Jean-Claude Boisset Tasting at Wine Watch with Special Guest Jean Charles Boisset

My books are like water; those of the great geniuses are wine. (Fortunately) everybody drinks water.
Mark Twain

Hey wine is 85% water and I like the comparison between wine and geniuses!!

Speaking of wine genius we have one of the most interesting men in the wine business coming to pay us a visit here at Wine Watch.

Jean Charles Boisset is one of the most interesting winery personalities that you will meet and I remember riding with Jean Charles doing sales calls back when I worked with Republic National Distributing.  We put together several wine dinners in the past and were out on more than one occasion after dinner to check out the afterhours festivities of the South Florida nightlife.

The Boisset family is one of the largest landholders in Burgundy and Jean Charles married Gina Gallo, making this rather important wine family of France now joined by marrage to the largest family owned winery in the world.
Join us as we welcome Jean Charles back to South Florida for an incredible tasting that will feature a vertical of two grand crus from Burgundy and an older vintage selection from Raymond winery in Napa Valley.  Wine Watch Caterings Toni Lampasone will be making a few small courses to accompany the tasting wines.  The fee for this tasting is $125 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463 or e-mail andy@winewatch.com.

Jean-Claude Boisset Tasting at Wine Watch with Special Guest Jean Charles Boisset
Friday, March 31st
7pm

Reception

Buena Vista Sparkling Brut 2012

While Agoston Haraszthy was most recognized as being the Father of California viticulture, he was also the father of six illustrious children. His third son, Arpad, spent over two years in France learning the craft of sparkling wine and later become the first to introduce Methode Traditionelle sparkling wine into California winemaking. Arpad’s sparkling wine, Eclipse, was one of the most celebrated in the nineteenth century; we pay tribute to his legacy through this Brute sparkling wine of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay grapes.

Bouchard Aine & Fils Meursault Les Porusots 1er Cru

With our "Cuvée Signature" wines, you enter the world of premium Burgundy wines proudly signed by Bouchard Aîné & Fils. Characteristic features of these wines include year-round monitoring of individual vineyards, low yields and limited bottling runs. A showcase for Bouchard Aîne & Fils, Cuvée Signature is the ultimate expression of our style and know-how. These “micro-cuvées” express the richness of the finest terroirs of Burgundy in all their intensity and finesse.

The village of Meursault is located at the heart of the Côte de Beaune's “golden triangle”, just north of Puligny-Montrachet. This is where some of the finest Chardonnays in the world come from. Those of our Premier Cru “Le Porusot” (which meant “worn stone” in Old French) cover 28.2 acres.

Jean Claude Boisset Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru 2011

This Grand Cru appellation exists only in white and covers a surface area of 71.87 ha of which 48.57 ha of vines are located in Aloxe-Corton, 17.25 ha in Pernand-Vergelesses and 6.5 ha in Ladoix-Serrigny. Total production for this Corton Charlemagne is 2,200 hl. The soil is clayey with marls at the upper part of the slope. The emperor Charlemagne gave these vines to the collegiate church of Saint-Andoche in Saulieu in 775 to whom they belonged for the next thousand years. With a name that still celebrates the memory of the emperor, Corton-Charlemagne includes the Charlemagne and En Charlemagne vineyards as well as a few neighbouring single vineyards (the Grand Cru AOC dates back to 31 July 1937).

Jean Claude Boisset Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru 2012

Jean Claude Boisset Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru 2014

After three very small vintages what Burgundy urgently needs in 2014 is quantity. Our prayers may have been answered: the 2014 vintage is very promising with good yields! After another year of surprising weather, September lived up to its reputation and played its part to the full in terms of ripening the grapes. In the springtime, the 2014 vintage looked like being an early one and the vines profited from the hot and dry weather, which indicated an abundant harvest and healthy vines. In summer, the sun appeared to have gone on vacation elsewhere, and the advance gained at the start of the cycle was soon lost. However, despite the wet and chilly weather, maturation began to gather pace at the end of August. The Burgundy winegrowing region, like France’s other winegrowing regions, experienced a few pockets of sour rot. The plots of Pinot Noir were subjected to strict sorting, both in the vines and in the winery. This occasional phenomenon was localized in an otherwise very healthy year. The harvest began in mid-September in the sunshine. The grapes brought into the wineries were ripe, healthy and aromatic. 2014 will be an excellent year for white wines in the Burgundy region. Their clear-cut, precise structure promises good keeping potential. Red wines offer intense colors, a fruity nose, and concentration in the mouth, with smooth, pleasant tannins, and lovely notes of fresh fruit. They are wonderfully sophisticated, hinting at all the qualities of great red Burgundy wines.

Jean Claude Boisset Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru Charmes 2010
Price: $168.00    Sale $147.84

Only 1500 bottles produced, all organic but not certified. They do some whole cluster here and this wine has a beautiful bouquet, very elegant with lots of earth and spice, red berry fruit notes of mint and truffle. Silky velvety smooth on the tongue with bright red berry fruit, an array of fresh earth and exotic spices, very nuanced, light in color but not nuance and a firm hand of acidity holding things together. Finish 45+ Most Excellent +

Jean Claude Boisset Charmes Chambertin Grand Cru 2006

Gevrey-Chambertin is a large town located at the northern end of the Côte de Nuits. It boasts one of the largest surface areas under vine with no less than 330 hectares under production, of which 85 are planted with Grands Crus. The Grand Cru slope which faces east for ideal exposure to the sun, begins south of Gevrey-Chambertin. From among the 9 Grands Crus, both Charmes-Chambertin (22.5 ha) and Mazoyères-Chambertin (18.5 ha) may be marketed as Charmes-Chambertin. Part of the vineyard extends down to the N74 highway. Its location is exceptional as the soil is stony and shallow with a high level of active limestone and the vines produce very elegant wines.
In spite of the climatic ups and downs of the summer: a dry, sunny July and heavy rain at the end of August that saved the vineyards from water stress, harvesting took place under excellent weather conditions. “Heterogeneous” is the word that best describes this vintage.

Jean Claude Boisset Charmes Chambertin Grand Cru 2007

2007 was marked by chaotic climatic conditions: a mild winter and a summer-like spring resulted in very early budburst and a cold, rainy summer brought about a high incidence of rot. Fortunately, sunny weather during the first half of September allowed the grapes to ripen and produce red wines with reasonable concentration.

Jean Claude Boisset Charmes Chambertin Grand Cru 2008

2008 was a tricky year in Burgundy. There were many challenges in the vineyards including: mildew, oidium, botrytis and even hail in Volnay and Marsannay. Flowering took place over a two-week period in June and there were instances of shatter here and there (failure of grapes to develop after flowering). It was a “grey” summer, and though not rainy, temperatures were low. Finally, in mid-September, a change in weather brought the North wind and cool temperatures. These good conditions dried out the vines and help increase sugar levels while maintaining rather high acidity levels. We began picking the Chardonnay grapes on 22 September while the Pinot Noirs required an additional week.

2012 Raymond Cabernet Sauvignon Rutherford Napa

This classic Rutherford Cabernet Sauvignon displays ripe red fruit aromas on the nose accented with a dash of currant, cassis and dark chocolate notes. The wine is well structured with beautifully integrated tannins, a rich mouthfeel and a long, smooth finish. Try it with a grilled filet mignon or roasted duck.

1994 Raymond Generations Napa

The fee for this tasting is $125 + tax, for reservations call 954-523-9463.