My first sip left me underwhelmed, but this really grew both in the glass and on me.
2006 Domaine Lejeune, Pommard 1er Les Argillières
Medium, medium-plus colour. The nose starts with chalky, powdery fruit, slowly opening a deeper dimension thats edged with caramel. The tannin builds to a little grain but is ripe and mainly fine textured, it also attaches caramel flavours to your gums before they very slowly fade – good length. It’s certainly a little behind the concentration of the 2005, but its sweet fruit clearly shows premier cru complexity. Very well balanced, and whilst it gives the impression of being a little dilute to start, most of the flavour comes from the mid-palate onwards and it’s great flavour if a little barrel derived.
Rebuy – Yes

2006 Lamblin et Fils, Chablis Vieilles Vignes
Pale yellow. The nose is bright and forward with plenty of candied fruit; pineapple and grapefruit. Mouth-filling and quite fat, the texture is very silky/oily. Certainly very rich for a villages and a massive bargain at 86 francs for 6 bottles – provided you don’t want for a little more acidity – and I do! I’ll certainly look out for the 2007 though!
Rebuy – Maybe

2006 des Varoilles, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Clos des Varoilles
A slight update to the label for this vintage. Only just a little more than medium colour. Wide, quite high-toned floral, violet aromatics, underneath a more cherry-type fruit. The palate is soft, slightly fat and shows good fruit that’s edged with a little bitter chocolate / coffee. A reasonable amount of decently grained tannin – perhaps not 100% ripe given a trace of bitterness, but tannin fades. Good acidity and a very nice burst of interest in the mid-palate. Drunk over 3 days it was just a little better each day and the only thing lost was that bitter edge to the tannin. A very nice 2006.
Rebuy – Yes

Drunk at lunch and dinner last week during the harvest in Beaune:
2006 Catherine et Claude Maréchal, Bourgogne Aligoté
Apparently made in a ‘hyperoxigenated’ way. Medium yellow. The first aromas are high-toned over a base of fruit that reminds me of pinot blanc. In the mouth it starts a little spritzy but slowly became softer in the glass. Blind, I didn’t guess aligoté. Reasonably long, relatively light bodied but with good balance.
Rebuy – Maybe
2006 Camille Giroud, Corton Chaumes
2 barrels, one new, made with 50% whole clusters from 90 year-old vines – sadly now ripped out and planted with chardonnay which may take the (more commercially attractive) Corton-Charlemagne appellation. Medium, medium-pale colour. The nose starts tight, slowly opening with red and blue-skinned fruit and an undertow of subtle stems – goes from strength to strength in the glass. In the mouth it starts with a little gas. It’s a narrow entry that suddenly widens into a very complex mid-palate and plenty of length – though much of that is still contributed to by the oak. A super ‘sniffer’s’ wine that kept improving in the glass. A super mid-term wine.
Rebuy – Yes
1998 Casanuova delle Cerbaie, Brunello di Montalcino
A deep and dark core of fruit on the nose, slowly you also get pretty red fruit and a hint of anise. Mouth-filling, plenty of tannin, but after the tannin hurdle it slides slowly into a nice finish. Very young wine…
Rebuy – Maybe
The bottle of Griotte from last week had some strange taint from the cork, this cork also had a similar smell though on a lower order – fortunately I couldn’t detect it in the wine. That said, I expected this wine to be a little better so maybe it was still influencing(?)
2006 Chézeaux/Ponsot, Clos St.Denis (Tres) Vieilles Vignes
Medium, medium-plus colour. A wide nose of delicate red and black berries, some high-toned alcoholic notes and a little dried cranberry. The palate needed time in the glass – a little prickly – becoming ever-smoother and and longer, showing the silkiest of tannins. I have to say that it impressed but didn’t ‘wow’ – normally I am wowed by this cuvée.
Rebuy – Yes