Burgundy 2012

My name is Brian Hider, and I am the Wine Director at the Pluckemin Inn and Manager of www.pluckemininnwineshop.com. I tour Burgundy on an annual basis and wanted to share my experiences and recommendations in this blog. The annual tasting trip to Burgundy is undoubtedly one of the highlights of the year for me, and also one of the most challenging. It all seems like fun, but we are here to do a job. 

Tastings begin at 9:30 am and finish around midnight. Granted, we do have a nice lunch and fantastic dinner to break up the day. Tasting wine all day long and making an objective opinion about those wines can be taxing. On a normal day we will taste no less than a 100 wines. Staying focused particularly later in the week can be most difficult. This year, tasting the 2010 vintage was for the most part a joy; in the six years I have been visiting Burgundy. This is undoubtedly my favorite vintage thus far. The wines really express a sense of terroir, possessing qualities of the soil. Those wines show their true identity of where they are coming from. The soil, farming, and vinification all play a role in the final product.

Every year, Mother Nature creates different challenges. All of the producers we visit each year personally work their vineyards, knowing what’s happening between buds to grape in order to create their signature style of wine. These winemakers are in their vineyards day in and day out, working the land. 2009 was a great vintage and is in shops now. 

Personally, given how good the 2009s were, I see the 2010 vintage in Burgundy slightly more superior. I see this 2010 vintage to truly represent the classic style of the Appellations in Burgundy. While we wait for the 2010, this is a good opportunity to try one of my favorite everyday wines from the 2009 vintage now.  2009 Domaine Maillard Bourgogne rouge.

Pascal Maillard is one of Burgundy’s friendliest and most down-to-earth winemakers. He crafts wines that represent the geography with balance and fruit from his 20-hectare domaine in Chorey-lès-Beaune. The 2009 has beautiful aromas of ripe crushed cherries and black raspberries that gains complexity with aromas of spice box. 

This is followed by a big palate of ripe, fresh fruit – black cherry, raspberry, cassis – accented with flavors of violets, coffee, and chalky mineral. Plenty of acid to keep things bright and soft, supple, tannin to give the structure needed for this to pair wonderfully with an array of foods like roasted chicken or poached salmon.