ABOUT THE TASTING:
Clos de Vougeot, the iconic walled Burgundy grand cru vineyard and appellation, has a centuries-long history that’s as fascinating as it is complex. The 50 hectares of vineyard in the Clos are shared by more than 80 growers, and it’s here that the concept of Burgundian terroir is taken to arguably its utmost expression.
This masterclass will be ably led by Charles Curtis MW, former head of wine for Christie’s in the Americas and Asia and author of The Original Grands Crus of Burgundy, a book that’s considered crucial reading for anyone who admires the wines of this region. Curtis will guide guests through twelve very different, very special wines from a range of growers and vineyard sites, enabling guests to build up a mental ‘taste roadmap’ for discovering this extraordinary appellation.
ESSENTIAL INFO:
Price: SGD 600
Time: 11:00 - 12:30PM
Speaker: Charles Curtis MW
Co-Host: CH’NG Poh Tiong and François Labet, Proprietor, Château de la Tour
WINES:
- Château de la Tour, Cuvee Classique, Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru, Burgundy, France 2019
- Édouard Delaunay, Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru, Burgundy, France 2019
- Domaine de la Vougeraie, Clos de Vougeot, Burgundy, France 2019
- Domaine d’Eugénie, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru, Burgundy, France 2016
- Domaine Anne Gros, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru, Burgundy, France 2022
- Domaine Joseph Drouhin, Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru, Burgundy, France 2015
- Château de la Tour, Vieilles Vignes, Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru, Burgundy, France 2019
- Domaine Henri Rebourseau, Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru, Vielles Vignes Burgundy, France 2019
- Domaine Thibault Liger-Belair, Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru, Burgundy, France 2019 (Magnum)
- Domaine Jean Grivot, Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru, Burgundy, France 2017
- Domaine Faiveley, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru, Burgundy, France 2009
- Château de la Tour, Hommage à Jean Morin, Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru, Burgundy, France 2019
SPEAKER:
CHARLES CURTIS MW
Author, journalist, and consultant, Charles Curtis is a Master of Wine and the former Head of Wine for Christie’s auction house in both Asia and the Americas. He joined Christie’s in 2008 from Moet Hennessy USA, where he was Director of Wine and Spirit Education. In 2012 he set up his fine wine consultancy WineAlpha to provide advice on varied topics of interest to wine collectors and the trade.
His first book, The Original Grand Crus of Burgundy, was released in 2014, and the second, Vintage Champagne 1899 – 2019 in 2020. His forthcoming book, An Atlas of the Côte des Blancs (with cartographer Steve De Long), will appear next year. He is a board member of the Institute of Masters of Wine, North America and the Appraiser’s Association of America, and is the Burgundy correspondent for Decanter magazine and a frequent contributor to other publications.
He is the regional chair for Burgundy for the Decanter World Wine Awards (and for 2024 also the acting regional chair for Champagne), and an instructor for Fine Vintage, teaching WSET classes and leading visits to Champagne and Burgundy. He began his professional career as a chef, training at Le Cordon Bleu, Paris, and apprenticing there at the Crillon Hotel and at other restaurants. He hung up his toque at the age of thirty to pursue a career in wine.
CO-HOST:
CH’NG POH TIONG
Bordeaux specialist Ch’ng Poh Tiong is a world authority on the Marselan grape variety, Chinese wine and Japan’s indigenous koshu grape variety.
A lawyer by training, he is Regional Chair for Asia for the Decanter World Wine Awards, a position he has held since the Awards’ inception in 2004. He is a highly regarded wine consultant and wine and spirits writer, as well as a senior international wine judge.
As a keynote speaker at the Master of Wine Symposium 2002, he delivered the famous ‘Coca-Colonisation of Wine’ speech. He holds a postgraduate certificate with distinction in Chinese art from London’s School of Oriental & African Studies.
CO-HOST:
FRANÇOIS LABET
François Labet was born in 1954 in Nuits-Saint-Georges, in a château in the heart of Clos Vougeot, to a family whose winemaking history dates back three centuries. After completing a masters degree in law and commerce, François returned to the family business, managing Château de la Tour in Clos de Vougeot and Domaine Pierre Labet in Beaune. A pioneer of non-interventionism, he has been practising organic viticulture since 1992.
François was awarded the title of Chevalier du Mérite Agricole in 2006 for his contribution to the excellence of wine production and was made a Chevalier de la Légion d’Honneur in 2018. He has been president of the Bourgogne Wine Board since 2018.