For many people Kelly’s Hotel in Rosslare is Ireland’s premier resort hotel offering, as it does, a huge range of activities for every member of the family. I take a narrower view and return year after year with just one purpose in mind – to meet the roster of top-notch winemakers that proprietor Bill Kelly brings over from France in the spring and autumn to present a week’s worth of wine tastings.

Most recently he hosted Olivier Guyot from Burgundy, Marsannay to be precise. Not a big name producer and not a big name village but some of the wines were superb. The Bourgogne Pinot Noir Noir 2006 and the Marsannay ‘Les Favieres’ 2007 acquitted themselves competently but were then completely eclipsed by the Marsannay ‘La Montagne’ 2006, made from 90 year old vines. Here was a wine to tussle with: “Loads of stuffing, singing fruit, perfumed with good structure and lovely length,” went my notes. The Chambolle-Musigny ‘Les Charmes’ 1er cru 2007 relied on elegance and finesse to outshine its junior sibling but it was a close run thing.

Later, Guyot wheeled out another pair of reds: a Gevrey-Chambertin Les Champeaux 1er cru 2008 and a Clos Saint-Denis grand cru 2008. What was most remarkable about this duo was the radical difference in style between them. Consider: both were made by the same man, from the same grape, in the same vintage, and from two vineyards little more than four kilometres apart by crow flight. Yet: the Gevrey had a thrilling intensity and an appealing rustic edge that contrasted markedly with the suave and refined texture of the Clos Saint-Denis. Together they provided ample evidence that lovers of red burgundy can rejoice in the classic 2008 vintage while the rest of the world falls head over heels in love with the more voluptuous 2009.

See: www.domaineguyot.fr/vins-us.html

Tags: Burgundy, Kelly's