Malcolm Jolley talks to négociant Michael Stephens about the 2018 Burgundy vintage…
Michael Stephens a.k.a. Vins Divins was in town recently from Burgundy, where runs his négociant business*. He came by to talk about the 2018 vintage, which is just now being released, and is creating a bit of a buzz in the wine press. Before we shot the video interview below, which touches on what went well and what went less well in Burgundy in the 2018 growing season, the shape of the wines today, and some of the trouble ahead for sales in the era of Brexit, Trump, Hong Kong protests and the corona virus, we tasted some wine from the year. First off, Domaine Morey Coffinet 2018 Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru La Romanée ($149.95 at The Case For Wine). It did not suck, and presented a kind of Platonic ideal of Chardonnay; rich, creamy and weighty on the palate but also racy and lean. It made me wish I could afford to drink more Montrachet (don’t we all). Next up were two reds, also available from The Case For Wine, who represent Stephens’ winemakers in Ontario. First the Aurélien Verdet 2018 Nuits Saint Georges 1er Cru Aux Boudots ($169.95), which was very young and tight, but full of ripe but lively fruit. Then, the Domaine Joseph Voillot 2018 Volnay Vieilles Vignes ($82.95), again quite young, but promising with freshness and good ripe red fruit. It would take a taster with more experience and a finer tuned palate than me to go beyond my description of the wines as delicious and only bound to get better.
Email versions of this post won’t display video. Please click here to see it at GFR.
*Full disclosure: Michael Stephens works with The Case For Wine in Ontario, who are Good Food Fighters. Please support the businesses and organizations that support Good Food Revolution.
