Text by: Greg Somm
This column is written by The Gold Certified ASI Sommelier, Chef-sommelier of WineHall Company and a MS Diploma Candidate, Greg Somm.
Everything new is always a well-forgotten old. This should be remembered by all wine professionals. It's especially worth understanding for those who are engaged in the sales of Burgundy, because all the discussions on the sales dynamics and on-fashion brands are really a walk on thin ice. In simple terms, you may praise anything and make some young somms believe it’s good, but for true professionals – the wine will always speak for itself more than anyone else. The main thing is to know how to evaluate the wine yourself.
Yesterday these two wines led me to these kinds of thoughts. Corton-Charlemagne from Jean-Charles le Bault de la Morinière is hardly quoted today in the tops, around the wines of excitement and hype. Meanwhile, unlike all Charlemagne producers, he can afford to release wines to the market 11 years after the harvest! This bottle entered the market in April 2022. The wine is in exceptional shape. The aroma is subtle, dominated by shades of ripe garden fruits and chicken broth. The style that everyone is chasing today is manifested in this wine. The taste of the wine is incredibly energetic and electrifying. It drinks perfectly!
The second one is from Nicolas Groffier – it was his Amoureuses 2013, and this is simply an uncontested demonstration of what varietal purity and balance can me in wine from a great vineyard. Voluminous, deep, juicy, subtle and endless! The aroma is sweet red and black forest berries, powdered sugar, confectionery and dried flowers. It is still far from the tertiary flavors, but the pure and subtle shade of truffle adds complexity to the aroma and speaks of evolution. It was a real classic, the one that for some reason irritates many. Maybe it's a question of prejudices and undeveloped taste?
