Blind-tasted, this was a very highly-rated wine back in 2013 – another from Ardhuy actually won the tasting – I’ll open that one on Friday.

2009 Ardhuy, Corton Renardes
This has a great nose; starting faintly creamy (lactic), with deliciously inviting dark cherry plus a note of violets that slowly evolves, becoming ever-more intense. Wow, that’s silky, at the same time it’s intense, with layered, beautiful, fruit. There’s structure too, but for all that is disappointing me today – it seems like there’s a bit of bitterness from the oak that’s still hanging on in there. Aromatically fabulous, but the palate is far from accomodating today. Maybe it will be ready at 15? Or 20? Today, half a great wine. If I look back at my note from 2013, this wine has hardly changed…
Rebuy – Maybe

The variety of Burgundy in 3 bottles:

2013 Comte Liger-Belair, Nuits St.Georges 1er Aux Cras
Like Louis-Michel’s 2013 villages Vosnes, there’s a little reduction here – but here it’s on a much lower level than those wines. The wine starts round – both the aromas and the flavours – I find a surprising amount of fat and depth here. This wine needs about an hour of aeration to deliver the more classical aspects of this vineyard – more flowers, less fat and an excellently developing line of flavour – here is the structure that I’ve been waiting for but not at the expense of texture – and it’s why I buy this wine. If you are tempted to try one of these, decant. Really super…
Rebuy – Yes

2010 Clotilde Davenne, Saint-Bris Vieilles-Vignes
Screw-cap.
Now here’s a little more colour than recent wines. The aroma is of more impact but also invitation than the young Saint-Bris of Gueguen, last week. In the mouth too – broad, well concentrated, deliciously flavoured with good intensity to boot. Here is a delicious wine that’s far too easy to drink – at its apogee? Maybe – the bottle drains far too quickly!
Rebuy – Yes

2018 Thillardon, Chénas Coup Double
The name is a nod to the young twins of Paul-Henri Thillardon.
Modest colour. A nose of easy invitation – red-fruited with a suggestion of flowers too. Ooh – that’s a palate to sink into – easy, open but still with depth of flavour. It’s a sweet wine like many from the vintage, but it’s never intense, always cushioning. Love…
Rebuy – Yes

2017 François Carillon, St.Aubin 1er Pitangerets (Red)
Like many from the south of the Côte d’Or in 2017 – no more than medium colour. Aromatically, here’s a lovely core of sweet and attractive red fruit – swirl long enough and I even think we have little violet flowers in here too. I like the energy very much here, it’s also a wine with a satisfying but not austere structure. Mineral finishing. This is very satisfying wine – I like it a lot.
Rebuy – Yes

2018 Clos de la Poulettes, Côte de Nuits Villages Chardonnay
A bounding puppy of energy here. A wine with a certain attractive sucrosity to balance the energy – both aroma and flavour. It’s an endearing wine, with its forward pineapple-style flavour, though by the third glass(!), maybe I’m starting to tire of it a little. Still, a big and tasty mouthful of wine that delivers a fine quality for a good price.
Rebuy – Maybe

2002 Louis Jadot, Vosne-Romanée 1er Les Petits Monts
Of course, it’s a direct comparison with the 2002 Hudelot-Noellat Suchots from a few days ago. This wine is the less complex, easier-going sibling. The nose is inviting and reasonably complex – though far behind what you can find in the Suchots. In the mouth, however, this is a wine that’s much more readily attractive due to an extra sweetness of fruit. Clearly less complex but a tasty wine that’s more moreish than the Suchots at this stage – it’s completely ready. I remember Jacques Lardière telling me that Petits Monts was only a ‘second division’ Vosne 1er – maybe the fruit that he had access to? – but in this comparison, he’s got it right. But this is also the more drinkable of the two at this age. A small amount of wine left for day 2 was less interesting – so drink all on day 1!
Rebuy – Yes – at the old price!

2017 Céline et Frédéric Gueguen, Saint-Bris
I think that it must have been our apero of cheesy-biscuits, but here’s a wine that began in an anonymous way – little flavour or aroma from opening. After about 20 minutes it was either opening, or we were becoming more open to the wine. Modest sauvignon character with a little mint. Fresh with good energy. A tasty wine, though still a slight wine. Refreshing and interesting all the same – also good value wine too!
Rebuy – Maybe