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“SOMEONE ONCE TOLD ME YOU WILL NEVER FIGURE OUT BURGUNDY AND I PROBABLY AGREE, AFTER 30 YEARS. BUT MAYBE THAT IS THE WHOLE POINT. THE JOURNEY”. Dennis Sherman When an email popped up in my inbox asking if I’d be interested in receiving some samples of quality Burgundy wines from an online wine store based in Burgundy, my curiosity was piqued. Of course, I said yes!  Photo credit: Penny Weiss Not only is Elden Selections (https://www.burgundywine.com) worth writing about, but also the owners and creators of this online store are a fascinating duo to boot! Located in the east-central part of France with over 74,000 acres of vineyards, Burgundy (Bourgogne) is recognized worldwide and is considered the classic region for growing and producing Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The region is made up of five major growing areas, 3500 domaines, 100 appellations and over 1200 unique climate and soil compositions throughout.  Map is courtesy of terroir-france.com Needless to say, when shopping for Burgundy wines, it can be a bit confusing, if not overwhelming! Thanks to Eleanor Garvin and Dennis Sherman (El and Den) owners of Elden Selections, they have taken the confusion out of selecting and buying these wines.  Eleanor Garvin Photo courtesy of Elden Selections  Dennis Sherman Photo courtesy of Elden Selections It all began in 1983 when American born El and Den, with no return to tickets to Maryland, arrived in Europe with the notion of becoming apprentices to the great chefs of France. However, their journey began with backpacking, hitchhiking and making their way to North Africa for a while. With diminishing funds, they finally made their way to France. Temporary jobs saw them through a few seasons before finally getting bona fide jobs in Beaune and then eventually cooking on a hotel barge in Alsace and then in Burgundy. Two years later they bought Le Papillion, a 100-year-old barge and for the next ten years, they entertained passengers with French cuisine and wine as they traversed the waterways. Once back on dry land, El and Den established Elden Selections in1992, a Burgundy focused online wine store specializing in small-estate wine. Elden Selections is not a wine club and there is no minimum purchase required. All the wine is carefully selected and covers a wide range of appellations, with the focus on the producers. To quote Dennis, “For me, it’s all about the winemakers, the producers. We seek out those who are passionate, dedicated and creative. We work with them over many vintages to assemble our collection of wines that present the very best of Insiders Burgundy, its many and varied appellations, climats and vintages. We are not sure we'll ever figure it out fully but we are enjoying the journey. We hope you join us'. Elden Selections offers over 250 products from 30 producers, concentrating on small quantity, minimal intervention, farmer-made, food-friendly and estate- bottled. The price of wines ranges from under $30 to $300, including 13 Grand Crus! The website is user-friendly and includes invaluable resources for learning about the Burgundy region, each wine producer and a comprehensive description of each wine for sale. The website also has educational videos and wine tasting videos. El and Den have lived and worked in Burgundy for over 30 years. They own a beautiful manor house called “The Domaine de Cromey” located just south of Beaune that is complete with six en-suite guest rooms. They offer food and wine workshops, vineyard visits and invites into wine cellars not usually open to the public. (www.domainecromey.com). In addition to wine, food is also a passion for the Shermans. Ellie is a professional chef and has published several cookbooks, sharing her joy for all things food. El and Den have an insider’s knowledge of the region, producers and wine. They live and breathe Burgundy every day. El and Den follow the harvest, taste the wines in the cellars before bottling and after bottling. I can’t think of a better place to research and buy Burgundy wines than on Elden Selections. And the best part is receiving quality wine for less than you would pay in a local wine store! The wines that I received were impressive and I will be savoring them over time thanks to my Coravin System!  Chateau Cary Potet Montagny 1er Cru 'Les Burnins' 2016 $48 Photo credit: Penny Weiss Check out Elden Selections website and let me know what you think!
Until next time… Cheers! Penina To leave a comment or if you have an inquiry, please contact me at wineknittercomments@gmail.com Over the Labor Day Weekend, I sampled a few vintage wines from our restaurant days in New York City. Some of the wines didn’t warrant a second sip, and a few others were worth taking notes on. And then, there was this.  Photo credit: Penny Weiss Most Pinot Noirs are not known for their longevity and are best enjoyed within a few years of bottling. However, there are a few Pinot Noirs that stand the test of time and this is one of those wines. Domaine Confuron-Cotetidot is a family run business that dates back to the seventeenth century during the reign of Louis IV. The Confuron family has always been vignerons specializing in vine selection and propagation. Yves Confuron runs the estate today along with the help of his brother, Jack, who is an oenologist. Their parents still work the vines as they have always done for the past fifty years. The family vineyards are spread throughout the Côte de Nuits located in the northern half of the Côte d’Or wine region in Burgundy, France.  Map credit: terroir-france.com In addition to their village level wines, the estate has an impressive array of premier cru and grand cru sites that include the famous Vosne- Romanée Les Suchots of which they are one of the largest holders. For the most part, vines in all of their vineyards average around 65 years of age. Within the Côte de Nuits are two Grand Cru vineyards, Vosne-Romanée and Chambolle-Musigny, where some of the most famous and expensive Pinot Noirs are produced. Vosne-Romanée is a small commune that has been producing notable wines for thousands of years. Les Suchots is located within this commune and it is the largest Premier Cru climat in the Vosne-Romanée appellation. Climat refers to delineated plots of land that have specific climatic and geological conditions. The climate here is balanced between the warm sun and cool winds that help to develop rich fruit complexity and good acidity in the wines.  Domaine Confuron-Cotetidot Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru-Les Suchots 1998 The bottle showed a small amount of wine evaporation (ullage), but the cork was good so I used the Coravin system to extract a glass of wine.  Photo credit: Penny Weiss This 100% Pinot Noir had a beautiful garnet color with tawny around the rim. The heady aromas of floral, kirsch, spice and red fruit, notably cherry, were encouraging. Before the wine had time to open my palate was treated to red berries, spice, earth and gripping acidity. After twenty minutes the fruit and spices were more pronounced. I tasted cherry, raspberry, spice, mushrooms and anise. This wine still has an impressive complexity to it and expresses the terroir beautifully. It made me fall in love with Pinot Noir all over again! Alcohol: 13% I’m looking forward to uncorking this bottle very soon!  Photo credit: Penny Weiss Until next time…
Cheers! Penina To leave a comment or if you have an inquiry, please contact me at wineknittercomments@gmail.com Imagine grand châteaux, wine vineyards, limestone cliffs, intriguing caves, the Morvan National Park, Forest des Bertranges, picturesque rivers and canals, and you have arrived in Bourgogne, aka Burgundy.  Photo credit: French Entree To begin, Bourgogne is the French name for Burgundy. According to the Bourgogne Wines Board, “To re-affirm its identity as one of the most iconic vineyards of France, the region and its producers are reverting to the original French iteration of its name - Bourgogne. By maintaining this one identity, Bourgogne returns to its historical roots as the consummate brand treasured by consumers the world over.” Located in the east-central part of France with over 74,000 acres of vineyards, Bourgogne is recognized worldwide and is considered the classic region for growing and producing Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The region is made up of five major growing areas each with its own unique climate and soil as represented on the map below.  Credit: BurgundyToday Chablis is to the north with a cool continental climate and as we move south the climate is predominantly moderate continental. The soil types vary and can change significantly over small areas due to small geological faults, combined with gradual erosion. It is important to note that limestone is the primary soil that influences the character and quality of Bourgogne wines in addition to the microclimate and grape variety. Bourgogne has a very complex and quite comprehensive classification system. There are 84 Appellations d’Origine Contrôlée (AOCs) throughout Bourgogne and four levels (classifications) of wine within the region starting with Regional, Village/Communal, Premier Cru and ending with Grand Cru. The regulations become stricter and pricing increases as you advance up the levels. Within the Bourgogne AOC, the Régionale appellations have their own geographic denominations with one of them being DGC (dénomination géographique complémentaire.) DGC wines have more restrictive production conditions than those of Régionale appellations without a denomination. There are 14 DGCs of the Bourgogne appellation with their own levels as well. Did I mention a complex system? Are you confused yet? I certainly am! So, let’s move on and dive into four wines representing the Bourgogne DGC appellation.  Photo credit: Penny Weiss Domaine Olivier Morin Bourgogne Chitry Blanc Constance 2017 Domaine Olivier Morin is located in the medieval town of Chitry-le-Fort, which is just a few miles from Chablis. This six-acre estate is part of the Bourgogne Chitry AOC appellation. Chalky, Kimmeridgian limestone soil dominates the vineyards mirroring the terroir of Chablis with vines ranging from 10 to 25 years old.  Photo credit: Penny Weiss This unoaked 100% Chardonnay is dry, light and refreshing. It was aged for one year in stainless steel tanks and bottled unfiltered. This wine has a pale straw color with a slightly green hue. A lovely bouquet of floral, citrus and minerality lead to green apple, white flowers and citrus on the palate. Bright acidity, minerality and a burst of lime zest on the finish give this wine a lot of character. Serve as an aperitif or with seafood and light pasta dishes. Alcohol: 12.5% SRP: $21 Olivier Merlin Mâcon Blanc La Roche Vineuse 2016 Domaine Merlin is located in the village of La Roche-Vineuse at the foot of the Mâconnaise rocks in southern Burgundy. Mâconnaise wine region is about 150 miles south of Chablis and is warmer than the rest of Burgundy. The wines tend to be fuller and the fruit riper. Grapes for this wine were hand-harvested from vines growing in clay limestone of the Quaternary (soil dating back millions of years ago during the Jurassic period).  Photo credit: Penny Weiss This wine is 100% Chardonnay and was aged for 15 months. Ten percent was aged in older Burgundian barrels and the rest aged in stainless steel tanks. The wine was slightly filtered before bottling. The color of the wine is soft yellow with intriguing aromas of floral mixed with minerality and exotic fruit. This is a dry, crisp wine that is loaded with treats for the palate. It is fresh and juicy with white peach, pineapple, citrus, a trace of fennel and a lengthy candy apple finish. Serve as an aperitif or pair with seafood, grilled veggies and light pasta. Alcohol: 13% SRP: $23 Dominique Cornin Mâcon Chaintré 2016 Cornin Vignerons is located in the Mâcon Chaintré appellation. The grapes for this wine were hand-harvested and organically farmed from different plots situated at the foothills of Chaintré. Vines were planted between 1968-1985 in soil of clay limestone beaded with fluvial pebbles. This wine was aged in vats on fine lees for 11 months.  Photo credit: Penny Weiss This is 100% Chardonnay with a light yellow color. Notes of acacia, citrus and melon on the nose segue onto the palate with honeydew melon, apple and a trace of anise. This wine is a delightful dance on the palate and beautifully balanced between acidity and alcohol. I am including the winemaker’s description because it is so poetic! “We bite into a Chaintré like a green apple, using all our teeth! It is juicy and refreshing. We bite and we are bitten by its charm, put under a spell by its exuberant nose and dashing white flower, fresh fruit and citrus zest aromas. A glass of Chaintré in hand is a flower on a lapel, a crisp water colour, it’s spring weather that warms life. A glass of happiness, carefree and hopeful…” Drink as an aperitif or serve with light fare. Alcohol: 13% SRP: $25 Vigneron de Buxy Bourgogne Côte Chalonnaise Buissonnier Rouge 2015 Cave des Vigneron de Buxy is a collective initiative comprised of 120 winegrowers and family farms. They are located in the Bourgogne Côte Chalonnaise regional appellation. The boundaries extend from Montagny in the south up to Chagny in the north, ending just south of Côte d’Or.  The grapes for this wine were selected from plots located in the middle of hillsides with shallow soils of clay and limestone with very stony grounds. Vinification takes place in stainless steel vats and then in casks or oak casks. Duration of aging in wood is dependent on the vintage.  This is 100% Pinot Noir with a dark ruby color bordering on brick. Succulent aromas of berries, cherry and spice spill onto the palate with bursts of dark cherry, rich and jammy fruit, spice and earth followed by a finale of pepper and vanilla. It is a perfect balance between the acidity and soft tannins. Pair with game, meat, grilled tuna and veggies.
Alcohol: 13% SRP: $16.99 These are considered entry-level wines, but they are complex, refined and quite enticing. And they undeniably represent the terroir of Bourgogne. It just goes to show you that one doesn’t have to spend a fortune to indulge in the wines of Bourgogne! Until next time… Cheers! Penina To leave a comment or if you have an inquiry, please contact me at wineknittercomments@gmail.com |
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