Bourgogne Party by Vova Ulianov

Some people want to see the world a better place. I didn't watch the Ocean's Twelve movie. But I guess they depicted something similar to what happened this Friday. Twelve people, eight magnificent bottles from Burgundy and only 90 minutes to taste them blindly, rate and attempt to guess. A bit stressful in a therapeutic way. Vova Ulianov knows how to finish this daunting week. And he sets a high bar when it comes to wine tasting events. Bravo.

Any rules? All bottles are served blind, and no one except the waiter knows the order. All wines are revealed at the end. The list of wines is known upfront. What? You say it's easy? Believe it or not, only 25% of participants guessed at least half of the bottles.

Anyway, here is the list of wines in the order they were served.

Philippe Pacalet Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Chaumes 2016

What a beautiful and delicate bouquet! Red flowers, dried cherry and underbrush. The oak is well integrated, and the age starts to kick in. Almost perfectly balanced medium body with a long and flavourful aftertaste. It also has a pleasant finish of rotting bark. Quaffable. Guessed the bottle.

Chandon de Briailles Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Cru Les Vergelesses 2019

My bet was on Chandon de Briailles based on age perception alone. It's fruitier with a heavier oak influence. Briar, marigold, strawberry and dill. Maybe I wasn't in the mood, but the funkiness was overwhelming. Still, it's complex, elegant and vibrant. Great producer.

Domaine Derain Pommard Les Petits Noizons 2018

Ooof, a sniff and a sip is all we needed to guess the wine. Funky bouquet and mouthfeel. It's as spiky as the morning star. VA, cranberry, forest floor and rusty iron. High acidity, a bit fizzy and mineral on the palate.

Sylvain Pataille Marsannay Chardonnay rose 2020

This wine confused me a lot. On the one hand, it has all the qualities to be called a 'pussy crusher' (citation needed). Fried sunflower seeds, pompous stone fruits mixed with tropical fruits, and unmistakable MLF traces. On the other hand, it's complex and well-structured. Me? I didn't guess.

Frédéric Cossard Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatières 2018

What a beautiful bouquet of pinecone jam, hop, juniper, sesame, pastry and white peach. An incredible concentration that still remains delicate. Almost perfectly balanced, round and persistent. It has a lovely bitter finish. It's all about balance. I guessed the producer but not the wine.

Leroy Bourgogne Blanc 2017

Beautiful and classical Chardonnay. Deep and sophisticated bouquet with well-integrated oak (same can be said about mouthfeel). Pear, sunflower seeds, honey and pineapple. A bit vulgar in a good sense. Almost perfectly balanced. Citrusy-mineral finish. I guessed the wine.

Domaine de Chassorney Saint-Romain Combe Bazin 2018

This bottle confused me a lot. It reminded me of Puligny or Chablis yet with a twist. Since it didn't remind the style of De Moor, I guessed the producer yet not the wine. Complex and intriguing wine. Fizzy and a bit funky. Bruised apples, cider, lemon and yeast (hey, autolysis). Vibrant, mineral, balanced and persistent. A beautiful bottle.

Alice et Olivier De Moor Chablis 1er Cru Vau de Vey 2018

I haven't tasted this particular wine but guessed it based on my other experience with Alice et Olivier De Moor wines. Precise and complex bouquet with baked apples, lemon candy, flowers, wet stone and honey. Intense, mineral, sophisticated and persistent. Would love to taste it again in a less rushy format.

Raw scores