1967, by which time he was, according to Patrick Forbes, “one of the most popular and respected figures in the Champagne district.” In 1962 Henri Krug, the son of Paul II, joined the management, as did his brother Remi three years later. Their arrival was followed by a series of innovations, including extensions in the range of Champagnes. In 1979, for the first time, a graduate winemaker joined the House. In January 1999, the House became part of LVMH and by 2007, the brothers, while remaining on the tasting committee, had stepped down from day-to-day responsibilities. In 2009 Olivier Krug, the son of Henri, became House Director. At harvest, Krug grapes are pressed close to their plots with the first juice kept for 24 hours in a vat prepared for the fermentation stage. The pressing from each plot is vinified separately. A pressing contains 4,000 kilos of grapes and yields 20.5 hectolitres of first juice (cuvée), which is poured into twelve oak casks chosen at random. Once fermentation is complete, the eleventh and twelfth casks are used to top up the other ten casks in order to protect the new wines from oxidation. For fifteen days, each cask is topped up with wine from the same plot. Krug uses small 205 liter oak casks tailor-made from trees that are more than two centuries old in the forests of Hautes Futaies in Central France. The average age of Krug oak casks is 20 years. They are retired after approximately 40 years of use. The wines remain in the casks for several weeks. During this period, clarification occurs naturally from the cool temperature of the cellar given the coming winter, as does a micro-oxygenation process from the use of natural containers, making the wine more resistant to oxygen over time. Finally, between December and January, the wine is drawn off into small stainless-steel vats. From here, depending on the decisions of Krug’s tasting committee, the wines will either contribute to that year’s assemblage or be stored in steel vats in the House’s library of 150 reserve wines to be used in the blend of a future Krug Grande Cuvée and or Krug Rosé. — 7 years ago

Mario Vaillancourt

9.0

I miss the tastings with this semi-confinement we are still in and stole the idea of @Benoit Duhamel here, so we made one at home with my son and my wife who are both wine fanatics as I am too. We chose 6 red Burgundies Villages, 3 Côtes de Beaune and 3 Côte de Nuits and we tasted these blind, each of us giving ranks and points for each wines. Tasting blind usually doesn’t lie and it can bring numerous surprises which it did in that case. All wines were fo a good level here, no bad wines and all were fun and good indiviually but the results were pretty clear cut in terms of the Côte de Beaune winning this battle.

1- Chassagne-Montrachet villages 2017 Jean-Claude Ramonet 32 pts
2- Volnay Vieilles Vignes 2017, Henri DeLaGrange 28 pts
3- Auxey-Duresses Très Vieilles Vignes 2017, Alain Gras 26 pts
4- Chambolle-Musigny Les Véroilles 2017, Bruno Clair 20 pts
5- Gevrey-Chambertin 2017, Lucien Boillot 12 pts
6- Gevrey-Chambertin 2017 Les Évocelles, Louis Boillot 8 pts

The Veroilles: muted nose that opens eventually on red fruits, strawberries, a touch spicy and slight oak. The wine has energy, freshness and is easy to drink with good structure but a length that is average at best for that level of wine. My no 4 but in a close group within the first four.


On s’ennuie des dégustations et j’ai bien aimé l’idée de @Benoit Duhamel , merci Benoit. Alors s’en est fait une à la maison à trois (en respectant les règles bien sûr). Nous avons choisi 6 Bourgogne Villages Rouges 2017, 3 Côtes de Beaune et 3 Côtes de Nuits, nous avons dégusté à l'aveugle et accordé des points à chaque position, il n’y avait aucun mauvais vin dans le lot et tous étaient très bien si bu individuellement, mais la dégustation à l’aveugle ne ment pas et les résultats peuvent être surprenants, les vins de la Côte de Beaune ont remporté la palme facilement ici, alors pour s’amuser un peu, voici le classement que cela a donné :
1- Chassagne-Montrachet villages 2017 Jean-Claude Ramonet 32 pts
2- Volnay Vieilles Vignes 2017, Henri DeLaGrange 28 pts
3- Auxey-Duresses Très Vieilles Vignes 2017, Alain Gras 26 pts
4- Chambolle-Musigny Les Véroilles 2017, Bruno Clair 20 pts
5- Gevrey-Chambertin 2017, Lucien Boillot 12 pts
6- Gevrey-Chambertin 2017 Les Évocelles, Louis Boillot 8 pts

Veroilles: nez muet qui s’ouvre lentement sur des fruits rouges, fraises, des épices et une touche de boisé. Une bouche énergique et fraîche, assez facile à boire mais avec de la structure aussi mais une longueur un peu moyenne pour le niveau. Mon no 4 de justesse mais fait partie des 4 premiers avec une coche sur les deux derniers. 89-90 — 4 years ago

Meg Sugden

9.0

Dry but refreshing and very drinkable. Delicious with white fish — 4 years ago

David T

Independent Sommelier/Wine Educator

9.3

One the nose, a touch of sour green apple, lime zest, ripe pineapple, mango, lemon, touch of mint, stone fruit skin, honey, green melon, limestone minerals, sea shells, yellow lilies & spring flowers.
The palate is thick and rich from a touch extra lees stirring. A touch of sour green apple, lime zest, ripe pineapple, mango, lemon, touch of mint, stone fruit skin, honey green melon, limestone minerals, sea shells, yellow lilies & spring flowers. Good round acidity with a long rich finish that lasts minutes.

Photos; Puligny-Montrachet -Clos de la Mouchere, owner/Winemaker Henri Boillot and their Domaine.

Producer notes & history... Before striking out on his own in 1984 Henri had worked for the family firm but his success in his own right persuaded his grandfather Jean Boillot to persuade him to return to the fold. In 2005 Henri bought out his brother and sister and renamed the domaine name from Domaine Jean Boillot to Domaine Henri Boillot to avoid confusion with his brother Jean-Marc Boillot's company.

The Domaine consists of some 19 hectares, mostly in Puligny and Meursault for white wines where he owns the monopole of Clos de la Mouchere, and in Savigny-les-Beaunes, Beaune and Volnay for reds.

In the vineyard Henri and Guillaume farm sustainably, avoiding artificial pesticides and herbicides, and much hard work in the vineyard means low yields of relatively late-picked fruit at a peak of ripeness. The whites are very gently crushed to avoid bitter flavours and fermented in barrels larger than the norm at 350 litres so that the purity and freshness of the fruit is unencumbered, and bottling follows 18 months or so in barrel. Pinot noir grapes are sorted in the vineyard before being taken to the winery, destemmed, crushed and cold soaked before a fairly long fermentation. 18 months in barriques is the norm before being bottle unfined and unfiltered.

Since 2006, he has worked with his son Guillaume, who now makes the red wines, at their new state-of-the-art winery in Meursault where all the Domaine and 'négociant' wines (under the label of Maison Henri Boillot) are made. — 7 years ago

Ming L

8.9

Deep garnet color with purple hue. Perfume, flower, leather, black pepper, red berry all come together beautifully on the nose. Warm and bright on the palate. The extra chili source like kick at the end might not be for everyone, but I love it. Tannic, and a bit puckery. A harmonized blend of 60% Grenache and 40% Mourvèdre. This is one of the best value wine I've ever tasted. — 8 years ago

Mario Vaillancourt

9.2

I miss the tastings with this semi-confinement we are still in and stole the idea of @Benoit Duhamel here, so we made one at home with my son and my wife who are both wine fanatics as I am too. We chose 6 red Burgundies Villages 2017, 3 Côtes de Beaune and 3 Côte de Nuits and we tasted these blind, each of us giving ranks and points for each wines. Tasting blind usually doesn’t lie and it can bring numerous surprises which it did in that case. All wines were fo a good level here, no bad wines and all were fun and good indiviually but the results were pretty clear cut in terms of the Côte de Beaune winning this battle.

1- Chassagne-Montrachet villages 2017 Jean-Claude Ramonet 32 pts
2- Volnay Vieilles Vignes 2017, Henri DeLaGrange 28 pts
3- Auxey-Duresses Très Vieilles Vignes 2017, Alain Gras 26 pts
4- Chambolle-Musigny Les Véroilles 2017, Bruno Clair 20 pts
5- Gevrey-Chambertin 2017, Lucien Boillot 12 pts
6- Gevrey-Chambertin 2017 Les Évocelles, Louis Boillot 8 pts

The Auxey-Duresses: gets more complex with air and extremely aromatic with dark fruit, violets, black berries. The palate has a mice medium strong bodied, some good structure, nice energy, the most balanced I believe too with this elegant power and some nice class. My no 1 but close with Ramonet. 91-92


On s’ennuie des dégustations et j’ai bien aimé l’idée de @Benoit Duhamel , merci Benoit. Alors s’en est fait une à la maison à trois (en respectant les règles bien sûr). Nous avons choisi 6 Bourgogne Villages Rouges 2017, 3 Côtes de Beaune et 3 Côtes de Nuits, nous avons dégusté à l'aveugle et accordé des points à chaque position, il n’y avait aucun mauvais vin dans le lot et tous étaient très bien si bu individuellement, mais la dégustation à l’aveugle ne ment pas et les résultats peuvent être surprenants, les vins de la Côte de Beaune ont remporté la palme facilement ici, alors pour s’amuser un peu, voici le classement que cela a donné :
1- Chassagne-Montrachet villages 2017 Jean-Claude Ramonet 32 pts
2- Volnay Vieilles Vignes 2017, Henri DeLaGrange 28 pts
3- Auxey-Duresses Très Vieilles Vignes 2017, Alain Gras 26 pts
4- Chambolle-Musigny Les Véroilles 2017, Bruno Clair 20 pts
5- Gevrey-Chambertin 2017, Lucien Boillot 12 pts
6- Gevrey-Chambertin 2017 Les Évocelles, Louis Boillot 8 pts

Auxey de Alain Gras: Nez qui évolue beaucoup avec le temps, fruits noirs, mures et violettes. Bouche avec du corps et de la structure avec une belle énergie, le plus équilibré selon moi avec cette puissance contenue et qui a de la classe. Mon no 1 mais assez près avec Ramonet. 91-92 — 4 years ago

Mario Vaillancourt

9.2

I miss the tastings with this semi-confinement we are still in and stole the idea of @Benoit Duhamel here, so we made one at home with my son and my wife who are both wine fanatics as I am too. We chose 6 red Burgundies Villages, 3 Côtes de Beaune and 3 Côte de Nuits and we tasted these blind, each of us giving ranks and points for each wines. Tasting blind usually doesn’t lie and it can bring numerous surprises which it did in that case. All wines were fo a good level here, no bad wines and all were fun and good indiviually but the results were pretty clear cut in terms of the Côte de Beaune winning this battle.

1- Chassagne-Montrachet villages 2017 Jean-Claude Ramonet 32 pts
2- Volnay Vieilles Vignes 2017, Henri DeLaGrange 28 pts
3- Auxey-Duresses Très Vieilles Vignes 2017, Alain Gras 26 pts
4- Chambolle-Musigny Les Véroilles 2017, Bruno Clair 20 pts
5- Gevrey-Chambertin 2017, Lucien Boillot 12 pts
6- Gevrey-Chambertin 2017 Les Évocelles, Louis Boillot 8 pts

The Ramonet: nose of spices, cinnamon, red fruit, animal, gets more complex and extremely aromatic and fun with air. Freshness and vivid fruit with a nice finish, fairly long on delicious red fruit and spices. What a threat! My no 2. 91-92


On s’ennuie des dégustations et j’ai bien aimé l’idée de @Benoit Duhamel , merci Benoit. Alors s’en est fait une à la maison à trois (en respectant les règles bien sûr). Nous avons choisi 6 Bourgogne Villages Rouges 2017, 3 Côtes de Beaune et 3 Côtes de Nuits, nous avons dégusté à l'aveugle et accordé des points à chaque position, il n’y avait aucun mauvais vin dans le lot et tous étaient très bien si bu individuellement, mais la dégustation à l’aveugle ne ment pas et les résultats peuvent être surprenants, les vins de la Côte de Beaune ont remporté la palme facilement ici, alors pour s’amuser un peu, voici le classement que cela a donné :
1- Chassagne-Montrachet villages 2017 Jean-Claude Ramonet 32 pts
2- Volnay Vieilles Vignes 2017, Henri DeLaGrange 28 pts
3- Auxey-Duresses Très Vieilles Vignes 2017, Alain Gras 26 pts
4- Chambolle-Musigny Les Véroilles 2017, Bruno Clair 20 pts
5- Gevrey-Chambertin 2017, Lucien Boillot 12 pts
6- Gevrey-Chambertin 2017 Les Évocelles, Louis Boillot 8 pts

Ramonet: Nez épices, cannelle, fruits rouges, une touche animale, se complexifie à l'aération. Gourmand et frais à la fois en bouche avec une belle finale assez longue et sur les fruits rouges et les épices. Quel délice. Mon no 2 personnellement. 91-92 — 4 years ago

bharat

8.9

Nice Cotes de Rhone that I picked up at Costco. I taste more earth then fruit which for me is typical of this type of wine. Low acidity and tannins. Overall a good wine that I would pick up again! — 8 years ago