Tag: Burgundy

Tasting

My Chablis drag name is Kimmeridgian Kardashian

Posted on by Josh

The last memorable time I had Chablis was a premier cru during a first date at an oyster bar. The lusher version of the wine seemed right for what I remember was slightly chilly weather, and what tensity that remained in the wine matched the nervousness of said date. To skip to the last chapter: the same day I received a text from him wanting to end things was the same day I found out I had an opportunity to move out of the city. I’ll save the gritty middle details for never, but maybe I’ll reveal them one day in that pipe dream of a book involving people I’ve dated and the wines that accompanied said adventures.

Anyway, that’s one of my Chablis stories.… read more

Life · Quaffing · Tasting

24 wines for turning 24

Posted on by Josh

This post serves two purposes: a sincere smile-and-nod to the 23rd year of my life, and a spring cleaning wine dump of, coincidentally, a number of bottles that equals the number of anniversaries since I was pushed out of my mother. Alas. The past prime number of a year has been good to me, and I’m stoked for the next. Beyond this whole becoming-an-adult thing, I’ve done many things including completing the WSET Diploma (i hate to keep mentioning about it – but perhaps the youngest in BC to do so!), changing jobs, travelling to New York, travelling to France, travelling to Spain, and other things that would probably be best not to put on the internet. Heh.

And home. Oh God – connecting to your roots and family – sometimes I dig myself way too deep into wine culture and its countries that I forget where I come from.… read more

Life · Tasting · Travel

“Looking to bone in Beaune”

Posted on by Josh

…was the working draft for a Tinder profile in Burgundy.

“Que cherches-tu?”

I hopped off my bike near one of the villages – Pommard, I think – and ran down the road before jumping up onto a short brick wall surrounding some vineyard so that I could see better. I told the vigneron that I lost my friend and he said that the diverging roads would both eventually lead to Pommard. Though actually, I’m totally filling in the blanks with bullshit and I mostly don’t know what he said (except for “tu comprends?” to which I responded with “oui”), but his hand signals sure helped.

Theran and I decided to bike to the other edge of the town and wait, despite the itch to haphazardly bike down the next hill so speedily that my mom would have the sudden urge to slap me all the way from Canada.… read more

Tasting · Travel

Finger Lakes: first spits and fire pits

Posted on by Josh

More wine in this post, I promise!

For some reason I was not tired after The Night Of No Sleep. My body knew. On a rainy morning dodging puddles and people, Christine, Amy, Leeanne, Sujinder and I bussed up to Elmira from NYC. This of course involved a cryptic and boisterous man who sat behind our group and modified the intensity of his New York accent depending on who he was talking to on the phone, including Joey, which included a mild conversation about picking up sodas at the dollar store; and then Beryl, to whom he aggressively told to check her mailbox and to “not worry about it” (severed hand?!). Obviously the world knew our NYC experience wasn’t over yet, and we’ve accomplished a lot before anything officially #WBC15.… read more

Life · Quaffing · Tasting

Post-Pride and Pre-WBC15 Wine Dump

Posted on by Josh

Bit of a tasting note dump between the Maryland trip and Vancouver Pride, since I am not drinking for a week in a simultaneous effort to recover from Vancouver Pride antics and to prepare my liver for the Wine Bloggers Conference in New York. Huzzah. I am surprisingly doing well so far, and I have stepped into the world of non-alcoholic beer.

(I’ve failed miserably.)

There’s not really a common thread here, except for maybe the general Old World?

I’ve also found out that my travel buddy had to cancel her attendance to both the Wine Bloggers Conference and our pre-conference trip to NYC due to a health issue, so I’m semi-alone in NYC (semi- because I’m meeting up with some Vancouver friends still) and I’m a little scared but also super excited. … read more

WSET Diploma

Overcast diamonds: Domaine Latour-Giraud 2011 “Genevrières” Meursault

Posted on by Josh

Domaine Latour-Giraud 2011 "Genevrières" Meursault[Tasted during WSET Diploma – Unit 3 – Week 8: Burgundy]

The first time I’ve had a Premier Cru Burgundy was in WSET Intermediate class years ago – it was the Latour-Giraud 2008 Meursault-Perrières. Looking at my notebook, I don’t seem to have much to say about it. I mean, good for you if you’re bedazzled by young and amazing white Burgundy at age 19, but I guess I needed more convincing.

The second time I’ve ever had a Premier Cru Burgundy was in WSET Advanced class, where it looks like I was really unimpressed. Just earlier this year I realized how amazing it was that I tried a Meursault and I back-pedalled hard, but retrying this helps me understand my past self.… read more

WSET Diploma

Black Swan: Joseph Burrier 2012 “Sur La Roche” Pouilly-Fuissé

Posted on by Josh

Joseph Burrier 2012 "Sur La Roche" Pouilly-Fuissé[Tasted during WSET Diploma – Unit 3 – Week 8: Burgundy]

If Chablis is the personification of pristine and pure Chardonnay that tastes of river stones and crisp fruit, with a balance of concentration and finesse that needs time to blossom, then Pouilly-Fuissé, at the other end of Burgundy, is a ballsier expression of quality white Burgundy.

More obvious fruit, here, with crushed pears and applesauce rather than freshly sliced green fruit, along with a vivacious touch of something Bed Bath & Beyond-esque, like a soapy lemon-lime candy. It’s the Black Swan to the White Swan we tried earlier in the flight. It’s just more willing to do MDMA on Sunday night but still have its shit together to do ballet the next morning.… read more

WSET Diploma

Audrey Hepburn: Domaine Tortochot 2010 Chambertin Grand Cru

Posted on by Josh

Domaine Tortochot 2010 Chambertin Grand Cru[Tasted during WSET Diploma – Unit 3 – Week 8: Burgundy]

This was spectacular. Apparently only two cases were directly brought into the province, and they went quickly. A great price, from what I can tell, but I’m not gonna pretend that I’m a huge connoisseur of Grand Cru Burgundy. Like, if you were to open one in my presence, I’d definitely force us to light candles and do a Gregorian chant before uncorking it.

Pinot Noir from the Côte de Nuits, of the north half of the Côte d’Or, is said to be more structured, deeper, perhaps darker in its fruit, and have a protracted maturation window compared to the wines of the Côte de Beaune. So, compared to the lighter Savigny-Lès-Beaune we had just before, this wine exuded more dark fruits, more brooding notes in the form of forest floor, mushroom and leather, and some oak, where there were well-integrated murmurs of mocha and sweet spice.… read more

WSET Diploma

“There’s Too Much Love” – Belle and Sebastian: Phillipe Girard 2010 “Les Lavières” Savigny-lès-Beaune Premier Cru

Posted on by Josh

Phillipe Girard 2010 "Les Lavières" Savigny-lès-Beaune Premier Cru[Tasted during WSET Diploma – Unit 3 – Week 8: Burgundy]

The next two wines we tasted were both Pinot Noirs from two different halves of the Côte d’Or – this one was from the Côte de Beaune in the south, while the next one was a Chambertin from the Côte de Nuits in the north.

Lighter and more driven by flowers, strawberries, and red cherries compared to the Chambertin. It’s often said that Pinot Noir from the Côte de Beaune creates wines that are lighter, fruitier, and prone to earlier maturation than that of the north. Much more pure in fruit than the basic Burgundy we tried a couple of wines before, if you were to compare the first wine to blurry vision à la Velma losing her glasses, and then this wine to putting on a stylin’ pair.… read more

WSET Diploma

White Swan: Domaine Christian Moreau 2012 Valmur Chablis Grand Cru

Posted on by Josh

Domaine Christian Moreau 2012 Valmur Chablis Grand Cru[Tasted during WSET Diploma – Unit 3 – Week 8: Burgundy]

Chablis, to me, is the pinnacle of perfection: not so much in a sense that it’s a wine that’s perfect and orgasmic, but more the fact that it strives to be something so pristine, crisp, calm, and complex, not unlike a snowflake.

The White Swan i.e. Nina Sayers comes to mind, where perfection is bitingly found but the wine is almost too young and needs lots of time to develop. Crisp notes of mineral, green apple, pear, a hint of oak (purportedly), cream, and something reminiscent to Loire Chenin that’s very wool and mushroom-like are found on the nose, and the palate reverberates the flavours with more intensity.

There’s a beautiful juxtaposition of young richness and brisk acid; a concentration of flavours that have lots of finesse.… read more