At the October meeting of our wine group we tasted wines from some of the main regions of Burgundy, which is located in central eastern France. Vineyards have flourished in Burgundy since Roman times and this ancient Province produces some of the finest wines in France.

The French revolution of 1789 resulted in estates owned by the Church being confiscated which led ultimately to the present situation where there are large numbers of small plots of vines and lots of different owners. Hence the importance of knowing the reputation of a vineyard.

To qualify for the right to use the name Burgundy the wine should be made from 100% Pinot Noir for Red Burgundy or Chardonnay for White Burgundy. However we are talking about France and hence there is an exception to this rule for within the Burgundy Province there is a well known southerly region called Beaujolais where the grape used for it’s red wine is the Gamay grape. There is another exception as well which I will not trouble you with !!

The main wine producing areas of Burgundy are Chablis, the Côte D’Or, which encompasses the Côte De Nuits and the Côte De Beaune, the Côte Chalonnaise, Mâconnais and Beaujolais. Now to the tasting, where we enjoyed wine from all of the main regions except for Beaujolais which we will be visiting in November.

The white Burgundy which the members favoured was a 2005 Montagny Premier Cru from the Côte Chalonnaise which you can buy in Waitrose for £7.49.

This wine had a pale straw colour and a delicate citrus nose. It was quite dry and full bodied with a refreshing lemon edge and a long finish.

However a red Burgundy wine found favour with most of the members and is our wine of the month. It was a 2005 Gevrey – Chambertin, from the Côtes De Nuits.

This wine had a rich dark red colour and a somewhat earthy nose, some would say a smell reminiscent of leaf mould, but don’t let that put you off, for it tasted of dark cherries and had a raspberry edge and a long finish. It was slightly tannic so it needs to be kept for a while. It cost £13.99 and can be obtained from Morrison’s.

Napoleon is reported to have said “ Nothing makes the future look so rosy as to contemplate it through a glass of Chambertin.”

I’ll drink to that!

Cheers

David Richards

Chairman