All the wines were tasted blind and then the label shown before the next wine. The last white and the reds with dinner – a nice salad, blanquette de veaux, pears in burgundy wine, cheese…

2014 Céline et Frédéric Gueguen, Côteaux Bourguignone Sacy
A super saline, faintly herbed nose. Fresh acidity and an almost piercing intensity- herby, mineral, direct and delicious – yum!

2007 Camille Giroud, Corton-Charlemagne
Deeper colour than I want. The nose is not obviously oxidised, faint lanolin. In the mouth this is big, delicious, sweet, layered, a suggestion of oxidation/age that I would obviously prefer wasn’t there though. If it was the only wine open I’d still drink it with a mix of joy and disappointment, but:

1977 Dubreuil-Fontaine, Corton-Charlemagne
A deep nose, mushroom, an impression of barrel toast(?) Super fresh, saline, long, mouth-watering, complex. It’s really not a wide wine but super long and mineral. Not everyone’s taste but i love! This gets better and better, and hardly more oxidation than the last!

2006 Jean-Marc Pillot, Chevalier-Montrachet
The nose starts tight, slowly opens with freshness and a some floral notes – a young colour and young nose. Very wide and freshly mouth-watering. Layers of rich but beautifully balanced flavour – really a long wine – still some oak,but a flavour that goes on and on. Bravo – this must be grand cru. It keeps getting better and better.

Les Reds…

2009 Fourrier, Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles-Vignes
Hmm. This is modestly coloured, rather a floral, almost mineral nose with a fine, almost balsamic, accent to the fresh notes. Direct and fresh, rather intense. Really wide, layered in the finish. This is lively, lovely wine, but I have no reference points here. The tannin is virtually hidden, but the acid is super.

2006 Tortochot, Chambertin
A big open and attractive nose – clearly more mineral and a little dark fruited. The palate is fresh, side and with a tasty and very Gevrey style structure. Layers of concentrated finishing dark fruit too – young, and very tasty wine. – but Chambertin?

1999 Arnoux, Vosne-Romanée 1er Les Suchots
Tight but a nice spicy edge to this. Nice line and intensity here – a little metallic in the mid-palate. Long, long, long. Really complex in the mid-palate. This gets better and better in the glass – just fabulous, easily the best so far.

2009 Perregrine Pinot Noir (Central Otago, New Zealand)
Modest colour. The nose is quite fresh and a little herby – Côte de Beaune? Ouf! – this is direct and very intense – almost too much in the finish – fresh and bright acidity but almost strident. A little dryness in the finish… super-overt red fruit though- Again, no reference points…

1993 Jean Grivot, Echézeaux
Ooh, this is very deep and dark ,but silkily dark – a little sous bois. Older colour though, despite how deep the colour is. Direct, intense, mouth-watering – ooh this is intense with a little tannic texture in the finish. Very, very long with waves of almost painfully delicious flavour in the finish. Really super, but also really still a baby!

2007 Bart, Clos de Bèze
Medium colour. Aromatically rather narrower than the last wines – herby and fresh – overtly herby. Bright and really intense in the mouth. Sweet sour style – almost 2008 style but it could do with more balance. But this is very long – not delicious today, but long, very long, long, long…

Then bad bottles of 1993 Jadot Clos de Vougeot and 1991 Savour Club Chapelle-Chambertin 🙁

2002 Comtes Lafon, Volnay 1er Santenots du Milieu
Hmm, wide and seemingly silky red fruit – good herby depth too – fine Côte de Beaune style. Very fresh, very direct – an intense line of flavour. Super! I was surprised, not by the aoc, but the vintage…

There was a half bottle of 1999 Mondavi sweet botrytised sticky wine too! Also a little Hospices de Beaune (that still tasted great) from 2 days before…