Either through simple bad luck, or a poor connection with the domaine’s elevage, and despite the renown of this particular cuvée, here’s a wine that I’ve never really enjoyed, and in many vintages too. This shows quite well though!

2016 Jean-Luc & Eric Burguet, Gevrey-Chambertin Mes Favourites Vieilles-Vignes
There’s aromatic concentration here, a little herb and eventually, a little sour cherry fruit – the more the aeration the more attractive it becomes and I’m slowly starting to see a real invitation to drink. The flavour is herbed again, like the nose, but with fine concentration for a villages wine and there’s an energy to match. Fresh and complex finishing – still quite a herby wine but overall this is still attractive in style and a good drink too.
Rebuy – Maybe

2017 Guy Amiot, Chassagne-Montrachet Vieilles-Vignes
Here’s a faintly floral character – a softer nose – but, all the same, very attractive. Only modest sweetness for the vintage but with a good level of concentration – indeed this has a lovely combination of concentration but balance too – clearly with plenty of complexity. If you want stricter, more mineral sweeping lines, look elsewhere, but this is excellent and it drank much faster than it probably should have!
Rebuy – Yes

2006 Gilles Bouton, Blagny 1er Sous Le Puits
Unlike many recent ones – here’s a good cork; robust and well-seated.
The nose starts with much invitation, a modest maturity but with both energy and depth – this brings a great first impression. The flavour is a little more attenuated than the nose, finishing with a modest astringency from the tannin – just a little rustic – and certainly not more interestingly flavoured than better Bourgognes. Day two and, as luck would have it, the nose is less impressive but the flavours and general shape are nicer than on day one. Gilles makes classier whites than reds, given that, I’m impressed by his resolve to stick with pinot here, because I’m sure that I’d be enjoying much more a Puligny 1er from him! Not strictly a bad wine, but you can do much better for red Blagny from the likes of Benjamin Leroux or Comtesse de Chérisey…
Rebuy – No

2007 Lignier-Michelot, Chambolle-Musigny Vieilles-Vignes
Oops – a cork that slides out way too easily – I’m almost surprised that the worm of the corkscrew didn’t push it deeper into the neck! It’s one of those, not very attractive, pale-looking things – it looks peroxide washed.
Given the cork, I wouldn’t have been surprised if the wine was prematurely aged – certainly, the colour is far from youthful – but the nose confounds me with quite a muffled and reductive start – the flavours playing a similar game. Only 10 minutes from opening and there’s a significant improvement; the nose remains a little clumsy but has flashes of Chambolle fruit – the palate too – but a little better than the nose. The half a bottle that made it into day 2 didn’t hold up well. Maybe I should blame the cork, but on this outing…
Rebuy – No

2007 Fourrier, Morey St.Denis Clos Solon Vieilles-Vignes
Another unimpressive cork, indeed an infuriating cork that breaks in half, the last part coming out in one piece – but only just! Fortunately, it seems, nonetheless, to have been a good seal and has a decent (untreated) colour.
Like the Lignier-Michelot, the colour is showing some age. Also a wine with a little aromatic reduction – but you can almost blink and then it’s gone – maybe 5 minutes at the most – I neither ‘shook’ nor decanted this bottle. The nose freshens nicely, and with each little swirl, you get a floral reward. In the mouth, it’s fuller and deeper flavoured than the Chambolle – more clarity of flavour and with a fineness of structure that I’m really appreciating. This is a lovely wine – despite the cork. Yum!
Rebuy – Yes

2007 Camille Giroud, Chapelle-Chambertin
The best cork of the lot – a Trescases for what that’s worth. It looks untreated and was well-sealed and robust.
Like the previous wines, the colour here is far from young – as I may have expected from a 2000 or 2001, but I’m surprised by the aged consistency of these colours – here the Chapelle is also the lightest coloured of all these wines too – it’s barely medium intensity. But here’s a nose that delivers far more than ‘medium’ intensity – full and round at the base, initially a little creamy, let is stand in the glass and there’s forest-floor and even a suggestion of balsamic, swirl and you have a heady weight of floral perfume – now we are talking! In the mouth, the shape and weight of their flavours belie the colour – complex, initially silky and even more floral perfumed than the nose – what a wine. Slowly a hint of structure, worth calling-out as faint rusticity, creeps into the finishing impression – but it’s a wine that simply declaring its youth. Bravo – super wine!
Rebuy – Yes

So, this particular bottle of Lignier-Michelot is a little prematurely aged. The Fourrier has the youngest fruit, the Camille Giroud the youngest structure, both of these last two wines are simply excellent for their respective labels. Despite their colours, these 2007s have come on very well…