The Spiess was a cheap and super-cheerful wine with sweetness but balanced, gushing acidity – one to be careful of in the sunshine as the bottle will empty very quickly!

1996 Guy Castagnier, Clos St.Denis
Bottle one – such a brutal level of TCA – I didn’t like how the cork smelled when pulled, and the wine did indeed prove to be devastatingly corked – so bottle 2:
Really a very compact nose – it’s certainly clean and fresh – no mushroom, no brett – only very slowly developing a little wild-strawberry – always subtle, never unlikeable. The mouth is classic for the vintage; direct, mouth-watering and almost surprisingly for a Clos St.Denis, with a lovely mid-palate vibration of minerality. In terms of overall size you could be disappointed, but in terms of its delicacy and its modest but engaging complexity, I found this a treat.
Rebuy – Yes (but not he first one of-course!)

1995 Jean Grivot, Nuits St.Georges Les Lavières
I have the impression that everyone has either given up on this vintage, or drunk them all, because I hear nothing about it anymore. But all my recent bottles have been in a fine place:
Another nose of faint strawberry, good clean aromas and a nice line. The palate has more width that the Clos St.Denis but less concentration – this seems ‘lite’ these days but it is open, transparent and engaging – no tannin worth mentioning despite the producer. Very easy to drink, transparent, tasty, accessible wine.
Rebuy – Yes

2005 JC Boisset, Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Hautes-Jarrons
​As ‘understudy’ to the poor Ecard Savigny I looked to see if I had the same vineyard/vintage from another source – almost – it was a super-sub more like!
A deep colour and still quite young-looking too. The nose is fresh, wide and direct, dark fruit and faint spice. In the mouth too this is a sleek, silky, wine of direction and young dark fruit. It’s a baby, but it’s reasonably approachable too. Really excellent – I’ll try not to touch the remaining three or four bottles for a few more years!
Rebuy – Yes

And for the fun:

2005 Dubreuil-Fontaine, Corton-Perrières
I had one of these when my 6-pack was first delivered – monstrous wine for the patient. As you can see, I’m not totally patient!
What a sublime nose! Transparent, airy yet with a beautiful fresh perfume that intertwines flowers and pure red berry fruit. The palate has lost the massive impact of youth, though is actually still a little one-dimensional today – at least compared to the nose. A super shape and line to this wine, even if the flavours are a little tight. Still, it’s fresh and delivers fine intensity but watch this space for some complexity though. Perhaps another 5 years should elapse before the next one!
Rebuy – Yes

You could say that this was a disappointment! Maurice Ecard was bought by Bejot in 2006, so certainly before this was bottled. Of-course since the adulteration scandal of 2016, the parent for this ‘brand’ (yes – they all become brands…) is now maison François Martenot…

2005 Maurice Ecard, Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Les Jarrons
I last opened one of these in 2008 – and it was lovely. Hmm, the nose starts with an impression of funk/brett. In the mouth it’s a very raisined style of fruit and even tending to oxidation. I decide to leave it for half an hour to see if it clears up a little – I returned to totally oxidised! Most 40 year-old wines don’t taste like this. The cork is admittedly not very long, but looks to have been a correct seal. Not good. I have another, but I’ll let the pain fade a little before opening it!
Rebuy – No

2010 Louis Boillot, Les Trois Saints Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs
Fresh, very dry, tasty wine but lacking any great complexity – this was honestly a bit too young – positive for the eventual quality, but for drinking today their Limited Edition cuvée is the one to go for!
Rebuy – Yes

2017 Jean Loron, Jean Gamay Noir
A vin de france, not Beaujolais. Honestly there’s some interesting fruit, but this nose isn’t my thing, I find it a little (for want of a better adjective) cheesy – I decanted and it improved, but only a little. By contrast the flavour is brilliant! Depth, pure gamay-fruitedness, a wine that can be drunk far too easily. Just a shame about the nose…
Rebuy – No

2005 Marchand-Grillot, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Petite Chapelle
There is some aromatic similarity to the domaine’s 2005 Perrières in terms of the initial impression of the fruit and some high volume oak when young – but no funk – here is a bravado performance without defaults. Like the cordial nose, the first sip is almost too much of everything – too much fruit, too rich – how are we going to drink this? In short order the aromatic vestiges of vanilla oak are gone and there is a fresher and more saline vibe. The flavour too becoming more sleek and interesting. Wow. The best measure bay far, however, is that we thought almost half the bottle waited for our plate of food – actually just half a glass! A wine that goes so effortlessly is a great wine in our household!
Rebuy – Yes