2002 Georges Mugneret (Gibourg), Gevery-Chambertin*
I remember that from the very start that this 2002 was a wonderful wine – though this seems to be my last bottle. The 2003 fell off its pedestal rather quickly – at least my bottles – and I’ve none more to compare. The 2004 was full of pyrazines but the 2005 was great – I hope I’ve one more 2005 but my recent cellar searches have revealed nothing in this direction.
The colour is not much more than medium intensity and there’s some bricking to the colour too. The nose starts narrow but deep – invitingly deep – faint soil, graphite, spice and flowers on the nose. Instantly wide, energetic and fresh – but also with depth to this flavour – the graphite element on the nose is more to the fore in the flavours – and what a super intensity of middle and finishing flavour! This is brilliant for villages Gevrey – but of-course, even declassified, there is so much to find here. Bravo – a great wine even, particularly in the finish, even if only a modest Mugneret-Gibourg Ruchottes-Chambertin!
Rebuy – Yes (I wish!)

*2002 was the first vintage for this wine – a declassified young vine Ruchottes-Chambertin. The domaine replanted half of their 0.64-hectare Ruchottes-Chambertin parcel in 2000, the original vines had been planted in 1950 but were not very productive. So this 2002 ‘Gevrey-Chambertin’ – it was officially allowed to have the grand cru name but the domaine decided to wait for the quality – was the first cuvée made from these new vines. As the vines slowly matured, the domaine transitioned the wine from a village to a premier cru label in the 2007 vintage. From the very low yielding 2012 vintage, the young vines were blended with the old – and they have stayed that way ever since. Note that in every vintage there was a Ruchottes-Chambertin cuvée – just smaller, until 2012. This 2002 might very well be my last – and that would be a shame – it was an expensive village wine, but every one of my 6 bottles has overperformed. The 2003 and 2004 were much less successful wines, and so poor value versus the prices – those young vines more easily compromised by the difficult growing seasons – but the 2005 was as much a star as the 2002.

2017 Diconne, Auxey-Duresses Vieilles-Vignes
A new discovery for me since the 2016 vintage, not just great Auxey – they are based in Auxey – but some very fine Meursault cuvées too. Definitely worth your time and very well priced.
An airy freshness to this nose, under it’s showing a little lemon tart – meringue included. Time in the glass brings more precision, less meringue! In the mouth there’s still a little barrel sweetness, but there’s a proper and fine juicy, mineral, finish – a little structured here. Super young wine!
Rebuy Yes

Dinner with friends.

2018 William Fevre, Chablis
Excellent – like all my previous notes…
Rebuy – Yes

2011 Ramonet, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Les Ruchottes
A great, robust, cork. One year ago my 2010s were oxidised, but this 2011 is still in great shape.
Still a younger colour. The nose is deep, fleshy and still quite obviously oaked – it really needs at least an hour before a majority of the volatile oak components to fade – slowly a little attractive green-shaded citrus comes into view. After the cut of the Chablis, this wine needs a complete reset of the palate as it’s so louche and overtly oaked. Long, very tasty, but today less fun than the Chablis that preceded it – so drink them the other way around if you must, then you will see a little more of the minerality in the fine finishing flavours here 🙂
Rebuy – Maybe

1999 Frederic Esmonin, Griottes-Chambertin
The last vintage of this ‘Maison’ wine chez Fred, also one of the rare labels where Griotte is spelt with an ‘s.’ The cork was a good one, coming out in one piece.
Last tasted about 10 years ago, this was a deliciously lush wine – today it’s much more finely proportioned – boned even – with a direction to the flavour. The nose is not full power but it’s definitely, invitingly, complex and deep, with no hint of balsamic – the top notes are a mix of cherry stone and floral perfume. Medium weight wine but far, far from medium enjoyment. The texture is velvet and still shows some textural depth tooA beauty!
Rebuy – Yes – the old price was less than £30, though that was unremarkable versus Philippe Engel’s Echézeaux which was only £25!

An obvious homage to the 2017 vintage of this wine, tasted and very much enjoyed this weekend. This 1995 was one of a number of vintages of this cuvée that I bought at auction more than 10 years ago – it was a very grumpy, tannic, far from enjoyable wine back then – and today?

1995 Vaudoisey-Creusefond, Pommard 1er Les Epenots
The cork extracts almost in one piece, just a layer of about 2mm breaking off into the bottle – in this case easily rescued with a little cutlery.
Medium, bricked colour – it’s clearly a wine of colour maturity – practically browning at the rim. Hmm, that’s really quite an attractive nose; spiced, maybe a warm suggestion of cinnamon. In the mouth, this is deeply flavoured and shows a width of leather, musk and spice flavours. The acidity is not completely smooth – but 90% – it’s okay. Complex, tasty, absorbingly interesting wine. The first day still with plenty of cushioned red fruit, the second day shows much less – but still nothing oxidative/balsamic. Very good.
Rebuy – Maybe

My May 2020 look at 2018 Pouilly-Fuissés found a surprisingly balanced and delicious range of wines – even some of the larger négoce cuvées were outstanding – Louis Max’s wine practically being my white wine ‘buy’ of the year. As we can see, it doesn’t always work that way though:

2018 Baronne du Chatelard, Pouilly-Fuissé
Medium depth of young lemon-yellow colour. The nose has just a little herby/zesty interest and decent width of aroma too. Easy over the palate, easy in the flavours, modest bitters in the equally modestly citrussy finish. A wine that’s simply too easy, practically to the point of becoming a little bland. Tasty but, essentially, far too forgettable in the context of so many surprisingly good wines from this hot vintage.
Rebuy No

All robust corks. The first three wines were from dinner on Friday, the RSV I opened on Saturday – as usual, the PX in the image was very good, but not great:

2012 Dampt Frères, Chablis Les Preuses
Magnum.
A strong but young-looking yellow colour. The first sniff of the first pour and there’s something a little herbed in the flavour but not the aroma which is chalky, nicely defined and very attractively citrus. I would have guessed a well-concentrated classic Chablis even if it hadn’t been my wine! Delicious, layered, a little fat but with the classically cristal-clean, citrus-edged, flavours of my favourite vintage – 2012. We were lucky it was a magnum! In fine vintages, this is a very useful address!
Rebuy – Yes

2017 Vaudoisey-Creusefond, Pommard 1er Les Epenots
Served blind – a little knowledge can be a dangerous thing! Apparently a wine made with relatively young vines – about 13-14 at the time of this.
The nose starts with a lot of creamy oak, but it’s fortunately quite transient/volatile – slowly it’s a floral perfume that comes centre-stage – violets – very attractive. The palate largely mirrors the nose with lots of creamy oak, but also with a clarity of good fruit too – becoming ever-more perfumed. I like the structure here – all is decently concentrated but properly structured too. A young wine, I guess 2016 as it was quite a concentrated wine, the structure and perfume sending me to Chambolle-Musigny – oh well! At least I was close on the vintage 🙂
Rebuy – Yes

1996 Jean Grivot, Richebourg
In my cellar for exactly 20 years and cost the princely sum of 80 Swiss francs – the 1999 cost nearly 250! And wow – this was singing! Something of a baby for sure, but it was open and delicious, properly ‘grand’ wine. Not a drop was left in the bottle. I last tasted in 99 when it was all tannin and acid intensity, today it is wonderfully balanced. By far my ‘greatest’ 1996. There was a certain clarity of flavour to this wine that I’ve not experienced with other Grivot cuvées of the ‘era’ – it really makes me wonder if the winemaking was the same as for the other wines – I remember the 1995 also having great clarity of fruit which is so rarely my impression with the wines from this estate in the 1990s.
A nose of depth and complexity – the first pour showing a suggestion of balsamic – it must have been associated with the cork/headspace of the wine (it had been standing for a week) as all the subsequent pours were perfect. Deep, deep, flavoured, complex, powerful, far from a mature wine but absolutely ready. The finish shimmered with flavour long after swallowing. The balance is wonderful here, the forward acidity of its youth wrapped with quite enough depth of flavour. Bravo – clearly a great wine – drink now or wait another 20 years, I hardly think it matters!
Rebuy – Yes A case at the old price!

2002 Charles Thomas, Romanée Saint Vivant
A wide nose, complex and more classically ‘Vosne’ than the Grivot – day 2 (despite a night in the fridge) brought some balsamic-style oxidation. Wide and rather silky for this estate – though keep the wine in your mouth long enough and the tannin does start to make its presence felt. A good finish here. This is very good wine and would be a rebuy at the old price – I suspect that it’s somewhat more expensive chez Dujac today though 🙂 As noted above the wine is more diffuse and shows a modestly oxidative element in the mix on day 2 – so you know what to do – drink it all on the first night, as it’s very tasty.
Rebuy – Yes