Burgundy 2015 Tasting - Part I

12 February 2018

For many wine regions across Europe, 2015 was the best vintage in years and in Burgundy some wine makers has already compared it with the fantastic 2005 vintage. The reds have turned out slightly better than the whites, but all in all 2015 is already considered by many as a fantastic year.

So how was the Burgundy weather like in 2015? The winter was wet and mild, but even so in late April, frost affected parts of Burgundy, including some of the best vineyards in Cote de Beaune, Montrachet and Chevalier-Montrachet. The wet winter filled up the water reserves, which later on helped to prevent a damaging draught as the summer was very hot and dry. 

Harvest had to be done in a hurry, as the acidity of the grapes was plummeting while the capacity of the alcohol levels were rising. Producers of whites harvested just before September and the producers of red just in the beginning of September. Particularly, the red wine producers were pleased and enthusiastic about the 2015 harvest.

We took 40 wines to the test in this first part and this is how we scored them.

Camille Giroud Bourgogne Blanc
87	Aroma had minerals, oysters, mountain rock, white flowers, and lemon. Flavour showed peach, white flowers, English licorice, salt, and lime. Crisp minerality. Medium plus acid and dry.

Domaine de l'Arlot Cuvée La Gerbotte Nuits-Saint-Georges Blanc
86	Aroma had citrusfruit, minerals, white flowers, and grapefruit. Flavour held lemons, grapefruit, oak, mountain rock, and minerals. Medium plus acidity, medium minus body and dry.

Domaine Dublère Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru 'Aux Vergelesses'
88	Aroma had peach, lime, oysters, white flowers and minerals. Flavour had peach, candied citrus fruit, minerals, white blossoms, and minerals. Medium acid, medium minus body and dry.

Domaine Marc Morey & Fils En Virondot Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru
89	Aroma had yellow fruits, lemons, mountain rock, licorice powder, lime, tangerine, and grapefruit zest. Flavour had yellow fruits, lime, candied lemon zest, minerals, salt, and white flowers. Medium plus acid, medium minus body and dry.

Domaine Marc Morey & Fils Referts Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru
89	Aroma had lemons, minerals, lime, yellow fruits, tangerine, oysters, green hazels, and mountain rock. Flavour held candied lemons, lime, English licorice, oysters, white peach and minerals. A touch of licorice towards the end. Medium plus acid, medium/minus body and dry.

Domaine Poisot Père & Fils Blanc Pernand Vergelesses
87	Aroma had grapefruit, fresh pineapple, yellow fruits, candied lemon, minerals, white flowers, and lime. Flavour of grapefruit, minerals, white flowers, lime and lemon zest. Medium plus acidity, medium minus body and dry.

Jean-Yves Devevey Rully 'La Chaume' Blanc
86	Aroma had minerals, citrus fruits, candied lemon, oysters, white flowers, and grapefruit. Flavour held white peach, minerals, English licorice, salt, lemon, and grapefruit zest. Medium plus acid, medium minus body and dry.

Les Héritiers du Comte Lafon Clos de la Crochette Mâcon-Chardonnay
87	Nose had minerals, grapefruit, oysters, salt, fresh white flowers, skin of green apples, and lemon. Flavour had grapefruit, licorice, green apples, lemon, minerals, salt, and white flowers. Medium plus acid and dry.

Les Héritiers du Comte Lafon Mâcon-Milly-Lamartine
86	Mineral nose with notes of peach, white flowers, citrus, and flint. Flavour showed white peach, white flowers, minerals, mountain rock, and grapefruit. Medium plus acid and dry.

Les Héritiers du Comte Lafon Vire-Clessé
87	Aroma had overripe peach, citrus, oysters, and white blossoms. Flavour held white flowers, peach, lime, mountain rock, and minerals. Medium acid and dry.

Matrot Meursault Blanc
88	Aroma of seabed, peach, minerals, fresh green hazels, with a touch of oak. Flavour showed peach, oak, minerals, English licorice, floral and lemon like notes. Medium plus acidity and dry.

Nicolas Maillet Mâcon Igé
89	Aroma had succulent peach, melon and orange. Flavor held orange peel, peach, lime and melon. Hints of minerals. Medium acid and dry,

Nicolas Maillet Mâcon Verzé Blanc
88	Aroma had yellow fruits, mango, lime, orange zest and minerals. Flavour held lime, peach, minerals, white blossoms, and orange zest. Crisp minerality. Medium plus acidity and dry.

Philippe Bouzereau - Chateau de Citeaux Meursault 'Les Grands Charrons'
87	Aroma had lemon, minerals, yellow fruits, and grapefruit. Flavour held lemons, grapefruit, oak and minerals. Medium plus acidity, medium minus body and dry.

Robert Sirugue Bourgogne Aligoté
86	Aroma had peach, tangerine, oysters, lime, minerals, and a hint of mango. Flavour held white peach, flowers, minerals, mountain rock, and lemon zest. Medium acid, medium minus body and dry. Flavor didn't deliver what the promised.

Camille Giroud Beaune 1er Cru 'Les Avaux'
89	Aroma had succulent cherries, oak, leather, forest floor, wild strawberries, and red currant. Flavour held currants, cherries, leather, oak, forest floor, raspberries, forest strawberries with a hint of candied cranberry. Medium acid, medium minus body, medium tannins and dry.

Camille Giroud Volnay
87	Aroma had strawberries, cherries, earth, leather and oak. Flavour showed cherries, black soil, earth, leather, oak an forest floor. Medium minus body, medium acid, medium plus tannins and dry.

Clos de la Chapelle Vieilles Vignes Pommard 1er Cru 'Les Chanlins'
88	Aroma had plenty of cherries, sweet black currants, raspberries, red currant, dred cranberries, forest strawberries and oak. Flavour held succulent cherries, oak, leather, forest floor and forest strawberries. Good minerality. Medium plus acid, medium minus body, medium plus tannins and dry.

Clos de la Chapelle Volnay 1er Cru 'Clos de la Chapelle'
88	Aroma had succulent cherries, strawberries, oak, leather and red currants. Flavour cherries, minerals, oak, leather, forest floor and wild strawberries. Medium acid, medium minus body, medium tannins and dry.

Domaine Alain Michelot Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru 'Aux Chaignots'
88	Aroma had dark cherries, blackberries, black currants, leather and oak. Flavor had dark cherries, black currant oak, leather and forest floor. Medium acid, medium body, medium plus tannins and dry.

Domaine Alain Michelot Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru 'Les Vaucrains'
87	Aroma had candied cherries, fresh strawberries, raspberries, oak, licorice, forest floor and leather. Flavour showed dark cherries, strawberries, oak, black currant, smoke, leather, and licorice. Medium plus acid, medium plus tannins, medium body and dry.

Domaine Berthaut-Gerbet Fixin
87	Strawberries, cherries, cranberries, and red currant in the nose. Flavour had succulent cherries, forest strawberries, oak, leather, and forest floor. Medium acid, medium plus tannins, medium minus body and dry.

Domaine Berthaut-Gerbet Vosne-Romanée
84	Aroma had petrol, soil, yeast and candied cherries, strawberries, and raspeberries. Flavour showed herbs, petrol, oak, soil, cherries, wild strawberries, and red currant. Medium acid, medium tannins, medium minus body and dry.

Domaine Chevrot Maranges 1er Cru 'La Fussière'
87	Aroma had forest floor, cherries, strawberries, currants, and oak. Flavour cherries, leather, red currant, oak, strawberries, leather and forest floor. Medium plus acid, medium tannins, medium minus body and dry.

Domaine Chevrot Maranges 1er Cru 'Les Clos Roussots'
88	Aroma had succulent strawberries, raspeberries, cherries, oak, forest floor and leather. Flavour held herbs, strawberries, cherries, oak, leather, red currants and forest floor. Medium acid, medium plus tannins, medium minus body and dry.

Domaine Colinot Irancy 'Les Cailles'
86	Aroma had wild strawberries, raspeberries, leather, cherries and subtle oak. Flavour held cherries, forest floor, oak, smoke, and black currant. Medium minus body, medium acid, medium tannins and dry.

Domaine Colinot Irancy 'Les Mazelots'
83	Aroma had candied strawberries, tinned apricots, boiled berries, soil, and cherries. Flavour had cherries, earth, oak, tobacco, smoke, wild strawberries, and red currants. Medium acid, medium tannins and dry.

Domaine de la Sarazinière Les Monterrains Mâcon-Serrierès
86	Aroma had leather, hay, raspberries, cherries and strawberries followed up by notes of oak. Flavour held red currant, cherries, forest strawberries, oak, wet herbs, and leather. Medium plus acid, medium minus body, medium plus tannins and dry.

Domaine de l'Arlot Nuits-Saint-Georges Premier Cru Clos des Forets Saint-Georges
86	Aroma had cherries, forest strawberries, raspeberries, forest floor, and red currant. Flavour held strawberries, red currant, leather, and candied cherries. Medium acidity, medium minus tannins medium body and dry.

Domaine des Croix Beaune Pertuisots 1er Cru
87	Aroma had cherries, raspberries, meddow bed, mild oak, and strawberries. Flavour held currants, cherries, forest berries, strawberries, and a touch of herbs and subtle oak. Medium acid, medium minus body, medium minus tannins and dry.

Domaine Dublère Les Grandes Terres Bourgogne Pinot Noir
86	Aroma had cherries, sweet black currants, and raspberries. Flavour held candied cherries, raspberries, wild strawberries, balsamic oil, vanilla and subtle oak. Medium acid, medium minus body and dry.

Domaine Poisot Père & Fils Corton Bressandes Grand Cru
89	Aroma had candied cherries, candied cranberries, raspberries, black forest berries, forest strawberries, oak, and currants. Flavour held candied cherries, wild strawberries, raspberries, black berries, leather, smoke, and oak. Medium body, medium acidity, medium tannins and dry.

Domaine Poisot Père & Fils Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Cru 'En Caradeux'
86	Aroma had cherries forest floor, soil, wild strawberries, raspberries and red currant. Flavour held cherries, leather, oak, forest floor, smoke, soil, and raspberries. Medium/minus body, medium acidity, medium plus tannins and dry.

Domaine Trapet Bourgogne
87	Aroma had cherries, red currants, wild strawberries, forest berries, herbs, and subtle oak. Flavour held smoke, cherries, raspberries, forest strawberries, forest floor and hints of oak. Medium acid, medium tannins, medium minus body and dry.

Domaine Trapet Chambertin Grand Cru
92	Aroma had dark cherries, oak, blackberries black currant and leather. Flavour showed dark cherries, black currant, oak, leather, forest floor and black berries. Medium body, medium plus tannins, medium acid and dry. Dense and complex. Very nice.

Domaine Trapet Gevrey-Chambertin
90	Aroma had candied cherries, raspberries, strawberries, pound cake, almonds, red currant, oak, skin of plum, and light tobacco. Flavour showed succulent cherries, red currant, and raspberries with a touch of oak, leather, and tobacco. Medium acidity, medium minus body, medium tannins and dry.

Jean-Yves Devevey Rully 'La Chaume' Rouge
86	Aroma had cherries, strawberries, currants, and forest floor. Flavour showed cherries, red currants, strawberries, smoke, minerals, leather, oak and forest floor. Medium acid, medium plus tannins, medium minus body and dry.

Matrot Auxey-Duresses
87	Aroma had dried cranberries, raspeberries, cherries, forest strawberries, subtle oak and a touch of forest floor. Flavour held cherries, strawberries, leather, ceder, currant, minerals, and light forest floor. Medium acid, medium minus body, medium tannins and dry.

Robert Sirugue Pinot Noir Bourgogne
86	Aroma had forest floor, herbs, strawberries, raspeberries, cherries, red currant and hints of oak. Flavour held cherries, oak, strawberries, red currant with a touch of leather. Medium acid, medium tannins, medium minus body and dry.

Robert Sirugue Vosne-Romanée
89	Aroma had forest floor, candied cherries, raspberries, forest strawberries, oak and leather. Flavour held succulent cherries, strawberries, raspeberries, sweet black currants, oak, forest floor, minerals, red currant and leather. Medium plus acidity, medium plus tannins, medium body and dry.

---