This villages wine costs the same as the producer’s premier crus – why? – the words ‘vignes centenaire’ give the game away…
2005 Marchand-Grillot, Gevrey-Chambertin Champerrier
Medium, medium-plus colour. A somehow silky nose the starts with chocolate then higher-toned herbal aromatics over a tight red-fruit core. Good fat in the mouth and fine texture, the acidity works very well but there’s just a little spritz (which stayed for the whole 3 hours it was open) which gave the faint tannins a little extra texture. Persistent flavour – this really is a superb villages wine, less complex but currently more enveloping than the producer’s premier crus. Expensive but super.
Rebuy – Yes

Anyone care to suggest a list of wines made from 100 year-old (plus!) vines for a grand tasting in 2025?

Having enjoyed the 2005’s from this producer I bought a few more including a couple of little seen village lieu-dits. I expect tomorrow’s to be a little more special, though this is not bad either:
2005 Marchand-Grillot, Gevrey-Chambertin Jouise
A rarely seen villages name on this label. The colour is rather deep, as is the nose; dark, very faintly oaky cherry with a width of higher tones, as it warms there’s a latent hint of undergrowth. Poised, super acidity and a lingering, mouthwatering finish. There’s not the impact or intensity of the higher M-G wines, but this is a fine villages. So-far, up and down the range I’m very impressed by this producer – but okay, it’s ‘only’ the 2005 vintage…
Rebuy – Yes

Obviously made in quite a reduced style – so open an hour before drinking or dunk the contents of your bottle into the decanter.
2005 Remoissenet, Morey St.Denis 1er Clos des Ormes
Medium, medium-plus colour. The nose is rather deep, showing macerating dark-skinned cherry and just the faintest of dark oak is perfectly melded to it. After 10 minutes it smelled quite reduced, but another 10 minutes on it was clear. In the mouth there’s deep fruit and of understated intensity too – again the last accent is dark oak, but it’s not much and it’s a young wine. The acidity is good, and frankly the only negative is the slight spritz for the first 30 minutes it was open – after that it got better and better. The tannin is buried and the length is very good. I remember it not being not so cheap, but the quality is self evident. Leave a year+ to reduce that oak flavour…
Rebuy – Yes

2006 David Duband, Morey St.Denis 1er Clos Sorbé
Medium, medium-plus colour. Wide and high-toned aromatics, meaty and spicy but with more limited depth. Plenty of tannin, but it’s ripe and has a only a little astringency. The rest is well balanced and shows quite classy fruit with good complexity that’s judiciously edged with dark oak. From a density perspective, there’s less material here than many village wines from 2005, but it remains a good wine. Leave a year or two to let the tannins fade…
Rebuy – Yes

2005 Yvon Metras, Fleurie Printemps
Medium, medium-plus cherry red colour. What to make of the nose? Wide, fruit driven, definitely not pinot noir, but a rather fecund, almost dirty edge to the creamy summer-fruit nose – there is freshness and personality in spades – it’s sort of reduced but not… In the mouth it delivers less than the nose, but is smooth, balanced and just maybe there’s a bit of that ‘dirty’ thing going on in the mid-palate too. It’s Fleurie, and your grandmother may not like it, but I think it’s great. I think it’s even greater when I see the price!

I’ve no info on the domaine, but please fell free to inundate me with stuff! Anyway, this is the first of a couple of bottles I picked up…
1989 Andrée Taupenot, Pommard 1er Les Epenots
Medium, medium-minus colour – some amber at the rim. The nose starts with fungus and undergrowth to be replaced in short-order by dense, chocolate coated red fruits. The acidity starts a little pronounced, but also that slightly discordant note quickly fades. It’s fresh with a lovely burst of flavour in the mid-palate and still a rasp of tannin too. Good length. It has a hint of the rustic, but was devoured – a super bottle.
Rebuy – Yes