The Off Day

While I've always waxed on and on about the blazing gut-busting pace of these trips, there usually is an "off" day of sorts. It is typically Sunday, as it is the one day where most producers could care less that you are available and care more about rest and family time. With the amount of work these artisans have to perform over the course of the year, you can't blame them.

But this Sunday marked a visit to Pouilly-Fuisse. We made the 90 minute drive to the Macon and, amazingly, I forgot to bring my Blackberry, which to me is akin to forgetting to breathe. That rarity aside, honestly, I didn't love the wines...and it's not because I had just been filled to the gills with Puligny Montrachet for the previous four days. To me, they were slightly heavy handed, lacking a bit of precision and personality. And you might have noticed by now that I haven't mentioned the producer. He's young and I think the wines have potential, so I'll choose to not rain on them and hope to try again in the future.


Upon exiting the Macon, we took the long route back to Puligny and toured a few sites along the way driving through St. Aubin, St. Romain (the worst terroir in ALL of Burgundy, seriously someone should just bulldoze it!) and Aloxe Corton finally ending up in Meursault. A trek to the Caveau de Chassagne yielded a couple nice finds that were later to be consumed on the trip. Finally, we ended up at the Caveau de Puligny, with proprietor Julien Wallerand opening some astounding wines, served blind of course, for us...

2007 Henri Boillot Pulingy Montrachet Clos de la Mouchere 1er cru
1999 Domaine Leflaive Puligny Montrachet Les Pucelles 1er cru
2001 Domaine Leflaive Chevalier Montrachet Grand Cru

Now that is what I call an aperitif!

Dinner at Hotel Le Montrachet with Rose & Pascal Maillard, Didier Larue and Julien Wallerand yielded the following beauties, all served blind...


NV Meilly Champagne Brut Magnum
2006 Domaine Larue Puligny Montrachet Le Trezin
2007 Marc Colin Chassagne Montrachet Le Caillerets 1er cru Magnum
2001 Domaine Leflaive Batard Montrachet Grand Cru
1992 Domaine Larue Blagny Rouge Sous le Puits 1er cru
2007 Domaine Maillard Pommard
1990 Domaine de Montille Volnay Taillepieds
1999 Meo Camuzet Vosne Romanee Les Chaumes

Lots of great discussion ensued about the wines...Was the bubbly a touch oxidized? Is this Vosne Romanee? Was the Montille in good (my camp) or great shape? But without question, the singular greatest memory of the nights wines will be the 1992 Blagny, an unheralded vintage and an unheralded appellation, this wine was one that would rock you to your core, leaving you feeling that you don't know as much as you thought about the potential of greatness of wine. The wine was lyrical, profound and devastating. Sigh...

Quite the Off Day.

JCB the 4th