Burgundy Barge Cruise – The Grands Crus

If you’re curious about the names and vintages of the producers we tasted over the course of the week, we’ve listed them below. They were all chosen by the barge operator, Belmond Afloat, and always served with food at the evening meal – exactly as they should be served.

The retail prices of these Grands Crus are off-putting, to say the least, and range from $92 for the Chapelle-Chambertin to $13,000 per bottle for the Romanée Conti. That’s not a typo. The median price is $213 per bottle. Before you say that the Burgundians (and the people who buy their wine) are crazy, there are two things to consider:  the soils, terrain, altitude, orientation to the sun and climate together create a terroir that is unique in the world and ideal for growing Pinot Noir north of Beaune and Chardonnay south of Beaune.  Couple this uniqueness with their miniscule production and strong global demand, and one begins to understand how the Grand Cru Burgundies can command such prices. These wines are rarified examples of supply & demand that even the wines of Bordeaux can’t match.

The White Grands Crus tasted:

• Corton-Charlemagne: Joseph Drouhin 2012
• Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet:  Domaine Potel 2007
• Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet:  Domaine Bachelet Ramonet 2010
• Bâtard-Montrachet:  Domaine Coche Bouillot 2010
• Chevalier-Montrachet:  Domaine Bouchard Pére et Fils 1998
• Montrachet:  Joseph Drouhin 1987
• Musigny:  Comte de Vogué 2012

The Red Grands Crus tasted:

 Gevrey-Chambertin

• Chapelle-Chambertin: Drouhin Laroze 2014
• Charmes-Chambertin: Domaine Huguenot 2011
• Mazoyères-Chambertin: Domaine Leroux 2012
• Griotte-Chambertin: Domaine Leclerc 2012
• Latriciéres-Chambertin: Drouhin Laroze 2014
• Mazis-Chambertin: Joseph Drouhin 2012
• Ruchottes-Chambertin: Domaine Magnien 2014
• Chambertin Clos de Béze: Drouhin Laroze 2011
• Chambertin: Domaine Jessiaume 2009

 Morey Saint-Denis

• Clos de la Roche: Domaine Coquard Loison Fleurot 2012
• Clos Saint-Denis: Domaine Coquard Loison Fleurot 2012
• Clos des Lambrays: Domaine des Lambrays 2013
• Clos de Tart: Domaine Clos de Tart 2008

  Chambolle-Musigny

• Musigny: Drouhin Laroze 2011
• Bonnes Mares: Domaine Drouhin Laroze 2007

 Clos de Vougeot:  Drouhin Laroze 2011

 Vosne-Romanée:

• La Romanée: Domaine Bouchard Pére et Fils 1993
• La Grande Rue: Domaine Lamarche 2014
• Romanée Saint-Vivant: Domaine J J Confuron 2014
• Echézeaux: Domaine Michelet-Bissey 2008
• Grands Echézeaux: Domaine Coquard Loison Fleurot 2011
• Richebourg: Domaine Gros Freres et Souers 2014
• La Tâche: Domaine de la Romanée 2013
• Romanée-Conti: Domaine de la Romanée 2011

Corton:  Joseph Drouhin 1999

Discerning the differences in these wines, particularly the reds, was daunting. Soils, vineyard location on the slope, orientation to the sun are all compounded by differences in vintage, weather conditions and even oak treatment in the winemaking. However, there are some general statements that can be made about the principal villages:

Gevrey-Chambertin:  The wines are deep in color and are some of the most powerful Grands Crus made in the Côte de Nuit.  Chambertin and Clos de Beze are thought to be the best.

Chambolle-Musigny:  These are typically the most aromatic and elegant of the Grands Crus. Musigny is considered the star here, possessing both grace and power. Bonnes Mares is a little less graceful but sturdier and can be aged longer.

Morey Saint-Denis:  Holds the middle ground between the above two:  lighter than Gevrey-Chambertin, but firmer than Chambolle.  Clos de la Roche is thought to produce the finest wine here.

Vosne-Romanée:  the Grand Cru vineyards here arguably produce the finest Pinot Noir anywhere in the world . . . and the most expensive. Seductive, velvety, voluptuous and spicy are often used to describe these Grands Crus. Romanée-Conti and La Tâche are vineyards of greatest renown. One strategy I recommend is to buy the Vosne-Romanée Premier Crus but only from outstanding vintage years like 2005, 2010 and 2015. The best vineyards are said to be  Clos des Réas, Les Malconsorts, Les Charmes, Les Suchots and Les Beauxmonts.

Finally, for what it’s worth, my top five food-pairing red wines of those tasted on this trip are as follows:

1. Romanée-Conti: Domaine de la Romanée 2011
2. Charmes-Chambertin: Domaine Huguenot 2011
3. Chambertin Clos de Beze: Drouhin Laroze 2011
4. Richebourg: Domaine Gros Freres et Souers 2014
5. Echézeaux: Domaine Michelet-Bissey 2008

And my favorite food-pairing white wine was the Bâtard-Montrachet by Domaine Coche Bouillot 2010.

Our next blog post will detail a few of the dinners and wines we enjoyed on the barge.  Look for it.