editorial...
2000 reds: I've long been happy enough with the performance of the Côte de Nuits reds from 2000, though many of those initially delicious Côte de Beaunes soon turned up their noses and became quite unpalatable. Whilst they are a long way from regaining that early joie-de vivre, there seems to be something stirring in those bottles of Beaune and Pommard; many are now becoming 'drinkable' without pain. Another year or so and they might actually be quite enjoyable again though I'm not sure that they will ever be as tasty as that first 6-9 months after release.
2004 whites: It's a little too early for mind-changing, but the 2004 1er cru's I've been drinking this summer have been absolutely delicious and vivacious - everything I would want from a young wine. Mind-changing? Well I've so-far only described the whites (in general) as 'good' - recent bottles have been have been significantly better than 'good' - I suppose I will have to do more research...
2005 red+whites: Of-course the malos are all-over the place, some completed, some still underway, and here-and-there not even started. Still we appear to have weight, texture and depth - all coupled to balance. Looks like an expensive vintage for me, even if the prices remain stable!
Gossip: You go away for a few days and:
  1. Domaine Engel is for sale
  2. Claire Forestier is parted from Bertagna
  3. Pascal Marchand has setup an eponymous négociant
  4. Pascal's old vineyard head at Vougarie is now with Domaine Charles Thomas
  5. The former head at Jaffelin is the new head at Vougeraie
  6. And winemakers in the Côte de Nuits (who will remain nameless) lose their driving license due to radar traps - I am also driving much slower now!
NoteFinder: Seems I finally did something right! In the first 3 weeks of operation I've had over 20,000 search operations and the average number of visits to the site increased by close to 100 people per day. Unfortunately this little thing is a relentless beast - now I can see all the gaps in the site that I need to fill! You might have noticed some GoogleAds on the pages - I hope they are not too distracting - it's just a forlorn hope to recoup some of the cost of having the NoteFinder developed.
Enjoy your summer...