Burgundy Tasting at Wine Watch with Alex Gambal

“By making this wine known to the public, I have rendered my
country as great a service as if I had enabled it to pay back the
national debt.”-Thomas Jefferson

Thomas was one of wine's greatest early advocates and we can thank him for convincing the government to make the taxes on imported wine in this country some of the lowest in the world.  We still enjoy the fruits of Mr. Jefferson's labors as this is the best country in the world to shop for fine wine, not only do we have the best selection of wines and the lowest prices of any country in the wine drinking world here in the USA.

Next week is an incredible week of events ending with the South Beach Food and Wine Festival and we have our annual Alex Gambal Burgundy tasting here at the Wine Watch on Saturday night.

Alex Gambal has taken Burgundy by storm. He is an American that moved to Burgundy in the early 1990's to work for trail blazer Becky Wasserman, fell in love with the people, wines and lifestyle of the vigneron. This experience prompted him to open his own negociant firm in 1997. Tonight, we will explore the world of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir and the diversity of terroir that is the Cote De Beaune and the Cote de Nuits, aka the golden slopes of Burgundy Alex Gambal will NOT be in town this year for the South Beach Food and Wine Food and Wine Festival so it looks like we have Andy Gambal here to present the wines this year. Chef Toni Lampasone will be making a special meal focusing on the peasant food of this region and a selection of authentic cheese to accompany the tasting wines. The fee for this tasting is $95 + tax for reservations call 954-523-9463.

 

Burgundy Tasting at Wine Watch with Alex Gambal Wines
Saturday, February 23, 2013
7:00 pm

 

Tasting Line-Up:

2010 Alex Gambal Bourgogne Chardonnay
Price: $24.00       Sale $21.12          Case $245

Our Bourgogne Chardonnay now comes only from our parcel in Volnay and bio grapes that we harvest in Puligny. The Bourgogne has a wonderful balance between the vintage's acidity and the inherent richness of Puligny and Volnay.  As usual we vinified the wine in 15% new oak and we made ~ 750 cases.

2010 Alex Gambal St. Aubin Dents de Chien Les Murgers 1er Cru
Price: $42.00       Sale $36.96         Case $429

No matter how difficult the growing season, albeit with much lower yields than normal, this terroir shows the greatness of chardonnay in Burgundy. The flint and "hot rock" quality of this vineyard bursts from the glass. We only made 300 cases in ~ 20% new oak.

2010 Alex Gambal Chassagne Montrachet
Price: $51.00       Sale $44.88          Case $520

There is a coiled power in our Chassagne this year that    I believe comes from the vintage's acidity. Always rich and powerful the 2010 has real flexibility and spring in its muscles. As in years past our Chassagne village comes from two parcels of 65/35 year old vines (below Criots and Champs Gains). We used 20% new oak and made 175 cases.

2010 Alex Gambal Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru
Price: $123.00    Sale $108.24       Case $1255

Charlemagne, especially the rocky limestone based west/south west facing slopes can struggle to get ripe which contributes to its underlying tension. Here is the real marathon runner and after 8-10 years we see why we call it a "Grand Vin." (We recently tasted our 2002 and 2004 Charlemagne and they were rich and wonderful.) We made 75 cases in 2/3 new oak.

2010 Alex Gambal Bourgogne Rouge Cuvee Les Doux Papis
Price: $26.25       Sale $23.10          Case $268

Ripe small red fruits is the theme for our Bourgogne.  There is an amazing intensity for a "simple" bourgogne. When yields are low I am willing to put Bourgogne in the ring with wines from all over the world no matter what the reputation or pedigree. We used 20% new oak and it was bottled in December 2011. We made 350 cases.

2010 Alex Gambal Savigny Les Beaune Vielles Vignes Rouge
Price: $31.50       Sale $27.72          Case $322

The Savigny is similar to the pinot with its predominance of intense red fruits and amazing length. Unfortunately with the low yields we made 1/2 of what we normally do thus just 125 cases made in 20% new oak.

2010 Alex Gambal Vosne Romanee Vielle Vignes
Price: $60.00       Sale $52.80          Case $612

2010 Vosne-Romanée Vieilles Vignes – The Vosne has volume; this is not to say bulky but it has a lovely mouth feel along with 2010's racing pulse and Vosne's classic spiciness. We made just 125 cases with ~ 1/3 new oak.

2010 Alex Gambal Clos Vougeot Grand Cru
Price: $154.50    Sale $135.96       Case $1576

From a parcel in the "Quartier de Marei Haut" we were able to vinify Clos Vougeot in "our style." This is to say with an elegance and class that sometimes is wanting in the Clos. Dark black cherry fruit along with a Chambolle like silkiness and we have a Clos Vougeot that is a cross between Grands Echezeaux and Musigny. We made 112 cases in 55% new oak.

 

2006 Alex Gambal Clos Vougeot Grand Cru
Price: $135          Sale $118.80       Case $1377

(93 Points) A round, fruity style, but there's no shortage of grip. Black cherry and black currant flavors set the pace, before fine-grained tannins, spice and mineral flavors enter the mix. Fine length. Best from 2011 through 2022. 125 cases made. -BS Wine Spectator Issue: May 31, 2009

Menu

Selection of Cheese: Epoisses, St. Andre, Goat Cheese

Salmon with cucumber and dill beurre blanc

Beef bourguignon with bacon croutons

 

Notes from Alex Gambal on the 2010 vintage from Burgundy:

With the 2010 Burgundy vintage I feel as though I am becoming as the Bordelaise by hyping the next "greatest" vintage of the century. Make no mistake the 2010s are terrific wines; both the red and white but they are almost the mirror image of 2009. The 2010s are concentrated, dense, delineated and lacy at the same time. It is a vintage of paradoxes and is some ways a throwback to pre World War II vintages when yields were naturally low and the wines were concentrated and complex.

Let me briefly give you some of growing conditions of the vintage and some thoughts on how to approach the finished product.

* I wrote the following at the end of the harvest in October 2010. "Yes I am alive and well and contrary to what you might have heard we have had an EXCELLENT harvest. The upper case is on purpose." In short we had a very difficult growing season but ended up with marvelous grapes and made marvelous wines. How?

* The first grapes arrived on September 21 and the last grapes came in on Friday, October 1. In between vineyards that were normally picked first were picked last and every combination in between. For example we picked a parcel of Bourgogne Chardonnay in Puligny on October 1 as well as our Fixin. Normally the Bourgogne is first and the Fixin is last. Both vineyards had normal yields, no rot and golden berries.

* We have NEVER brought in more grapes in so short a time as we did between September 21-22.

* Yields were way down; both in the Cote de Nuits and Cote de Beaune and it was not uncommon by as much as 50%. In the Cote de Beaune the whites were down 20-50% (our Maltroie a bit more than 2 barrels, last year 4 barrels). I was told that a very renowned grower in Volnay who normally makes 36-37 barrels (and could make 44 at maximum yields) made 19!

* Why the low yields? Several reasons;

1. We had a killing cold spell in December 2009 that was at its worst the night of December 21 when the temperature dropped to -21 to -26 C; -6 F to -15 F. This was before the vines had time to go fully dormant resulting in the killing of the embryonic buds as well as a large swath of vines in the Cote de Nuits on the west side of RN 74.

2. The flowering occurred later in June under cold and rainy conditions resulting in a poor fruit set; millerandage (fewer bunches of grapes with mixed grape sizes.)

3. Thus the combination of fewer potential bunches, fewer grapes and smaller grapes with thick skins resulted in drastically lower yields with a resulting highly concentrated juice.

* Here are my REAL yields on the parcels we own.

Bourgogne Pinot Noir Cuvee Les Deux Papis: 4 parcels: 24 HL/HA
Puligny Montrachet: 39 HL/HA
Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru La Maltroie: 30 HL/HA

* July was very hot, August cool, so we caught up but then lost the advantage in August and thus everyone was looking at a September 23-24th start.

* The fermentations went very well; actually quite easily after all the hassles of the growing season and the harvest. The vinifications were a bit bit shorter than normal; on average 10-12 days after 6-7 days of a pre fermentation but overall about as long a time in cuve until they were put in barrel. In other words nothing dramatic.

* The colors were amazing; very dark and the wines were well balanced between the tartric and malic acids. Sugars were lower than in 2009 and most people chaptalized at least .5-1 degree. In other words a fairly typical Burgundy year.

* The reds remind me a bit of 2005's fruit but with the concentration of 1993 due to the millerandage; structured and balanced with an intense rich fruit and good backbone of acidity.

* The wines from early on to bottling have had lots of black cherry and cassis notes and are wines for the long haul. We opened all our 2010 for a writer for the Revue de Vin de la France and we re-tasted them two weeks later and they were still alive with lovely smooth burnt black cherry notes. It was really quite astonishing considering they were sitting in the office with just a cork in them!

* The whites to have a concentration along with a fantastic balance between the ripe fruit of 2009 and the wonderful acidity of 2007.

* A PERSONAL OBSERVATION AND CAUTIONARY TALE: The 2010s are beautiful exciting wines but these wines are not wines for "debutantes." This is to say these wines are thoughtful and I hate to say it "intellectual wines." These are the most interesting and best wines we have ever made and I give credit to Geraldine Godot who has pushed us to make even more classic and elegant wines.

This said these wines are age worthy and are the mirror opposite of new world pinot. Some have already closed up and these are wines that will go through many phases throughout their lives. Please remember what I wrote above; we opened all our wines from the basic Bourgogne to the Grand Crus and they were all alive after two weeks. Thus for those of you who do not have the patience or inclination to wait and get to know a vintage 2010 could be very frustrating for you. However, for those of you who love the game and challenge of knowing a vintage this is the vintage for you.

Our Domaine and Bio: As many of you know we now have 3.5 hectares of vines and we produce 1/3 of our grapes. We started our full conversion to bio/biodynamic farming in October 2009 and we hope to be certified this fall so that in 2013 we can but bio on the label.

- Alex Gambal

 

Other 2010 Vintage Wines Available from Alex Gambal:

 

2010 Alex Gambal Meursault Clos du Cromin
Price: $48.00       Sale $42.24          Case $490

These 70 year old magnificent "sélection massale" vines are not the uniform producing cloned variety but are twisted, beautiful and produce small tiny intense flavorful berries. As many of you know our Cromin always seems to have a lovely white flower or acacia notes on the nose and this year it is no exception. Vinified in 1/3 new oak we made 150 cases.

 

2010 Alex Gambal Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru la Maltroie
Price: $63.00       Sale $55.44          Case $643

 Here is the Maltroie we know; its density and richness restrained by its iron ore soil and acidity. La Maltroie is always our long distance runner and is best after 5-7 years. 25% new oak and 150 cases made.

 

2010 Alex Gambal Puligny Montrachet
Price: $52.50    Your Price: $44.63
Quantity in Stock: 24

2010 Puligny-Montrachet – The third year from our vineyard of 55 year old vines we are finding that our bio practices are producing a more and more intense and pure wine of the lemon lime zest that is Puligny. (Too often it fails in this regard due to yields too high.) We made 200 cases with 20% new oak.

 

2010 Alex Gambal Chorey-les-Beaune
Price: $40.50       Sale $35.64          Case $414

For the second year in a row our love affair with Chorey continues. The fruit is the similar to 2010 with its tendency to small red cherries and their hint of acidity. Again about 1/2 what we made in 2009. 125 cases in 20% new oak barrels.

 

2010 Alex Gambal Beaune Les Greves 1er
Price: $46.50    Your Price: $39.53
Quantity in Stock: 24

2010 Beaune 1er Cru Les Greves: Many people are confused or lost by the myriad 1er Crus that stretch over Beaune. We can have a long discussion about this but there is no doubt in my mind that Beaune Greves (along with Clos des Mouches) is perhaps the best. It to is a large appellation so it is important to focus on sites from the mid to upper slopes that get the most sun, have the best drainage and the most complex soils. Our parcel of bio grapes comes from a parcel just above Bouchard's "L'Enfant Jesus." The wine has the lovely big dark fruit typical of Beaune along with the power and elegance you find in the Cote de Nuits. Made in 40% new oak we made 125 cases.

 

2010 Alex Gambal Volnay Les Champans
Price: $60.00       Sale $52.80          Case $612

Arguably of of the best of the "five sisters" that make up the best of the Volnay 1er Crus Champans is perhaps the most "typical" of all Volnay. It has it precise fruit, lovely from start to finish on the palate due to its silky tannins and a hint of rose petals and pure pinot fruit throughout. Underlying its finesse is a dense power that will make this wine quite age worthy. In its early life it should be well aerated in a carafe to appreciate its full potential. Only 75 cases made and 1/3 new oak.

 

2010 Alex Gambal Chambolle Musigny
Price: $60.00    Your Price: $51.00
Quantity in Stock: 24

2010 Chambolle-Musigny – Here is a "classic" 2010 and is one of the wines that showed such life after two weeks being opened. What I could not get over was that after two weeks the Chambolle still had an amazing silkiness. We used 1/3 new oak and made 150 cases.

 

2010 Alex Gambal Chambolle Musigny Les Charmes 1er
Price: $117.00    Your Price: $99.45
Quantity in Stock: 12

2010 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Charmes – This is Geraldine's "bijoux;" her gem. The Charmes was literally hand made as we sorted and cut out the best bunches to be used for our ~50% whole cluster fermentation. Made in a demi-muid of 500 liters we literally layered the grapes and we have a multi dimensional wine of black, red and strawberry fruits along with Charmes wonderful texture. Made in a new oak barrel of 350 liters we only made 37 cases.

 

2010 Alex Gambal Latricieres Chambertin Grand Cru
Price: $172.50    Sale $151.80       Case $1760

This is my "baby." When I found this small parcel just before harvest I could not believe the quality of the plants and the grapes they produced. Latricieres Chambertin is not a "big" wine, but Chambertin is not really either. Where Chambertin tends to dark notes and a brown or burnt sugar nose Latricieres has more small red fruits and is detailed and precise. Where they are similar is in their length that builds and then last for three to five minutes after tasting. We made 75 cases in 2/3 new oak.

 

Older Vintage Alex Gambal Wines Available:

 

2005 Alex Gambal Bourgogne Blanc
Price: $26.25    Your Price: $23.10
Quantity in Stock: 19

This is one of the special wines that we ordered from the cellars of Gambal direct and although you may look at this and say it is very old for a bourgogne white but this wine was kept at the winery in Beaune until it just recently made its way to our shelves and this was a GREAT vintage in Burgundy.  This is a little gem and if you like older whites from Burgundy this is a great

 

2005 Alex Gambal Bourgogne Chardonnay Cuvee Prestige
Price: $26.25    Your Price: $23.10
Quantity in Stock: 48

This is a step up from the regular cuvee but similar in style just a barrel selection of the best barrels of the Bourgogne Chardonnay from this outstanding vintage.

 

2007 Alex Gambal Fixin
Price: $26.25    Your Price: $23.10
Quantity in Stock: 41

(88 Points) As has been the case with previous renditions of these grapes, Gambal's white 2007 Fixin Blanc is highly distinctive. But unlike the 2006, which simply went over-the-top in alcohol and weight, this is well-delineated in flavor; ripe-tasting at 12.5%, unadjusted alcohol; and likely to justify at least 3-4 years of monitoring. A smoky, char-like note mingles with ripe apricot and yellow plum in the nose, all of which spills onto a richly-, almost doughy-textured palate with a firmly chalky, stony underlying sense. There is just enough refreshment in the finish, persistent richness of fruit, and the promise of further interest of a mineral sort in another year or two. eRobertParker.com #186, Dec 2009

 

2007 Alex Gambal Chassagne Montrachet
Price: $54.00    Your Price: $47.52
Quantity in Stock: 6

(88-90 Points)A wonderfully fresh nose of herb resin, citrus and underbrush hints are trimmed in a discreet application of wood influence that marries into detailed, punch and frank medium-bodied flavors that are bone dry on the focused and relatively powerful finish for a villages. Attractive if not elegant with ample character. Tasted: Jun 01, 2009 Drink: 2012, Burghound Issue 35

 
2007 Alex Gambal Volnay Santenots 1er Cru
Price: $60.00    Your Price: $52.80
Quantity in Stock: 3

(88-91 Points) Not surprisingly, this is much more aromatically complex with ripe blue berry, plum and violet aromas introducing delicious, naturally sweet and layered medium-bodied flavors that possess good mid-palate concentration and lovely persistence on the textured finale. Tasted: Apr 01, 2009 Drink: 2014 Burghound Issue 34

 

2007 Alex Gambal Chambolle Musigny
Price: $60.00    Your Price: $52.80
Quantity in Stock: 2

(87-89 Points) A high-toned nose that is very Chambolle in character with its airy, cool, elegant and wispy red berry fruit and wet stone aromas that give way to round, stylish and detailed flavors that also reflect a subtle minerality on the balanced, persistent and delineated finish. A lovely villages that should age well over the medium-term. Tasted: Apr 01, 2009 Drink: 2013+ Burghound Issue 34

 
2008 Alex Gambal Chambertin Grand Cru
Price: $255.00    Your Price: $224.40
Quantity in Stock: 2

There are two barrels of Gambal 2008 Chambertin, which smells site-typically of dark cherry, licorice, and brown spices. Chalk and salt, along with concentrated beef stock, underlie the fruit on a firm palate, finishing with a touch of heat and woodiness as well as cherry pit bitterness. That said, there is a lot to like here. “This has continued to put on weight, color, and body in the course of its elevage,” reports Gambal, who has high hopes of further enhancement prior to bottling. I would not be surprised to see this demonstrate a decade or more of aging potential.

“It was the classic ‘winemaker’s year,’ in which you had better think-through everything you do,” says Alex Gambal of 2008, adding that “it is the most challenging red wine vintage I have thus far had to make,” due inter alia to the challenge of getting his growers to postpone picking until the fruit was ripe, the attendant triage, but also of the protracted malo-lactic conversions and difficult decisions about elevage. (For more about Gambal’s history and negociant operation – weighted toward white wine – please consult my previous reports.) With the exception of his Bourgogne, all of the 2008 vintage reds I tasted here in March were in tank, and had been decanted overnight to de-gas them.

 

2008 Alex Gambal Vosne Romanee Vielles Vignes (Magnum)
Price: $126.00    Your Price: $110.88
Quantity in Stock: 9

Made from grapes harvested from the AOC village Lieu dits of Au-dessus de la Riviere and Vigneux.

(86-88 Points) A lightly spiced cool red berry fruit nose introduces delicious, round and admirably pure flavors that possess a lovely sense of underlying tension, all wrapped in a finish where the structural elements also seem to be right at the limit of sufficient phenolic ripeness though again, this impression is undoubtedly exacerbated by the presence of ample amounts of carbon dioxide. Tasted: Apr 18, 2010 Drink: 2014+ Burghound Issue 38

 

2009 Alex Gambal Meursault Clos Du Cromin
Price: $54.00    Your Price: $47.52
Quantity in Stock: 12

Gambal indicated that this had just been bottled and predictably, there was a bit of unabsorbed SO2 present though not enough to completely hide the notes of hazelnut and ripe peach. The medium-bodied flavors possess an attractive texture and excellent complexity that culminate in an ever-so-mildly bitter finish that I attribute to the sulfur as the underlying phenolics here are clearly ripe and mature. A very solid villages. 89/2014+ Burghound

 

2009 Alex Gambal Chassagne Montrachet
Price: $59.25    Your Price: $52.14
Quantity in Stock: 11

In 2009 our Chassagne shows the richness of the vintage but with a surprising tension that is not always evident in the vintage. Chassagne's wonderful mouth feel is there along with a density and "sappiness." As in years past our Chassagne village comes from two parcels of 65/35 year old vines (below Criots and Champs Gains). We used 20% new oak and made 225 cases.

 

2009 Alex Gambal Puligny Montrachet
Price: $60.00    Your Price: $52.80
Quantity in Stock: 10

The second year from our vineyard of 55 year old vines and low yields that gave us again a wine with a lemon lime zest that is Puligny. (Too often it fails in this regard due to yields too high.) Our yields 20% below the maximum give us concentration and real Puligny character. We made 300 cases with 20% new oak.

 

2009 Alex Gambal Chambolle Musigny Magnum
Price: $130.50    Your Price: $114.84
Quantity in Stock: 6

(89-91 points) "A spicy, ripe and noticeably floral component is present on the red and blue pinot fruit aromas that precede the rich, elegant and admirably pure medium-bodied flavors that possess really lovely detail on the mineral-inflected finish. This displays excellent complexity for a villages level wine as well fine balance and length." Burghound

 

2009 Alex Gambal Echezeaux Grand Cru
Price: $192.00    Your Price: $168.96
Quantity in Stock: 5

Many of you fondly remember the Echezeaux we made from 1998 until 2005 and how it was always a wine of elegance, spiciness and a perfume of violets. When our supplier retired we lost this wonderful source and finally in 2009 we found a worthy replacement. The 2009 has a silkiness that is what we love in great Burgundy and is a text book example of what pinot noir can be. We only made 2 barrels; 50 cases of which 1/2 is new oak.

 

2009 Alex Gambal Echezeaux Grand Cru MAGNUM
Price: $381.00    Your Price: $335.28
Quantity in Stock: 1

Many of you fondly remember the Echezeaux we made from 1998 until 2005 and how it was always a wine of elegance, spiciness and a perfume of violets. When our supplier retired we lost this wonderful source and finally in 2009 we found a worthy replacement. The 2009 has a silkiness that is what we love in great Burgundy and is a text book example of what pinot noir can be. We only made 2 barrels; 50 cases of which 1/2 is new oak.

 

(91 points) A straight, linear style, this red shows cherry, earth, spice and mineral flavors on a medium-weight frame. This is tight and needs time to reveal its complexity and full length. Best from 2014 through 2026. 50 cases made. –BS Issue: May 31, 2011