The Tasting Panel magazine

April 2017

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20  /  the tasting panel  /  april 2017 The Ransom Note is a monthly column by The Tasting Panel's East Coast Editor, David Ransom. Each month, David connects readers with some of the people, products and events that are making news along the Eastern Seaboard. F or most wine aficionados, the holy grail of wine regions is Burgundy, now officially called Bourgogne in the English-speaking market. No wine-producing region instills more reverence—or commands more patience to understand. For many, though, Bourgogne is seen as a difficult-to-comprehend growing region producing mostly high-end wines geared toward collectors and professed "Burgundy freaks." Until recently, I was one who thought this way: a writer peering in from the outside, somewhat familiar yet daunted by the book smarts required to figure Burgundy out and not truly sure whether the effort and expenditure would ultimately allow me to reap the reward. This past month, a series of events pushed all that hesitancy out of my mind for good. First, I had the opportunity to sit at lunch with Megan McClune, the American-born Directrice (that's French for General Manager) of Domaine Jessiaume, a small property owned by Scotsman Keith Murray, son of Sir David Murray. Murray bought the estate in 2007 and tapped McClune to run it. I can see why: She has a wealth of knowledge and is also a good teacher. The domaine has about 22 acres of vines spread through the villages of Santenay, Auxey-Duresses, Volnay, Pommard and Beaune, and is the largest land owner of Santaney 1er Cru Les Gravières, with 11 acres. Wines include interpretations of each vineyard and retail prices range from $22–48. (Importer: MS Walker, www.mswalker.com) Another couple of Burgundy-focused events included barrel tastings of the excellent 2015 vintage by Maison Jouis Jadot (importer: Kobrand, www.kobrand.com) and the Burgundy portfolio of importer F. Wildman & Sons (www.frederickwildman.com), whose book includes such venerable producers as Domaine Armand Rousseau, Maison Olivier Leflaive and Domaine Faivelely, among others. 2015 was, by all accounts, a very good growing season for Pinot Noir, but the surprise was that the whites were also top notch, not always the case in Bourgogne. "We knew the reds would be great, but the whites are also of high quality," said Jadot's winemaker, Frédéric Barnier. Burgundy daunting? I guess not. While Bourgogne does have many high-priced wines, virtually every producer also makes wines that are affordable. Don't let anything keep you from trying these. They're a good way to get to know one of the truly great wine regions of the world. I'm in; who's joining me? story and photos by David Ransom Frederick Wildman's Burgundy producers at the New York tasting. Domaine Jessiaume's Megan McClune discussing her wines. The Tasting Panel's East Coast Editor David Ransom with Louis Jadot's Frédéric Barnier. Getting Acquainted with Bourgogne

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