Grand Cru by Remington Norman
I am now reading Remington Norman's Grand Cru – the great wines of Burgundy through the perspective of its finest vineyards £40 (Kyle Cathie Ltd). Grand Cru was published at the end of last year and is the companion volume to Remington's The Great Domaines of Burgundy, which was revised last year with Charles Taylor MW contributing. As the title suggests the book is very much focused on the vineyards and solely on those of the Côte d'Or – the world's most precisely classified vineyards.
Remington is forthright in his opinions and is particularly scathing of the treatment that Burgundy get from the hands of some writers and journalists.
Remington is forthright in his opinions and is particularly scathing of the treatment that Burgundy get from the hands of some writers and journalists.
'These pages are not written for those in search of specific recommendations or assessments of individual wines; nor will they trivialise great wine with scores where half a point seems to make the difference between 'must buy' and 'leave alone'. The reader will perhaps also be relieved to be spared the mind-numbing litany of tasting notes which passes for expertise in some quarters. Fine wine is emphatically not defined by 'gobs' of super-ripe fruit, 'decadent' alcohol', 'lashings' of new wood or anything that such crude epithets must suggest. Too many published tasting notes are little more than lists of aromas and flavours, set forth presumably in the belief that this amounts to some kind of understanding. Clotted nonsense, of course; strings of descriptors do not equate to any kind of discernment. In any case, it is facile to assume that a descripton, however complete, or a numerical score convey anything that is truly important about a great wine. Genuine understanding transcends such banalities.'
I agree with Remington I think tasting notes are of limited use. They are a snap shot of a wine at a particular time and to imagine that they will have a long currency is mistaken. They rarely have a relevance in a book although they may be relevant on a blog or article written soon after tasting the wine.
Equally I prefer not to use scores whether they are out of 5,10, 20, 100 or 10,000. I do use them in articles when this is editorial policy and in wine competitions, such as the Decanter World Wine Awards.
I agree with Remington I think tasting notes are of limited use. They are a snap shot of a wine at a particular time and to imagine that they will have a long currency is mistaken. They rarely have a relevance in a book although they may be relevant on a blog or article written soon after tasting the wine.
Equally I prefer not to use scores whether they are out of 5,10, 20, 100 or 10,000. I do use them in articles when this is editorial policy and in wine competitions, such as the Decanter World Wine Awards.
Remington also deplores the arrival of 'trophy hunters' to Burgundy attracted by 'rarity and high prices'. "Whereas genuine wine lovers appreciate that there is pleasure and value to be found at every level and drink across the board, 'cash connoisseurs' don't seem content unless they are drinking highly rated Bordeaux or Grand Cru Burgundy. While not endorsing Clive Coates' ruthless prescription that 'those who only drink first growths because it is beneath their dignity to drink anything else ... are idiots and should be lined upo and shot', one cannot but feel it truly disheartening to find vinous treasures in the hands of people whose limit of appreciation barely transcends knowing their rarity and cost.'
May well return to Grand Cru later when I have finished it. In the meantime Grand Cru is a stimulating read.
May well return to Grand Cru later when I have finished it. In the meantime Grand Cru is a stimulating read.
2 comments:
Just like you, Jim, I tried my hands at describing particular wines in detail ... when I was young. It is very disappointing. One can present a vineyard, a wine-maker, a series of wines (= style) of the same producer, but to describe a wine in writing to those who are not present is a formidable endeavour.
In contradistinction, I feel very at ease when describing a wine to my fellow-drinkers, who taste it together with me. We then share the same “instantané” (= snapshot) and my only additional skill is to find the right words: they experience the same feeling as I.
Luc. A tasting note, while not easy, at the time may well have relevance just as in discussion over a glass. They make little or no sense months or even years later.
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