Is Dancer the next Coche-Dury?

I am not really qualified to answer this question, having only tasted four wines made by Jean- Francois Coche, but I have heard it said that Vincent Dancer is the next great winemaker in the Cote de Beaune. The few wines that I have tasted from the legendary Coche-Dury were clearly of the highest quality, but each was very young (2004 vintage). I have read several articles that paint Monsieur Coche as a true artist and the wines bottled by his petit domaine have attracted a cult-like following. When tasting a wine from Coche-Dury, the first characteristic which strikes me is the beautiful texture. There are many full-bodied wines produced in the world today, but only select few are also elegant. Jean-Francois Coche has proven that he can produce wines of power and finesse, but would the bottles in Dancer's cellar reveal this same balance?.

I visited the domaine on 3/19 with great anticipation. Vincent is a young artist (probably in his mid-thirties) who started this domaine a dozen years ago with land inherited from his mother's family in Meursault and his father's in Chassagne. The intellectual demeanor this winemaker portrays does not hint at arrogance or pretention, just quiet confidence. Speaking of being an artist, Vincent is an avid photographer and has created an interesting visual blog (see link). The following wines are bottled:

Rouge

Beaune, Montrevenots, 1er Cru, 2006 - 10 year old vines. Firm feel in the mouth, good texture. Excellent.

Pommard, Les Perrieres, 2006 -This lieu-dit lies above the N 74, just below the 1er Cru Les Petits Epinots. Very round and rich. Nice soft texture. Excellent.

Chassagne-Montrachet, La Grand Borne, 1er Cru, 2006 - This lieu-dit lies can also be labeled Morgeot. Good fruit, rich texture and soft feel. Very good.

Blanc

***interesting side note: Dancer does not perform any batonnage.***

Meursault, 2006 - Really pure and elegant. Great sensation of minerals on the finish. Long flavors and beautiful texture.

Meursault, Les Grand Charrons, 2006 - 30 year old vines in a lieu-dit which sits just north of the 1er Cru Les Gouttes d'Or. Rich feel and soft texture. Great length. Excellent.

Chassagne-Montrachet, Tete du Clos, 1er Cru, 2006 - 50 year old vines in one of the best sections of Chassagne. A big wave of liquid minerals hit the palate. Once again, the wine's texture stands out for the way it shapes the wine. Great length. Terrific.

Chassagne-Montrachet, La Romanee, 1er Cru, 2006 - 29 year old vines located just north of the Tete du Clos parcel. A richer wine with longer flavors that are more tropical. Really good.

Meursault, Perrieres, 1er Cru, 2006 - 45 year old vines located in arguably Meursault greatest terroir. Long and full of minerals. Great soft texture. Terrific wine.

Chevalier-Montrachet, Grand Cru, 2006 - 56 year old vines, one barrel (25 cases) produced. Very long and mineral. Rich, but also elegant. The fruit is more peachy in this wine and the finish is very persistent. Really good at the moment, but I have a feeling the wine is just playing with me and not showing everything.

As the notes show, all the wines I sampled were really good, but do they compare to the wines from Coche-Dury? The rare bottles which trickle from Coche's cellar are very individual and probably cannot be duplicated, but Monsieur Dancer is a winemaker in same mold. Both are artists who caress the grapes from their terroir and achieve that magical balance of power and finesse. Vincent Dancer has yet to attain the superstar status of Jean-Francois Coche, but it may just be a matter of time. I have started praying to various Greek and Eygtian Gods that writers will not create such hype about Dancer's wines, but they probably will (good thing no one reads this blog).

A visit with Raymond Trollat

Raymond Trollat

An afternoon spent in the northern Rhone last week took an interesting turn and by some miracle I ended up in Raymond Trollat's living room. Mr. Trollat, now retired, was regarded by a small group of insiders to be the great artist of the Rhone appellation Saint-Joseph. I had only tasted a Trollat wine once before and that was from the 1996 vintage. The bottle was opened late into a long party in which alot of great wine had been consumed. My memory recalls a lean, tannic wine, which at the time I did not really appreciate. Thankfully times and palates change and I now have a better understanding of the type of wine Trollat produced. During the hour or so I spent at his house, Raymond came across as the ultimate character. He has a rather large nose, very big ears and a smile which rivals both. I speak very little French (almost none)and therefore had no idea what he was saying in his thick country accent, but judging by the reactions of the others in the room, he is funny. He said something about a Cornas winemaker slicing his head open with an axe and still working that evening at the local fair. Mrs. Trollat is a fitting partner, a real woman of rural France.

The first wine to appear was a 2002 blanc. A deep golden color hinted at the richness this wine possessed. Trollat mentioned that there was some Chasselas in the blend, along with Roussanne and Marsanne. On the nose the wine was slightly oxidized, but it was rich and honeyed in the mouth with a really long finish. Very unique.

Four vitages of Trollat's Saint-Joseph rouge

Four reds were then brought to the table and opened. Our time was limited, so I had to grab a quick taste of each. In retrospect, it was probably a good thing that we had to race to Condrieu for an appointment and did not have more time to spend at Trollat's table. I would have personally seen to it that the open bottles were sufficiently appreciated, which could have made the very steep and winding road that leads to the village below even scarier.

2004 - tight in the nose with bright flavors in the mouth. Firm tanins provided a good backbone for this medium bodied wine.

2002 - a little leaner/lighter, not as intense, but still very nice.

2001 - Bigger, more structured. The most complete wine of the group. This must be as good as Saint Joseph gets. As a side note, I asked Trollat which wine of the four was his favorite and he pointed to this one. He also inferred that he did not think much of the 2002.

2000 - Softer, not as concentrated as the 2001, but still very good. Really special.

The first thing which struck me about the wines is that they do not taste anything like other Saint-Josephs, which tend to be fruit forward. Trollat's wines are firm and have earthy flavors. Sort of like 'Verset light'. I am referring to the great, old school Cornas's made by Noel Verset. The Trollat wines are not as dark and deep as the Verset Cornas, but they are cut from the same mold. Real wine of the earth. There are still some producers making traditionally styled Cornas and there is always the wines of Chave in Hermitage, but I am afraid that this style of Saint-Joseph is gone for forever. Some producers in the area still use most of the stems like Trollat, but none of their wines are as earthy. One variable that separated Trollat from the other growers in his area was the excellent location of his vineyards and the old age of the vines. Verset was similar in this regard.

Monsieur Trollat entering the cellar

Trollat's cellar is truly amazing. I say 'is' because the room is still full of wine. Mold covered bottles from various producers throughout France fill a rack at one end and the dozen or so barrels which the line the walls still contain wine. I have no idea which vintage/vintages are in these barrels, but I sure hope that I am back in the future to taste these treasures. Trollat's cellar is very tiny, probably no more then 9 x 15. It amazes me how small these cellars can be.

As time goes on, the traditional ways of making French wines are not the only thing disappearing. Each year seems to bring the retirement of another classic/traditional producer. Just recently, in addition to Trollat, the wine world has seen Noel Verset and Jacky Truchot in Burgundy retire and sell their vines. Moments like this can create dangerous levels of depression, but at least it is still possible to find some Edvan Vatan Sancerre in the market. I only wish I had been around to buy Trollat's wines when they were available and retailed for under $20. These hand-bottled works of art sure would have made one hell of a house wine.

Off to Burgundy and the Rhone

I leave tonight for Paris and then straight to the Rhone. A day in the south, a day in the north and then a few days in Mecca (Burgundy). Besides eating every piece of fois gras that is available, I hope to visit some exciting wineries that are under the radar. Who knows, some producers sound great on paper, but then you taste the wines and want to run. Either way, I will be happy if I can find some Raveneau for dinner. I would also settle for some Coche.