2010 Roty, Bourgogne Grand Ordinaire
I tasted, and loved, this way back in late 2013 – so much so that I ordered a case. Fast-forward 5 years and I eventually got it delivered – what a silly boy! Whilst I may have missed out on a few years great drinking, I’m sure that in that time I found some adequate substitutes! Based on the first two bottles – yes, this wasn’t the only one this weekend! – it seems this wine will still be drunk with great pleasure over the next couple or three years!
Medium, bright, young colour. The nose is analogous to the colour – medium, bright, pretty red fruit. Once-more the palate follows the theme – here with a lovely silky texture. Easy-drinking, pure and whilst über-drinkable – no overt signs of maturity. I think it was a fuller wine when young, but it has lost little of its drinkability.
Rebuy – Yes

2005 Daniel Rion, Vosne-Romanée 1er Les Beaux-Monts
Fuller colour. An equally fuller and deep nose – fine-textured dark red fruit and the last vestiges of a once stronger oak. Ample – mouth-filling wine. Concentrated and well-textured – lots of volume of smooth, dark-red fruit flavour here. To borrow a word, hedonistic. Not yet complex, or mature, but delicious today, and like the nose with the faint traces of a, once, much stronger oak. The best it’s tasted since release – but still a baby…
Rebuy – Yes

Wow – week 47 done already – where did all that time go? Anyway, two wines that doubly underscore the fabulous utility of less well-known appellations – Savigny white and Ladoix red, anyone?

2016 Serrigny, Savigny-lès-Beaune Blanc
What a little beauty! Fresh, faintly phenolic like a good Chablis, depth and zing like a great Savigny blanc – Did I ever say how much I enjoy Savigny whites? – I probably did! Simply excellent wine – yum!
Rebuy – Yes

2005 G&P Ravaut, Ladoix 1er Le Bois Roussot
The nose is good but a little pinched – it’s not yet lighting my fire. The palate on the other hand is muscular but lithe, silky but profound – the fruit is a dream. This wine is presumably still young as it’s never been better than now – except, maybe, the nose. Simply great wine and a pleasure to drink the bottle dry in one evening!
Rebuy – Yes

Home-made Shepherd’s Pie (for the detail-conscious, actually Cottage Pie!) so what to drink? This fell nicely to hand:

2001 Fourrier, Griotte-Chambertin
I opened this 2001 with a bit of trepidation – well, it’s said that JMF had some cork problems in this vintage – but this is in perfect shape.
Not such a big nose, a faintly spiced and roast fruit that’s slowly starting to grow some more mature dried leaf aroma and even a little (grounding) Gevrey earth. Medium bodied, with a very fine texture and an almost equally fine and complex width of flavour too. Not super long but a comforting wine that’s completely delicious, indeed excellent – How excellent? Well it didn’t last the whole evening! However, this is, for me, a prime example of why I found JMF‘s Clos St.Jacques of the era a more interesting and complex wine – I can see that the Griotte is usually better today vs his CSJ, but not 20 years ago…
Rebuy – Yes – at the original price 🙂
​