Review / Pittsburgh Tribune – Review – Terrior makes a difference in Burgundies
Terrior makes a difference in Burgundies
0 Comments | Tribune – Review / Pittsburgh Tribune – Review, Apr 27, 2010 | by Dave DeSimone
During the past week, Burgundy wines held center stage locally.
Distinguished British wine writer Clive Coates MW, swung through town making his annual presentations on Burgundy’s marvelous wines. Meanwhile, the Steubenville Rotary Club and Stateline Fine Wines shop in Weirton, W.Va., hosted a comparative wine tasting with the Rotary International District’s Group Study Exchange consisting of five Burgundy natives.
On a brisk, yet gloriously sunny afternoon, Coates met for an al fresco lunch at Pusadee’s Garden, a Thai bistro in Lawrenceville section. Colorful flowers, freshly unfurled greenery and chirping birds in the outdoor garden set the stage for a relaxing, expansive conversation.
Tasty appetizers of steamed pork dumplings and chicken satay matched beautifully with a delicious split bottle of white Burgundy, the 2006 Vincent Girardin, Meursault “Les Narvaux” Blanc (Specialty 20728; $19.99 for 375 millileters).
Two older red Burgundies, the 2000 Domaine Denis Mugneret, Nuits- Saint-Georges ” Aux Boudots” Premier Cru and the 1999 Domaine Alain Hudelot-Noellat, Vosne-Romanee “Les Malconsorts” Premier Cru, paired well with Pad Thai noodles and thinly sliced duck breast with micro noodles.
Coates, now a Burgundy resident, disclosed information sure to delight fans of his seminal works, “Cote-d’Or: A Celebration of the Great Wines of Burgundy” (University of California Press, 1997) and “The Wines of Burgundy” (University of California Press, 2008). He will release a new edition — tentatively titled “More Burgundy” — documenting exhaustive tastings of older vintages, 10 and 20 years on.
The work should prove entertaining and invaluable to Burgundy collectors and casual fans. Information on the evolution of older wines makes fun reading, especially when the reader may have had or may in future have the chance to taste similar bottles.
More importantly, such tastings demonstrate the need for patience with Burgundy. All too frequently, impetuous consumers, egged on by retailers toting numerical ratings, rush to “pigeonhole” each new vintage
garden bistro set