I have been lacking in my ‘home bottle’ notes of recent, mainly because I’ve been drinking plenty of my ‘home’ wines – ie ones that you’ve already seen too often in these pages – but here are a few different ones:

2020 Ardhuy, Vosne-Romanée 1er Les Chaumes
It was nearly the end of the week and the tasting bottles were too numerous for the domaine to do anything with – so one was thrust into my palms:
This a wine with ripe, dark-fruited, moderately spiced aromatics – and fine clarity too. A wine with ample energy despite a generous demeanour – a delicious wine. Very stable too – it drank beautifully over three evenings.
Rebuy – Yes

2017 Alex Gambal, St.Aubin 1er Murgurs des Dents du Chien
There’s still a little aromatic oak padding here but the nose is still an invitation. A wine of evident structure and fine mouth-watering flavour – but for my taste, the oak is still a little too dominant. I will return to this only in another 2-3 years – but with confidence given the DIAM seals.
Rebuy – Maybe

2012 Domaine Faiveley, Corton-Charlemagne
This was the last vintage (2012) where I long-term cellared any whites that were sealed with cork – having thrown away too many high-priced, potentially great wines, due to oxidation.
Rather a dark colour but happily no oxidation – indeed there’s more of a firework-style reduction here – and what a complexity of aroma too – not the full creaminess of an aged white – but it’s starting to appear – still with energy and plenty of ripe fruit too. In the mouth – oh yes – so complex. For the first years this was a wine that I found a little over-generous in shape and energy but today it’s taut – it has been in training – it’s a great, great wine – bravo!
Rebuy – Yes