It’s been quiet around here in the last days – but the ‘action’ has been non-stop – my weekend wines were never-more needed than over the last days…

It began, last week, with a three day tour with a fine group of visitors to Chablis and the Côtes. I’d hired a car, as it’s always nicer to have a little more room when there are more than two people. All was good, until I returned the hire-car. My own car, left in the car-park, was nowhere to be seen when I returned. My first instinct was to look for ‘no-parking’ signs (the office was already closed for the night), assuming that it was going to cost me €150 to recover my car – but I found none. Next day when the staff returned – blank faces. The car had been stolen.

Of-course, there has been an onslaught of phone-calls and police reports since then – in both France and Switzerland. Cancelling the number plate (registration is through the insurance companies in Switzerland – if the car has number plates it is insured, if it hasn’t… That’s a great system), dealing with insurance companies and so-on. I was also having to look at options for a new car (and on, and on, and on…)

Last night the (Swiss) police called – ‘We have your car.‘ Hmm, stolen 300km away, but driven back into Switzerland by the thieves. Today our door locks were changed though, as a house-key was in the car – I said it was a long list of phone-calls! I don’t have any more details yet, and won’t get to pick the car up until next week, as the car-key awaits in France – I’d assumed that if the car was going to turn up, that it would be in France, not here in der Schweiz! Let’s see how it looks (and what remains in the car!) when I pick it up next week. In the meantime, another hire car and TGV tickets are required for a much shorter (than planned) return to Beaune next week.

So it was a hot and fairly frustrating weekend – wine was needed! To start with, I picked a bunch of whites that would chill (even forgetting one of them in the freezer compartment!) There is a downside to the ultra-chilled riesling idea though – a glass is very easily dispatched in a very modest number of minutes!

2008 Wolfberger, Rangen Pinot Gris
Forgotten in the freezer. only the last 2-3mm of cork left in the neck!
Ooh – super cold – waxy texture, still good colour and freshness. Just a delicious first taste whilst cold – less interest as it warms a little.

2011 Dr Loosen, Loosen Bros Riesling
So cold, so good. 2 bottles drunk – and frighteningly quickly too! Fresh and maybe rather sweet when warmer in the glass. But a great refresher.

2006 Roty, Gevrey-Chambertin La Brunelle.
This was not an easy drink when young, but now I see that it is beginning to turn the corner a little – still, so it should now that it’s 10 years old!
Hmm, this is a very attractive nose – there’s still a little grating wood, but really it’s now developed a delightful floral countenance too. In the mouth there is decent freshness and good scale – the floral aspect of the nose is obvious in the flavours too. The mid-palate remains a little wood-locked with more than a suggestion of woody dryness. The counterbalance of the floral fruit means that it’s easy to drink a glass, but 2 is more wearing. For that reason I enjoyed a (large) glass on 4 consecutive nights – I enjoyed all 4 glasses, but would still suggest waiting at least another couple of years before opening the next one – this wine is definitely getting better and better though.
Rebuy – Yes

There were others too, but repeats of ones I’ve already posted on in the last 6 weeks or-so – then there was a night of Italian white and Australian red at friends…

2005 Domaine François Labet, Beaune 1er Coucherias
Simply a crazy-good wine – à point! The nose has a little sous-bous but mostly faintly roast, transparent red fruit of gorgeous depth and clarity. The depth and clarity are reflected in the flavours too. Fine acidity, a wine that begs you to drink it – and then drink it some more – I really don’t need to wait any longer for this, it’s great already – Bravo!
Rebuy – Yes

It’s been hot – so whites it was! They could all have been better – as my old school report used to say – must try harder!

2013 Dublère, Meursault 1er Charmes
Hmm, there’s a nice aromatic volume here – classically Meursault too. In the mouth I find the wine a little tighter – there are layers and layers of flavour but it seems to me that the expression is on quite a low order. Tasty, clean, does what it says on the label, but I was waiting for a little more – I’ve had other 2013s showing similarly, so won’t be blaming the producer.
Rebuy – Maybe

2012 Alex Gambal, St.Aubin 1er Murgers des Dents du Chien
Hmm – much more reductive than the last bottle, exacerbating the oak component. Don’t get me wrong, I’d much rather have reduction than oxidation, but I love to enjoy smelling my wine and this was a little too overtly toasty-reductive. I preferred the last bottle much more.
Rebuy – Maybe

2015 Clotilde Davenne, Chablis 1er Vaucoupins
Just a deliciously fine and pure citrus nose – so inviting. Hmm, that’s a shame then, because the palate is a little hard and un-yielding – the finish is as good as the nose – both bravo – but the first flavours are hard. Give it mor time I suppose!
Rebuy – Maybe

As I sat tasting a few excellent Beaujolais last week, my tasting partner asked – fancy a P-M interlude? It wasn’t really my subject du jour but I can be a game old boy, so why not? Of-course I was expecting a gulf of difference, of elegance, of effortless excellence – but it didn’t work out like that.

Now, a number of people have accused me (to my face, so that’s fair) of being a Perrot-Minot hater – simply because I didn’t include him in my book – but there was a much simpler reason for not including the domaine: For someone writing in 2010, was I supposed to choose pre-2007 P-M or post-2007 P-M to write about? If the latter, were 2 vintages sufficient to provide a well-rounded judgement? – Of-course, no. Any followers of the domaine will know that there is a world of difference, post 2007 wines having left behind the lure of heavy extraction in the search of elegance. I think the wines are even better today than 5 or 6 years ago, admittedly they are expensive, but in the same pricing echelon as Grivot, Méo and a host of others.

So the Nuits was subdued, beautifully textured but lacking sparkle or energy. The Chambolle – despite its price – fared worse, only the finish left a great impression. We went back to our Beaujolais (in the May report) and order was restored. A funny world…