A blend of Murgers and Vignes Rondes. There’s a layer of sous-bois to get through but below is good supporting fruit. In the mouth that fruit is ripe and sweet – nicely concentrated too. Tarry, staining flavours that are very long indeed. This needs a couple more years in the cellar but it’s frankly excellent.
2001
2001 de Courcel Pommard Grand Clos des Epenots
Medium colour with a hint of salmon red at the rim. Rose petals, faint stems and an undertow of meat on the nose. Still a little tannin, which, if you look closely enough has an element of astringency. Really interesting fruit that’s powdery and red with just enough sweetness – this really perks up with food. Very good but not yet great…
2001 de Courcel Pommard Grand Clos des Epenots
Medium colour with a hint of salmon red at the rim. Rose petals, faint stems and an undertow of meat on the nose. Still a little tannin, which, if you look closely enough, has an element of astringency. Really interesting fruit that’s powdery and red with just enough sweetness – this really perks up with food.
2001 Jadot Louis Gevrey-Chambertin Clos St.Jacques
The nose had a slightly burning, alcoholic top-note, below is a diffuse but deep layer of red fruit, augmented by occasional leafy aromas. The palate, whilst silky smooth, only serves to move you along the conveyor to the mid-palate, there waiting for you is a shrill mid-palate that whilst intense is not all that nice. Long but bitter finishing. I remember this being much, much better last time, though admittedly that was 4 years ago. I can only assume that cork must have have been the culprit!
2001 Angerville Marquis d' Volnay Clos des Ducs
A good medium, medium-plus colour. It’s an ever-changing nose, though not particularly in a good way: it starts a little diffuse and harsh, then there is a period of absolute red-fruited Volnay beauty followed again by diffuse and slightly green notes. You go through this cycle each time you top up your glass! In the mouth the fruit has a very nice perfume, reasonable density and there is some real persistence of flavour – yet the overall effect is slightly tart and certainly has a little ungainly tannin. It contains some great Volnay references, but it’s far from a great Clos des Ducs…
2001 Château de Puligny-Montrachet Puligny-Montrachet Les Folatières
A rather deep, initially worrysome colour. Fortunately the nose betrays nothing unmentionable though it’s a little heavy, indeed ponderous. In the mouth it’s wide, a little fat and certainly has lots of mid-palate flavour. There is just about enough acidity for balance. The fruit starts sweet but the finish is a little more sour. The finish has a decent length. Whilst this was a beauty when younger, if I had more in the cellar I’d be drinking them all this year.
2001 Girardin Vincent Puligny-Montrachet Combettes
2001 Fourrier Vougeot Les Petits Vougeots Vieilles Vignes
Medium ruby-red colour, still a hint of cherry-red. There’s a little herb and an undercurrent of red fruit – everything is quite tidy. In the mouth this is barely medium-bodied, very slightly acid-forward (but that’s its age) but smooth overall. A little tight, but not unrewarding. Actually far better than my first bottle of this some years ago…
2001 Long-Depaquit Chablis Vaillons
Medium golden colour. The nose has some high tones of green-skinned fruit that balances a honied base enough to retain a fresh impression. Width and a little sweet fat – the acidity is fresh though from time to time nearly spiky. The flavours are mineral, a little baked bread and a final salty tang. The finish is quite long and totally savoury.