Remoissenet Père et Fils is a negociant in Beaune that has recently undergone a renaissance. The estate had a spotty reputation when it was purchased in 2005 by a group of investors lead by the Milestein brothers of New York and Todd Halpern of Toronto. The group is determined to raise the quality of the estate’s wines and recent vintages have received excellent press. Curious about the wines, I recently purchased a couple older vintages of Remoissenet from Wegmans (an upscale grocery chain in NY and NJ). The wines were imported by The Country Vintner, which is odd since the national importer is The Sorting Table. All the bottles were in excellent shape and appeared to have been bought directly from the estate’s cellars.
A 2003 Beaune, 1er Cru, Marconnets ($24.99) was roasted and unpleasant to drink. 2003 was a difficult year, so I give the estate a pass. A 1999 Savigny-les-Beaune, 1er Cru, Aux Serpentières ($24.99) had a strong nose of clove and was light in color. In the mouth, the flavors were disjointed and bizarre. I never would have guessed that the wine was from 1999, which produced dark, rich wines. The bottle appeared to be in good condition, but I have the feeling the wine was just poorly made. To make a bad wine in 1999 is quite an accomplishment. However, I did open two good bottles. A 1997 Royals Club Bourgogne Blanc ($19.99) made by Remoissenet was surprisingly still fresh and showed no signs of advanced aging (a major problem with the vintages post ’96). A 2003 Remoissenet Givry rouge ($14.99) was pleasantly ripe, showing none of the roasted flavors found in the Beaune. Both wines were excellent for the price. Remoissenet may be producing very good wines today, but clearly their past reputation for spotty winemaking was well earned.
A 2003 Beaune, 1er Cru, Marconnets ($24.99) was roasted and unpleasant to drink. 2003 was a difficult year, so I give the estate a pass. A 1999 Savigny-les-Beaune, 1er Cru, Aux Serpentières ($24.99) had a strong nose of clove and was light in color. In the mouth, the flavors were disjointed and bizarre. I never would have guessed that the wine was from 1999, which produced dark, rich wines. The bottle appeared to be in good condition, but I have the feeling the wine was just poorly made. To make a bad wine in 1999 is quite an accomplishment. However, I did open two good bottles. A 1997 Royals Club Bourgogne Blanc ($19.99) made by Remoissenet was surprisingly still fresh and showed no signs of advanced aging (a major problem with the vintages post ’96). A 2003 Remoissenet Givry rouge ($14.99) was pleasantly ripe, showing none of the roasted flavors found in the Beaune. Both wines were excellent for the price. Remoissenet may be producing very good wines today, but clearly their past reputation for spotty winemaking was well earned.
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