Aged Burgundy

Our local wine group returned again to Sette Cucina Italiana in Bernardsville for our monthly tasting. As expected Chef/Owner Allan Russo performed his culinary magic making for yet another night of great food paired with some remarkable wines.  Jeff, our Burgundy expert, was in the queue for the wine, and thus our anticipation level was quite high.  He didn't let us down with his wonderful selections of aged Burgundies.

The Food

Bruschetta of Radish; Roasted Pepper & Olives

Bresaola (air-cured beef) with Arugula and shaved Parmigianino Reggiano 

Prince Edward Island Mussels and Grilled Bay Octopus in a light tomato broth 

Arugula Fritters topped with Bagna Cauda

Spaghetti Bolognese 

Pork Scaloppini topped with Prosciuto in a pork-wine reduction sauce

Perfiteroles (no photo)

The Wines

Jeff not only has a deep knowledge of Burgundy but a cellar to match as well.  A savvy buyer at auctions, his cellar contains many aged Burgundy gems, which he happily shares with fellow wine enthusiasts.  With exception of a bottle of 1975, he treated us to red Burgundy 1er Crus from the excellent 1976 vintage.  The wines all showed very well for 40 years of age.  This is really no surprise since the Pinot Noir grown in Burgundy, especially under the direction of top winemakers, produces some of the most elegant and age worthy wines in the world.  None of the reds showed any bricking around the edges.  In most cases they displayed an aged, slightly musty bouquet with nicely balanced palates of varying degrees of complexity.  Each had a slightly different expression that related to the individual terroirs of the wine.  As has been my experience with older Burgundy, the fruit was somewhat muted and lacked the vibrancy and sheer feminine elegance that I find and prefer in younger Burgundies.

Before getting into the reds Jeff started us off with a Grand Cru white Burgundy, 1995 Paul Pernot et Fils Bienvenues Batard-Montrachet Grand Cru. We crossed our fingers that the wine would not suffer from premature oxidation (an all to routine condition that hit Burgundy in the mid 90’s) and thankfully it did not.  Instead it was glorious from the first sip and just kept getting better.  The viscous palate had pure fruit with density and complexity and finished with an incredible length.  This was a great wine to begin the evening with.  It was my wine of the night.

1976 Louis Jadot Beaune Clos des Ursules 1er Cru. Maison Louis Jadot has been an icon of excellence in Burgundy since 1859. 1976 was an outstanding vintage marked by low yields but exceptional concentration.  The wine displayed a nice terroir-laden bouquet with a soft palate.   While there was not a lot of depth left and the finish was rather short it drank very nicely.

1976 Bouchard Pere & Fils Gevrey-Chambertain Aux Combottes 1er Cru.  This top estate has been making terrific red and white Burgundy for almost 3 centuries.  I found the fruit here much more vibrant than in the Jadot.  It possessed great balance and considerable depth for its age.  One of the wines of the night in my opinion.

1976 Robert Arnoux Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Suchots.  One of the flagship wines from the estate, this was a match to the Bouchard.  It began with a lovely Burgundian nose of cherries, while on the palate it demonstrated amazing complexity.  It’s polished and concentrated fruit evolved with each sip before finishing with length and elegance.  One of the wines of the night.

1975 George Roumier Morey Saint-Denis Clos de la Bussiere. I am a huge fan of Roumier wines.  His Grand Cru Bonnes Mares is one of the finest examples of traditionally made Burgundy I have ever tasted. This 1er Cru was a step or two behind the Bouchard and the Arnoux, but was a wonderful wine that showed nice balance and focus.  The fruit however was a bit faded and the finish was short.

Thanks Jeff for sharing these beauties with us.

Saluté