Burgundy: Dinner and Tasting of the 2014 Vintage with Claude de Nicolay from Chandon de Briailles

5/11/16 -

(François and Claude de Nicolay of Chandon de Briailles)

Of the many benefits of working at Chambers Street Wines, one of the greatest privileges is working year after year with talented and conscientious growers. Tasting the wines from superlative winemakers and farmers in both easy and difficult years is inspiring and instructive of how one adjusts to the vicissitudes of vintage. Nowhere is this more apparent than in Burgundy, which has seen a run of incredibly trying harvests with everything from hail, torrential rains at flowering, Suzuki flies, and most recently a devastating frost. Yet despite these travails, we continue to marvel at the truly beautiful wines they produce.

One such grower is the biodynamic producer Domaine Chandon de Briailles. Based in the village of Savigny-lès-Beaune with vines in Corton and Pernand-Vergelesses, the estate has roots going back to 1834. Claude de Nicolay with her brother François fashion pure, old-school, age-worthy Burgundy. The vineyard work has been organic since the 1980s and certified biodynamic since 2005 with vines replanted with massale selection. Yields are kept low to express the terroir of each vineyard. In most vintages the estate uses whole cluster fermentation to add a layer of structure to ensure ageability, though the regimen will be modified depending on vintage character. Wine making is ultra-traditional with fermentations begun with native yeasts in tank, long elevages with minimal influence of new oak, and bottling without fining or filtration. This light and deft hand brings out the distinctive character of each vineyard.

2014 was another trying vintage in Burgundy with the after effects of the hail of 2013, not to mention more hail in 2014. With already low yields, this leads to another ‘virtual vintage’ as Claude de Nicolay has termed this series of recent harvests. Yet a beautiful end of Summer with sunny skies and cool nights resulted in a harvest producing wines which are beautifully balanced and showing lovely pure fruit and great finesse. The aromas are pretty and the structure somewhat generous, so they will drink well young, expressing the delicacy of the Pinot Noir fruit and revealing their terroir. The Premier and Grand Crus will age beautifully, best perhaps 2023 to 2035 and beyond.

We are also delighted to be hosting vigneronne Claude de Nicolay who will be presenting a number of her 2014s in the store on Monday, May 16, from 5-7 PM, followed by a dinner at Racines featuring the sophisticated cuisine of Chef Frédéric Duca paired with seven wines from the exciting 2014 vintage, as well as the 2000 Corton Clos du Roi. Claude will preside throughout the dinner and provide commentary on each wine - this is an evening not to be missed! John McIlwain