This ultimate white burgundy tasting was in the works for quite some time. To allow for proper comparison only grower bottled Montrachets from 2004 were featured. Thanks to @naradmuni the producer count went from 9 to 12 so the only ones missing were Marc Colin and the microscopic cuvees of Chateau de Puligny Montrachet and Lamy-Pillot.
Flight 1: Jacques Prieur / Comte Lafon / Guy Amiot / Ramonet
4th place: Jacques Prieur (no votes). Served as the first wine the dark color made many of us fear it was consumed by oxidation. Thankfully it was alive yet advanced with a nose of baked pears and apples with chamomile. Not much vintage or plot typicity left on the palate, just a nicely drinking opulent chardonnay.
3rd place: Guy Amiot (1x voted first, 4x voted second). Classy oaky aromas of baking spices and the white flowers made me think it could be from the Puligny side. Balanced and bright palate, sound acidity and much more refinement than their 2005. A wine with a bright future.
2nd place: Ramonet (2x voted first, 4x second). Although the bottle broke after pouring I didn't recognize this at all as a Ramonet but I have not tried his 2004s before. Reductive, atypical oak and a citrus driven palate without the usual softness and elegance you expect from a wine that I often consider the best white in the world. I need a retaste as it simply didn't feel right.
1st place: Comte Lafon (5x voted first). For me the undisputed star in this flight, miles ahead of the others. Not a shy wine but despite the fine oak, huge concentration it had the most seamless texture and airiness one can wish for. I can imagine this to be bigger than life in a riper year but it remained a sense of coolness from the vintage.
One of the ideas behind the tasting was to find out whether there is a difference between the Puligny and the Chassagne side of the Montrachet appellation. Five out of eight correctly placed the Ramonet on the Puligny side whereas three incorrectly guessed the Comte Lafon was from the Puligny side.
Flight 2: Fleurot-Larose / Domaine Leflaive / Fontaine-Gagnard / Blain-Gagnard
An intriguing flight of four adjacents plots on the Chassagne side that were once part of one Fleurot parcel before they sold off to Gagnard in 1978 and Leflaive in 1991. A unique single vintage comparison between the four producers knowing that the combined holding is only 0.28 hectare (3-4 barrels annually).
4th place: Domaine Leflaive (no votes). Who'd have thought this fanatically chased bottle would end last? Started off with advanced aromas of sugarcane yet it tightened up in the glass with a citrus and sour apple fruit profile. This type of evolution I have witnessed more often with Leflaive and I singled out this wine blind for exactly that reason. The acidity overtook the wine. Unimpressive and not living up to the hype or the silly pricetag although a big thumbs up to Iggy’s for offering this bottle off the list at fair value as opposed to auctioning it off for at least double the price. Frankly I was not that surprised as post-2000 Leflaive is very patchy and I always wondered why a thoroughbred Puligny stable such as Leflaive needs a Chassagne side Montrachet.
3rd place: Fontaine Gagnard (5x voted second). This is typically my favourite of the Gagnard Montrachets but tonight it couldn't quite compete. Felt a bit shy compared to the others lacking expressiveness and concentration as if the grapes were picked too early.
2nd place: Fleurot-Larose (1x voted favourite, 3x second). It was actually the first time I try this producer's Montrachet, largely explained by their miniscule holding of 0.04 ha. It took some coaxing but a great perfume of ginger, fennel seeds and lemon-infused acacia honey emerged. The high toned aromas were followed by a weighty yet balanced palate of ripe yellow orchard fruits. Extremely enjoyable glass which punched way above this estate's reputation.
1st place: Blain Gagnard (7x voted favourite). Again it needed some time to evolve in the glass but a clean profile of lime juice, preserved lemon and floral tones developed. Precise acid driven palate. I can fully relate to five people mistaking this for a Puligny side Monty.
Flight 3: Thenard / Drouhin Marquis de Laguiche / Bouchard / DRC
This flight featured the four largest plot owners of the 8 hectares Montrachet appellation (Laguiche: 2.1 ha, Baron Thenard 1.8 ha, Bouchard 0.9 ha and DRC 0.68 ha).
4th place Baron Thenard (1 vote for second place). In line with previous experiences of this producer they seem to pick quite late. It started off lactic with pronounced parmesan rind aromas but soon made way for tropical fruits all the way. There was just enough acidity to keep it fresh but it lacks some finesse and felt quite oldschool.
3rd place: Bouchard (2 votes for second). Burghound's highest ranked Montrachet this vintage didn't fully live up to expectations. The nose was the highlight with pronounced florality combined with Puligny rocks: great purity and without much noticable oak. On the palate it felt too young, austere and angular. Not a style I recognize from Bouchard but possibly explained by the late release provenance.
2nd place: DRC (5 votes for second place). A wine with a distinct style, as they are known to pick late which often result in botrytis like aromas and almost a sense of sweetness on the palate. This 2004 was my favourite DRC Montrachet I have tasted so far which might be because it didn't fit the usual bill. Delicate but ultra fine oak aromas made way to an ever expanded palate with ripeness and acidity competing for honors. The acidity suprisingly had the last word and this is was incredible classy and classic.
1st place: Drouhin Marquis de Laguiche Montrachet (8 votes for favourite and 7 votes for overall WOTN). Earlier this year it beat Coche Corton Charlemagne 2001 hands down and today Drouhin outclassed 11 other Montrachets. This is a breathtaking wine that jumped out of the glass with yuzu, ginger, acacia honey, white peach and gentle fine oak. Palate was equally sophisicated with layers upon layers combined with an incredible smoothness, balance and integrated acidity. Perfection with a sense of effortlessness.
Flight 4 - Some reds for a change in hue: DRC La Tâche / Romanée-St-Vivant 2004
As if twelve grower Montrachets is not yet enough of a good thing, we had some reds to end this memorable night of 2004 Burgundies. Even though the 2004 reds turned out better than expected with age, the whites fared better. Vintage quality gets often incorrectly extrapolated based on the reds which doesn't always work as you can see for example in 1996, 2004, 2007 and 2008 where the whites overshadow the reds.
For the reds the most surprising thing happened and that is that the La Tache 2004 was outperformed by the Romanée St Vivant. The latter was very generously brought by @naradmuni1966 and it shows impeccable taste, knowledge and guts to serve any red in a blind pair with La Tache and bring the trophy home!
On the nose the La Tâche was its usual untouchable self with a mesmerizing melange of cinnamon, stems, lifted red fruits and dried flowers. The palate was defined by high toned red fruits and baking spice and the pronounced acidity gave it a lot of brightness. Still, in terms of midpalate weight, concentration and layering this is not up the usual platinum standard of this vineyard.
The RSV couldn't quite compete on the nose as it was more oaky and less layered. Yet the palate was an altogether different story with impressive density of red and black fruit, wild herbs, cloves and a lingering bright finish. It is clear DRC's RSV has improved a lot over the years and this was a remarkable bottle that unanimously was preferred blind to the La Tâche.
Conclusion
1. Who's the master?
Based on this tasting it was Marquis de Laguiche that truly stood out with 7 out of 8 votes for WOTN. Puligny First indeed, haha. Other crowd favourites included Comte Lafon and DRC. Positive surprises were the Fleurot-Larose and the Blain Gagnard. I couldn't explain Ramonet's showing, typically my favourite Montrachet.
2. Bottle condition
There was not a single oxidized bottle to be found, only the Prieur showing a bit advanced. Amazing and in line with my experiences of the 2004s, a vintage that seems safer than the 02s and 05s from any sort of oxidation perspective.
3. Plot location
I asked the participants during the blind tasting to guess which wine was from the Puligny side (Ramonet, Bouchard and Marquis de Laguiche). With the exception of Ramonet which the majority guessed correcty to be Puligny-side, this turned out to be extremely difficult. In this comparison it seems the producer style (timing of picking, oak and sulphur regime) was the key differentiator.
4. Vintage
To allow for maximum comparison the wines had to come from the same vintage which provided its sourcing challenges as some producers only make 300 bottles or less annually. As Montrachets can get quite big, I chose the cooler 2004 vintage which at age 13 should normally also not show too much bottle variation. This cool vintage was saved by a good end of the growing season. Fruit profiles of these wines ranged from lemons to bananas which seems to suggest a short harvest window. In general I liked the high acidities that kept these big Monties in check.
5. Drinking window
Although there were still some bottles showing a bit of reduction, I'd say with some air they were all showing very well. Some bottles could use a bit more time to resolve the oak and settle down but they relayed the class of this phenomenal terroir. It was an unforgettable tasting.