1999 Burgundy Tasting, January 20, 2009

We start off the 2009 tasting year with a bang. The 1999 Burgundy vintage is one of the best of the 90's with a perfect summer four-week period over August and September resulting in a decent harvest with wines that will wow you - the Pinot's are very fruity and drinking beautifully. "The 1999 wines are distinguished by their purity and balance," pronounced Pierre-Henry Gagey, the BIVB's president (winegrower\rquote s association of Burgundy. ". . . The reds are fine in colour, full-bodied, with a pronounced character expressed through some truly luscious fruity notes." (Jon Henley, The Guardian, Monday November 22 1999.) The wines are generally deeply coloured, quite fleshly, with soft, rounded tannins and a lovely purity of fruit. The lesser villages will develop fairly quickly but the better Premier Crus and Grand Crus should hold for ten years. This vintage in Burgundy has been touted as "very good", " great", "most exciting I've ever tasted" , (Jancis Robinson), "one of the best in 20-30 years", "a cracker", "exceptional" . . . we could go on and on but, really, is that necessary because we'd be repeating ourselves? 1999 will be regarded in the years to come as a great red wine vintage and we will be drinking these wines at their peak.

We have several premier cru wines along with others from highly regarded producers. And our guest speaker will be Peter Wearing of The Small Winemakers's Collection. Peter is no stranger to TVC, having supplied us with quality reception wines on more than one occasion. This time he has agreed to do double duty! So please join us for an exceptional and fun evening of great wines and good company on Tuesday, January 22, 2009.

1999 RED BURGUNDY – A VINTAGE YEAR
Date: Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Time: Reception Wine: 6:00 PM, Formal Tasting: 6:20 PM
Costs: Members’ Fee: $64; Guests/Non-Members Fee: $80
Register / Buy Tickets
Where: Toronto Board of Trade (4th Floor), 1st Cdn Place, (Entrance off Adelaide St. between Bay & York) How to Find the Board of Trade

THE WINES

1999 Savigny-Lès-Beaune Aux Vergelesses, 1er cru, Simon Bize. $45 Two cuvees which have been assembled. The most sophisticated of tall the Savignys. Very lovely, classy, intense fruit. Fullish body, long and complex; very fine. Clive Coates, MW, The Vine, March 2001.

1999 Volnay, Santenots, Domaine Matrot. $49 Medium ruby in colour. Inviting nose of sweet cherries, raspberries and violets. Well-structured with ripe fruits, minerals and fresh herbs on the palate. A seductive offering with good acidity and a persistent finish. Tasty now [2000]; better in three years. Lloyd Events, Dec. 14/02.

1999 Volnay, 1er cru, Clos des Chenes, Domaine Antonin Guyon, $49 Clos Des Chenes is one of the most well-known Premiers Crus of Volnay. The plots of Antonin Guyon extend over an area of 87 acres, remarkably well located. The soil is clay and limestone. Vines are 25 yr. old. Wines are aged 18 months in French oak barrels (40% new oak) A beautiful dark ruby with aromas of berries and undergrowth. A persistence in the mouth with a richness and very final race.

1999 Nuits St. Georges, Close des Porrets St Georges. Domaine Nehri Gouges $63 Blackberry-scented, medium to dark ruby-colored; firm personality. Reveals an excellent depth of dark fruits (mostly brambleberries and blackberries) in its silky yet highly structured character. Drink over the next 7-8 years. eRobertParker.com; Wine Advocate #135; June 2001. Pierre Rovanie 87-89 pts.

1999 Lucien Muzard Santenay la Maladiere, 1er cru. $32 Ruby-coloured; displays dark cherry and fresh herb aromas. Light to medium-bodied and packed with layers of sweet cherries. Well-made, seamless, easy-going wine to be drunk over the next 5 years. eRobertParker.com; Wine Advocate #135; June 2001. Pierre Rovanie 86 pts.

1999 Morey-Saint-Denis en Rue de Vergy, Domaine Henri Perrot-Minot. $49 Dark ruby. Aromas of blackberry, blackcurrent, espresso and bitter chocolate. Dense and sweet but sappy, with flavours of blackberry and chocolate. Has just enough cut to avoid being heavy. Tannins are nicely ripe. From a full yield and rather large grapes. Steven Tanzer, Int’l Wine Cellar, Mar-Apr 2001. 87-89. Robert Parker: 88.

1999 Chambolle Musigny, 1er cru, Les Charmes, Roux Pere & fils. $50 Sorry, no tasting notes available.

1999 Gevrey Chambertin Lavaux St Jacques, Louis Jadot. $85 Deep ruby and purple hues with intense, forward aromas of Gevrey earth and roasted coffee with flavors that are richly tannic yet velvety and quite long. This gives the Clos St. Jacques a run for its money in 99, something that it rarely does chez Jadot. (89-92)/2008-10