a taste of hubert lamy 2010

I was addicted hooked the day I was introduced to Lamy’s fresh, vibrant (almost nervous) and delicious whites a few years ago. Those who have not tasted the wines will usually brush them off as a not-so-famous therefore equally not-as-good appellation. And this trend seems to be quite prevalent in the Chinese market where these wines are sold at ridiculously cheap prices. My dear friend AAK threw in a few other burgs for the tasting as well and if you don’t see any notes or pictures (for them) here, it can only mean I was too busy drinking the wines instead of typing vigorously on me phone.

Puligny Montrachet Les Tremblots Vielles Vignes 2010 Hubert Lamy
Cream, vanilla, vibrant ripe lemon, lemon peel and a little smokiness; intense lime and oak flavours which are already well integrated at such an early age; medium-plus to high acid; medium-plus to long finish. Yummy!

The trio of Saint-Aubin by Lamy was somewhat challenging on the tastebuds. I am not quite sure if I could tell them apart in a serious blind tasting and perhaps after a few years in bottle, their differences will be more apparent. I’m actually happy to report that the Clos de la Chateniere 2010 is really good, and I am glad I made a prudent decision on its pre-arrival offer. But you know what? The En Remilly and Derriere chez Edouard are also very moreish, especially with morsels of chevre on Maison Kayser‘s baguette.

Saint-Aubin 1er Cru Derriere chez Edouard 2010 Hubert Lamy
White flowers, nectarines, chantilly cream; lime cordial, soursop, tart lemon; medium to medium-plus acid; medium length finish. The lightest of all the St.-Aubin.

Saint-Aubin 1er Cru En Remilly 2010 Hubert Lamy
Floral, limes, flint; rich, mineral notes, stones, oak and cream; medium-plus acid and finish.

Saint-Aubin 1er Cru Clos de la Chateniere VV 2010 Hubert Lamy
Flinty, intense lime peel, vanilla pods, cream; intense lemon, oak, vibrant, juicy, tight, almost unyielding; medium-plus acid; long finish.

Chassagne-Montrachet Le Concis du Champs 2009 Hubert Lamy
Floral, perfumed, white flowers, a little tight, reductive; similar flavours on the palate with some nuances of light honey and field blossoms; elegant, tasty and slightly phenolic towards the end; medium-plus acid and length.

Volnay 1er Cru Clos de la Cave des Ducs 2009 Benjamin Leroux
Perfumed, red cherries, jasmine tea leaves, a little earthy; ripe cherries, spicy, floral, elegant, light liquorice, slight tannic grip; medium to medium-plus acid and finish.

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An Afternoon of Burgundies

Many thanks to AK and AAK who generously provided the wines and hosted the drinking session, and also RL who brought all the delicious rollmops, german baby shrimps, cheeses, and envy apples! Truth be told, going through seven bottles in about 2+ hours didn’t really allow me to see any huge transformation on all the wines but there were a few interesting observations.

Lamy’s Clos de la Chateniere 2008 was packed with such a racy acidity that it was painfully addictive; Maison Roche de Bellene’s 1993 Meursault VV was wonderfully mature and weighed upon my palate after awhile; Domaine et Selection’s (Coche Dury) Meursault 2006 was beautiful – a textbook expression of what excellent young Burgundian white should be like, and it’s a style many people in the New World tried so hard to emulate.

Robert Arnoux’s basic Bourgogne 2002 was by far the most interesting. The amount of Brett (think manure, barnyard, etc.) was absolutely pronounced but not to the point where it overwhelmed the underlying characteristics of the wine. What I found interesting was that the Brett profile seemed a little finicky – one moment it was all there in full blast, and the next thing you know, they disappeared completely. Surprisingly good but not for everyone. I can imagine how off-putting this can be to a lot of wine drinkers. Brett + reductive aromas: killer combination. His Vosne-Romanee Les Chaumes 2001 was good, and the style adopted was consistent with core structure of the Bourgogne (without the Brett).

Fourrier’s 1998 Gevrey-Chambertin was another surprise when it was first poured into a glass. The colour was so light that it looked more like a cloudy free-run Pinot Noir juice than an aged wine! Eventually a darker shade of Pinot Noir colour returned but it was definitely the lightest in colour of the whole flight. And it was also the most acidic of all the reds on first sip?

I was expecting a huge, powerful showing from Drouhin-Laroze Musigny 2003 but was surprised to find that the wine was not as heavy and inky as one would expect from the vintage. There was a certain greenness in the wine and I thought it was quite unforgiving. I’m hoping SW is right that it may come into its own in years to come. Not quite cohesive right now even though the aromas were enticing.