2008 des Croix, Beaune
Medium, medium-plus colour. The nose is a lovely thing; it’s not overly effusive or very deep, but it’s a thing of detail and clarity – initially some whiffs of wood but an hour afterwards quite beguiling dark red fruit. In the mouth, like many 08s, it’s freshness personified and may not be to the taste of everyone, but like the nose there are middle-weight fruit flavours that are a clarion of clarity. The finish is, no surprise, driven by the acidity. For my taste there’s ‘just’ enough balance today, it’s precise and enjoyable, but it’s not for lovers of sweetly plush wines, it could be a tougher proposition in its ‘middle years’ though.
Rebuy – Maybe

So that’s three 93’s drunk and three I would buy again. Unfortunately, for those that don’t like to follow hierarchies, these three fit exactly the conventional wisdom – the villages is unlikely to get much better, the 1er should get better and certainly has more primary fruit and dimension. Then there’s this (often maligned) grand cru – it’s still embryonic, and I think it’s a shame I have only one more bottle…

1993 Daniel Bocquenet, Echézeaux
Medium-plus colour. The nose opens with a dense core of dark red/black fruit with a sweet coffee addition – relatively young aromas of pretty and sweet fruit dominate though. In the mouth this is all silk and linearity. Certainly it’s intense in the mid-palate and the linear flavours are borne long on the acidity but despite having to search hard for any overt tannin this is clearly a baby. Return in 5+ years…
Rebuy – Yes

1993 André Cathiard, Vosne-Romanée 1er Les Suchots
Medium mature colour. The nose starts with a depth of soil, a slight tomato lift and then beautiful smooth and fresh red/purple cherry fruit – the cherry gets stronger and stronger in the glass. Silky, slightly fat texture yet perfectly fresh. There’s almost no tannin to find. Initially it’s linear in the mid-palate yet the fruit flavour persists well. Slowly the intensity and dimension of the mid-palate swells. A beautifuly clarity of fruit shines through this wine.
Rebuy – Yes

I feel a 1993 phase coming on. I suppose I should have started with a bourgogne as here’s a villages and a 1er and grand cru (sorry they are all from Vosne…)

1993 Louis Latour, Vosne-Romanée
Medium mature, slightly mahogany colour. A little warmth of sweet undergrowth and a subliminal suggestion of Vosne spice, the last drops have a pretty acid red-cherry note. In the mouth this is sweetly fruited and has excellent balancing acidity. Medium concentrated with fully resolved tannin. The finish is freshly and understatedly sweet. More than ‘competent’ but not significantly more, there’s no wow factor. Tasty if a little simple…
Rebuy – Yes

I just knew the football would turn out badly after I opened this hideously corked bottle. A 1998 Antipodean shiraz served as a less than adequate replacement, much like the bunch of people who were supposed to be England footballers…

Back from travelling and will likely have to suffer England playing football tonight – probably I need more than one bottle! I did however note a very loud cheer in the Irish bar last night when the second Mexican goal was scored! Whilst on the football theme I wonder how ‘der Kaiser’s’ critiques are coming along 😉

As an aperitif (short-lasting it must be said, the match hasn’t even started) I enjoyed this Fixin blanc – perhaps not a candidate for long search but it’s a rare appellation and was very tasty.

2007 L&A Lignier, Fixin Champs de Vosger
Medium yellow. The nose is of fresh, faintly spritzy, slightly unripe pineapple – which I find preferable to ripe pineapple! The acid is just a little forward but this has a nice kick of concentration and is very moreish in a kind of lemon sorbet vernacular. There’s good texture – the acidity ensuring that there is no obvious fat – and the merest hint of creaminess in the mid-palate. Not bad value and yum.
Rebuy – Yes

My first wine at home from Nicolas Potel’s new stable…

2008 Maison Roche de Bellene, Meursault Vieilles-Vignes
Medium yellow. A faint toast quickly lifts to leave a wide and deep, but never heavy, curtain of ripe but fresh, sweet fruit. In the mouth there is perfect acidity and a sweetness that comes from perfectly ripe fruit. Wide but essentially linear flavours just add a hint of extra creamy width in the mid-palate – there’s no obvious fat here. Good length with still a hint of sweetness. A bottle that on a warm summer day empties very quickly indeed…
Rebuy – Yes

I needed to ‘get my hand in’ after a few wine-less days. What better than a long chat with a bunch of wine-centric people(?)

My recollections, 24 hours later…

2002 Raveneaux, Chablis 1er Vaillons
A relatively deep gold though there’s nothing amiss on the nose; which is a little dense but like the skin of an onion keeps shedding a new layer of interest. The palate starts a little monolithic and misses some excitement, yet in the mid-palate a line of super-smooth acidity ushers you into a more interesting mid-palate and finish. I kept coming back to this and each time it was more engaging…
Rebuy – Yes

2004 JF Mugnier, Nuits 1er Clos de la Maréchale
The colour is starting to show some age. The aromas are a poster-child for the vintage, I can taste it too. Not for me.
Rebuy – No

2000 Armand Rousseau, Clos de la Roche
The aromas initially mix a little mineral and green – not so engaging. The palate is a world different; sweet, complex, fresh enough and like the Raveneaux, quite engaging. The nose very slowly improves, losing the strident edge and taking on a little sweetly smoky bacon-fat aromas.
Rebuy – Yes

Many thanks to the provider of the bottles…