2006 Alex Gambal, St.Aubin 1er Les Murgers des Dents du Chien
A golden colour, but not so deep – it looks fine! Hmm, it smells fine too! A little toast, fresh width and fainter sweetness. Weight in the mouth, a freshness that easily carries a richness of extract – growing wider, mineral, concentrated – such lovely texture. Excellent, mineral, length. Beautiful shape, more mineral than tasty – but still yum!
Rebuy – Maybe

2007 Alex Gambal, St.Aubin 1er Les Murgers des Dents du Chien
Plenty of energy on this nose, just a little more appealing than the 2006. Ouch – that’s great – but only just. Many lower wines in 07 can be like battery-acid, this avoids that, but it’s still not a wine for the acid averse. Complex, tasty and with so much zing – just drink is somewhere calm! I love!
Rebuy – Yes

2008 Alex Gambal, St.Aubin 1er Les Murgers des Dents du Chien
A more cushioned nose, faintly sweet, almost a sweet apricot aspect. A hint more age than the 07, but whilst there’s plenty of acidity, this is less driving than the 2007 – it’s the most balanced and delicious of all these wines so-far – still vibrant, indeed electric in the mid and finish. I maybe love this even more than the 07!
Rebuy – Yes

2009 Alex Gambal, St.Aubin 1er Les Murgers des Dents du Chien
Hmm – a fresh nose but with a depth of toasty notes – this needs a litter air. I’m expecting some fat, some richness, but no – fresh, mineral, balanced – yet without an obvious acidity like the last two wines. It seems that this is balanced more by its minerality than its acidity. Open, classy, great texture and importantly delicious – something that to an extent the 2006 lacks.
Rebuy – Yes

I admit that I’m tempting fate, but I’ve never had a sub-par bottle of Alex’s Dents du Chien. Maybe I should pull out the 2004 and 2005 that I have somewhere!

1998 Chézeaux/Ponsot, Chambertin
Well the quick summary would be that this was almost a waste of a bottle. I remember Laurent Ponsot telling me a few years ago that his wines shouldn’t be judged before they were twenty years old – more recently he updated that to 25-years – he had probably tasted this wine just before we spoke!
The nose is fresh but narrow; celery, a considered, almost spiced but certainly understated dark-red fruit aroma. Fresh, clean lines over the palate with a depth of black-cherry fruit, almost black-olive ‘fruit’ – this is a wine of line and freshness, not a wine of weight or concentration. I drank it, all of it, with a certain, measured, enjoyment, but certainly not enthusiasm given the label – or the price-point! Certainly not worth the price of entry today, your mileage may vary in the future…
Rebuy – No
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Of-course with a little help from my friends…

You already met the 1981 Nuits, earlier in my posts, so:

2010 Alain Geoffroy, Chablis 1er Beauroy
Light, very young colour. The nose is pure, saline, seashore – perfect. Nice zing and intensity – pure and delicious flavour – the finish a little short/inconsequential – but a prefect condition, perfect quaffer that everyone loved – easy!
Rebuy – Maybe

2010 Camille Giroud, Corton-Charlemagne
My 2017s in 75cl all died more than 3-4 years ago, but this is pristine in magnum format.
Certainly a darker colour, still a suggestion of oak but a powerful lychee-style tropicality, yet rippling muscle, and fine energetic drive to the concentrated flavour. Honestly, this is such a baby – a delicious baby – but maybe drunk 5-10 years too soon. Hard to tell with some of these wines – eh?
Rebuy – Yes

1998 Faiveley, Corton, Clos des Cortons Faiveley
I thought that Erwan Faiveley was having some fun when he described this cuvée as ‘approachable’ – I thought to myself ‘approachable in what – a full hazard suit?’ but this frightening combination of cuvée and vintage is indeed quite drinkable – but it’s still 10 years too early in this format!
A nose of cool fruit, blood, a certain celery-style herb – but very clean – there’s no brett or anything like that. In the mouth medium bodied but with a good intensity – very young, practically primary flavour but zero astringent and I must say, a nice texture. Baby wine – it drank well over nearly 3 days, but like a ‘too young’ wine.
Rebuy – Yes

2006 Alex Gambal, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Les Amoureuses
I have some of this in magnums from 2006 and 2005 – it’s still too early to prise a 2005 from the cellar I think…
Medium-plus colour. The nose has an easy quality to it – appealing, but far from the invitation of an Amoureuses. Tasty wine, of good shape, modest intensity and even quite good complexity. Simply a good wine. I was expecting more – luckily the premium for this label was very little in those days. Tasty but not special.
Rebuy – No

2013 Nathalie & Gilles Fevre, Chablis Les Preuses
I decided too early to open any of 2012, 2014, 2015 or 2016 but maybe 2013 would be worth it! Loved the silver-coloured wax capsule.
Hmm – a big aromatic here, a little apricot and lychee, but also a saline suggestion too. In the mouth, big energetic wine with plenty of sucrosity – it’s completely delicious – though you may be hard pressed to spot it as a Chablis – blind. But loved by all.
Rebuy – Maybe

2008 Camille Giroud, Bourgogne Pinot Noir – Cuvée L
L for lees – the blending of the remaining lees at bottling for all this producer’s wines – bourgogne, villages, 1ers and grands crus – then left a number of months more to (best as possible) settle. Clearly this needed more than the 5 days I gave it – it was never clean and bright!
Fresh – open, younger but complex nose. Open, good intensity – fresh-flavoured – actually very delicious in an open and easy style. Not perfect clarity, but a shape, a definition, that reminded me a little of Cortons. Very open, very tasty – I guess I’m lucky to be the only person with magnums 🙂
Rebuy – Yes