Continuing with European pomace brandies and this time with two Marc de Bourgogne samples...
Domaine Guy Roulot Marc de Bourgogne Hors d'Age (47.5%): Although Domaine Guy Roulot is primarily known as one of the finest wine producers from Meursault they also bottle Marcs distilled from leftovers of their wine making process. The domaine is famous with their white wines made from Chardonnay grapes and this Marc is also distilled using 100% Chardonnay pomace.
Color: Deep copper, orange blossom honey with thick, oily but fast moving legs.
Nose: Cellar funk, black mold and vintage furniture. Unsweetened grape molasses and aged red wine vinegar. Vintage suede leather jackets and red licorice.
Palate: Very old Port wine and pomegranate molasses. It is tart and dry. Cranberry juice, apple vinegar and heavily toasted wood. Wet pipe tobacco and preserved grape leaves.
Finish: Long and tart with fresh cranberries and sour cherries.
Overall: It is quite tart and fruity compared to other Marcs I tasted recently. A pretty spirit forward brandy with red fruit, leather and tobacco notes in general. It is a nice example to show how fruity Marcs can be sometimes right when I was starting to get used them to be dominantly earthy, mossy and more vegetal. Nice one...
Price: €80
89/100
L'Heritier-Guyot Vieux Marc de Bourgogne VSOP (42.0%): L'Heritier-Guyot is currently known as one of the oldest and most famous creme de cassis producers from Dijon but apparently they were bottling Marcs as well back then. If they are still doing it I am certainly not aware. Anyhow I don't have more information about this particular bottle except being bottled in 1970s but similar bottles can still be found on auctions and in speciality liquor stores.
Color: Cellar aged white wine, yellow gold color with persistent and tiny teardrops turning into slow moving thin legs in time.
Nose: Old solid wood floorboards and heavy must. The moment you enter your basement for the first time after the flood the week before... Pomace, molasses and wet magazines. Wet clay, dust and leather soles of old shoes. Fantastic...
Palate: Surprisingly sweet entry. Fig jam, sweetened grape juice and crystallized residual sugar. Very old, aged late harvest white wine, pickled green asparagus and olive brine. Dried figs, pickle juice, sweet green banana peppers and bruised Granny Smith apples.
Finish: Long, sweet and green... Crystallized ginger, white pepper and pickled banana peppers.
Overall: This is a marvelous spirit to finish my two parts tasting of European pomace brandies. It is musty, funky, sweet, vegetal and aged beautifully. It shows how old it is from the moment you start to nose to the moment it finally leaves your tongue. Absolutely amazing... Thanks again to Florin for the samples.
Price: $75
93/100
Color: Deep copper, orange blossom honey with thick, oily but fast moving legs.
Nose: Cellar funk, black mold and vintage furniture. Unsweetened grape molasses and aged red wine vinegar. Vintage suede leather jackets and red licorice.
Palate: Very old Port wine and pomegranate molasses. It is tart and dry. Cranberry juice, apple vinegar and heavily toasted wood. Wet pipe tobacco and preserved grape leaves.
Finish: Long and tart with fresh cranberries and sour cherries.
Overall: It is quite tart and fruity compared to other Marcs I tasted recently. A pretty spirit forward brandy with red fruit, leather and tobacco notes in general. It is a nice example to show how fruity Marcs can be sometimes right when I was starting to get used them to be dominantly earthy, mossy and more vegetal. Nice one...
Price: €80
89/100
Color: Cellar aged white wine, yellow gold color with persistent and tiny teardrops turning into slow moving thin legs in time.
Nose: Old solid wood floorboards and heavy must. The moment you enter your basement for the first time after the flood the week before... Pomace, molasses and wet magazines. Wet clay, dust and leather soles of old shoes. Fantastic...
Palate: Surprisingly sweet entry. Fig jam, sweetened grape juice and crystallized residual sugar. Very old, aged late harvest white wine, pickled green asparagus and olive brine. Dried figs, pickle juice, sweet green banana peppers and bruised Granny Smith apples.
Finish: Long, sweet and green... Crystallized ginger, white pepper and pickled banana peppers.
Overall: This is a marvelous spirit to finish my two parts tasting of European pomace brandies. It is musty, funky, sweet, vegetal and aged beautifully. It shows how old it is from the moment you start to nose to the moment it finally leaves your tongue. Absolutely amazing... Thanks again to Florin for the samples.
Price: $75
93/100
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