Scenes from Day 3 of Boulder Burgundy Festival 2018
Scenes from Day 2 of Boulder Burgundy Festival 2018
Wines from the 1930s, 40s, and 50s wowed festival goers last night at Old and Rare Tasting
Above: Boulder Burgundy Festival founder and organizer Brett Zimmerman MS (right) with Boulder Lifestyle magazine publisher Andy Manz and his wife Kate.
Now in its eighth year, the Boulder Burgundy Festival offered guests a different format for its highly anticipated “Old and Rare” tasting, featuring wines selected from the Guild of Sommeliers cellar by Jay Fletcher MS.
Instead of a formal seated seminar and tasting, the event was a walk-around, creating a more convivial atmosphere than in years past, a great way to kick off the gathering.
Above: The flight of wines poured last night stretched back to the 1930s, like these bottles from Camille Giroud.
Because he wasn’t obliged to have multiple bottles of each lot on hand, said Jay, he was able to reach back deep into the collection. For a formal tasting, he explained, he would need six bottles of each. But for a walk-around, he could pull “onesies” from the cellar.
Most agreed that the top bottle of the night was the 1934 Henri de Villamont Chambolle-Musigny Charmes, a wine that showed remarkably fresh and vibrant with fruit flavors that were “very much alive.”
Above: There were also a broad selection of wines from the 1990s and the 2000s.
As many festival goers noted last night, it was the most extraordinary cocktail party they had ever attended (and the price of admission was an unbelievable value).
Festival founder Brett Zimmerman MS pointed out that the minimum opening bids for the auction lots were extremely low compared to the market value of the wines.
All proceeds from the event go to the Somm Foundation, which funds education for aspiring wine professionals.
Today’s events include the Masters of Wine Beaujolais seminar and the North Berkeley dinner at Corrida.
Click here for the complete schedule, including links to the few events that are not yet sold out.
Stay tuned for more posts from the festival!
The Boulder Burgundy Festival 2018 begins tomorrow!
The Boulder Burgundy Festival begins tomorrow with the Old and Rare Burgundy Tasting and Silent Auction at PMG.
The event is already sold out but there is some availability for other events.
The Grand Tasting features more than 200 top wines from Burgundy.
One of the greatest values of the festival, the Sunday afternoon Grand Tasting features more than 200 top wines from Burgundy.
From the veteran Burgundy collector to the aspiring wine professional, tasters love this event because it represents a unique opportunity to taste such a wide spectrum of Burgundian wines.
The other neat thing about the Grand Tasting is that all of the pourers are seasoned wine professionals in their own right. It’s a wonderful way to interact with some of the best people working in the business.
Sunday November 4
Grand Tasting
Grand Tasting at the Embassy Suites Hotel in Boulder with over 200 featured wines from Burgundy
Embassy Suites Hotel
3:00 pm – 6:00 pm
$125 per person
Festival founder and organizer Brett Zimmerman MS featured by Boulder’s Daily Camera
Master Sommelier Brett Zimmerman (above, standing tableside), founder and organizer of the Boulder Burgundy Festival, was featured this week in Boulder’s Daily Camera by drinks columnist Doug Brown.
“It’s a good thing for me (I think) that some of the buyers at local liquor stores also have crushes on cru Beaujolais,” writes Brown. “One of them, Brett Zimmerman at Boulder Wine Merchant, digs it so much he’s hosting what looks like a smashing Beaujolais event in Boulder on Nov. 2, during his annual Boulder Burgundy Festival. Among other things, participants can sample wines from each of the 10 crus, while listening to a trio of Masters of Wine talk about the elixirs in their glasses.”
Click here for the complete article.
Click here to register for the Boulder Burgundy Festival Beaujolais event (there are a few seats still available).
Taste 7 Gevrey-Chambertin with Pierre Rovani and Kelli White
Renowned Burgundy expert Pierre Rovani (above) and Napa-based author and sommelier Kelli White will be leading the Sunday seminar on wines from Gevrey-Chambertin. Remoissenet (see below) is this year’s featured domaine.
The name Remoissenet for serious collectors stands for refined, classic Burgundy wines. A leading light in Beaune for generations, the estate today — with new management and fresh talent in the cellar — is now more than ever the definitive source for the best Burgundy has to offer. Yet what is the most striking about the wines from this leading négociant estate is their unforgettable texture: With Remoissenet, it’s all about the finish. These are wines that linger on the palate and in your memory, long after each bottle is emptied.
*****
Sunday, November 4
Gevrey-Chambertin, King of Burgundy Seminar
Educational seminar at the Embassy Suites Hotel featuring special guests Pierre Rovani from Remoissenet and author Kelli White.
2013 Remoissonet Gevrey-Chambertin
2014 Remoissonet Gevrey-Chambertin
2015 Remoissonet Gevrey-Chambertin Poissenot 1er
2016 Remoissonet Gevrey-Chambertin Cazetiers 1er
2016 Remoissonet Gevrey-Chambertin Poissenot 1er
2014 Remoissonet Charmes Chambertin Grand Cru
2016 Remoissonet Charmes Chambertin Grand Cru
Embassy Suites Hotel
Noon – 1:30 pm
$175 per person all-inclusive
Sunday Chablis Brunch, a cherished festival tradition
Ask any festival veteran and they will tell you that one of the gathering’s most cherished traditions is the Sunday Chablis brunch.
The popularity of the event is owed partly to the fact that the brunch is a great way to trade notes and visit with fellow festival-goers before the marquee seminar and grand tasting later in the day.
Never rushed and always a cozy affair, the Chablis Brunch is also a wonderful opportunity to taste a wide spectrum of wines from Chablis — not something you get to do every day. And besides, who doesn’t like to start the day off with some 1er and Grand Cru Chablis?
Sunday, November 4
Sit down Chablis Brunch at Arcana Restaurant
1st Course:
2015 Vincent Dauvissat Chablis
2016 Eleni et Edouard Vocoret ‘Bac de Chapelot’ Chablis
2nd Course:
2014 Louis Michel ‘Sechets’ 1er Cru (from MAGNUM)
2014 Louis Michel ‘Vaudesir’ Grand Cru (from MAGNUM)
3rd Course:
2016 Bernard Defaix Chablis Grand Cru Bougros
2007 Daniel-Etienne Defaix ‘Grenouilles’ Grand Cru
Arcana Restaurant
10:00 am
$95 per person all-inclusive
Exceptional Burgundy Dinner featuring the wines of North Berkeley Imports (11/2)
Above: Biodynamic grower Domaine Magnien doesn’t allow tractors or other machinery in its vineyards. Horses are used instead. The horses don’t weigh as heavily on the soil and this helps the biodiversity of the vineyards. They don’t bring any chemical residue with them. And their droppings are natural fertilizer (image via the Domaine Magnien site).
“For those just beginning their exploration,” write the editors of importer North Berkeley’s website, “Magnien Burgundy is the ideal gateway to truly understanding the myriad tastes that this wine region promises. Each of Magnien’s many exemplary crus brings you closer to the true meaning of terroir…”
Magnien’s wines will be featured at the Exceptional Burgundy Dinner featuring the wines of North Berkeley Imports on Friday night of the festival (November 2). There are still spots available for this extraordinary event but they are going fast.
Friday, November 2
Exceptional Burgundy Dinner featuring the wines of North Berkeley Imports
Exceptional Burgundy dinner at Corrida Restaurant with a selection of special wines from the outstanding North Berkeley Burgundy wines.
Reception
2004 Jean Vesselle, Petite Clos, Grand Cru, Champagne
1st Course
2012 Guy Robin Chablis Valmur Grand Cru
2012 Guy Robin Chablis Le Clos Grand Cru
2nd Course
2000 Frederic Magnien Chambolle-Musigny Charmes 1er (Magnum)
2001 Frederic Magnien Chambolle-Musigny Charmes 1er (Magnum)
3rd Course
2013 Domaine Gerard Raphet Charmes Chambertin Grand Cru ‘Cuvee Unique’
2012 Philippe Livera (Domaine des Tilleuls) Chapelle Chambertin Grand Cru Vieilles Vignes Reserve
Dessert
NV Mas Amiel Maury Cuvée Speciale 10 Ans d’Age
Corrida Restaurant
6:00 pm
$295 per person all-inclusive
“Old and Rare” tasting offers a unique opportunity to taste unicorn wines
As every year, the festival gets its official start with the “Old and Rare” tasting and auction. Master Sommelier Jay Fletcher bases his selections on what he feels is drinking well and what will appeal to top collectors. The monies raised from the auction and ticket sales go to Boulder Burgundy Festival causes.
CLICK HERE FOR EVENT DETAILS AND REGISTRATION INFO.
Thursday, November 1st
Old and Rare Burgundy Tasting and Silent Auction
Old and rare Burgundy wine tasting and silent auction will be hosted by Master Sommeliers Jay Fletcher, and Brett Zimmerman with proceeds benefiting the Somm Foundation and Boulder Burgundy Festival NFP.
The tasting will include a selection of extremely rare and old wines from the Somm Foundation cellar. We will enjoy passed appetizers from PMG and taste some of the great wines of Burgundy while bidding on rare wines from the Somm Foundation cellar. Jay Fletcher is the cellar master for this amazing cellar and will be personally selecting these special wines for the tasting and auction.
This is a special opportunity to taste old and rare Burgundy wine while supporting two outstanding charitable foundations.
PMG Restaurant, 2018 10th St, Boulder, CO 80302 (303) 786-8585
5:30 pm – 8:30 pm
$225 per person all-inclusive (50 tickets available)