An Exceptional Wine Tasting - Generous Burgundy

This past weekend the Domaine Rapet Pere et Fils in Pernand-Vergelesses invited their friends for a tasting of 30 vintages of their Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Cru 'Ile des Vergelesses going back to 1984.

We always say that great winemakers and great cooks are by nature generous souls. You always get more than you expect. And this was one of those feel-good moments that evokes family and friends, with memories captured in a bottle.

We were greeted at the door by Vincent Rapet, one of the great winemakers of his generation, and led into the heart of the winery to begin a tour of past and future generations of Rapets. We were met by Jeanne, the youngest in the family, timid in her role, which welcomed us and presented the domain's 2012 French white wine. (A quick note to say that the 2012 whites are superb, rich and precise in their terroir.)

At the next table, a quick tour of Corton-Charlemagne. The 2012 was there to show its density and youth, and the 2008 was there to show what a few years in the bottle will do. And then the 1992 Corton-Charlemagne was there to remind you why you have to wait. 22 years on; youthful and sublime.

From there we descended into the cellars of Vincent's father Roland, where the journey back in time began. Roland was there, receiving friends whose memories were jogged by bottles and vintages, for whom sharing a glass meant reliving a summer, a harvest, a winter's day in the cellar.

It was equally nostalgic for us. Ellie and I arrived in Burgundy in 1984, so this tasting was a tour of our life here. We too could remember where we were and who we were when this Grand cru Red wines was made. Many we remember from having had them in our own cellar, and having drunk them… obviously much too young!

This was not a time for taking extensive notes. You would have missed the whole point of the tasting if you did. But nevertheless we jotted down a few words on each wine, and a few general observations that we share with you here.

First, you must remember that all of these Burgundy red wines come from exactly the same plot of land. The only variations from year to year would be weather, the winemaker (it could be Roland, it could be Roland with Vincent, or it could be Vincent with his children) or the vines themselves, which have changed as they have aged over these 30 years.

Second, this plot of land is classified Premier cru Red wines, but many consider it better than that. Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Cru 'Ile des Vergelesses' is the heart of the 'Vergelesses' vineyards which gave the little village of Pernand its modern hyphenated name. This is a noble parcel of land, perfectly situated mid-slope facing south-east and out of the shadow of the Corton Mountain.

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