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| Photographs |
| 1 by Jean-Marc Schwarz, Côte d'Or Office
de Tourisme |
| 2. Vincent Dauvissat |
| 3 by Jean-Marc Schwarz, Côte d'Or Office
de Tourisme |
| 4. Statue de St Vincent a la Maison de Marsanny
by Frank Lechenet |
| 5 by Jean-Pierre Chantret, Côte d'Or
Office de Tourisme |
| 6 Jam making, by Sarah Marsh |
| 7 Conté cheese by Sarah Marsh |
| 8. Olivier Lamy by Sarah Marsh |
| 9. Renaud d Vilette |
| 10. by Christian Terre en Vues Bon |
| 11 Philippe Latour by Sarah Marsh |
| 12. Sarah Marsh |
| 13 Cheese of the Abbay de Cîteaux
by Sarah Marsh |
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About the Burgundy Briefing |
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The Burgundy Briefing is a
report which provides en primeur tasting notes on wine from a wide range of
producers and is a lively and current insight into the region. It is aimed at
those who wish to keep informed about Burgundy's
latest vintage and its people.
Issue 13 covers 2010
red and white wines from the Côte d'Or. It will be similar in structure
and length (a little longer at about 350 pages) to issues 11 and 12. Issue 13
consists mainly of tasting notes, but there are also hit lists of favourite wines
and detailed red and white vintage reports, including an assessment of each
principal village.
For the whites there
are some mini verticals of recent white vintages - 2004 to 2008 - tasted at a
number of top domaines and I have re-tasted plenty of 2009s. (I made a small
visit to Chablis to taste some 2009s and 2010s.) For the reds, where possible,
I tasted some older vintages including 1999, 2000 and 2001 to assess how they
are faring.
Issue 13 is £85. This
price rise reflects the increasing costs of lengthy trips to Burgundy to individually visit the domains.
The time I spend with each grower and negoce seems to get longer each year.
This is reflected in the introductions to each of the producers where their
impressions are recorded; for example the effect of the vintage on terroir and
on techniques in the cellar. Growers seem to have more wines to taste each year,
as many also make some negociant wines. Additionally it is useful to taste
previous recent vintages for comparison and to keep an eye on their progress.
The first issues of
The Burgundy Briefing contained fewer tasting
notes, but included a selection of the subjects in the box below. This list
indicates areas which might be covered in any issue. However I must stress that
the content has evolved since issue 1, the complimentary sample issue, to focus
exclusively on tastings with a much more in depth analysis of the vintage -
style; quality; ageing capacity for both red and white wines and an individual
overview of each principal village. The contents in the box should be
considered therefore as examples of anything which might appear in an issue.
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Contents
- En primeur tasting (more below)
and hit lists
- Vintage reports
- Grower Profiles
- Topical issues
- Tasting reviews
- Best Burgundy wine lists in restaurants
worldwide
- Burgundy Traveller tips on accommodation,
cultural events, places to visit and practicalities (this
has been dropped for the present).
- News and diary (including
wine events in the region, auctions and merchants' tastings)
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En primeur notes The Burgundy Briefing will continue the
work of Clive Coates MW in his publication The Vine. |
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For the past twenty
years Clive Coates has reviewed wines from a comprehensive range
of growers and negociants across the Côte d'Or in the year
following each vintage. Many visitors to this site have been subscribers
to The Vine which ceased publication in 2005 to allow Clive to focus
on writing books, giving presentations and to enjoy a life in France. |
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Clive Coates,
'When the news spread in Burgundy that I was ending The Vine after
20 years, I was approached by several growers who urged me to find
a way to continue my work. Sarah seemed an obvious successor given
that she had just become an MW and that I acted as her MW mentor,
particularly in tasting classed growth Burgundy and Bordeaux wine.
Her love of Burgundy has been evident and she deepened her knowledge
of the region and its growers through an extended research trip
to Burgundy in 2004 to write her MW dissertation on Pinot Noir clones
in the vineyards of the top producers of the Côte
d'Or. Sarah knows Burgundy well and most importantly she
has the confidence of the growers. I have absolutely no commercial
interest in her venture, but I urge you to give it a go, and I wish
her every success.' |
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Clive was
extraordinarily comprehensive in his visits, extending them over the years
beyond the list of familiar producers. Initially I concentrated on well known
producers, many of whom are now visited on an annual basis. The full list
varies each year to include lesser known and new producers.
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Approximate schedule:
There will always be a major issue released in November or December containing
the en primeur tasting notes for red wine of the previous vintage. This appears
marginally before most UK
merchants release their annual Burgundy offers
in January. For the first two years I released several issues over a year.
There were separate issues for the en primeur notes for Chablis, red Côte d'Or
and white Côte d'Or which included some Côte Chalonnais. If you wish to view
the contents of past issues go to the menu and select 'past issues/synopses of
past issues.' The 2006, 2007, 2008 and 2009 vintages are contained in single large
reports (issues 9,10, 11 and 12) and for the current vintage, 2010, (issue 13) there
will also be just one instalment.
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General tastings: These have included the annual 3-year-on
tasting of Les Domaines Familiaux de Tradition. In the past there have been
other tastings, for example a special focus on a specific village, such as
Santenay in issue 4, or on a specific group of growers. Issue 5 featured the Artisans Vignerons de Bourgogne du Sud. Issue
11 features a tasting of wine from Domaine du Marquis d'Angerville. For the
moment I am focusing on tasting past vintages.
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The Burgundy Briefing
intentionally differs from The Vine in its regional focus on Burgundy. This is explored through tasting
with the growers. The tasting notes include many views and opinions expressed
in the introduction to each domaine or maison. There are detailed vintage
reports, which encompass the experiences of individual growers. Most issues have
included a grower profile. The content is weighted according to the tastings
with more editorial in issues which do not carry extensive en primeur tasting
notes. The sample issue illustrates everything which could be included. As
there was less interest from subscribers in the market reports and opinion
slots, these areas have been discontinued. For the moment the news and diary and
'Burgundy Traveller' sections have also been
dropped, but may well be included in future issues.
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Length: This depends on
the tasting notes. The first issue (September/October 2005) was designed to be
a little longer than average, 50 to 60 pages, as it included all possibilities.
however as each issue became longer and longer, I decided to make the newsletter
less frequent. Issue 8, the red 2005s, consists only of tasting notes and a
vintage report and has about 170 pages. Issue 9 which has 290 pages, is
designed to cover the whole vintage. Issues 10, 11 and 12 were approximately
300 and issue 13 has approximately 350 pages.
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| Format Varying number
of issues annually. Each issue can be purchased separately. Issue
1 is complimentary. |
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The
editorial format has already evolved to reflect subscribers' interests. Recent
issues contain tastings of mature wine including many verticals of Chablis in
issue 5 and in issue 7 some ten-year verticals of Meursault. Comments and
suggestions, via email, from the Burgundy
enthusiasts who choose to support this venture are welcome. Where possible I
shall respond to requests such as an issue to be investigated, a grower to be
interviewed or a great wine list to be reviewed.
editor@sarahmarsh.com |
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Receiving your subscribed-for issues. The newsletter is
sold online. The first issue is available on this site as a sample issue with
no charge. An email is sent out to everyone who has subscribed when each new
issue is released. After purchasing you will be sent a password to the relevant
issue of the Burgundy Briefing. The
content is under strict copyright. I am concerned that this has been abused, so
this year, as I find a way around this, I shall be individually sending out
pdfs to subscribers on receipt of a paypal payment or a cheque. |
| Vincent Dancer |
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Subscribers past
issues. When notification is
sent release of the new issue, subscribers will also receive a ‘reminder’ list
of passwords to all their past issues. |
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www.sarahmarsh.com
and www.theburgundybriefing.com |
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