Introduction
The recipe for this tasting was simple, a deep dive into Meursault Genevrières. This is well known 1er cru that I'd rank second best in Meursault after Perrières. It did require a bit of a sourcing effort though to feature thirteen different producers but it's always more satisfying to get that extra bit of comparison. The vintages ranged from 2007 until 2015. I was honoured to have a special guest attending, Richard Geoffroy, the chef de cave of Dom Perignon for over 25 years.
Flight 1: The youngsters
Although I generally wait with opening my whites at least five years after a vintage it never hurts to check in on younger vintages. The more data points, the merrier...
Flight 1: The Youngsters
The 2015 Bouzereau was the overwhelming favourite with ten out of twelve votes. Open for business with expressive aromas, a sweet round fruit profile and moderate acidity. The 2014 Moret was fairly inexpressive on the nose yet you could feel the underlying tension and potential on the palate. Richard Geoffroy said it was 'dramatic' (in the good way). Both wines represented their vintages with the 2014s being built for the long haul yet the acidity does seem a bit gentler compared to the 2010s. The best descriptor for 2015 that comes to mind is 'born ready'.
Flight 2: The 2010s
Flight 2: Voting Results
1st place: Lucien Le Moine Meursault Genevrières 2010 (10x voted first, 1x voted second)
2nd place: Hospice de Beaune Meursault Genevrières 2010 (magnum) (1x voted first, 7x voted second)
3rd place: Domaine Henri Boillot Meursault Genevrières 2011 (0.375 l) (1x voted first, 4x voted second)
Le Moine was the undisputed winner showing loads of Genevrières typicity of spiced pear and tropical fruits. Not my go-to producer but this is a very impressive showing without toasty oak that sometimes plagues their wines. The second place went to Hospice de Beaune (elevage by Jean-Marc Roulot) which was round and exotic with buttery fruits and lowish acidity. Surpringly mature, especially for a magnum. It is a pity that Roulot doesn't own a Genevrières plot himself as I am pretty sure that would be an altogether different showing. Henri Boillot's half bottle showed the youngest of the lot with a lemon and lime fruit character, nervy acidity and a steely minerality that could easily pass for a Meursault Perrières. Not scoring top marks on enjoyment factor today but the wine with the brightest future. Eight of of twelve participants correctly guessed this flight's vintage to be 2010.
Flight 3: The 2011s
A diverse selection including the two largest land owners of Genevrières with 2.5+ hectares each: Bouchard and Latour-Giraud. Mikulski and the very popular PYCM completed the flight.
Flight 2: Voting Results
1st place: François Mikulski - Meursault Genevrières 2011 (8x voted first, 3x voted second)
2nd place: Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey - Meursault Les Genevrières 2011 (3x voted first, 6x voted second)
3rd place: Bouchard - Meursault Genevrières 2011 (1x voted first, 4x voted second)
4th place: Latour-Giraud - Meursault Genevrières 2011 (no votes)
Beforehand I wouldn't have put my chips on Mikulski sweeping the table with 8 out of 12 votes. Undeniably brilliant showing with an expressive nose of ginger, cinnamon and white pear. Palate showed riper fruits but balanced by a vibrant acid structure. Surprise across the room that Mikulski can be this outstanding. Second place for PYCM (3 votes for favourite and 6 for second favourite). For me a distant second as it lacked a bit of concentration and mid-palate weight, something I noticed before in their 2011s as opposed to their superior 2012s. Bouchard ended third with a strange showing where the wine was diluted to the point of watery. Latour-Giraud came in last with a worrysome advanced character of overripe tropical fruits, sugarcane and baked apple. Quite disappointing for Bouchard and Latour-Girard that own large plots so should be more consistent. Possibly the picking date played an important role in this hot vintage. Only 4 people guessed the vintage correctly whereas the majority was doubting between 2008 and 2009. The final interesting observation was that 11 out of 12 people preferred this flight over the flight of 2010s that preceded it.
Flight 3: The 2009s
Time to bring in my favourite ringer which is Gantenbein Chardonnay 2009, a Swiss rarity from Graubünden that has a proven track record of passing for a serious Burgundy. The line-up was completed with a Roche de Bellène and Antoine Jobard.
Flight 3: Voting Results
1st place: Gantenbein Chardonnay 2009 (4x voted first, 7x voted second)
2nd place: Roche de Bellène - Meursault Genevrières 2009 (5x voted first, 4x voted second)
3rd place: Antoine Jobard - Meursault Genevrières 2009 (3x voted first, 1x voted second)
This flight divided the crowd. The participants were informed beforehand there was a ringer but only 2 out 12 participants picked it out. Eight out of twelve thought Potel's Roche de Bellène was the outlier and most mistook it for a Meursault Perrières. Gantenbein was overall favourite with a tiny margin on Potels's Roche de Bellène. Gantenbein can show very toasty when young but after 5-8 years the pure chardonnay character emerges. A rich wine with Genevrières like exotic fruit and spice yet very well balanced. My personal favourite by a small margin was actually Potel's Bellène. It had a slightly cooler and more mineral driven nose with a steelier palate than most wines tonight. I can fully relate to people mistaking this for a Meursault-Perrières. With time in the glass some overripeness surfaced together with a butterscotch note. A clear case of 'drink now'. Antoine Jobard was more an example of 'drink yesterday': slightly passed its peak with advanced molasses aromas and flavours. Round, sweet and uncomplicated. Must say that Puligny seems to have fared better in 2009 than Meursault in keeping its structure and acidity.
Flight 4: The 2007 Coche vs Lafon showdown
The final flight had to be between the masters for the great 2007 vintage in Meursault: Coche Dury versus Comte Lafon.
Unfortunately Lafon didn't show well with pronounced baked pears and sugar cane. Weighty palate that showed pedigree but lacking vibrancy. Someone suggested this needs to be decanted to tighten up yet I didn't notice any signs of recovery in the glass. I feel that Lafon returned to true form as of the 2009 vintage. Coche showed its usual self with explosive aromas of gunpowder, ginger, tangerine zest and Asian pear. There was a sense of constraint on the palate that lacked some complexity and was currently driven by acidity. Think it could do with 5-10 years more age. Not even remotely worth its current 4 digit market price tag but that's not Coche's fault but driven by rarity and greed. 11 out of 12 votes to Coche of which 9 declared it the Wine of the Night. The majority guessed the vintage correctly with 2008 being the second most favoured choice.
Conclusion
My seven takeaways:
1. Meursault Genevrières is good but can't quite reach the heights and consistency of Meursault Perrières.
2. 2011 is an underrated vintage that with excellent drinkability
3. Coche was voted the overal WOTN yet didn't blow me away. I seem to be satisfied with his straight Meursault.
4. Big thumps up to Mikulski whose 2011 was the biggest positive surprise of the night.
5. Gantenbein is one hell of a serious Swiss chardonnay.
6. Four out of thirteen bottles showing very mature for their age (from 07, 09, 10 and 11 vintages). Pre-mox is not quite behind us.
7. Bouchard not living up to my usual expectation of being a benchmark Genevrières.