All my magnums have been put to one side as we have been the quarantine-duo at home this Christmas – but still, an interesting range of bottles were opened:

2x 2018 Chablis – Davenne plus domaine William Fevre
Clotilde Davenne’s was, round but very nicely shaped. It was sweet and delicious wine but I really wouldn’t guess Chablis. The 2018 Fevre, by comparison, was the more perfumed wine, floral but also with a different style of freshness. In the mouth, the Fevre was clearly Chablis, even if it wasn’t aromatically. Still, a very fine villages Chablis, that my experince tells me will only become more and more ‘classic’ with patience – unfortunately it may just be too tasty to put that to the test!
Rebuy – Maybe & Yes!

2017 William Fevre, Chablis
The first of these Chablis that offers an obvious aromatic blast of the seashore. There’s a little more structure in the mouth – which would imply that patience is a virtue – yet the wine is still mouth-wateringly delicious. I’m forgiving myself for drinking it! Really excellent villages.
Rebuy – Oh Yes!

1999 Faiveley Nuits St.Georges 1er Aux Chaignots
A domaine wine, so it has the gold ‘lozenge’ to say bottled without fining or filtration – the robust 54mm (that’s extra long!) cork is impressive too.
What a great nose! Dark but glossy red fruit – faintly with sucrosity, always an invitation. The palate is more than a match for the nose; wide, super acidity but with a depth of dark red fruit and a matching depth of creamy flavour that was obviously more overtly oaky when younger. Top, top wine – an equal to many grand crus – bravo! The best wine over Christmas…
Rebuy – Oh Yes!

So to follow-on from the Chézeaux/Ponsot Chambolle-Charmes of the last week or-so – how about two more? The Ponsot was particular but super, one was good but not great and one that left me disappointed…

2008 Alex Gambal, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Les Charmes
A little more than medium colour. The nose is inviting, darker, truffled fruit, almost a suggestion of rosemary too – which accents the red berry fruit. Mouth-filling with fresh energy – intense without concentration, but layered and energetic in this lovely depth of finishing flavour, a finish that’s still accented with a faintly drying tannin. The antithesis of concentrated sweet wine as we’ve seen almost non-stop since the 2015 vintage. If only for that, I’m enjoying it a lot!
Rebuy – Maybe

1995 Gerard Mugneret, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Les Charmes
Wax topped – but with the flexibility to put the corkscrew directly through it – except that the cork breaks – what a surprise! But the ah-so extracts the last part with ease.
The nose – well it could definitely be better! There’s a freshness of dried leaves but also some brett in the depth. In the mouth this is is much more attractive – intense, attractively acidic in a way that modern vintages are not (let’s wait for 2020…) Wide, no fat and a super finish that radiates from the core of the wine and grows larger and larger. The first half of the wine disappoints, the second-half, far from it – but it’s hard for me to drink a wine whilst try to avoid smelling it! Delicious on one hand but a shame on the other – of course, actually it doesn’t smell worse on day two – that’s a surprise!
Rebuy – No