Rebuy – No (2010)

Guyon make a powerful Charlemagne that has often brought me great joy, but my last bottles of both 2000 and 2002 brought instead oxidised wines. Frankly this has been hanging around in the refrigerator for almost six months as I couldn’t face opening another oxidised grand cru – but like an early Christmas present… 1998 Antonin Guyon, Corton-Charlemagne Deep colour. One sniff of the nose and I’m smiling; there are the lanolin aromas of an even older wine, and perhaps the merest suggestion of something oxidative but it’s an interesting complexity on a lower level than many champagnes(!) – no complaints. For the first 20 minutes or-so, this seems a little alcoholic and disjointed, but thereafter it becomes a decently integrated wine. Good acidity and [....]

The back label of this bottle, Philippe Engel’s last vintage, has a poem from William Blake to toast him. 2004 Rene Engel, Grands-Echézeaux Medium ruby-red – I caught myself admiring the late-evening sun as it beautifully reflected through the glass. The nose is not immune to the vintage character; it starts at an encouragingly low level but disappointingly blooms in the glass – maybe to a 6/10 level. Below the mirepoix is a creamy, faintly lactic depth – and depth this wine certainly has. Wide in the mouth, the acidity has a slightly jarring, sharp leading edge – give it an hour of aeration and this mainly but not completely tones down. The texture is very fine and the width and depth are high-class indeed. [....]

1995 Jean-Marc Boillot, Pommard 1er Les Jarollières The last bottle of this didn’t show brilliantly, hopefully this does a little better. The colour has a much older, browner caste than I expect for a ’95. The aromas are not promising; quite beefy and hint bretty – I’m not really looking forward to putting it in my mouth! Some sweetness to the fruit, intensity too – it’s a rather macerated, spicy impression. The tannin is relatively understated and the acidity decently balanced. The texture has a reasonable soft and fat impression. Certainly much, much better than the last bottle or my I expectation given the nose. I’m thinking that there may be some slight bacterial spoilage here with this one. 10 left, hmm… Rebuy – No

There was hail in Volnay in 2001 – some producers declassified their best wines – I don’t remember how badly d’Angerville’s Clos des Ducs was affected, if at all, but this is not up to their usual overachieving standard – I respectfully suggest that it was also a candidate for a different label… 2001 d’Angerville, Volnay 1er Clos des Ducs A good medium, medium-plus colour. It’s an ever-changing nose, though not particularly in a good way: it starts a little diffuse and harsh, then there is a period of absolute red-fruited Volnay beauty followed again by diffuse and slightly green notes. You go through this cycle each time you top up your glass! In the mouth the fruit has a very nice perfume, reasonable density [....]