Vintage

The simultaneous arrival of two subsequent vintages, 2008 and 2009, of wines from a grower and maker in Burgundy, demands comparisons. Thierry Glantenay, with holdings in Volnay and Pommard is new to me but debuts near the top of my charts.  From what I’ve tasted thus far, the ready-to-drink simple “bourgognes” (young or declassified vines, batches not worthy of higher designation), we are in the glorious realm of small producer Burgundy, real terroirist stuff.   Both vintages have polish, both have red berry notes, raspberry and, a little less so, partridgeberry. The 09, though, has a dollop of black fruit on top of this, like ripe plum.  The profile of a the 08 is stony, the 09 earthy.  Gravelly things in the 08 versus fungal, sous bois things in the 09.  There is something more “sappy” in the 09s and more “leafy” in the 08s.  2009 is generally rated the “better” year but I prefer to think of them only as different. (Some vintages are utter busts, some are exceptionally good but most are better considered an account of a particular time at a particular place.)

There is no intrusive oak in these examples so I venture they were raised in older barrels.  The 09 is, predictably, closed and needs a few hours in the decanter to reveal itself.  When opened the 09 had a faint whiff of cabbagey ferment, like good beaujolais cru, that blew off.  I find that tends be a good sign in best wines made from pinot noir and gamay,  Some would say it’s a flaw, indicating the presence of excess mercaptans.  I speculate wildly that the correct, judicious measure of that might be an essential thing, merely indicating less intrusive making. I know mercaptans are too “heavy” to “blow off” but something is happening.

Volnay

There is nothing grandiose or obvious about these wines.  They are clean and lithe and subtle.  They don’t show themselves without the context of food.  I shall be accused of abject flakiness but I think this kind of drink only finds its full expression at the convivial table.  They are not flamboyant enough for a restaurant list other than the simplest bistro.  They are suited to home-cooked fare shared with family and friends. The Volnay Premier Crus, after a few years keeping, will have a lot more glamour in the glass.

Skin the rabbits.

Addendum: Another sampling of the 2008 Bourgogne (from my relatively cool cellar) with attention to evolution in the air demonstrates the wine needs, at the very least, 2 to 3 hours in the decanter.  Transformation over that period was remarkable.