A well deserved bottle.....

Sometimes that's how things go...I start writing a post and something or someone distracts me, so the post lays there for weeks. Then I find it again and I remember that I decided to write it because the wine I wanted to talk about was really worth, so I look up for my notes and I carry on........

Few weeks ago I was forced in bed due to a really nasty bike accident. Outside the weather was fabulous; a very promising beginning of English spring. And I was feeling miserable for the pain and because I couldn't move. I behaved for almost 10 days and tried to be very healthy....so I think no one can blame me if at the end all I wanted was a big and good bottle of wine.

I went to my cellar (a couple of shelves in a corner of my humble little house) and found what I was looking for: a good and not pretentious white Burgundy.
It is weird how, even though I generally don't like Chardonnay, especially when  it is oaked, I always allow the Burgundy exception to this statement.

The wine was (yes, the bottle is empty now!) a JC Boisset Cote de Nuit Villages Le Creux de Sabron 2006 (such a long name!). I remember buying it on a staff sale thinking it would have been red....but luckily the surprise was not disappointing.

It delights you with exotic notes of pineapple and mango, mixed with ripe apple and a delicate hint of pear. The oak is elegantly integrated. At the palate the acidity is extremely energetic. The fruit is coming back. The apple is rich and juicy and the pineapple leaves you with a lingering finish. And all is harmoniously balanced with a medium texture, a sort of delicate creaminess.


A very well deserved bottle!

A biodynamic Burgundy Domaine

I have been really lucky in my life, having the chance to taste extraordinary wines, especially French.
The wines of Domaine Leflaive are on this list. But it was a while since I had tasted something (maybe due to the recession) from this multi-awarded historical producer of amazing Burgundy whites.
This is why my heart was filled of surprise and excitement when a very good friend of mine kindly decided to open for me a bottle of Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Le Clavaillon 2004. And that's why I decided to share this moment and a bit of information on the Domaine.

The wines are now produced by the third generation of the family. The business is managed by Anne-Claude, grand-daughter of Joseph, the man who decided to focus on the family vineyards, buy more hectares and replant the vines in the 20s. The winery has then converted to biodynamics since 1997 showing the world that even such big names can produce such big wines working in the most natural way. 2004 is a very important vintage from this point of view as it was a wet and cold season whit high risk of powdery mildew (oidium). But the Leflaive biodynamically cultivated vines were strong and the grapes healthy and the result is a nectar that will age very well.

The wine is a great example of extremely firm and elegant Chardonnay, with a good complexity of developing leesy aromas, toasted nuts and smokey notes. It has a clean, full and creamy structure balanced by a vibrant acidity and a mineral character. It is a great wine, even though I found it was not totally expressing itself: lacking a bit on the fruity side and not as long on the finish as I would have expected.

Then after browsing a bit on the net, I realised that I tasted it on a root day ....bad day to taste a wine especially a biodynamic one! But, hey...I don't have a second bottle...if you do, please let me know!!