armit En Primeur Burgundy Tasting 2012

Burgundy En Primeur 2010
Blogs by Phil Weeks, Sales Director & Nick Palmer, Private Client Account Manager

Burgundy Tasting - Hotel, Restaurant & Wholesale by Phil Weeks

It was with real excitement that we welcomed a big crowd from our Hotel, Restaurant and Wholesale customer base to cast their taste buds over what has turned out to be a stunning vintage.

Middle Temple Hall

Particular favourites on the night, in terms of producers, from those customers I chatted with were, Domaine Marquis d’Angerville, Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux, Domaine Simon Bize, Domaine de Clos, Domaine Fourrier, Domaine de Montille, Domaine Taupenot Merme and Domaine Guy Roulot.

Personally I loved the intense purity and elegance of the wines from Jean-Marc Roulot, everything from the Bourgogne Blanc to the Meursault 1er Cru Tessons Clos Mon Plaisir were exhilarating.



It turned out to be a bit of a Meursault night for me. I loved the 1er Cru Perrieres from Domaine Darviot Perrin, Les Narvaux du Dessous from Domaine de Montille and one of the greatest Luchets I have had the pleasure to taste from Roulot.

Other highlights included the Volnay 1er Cru Fremiets from Domaine Marquis d’Angerville, Savigny Blanc and Savigny 1er Cru Talmettes from Domaine Simon Bize, Beaune 1er Cru Avaux from Domaine de Clos, Pommard 1er Cru Pezerolles from Domaine de Montille, Puligny Montrachet 1er Cru Folatieres from Domaine Sauzet, Gevrey Chambertin 1er Cru Belair from Domaine Taupenot Merme and finally the Vosne-Romanée Les Hautes-Maizières and 1er Cru Chaumes from Domaine Arnoux-Lachaux.


All in all a top selection of great wines from some of the best producers on the planet, lots of whom attended and talked with great enthusiasm about the stunning wines 2010 has produced.
A must buy vintage for all fans of great Burgundy.

Post by Phil Weeks

Burgundy Tasting - Private Clients - Nick Palmer

The Burgundy En Primeur tasting is always a highlight on the armit calender and once again Middle Temple Hall was looking resplendent as it filled to capacity with private clients keen to taste the 2010 vintage.

Wines from 24 different Burgundian Domaines and negociants were on show with many of the growers there in person to present the vintage. The chance to taste such a lovely vintage alongside the likes of Guillaume d'Angerville, Pascal Lachaux, Erwan Faiveley, Nicolas Potel, Jean-Marie Fourrier and Jean-Marc Roulot is a great experience! The wines showed beautifully, with the vintage's silky textures, rounded fruit and energising acidity clearly on show.

As per our tastings in Burgundy last year, it is difficult to choose between the whites and reds in 2010 as both have poise and elegance with well defined fruit and good concentration.

Vineyards of Domaine William Fevre

It is undoubtedly a great year for Chablis and the wines from both William Fevre and Jean-Paul & Benoit Droin showed exceptionally well, attracting praise from all who tried them.

Like Phil, I found the Meursaults enthralling and Chassagnes also impressive. Fontaine Gagnard's wines were deliciously floral and open whilst Blain Gagnard's were a touch more withheld but showed a core of intensity that will be revealed given time. Their Puligny village is a steal this year.

A special mention must also go to Darviot Perrin's Meursault 1er Les Perrieres which was sublime. The most popular table in the room belonged to Domaine Fourrier who Neal Martin thinks has "produced some of his best wines ever in 2010".

The wines are fantastically intense in 2010, it is just a shame there is so little of them! D'Angerville's 1er Champans was as good as I have ever tasted from this great estate and Arnoux-Lachaux impressed on all levels but for me the Latriceres stole the show with its wild strawberry and savoury notes. Other picks were Simon Bize's Savingy 1er Cru Fourneaux, Faiveley's Nuits St George 1er Cru Damodes and as bargain of the night, Domaine des Clos' Nuit St Geroge Les Crots which surpassed even last year's effort.

Over dinner at 28'50 (who had prepared a special menu for us) after the tasting, clients were full of praise for the precise, energised style of the vintage. It is a 'classic' year in the best possible sense of the word.

Post by Nick Palmer

Next event:
The armit Italian Tasting - 15th March 2012 at One Marylebone... more information to follow soon.