Tasted in Aloxe-Corton with Michael & Fiona Ragg, 29th January 2014.

I’m so far behind with tasting at this producer, that I’m only now getting around to tasting their 2011s – still, their 12s are a long way from being commercial, so…

The generic wines are now largely sealed with screwcap, as mandated by their major sales markets.

Michael Ragg on pricing: 2011 pricing is unchanged from 2010 for their Generic and Villages wines. The price increase is only 3-5% for the 1er Crus, but the team here have walked away from some of their long-standing cuvées in 2012 – such as Puligny Caillerets – given their very large price increases (requested) in 2012.

Michael Ragg on 2013s: Clearly the vintage will be harder for a négociant like us, but most of the hard-hit villages are not part of our range. Yet prices will play a larger role than volumes I think. Now we also vinify out own wines, there is a little more flexibility than before. Overall, the volume of Mischief & Mayhem wines will remain fairly stable.

The reds:

2011 Bourgogne Pinot Noir
A pretty red nose with a little fresh strawberry. The palate is lithe and slightly narrow but with tasty fruit and a good, modestly tannic base. For the label/vintage combination, this is a tasty wine.

2011 Nuits St.Georges
Versus the Bourgogne, here is a darker and deeper register of aroma, there’s a hint of spice too. Lovely dimension of flavour that shows both high and low tones. Excellent NSG villages for 2011 – must be a great source.

2011 Volnay 1er Les Caillerets
Lovely, deep aroma that seems clean and fruity. There’s just a hint of P, but at this level, it’s just another interesting note of complexity. Lithe, with relatively fine tannin – a good extra dimension of flavour in the mid-palate too. Good finish!

2011 Aloxe-Corton 1er Les Paulands
This wasn’t bottled until May 2013. The grapes from 85 year-old vines.
Deep, with a hint of sweetness and spice. There’s good sweetness and fine acidity here. I really like the slowly leaching extra dimension of flavour here – nice dark fruit.

The whites:

2011 Bourgogne Chardonnay
The nose is high-toned, with a faint sherbet note over a modestly riper core. Plenty of sweetness and flavour dimension – a nice surprise versus the nose. Finishes very well. Well-priced I think!

2011 Meursault
This is a round, friendly, perfectly pitched Meursault nose. The palate is pretty; ripe and sweet, with lovely acidity and good energy. Very tasty wine that shows a rather sneaky length!

2011 Meursault 1er Les Charmes
A hint more depth, and more than a hint more minerality – yet, clearly still Meursault. Just a trace of CO₂ on my tongue, but this is the concentrated yet mineral style of Charmes that I really prefer. Lovely.

2011 Meursault 1er Genevrières
Fresh, mineral aromatic but with fine depth too. Again, just a hint of CO₂, but still fresh and intense. A lovely growth of flavour in the middle with some dry extract in the finish. Lovely wine.

2011 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Les Pucelles
The nose is high-toned and rather impressive – a hint soapy like many from 2010. Even more CO₂ to comment on texture, but the acidity seems very lovely indeed, pulling you through the wine and giving a subtle backing for the long, understated finish. Compelling.