This is another very nice 2005 bourgogne – though an expensive one – at this price I would question the value when great Savigny 1ers (for example) cost only 1 euro more. That said if you find good regionals for less than €12 you should buy deeply. But how do these 2005’s stack upto the impressive regionals from 2003? I may be no great fan of the vintage, but the bourgognes remain exceptional; I opened a Chanson 03 which is a decent example of the genre (though desperately simple compared to the Camille Giroud 2003) and it ‘wowed’ the crowds when compared to this Roulot which was a little austere by comparison. Just one more angle…
2005 Domaine Roulot, Bourgogne Rouge
Another 05 bourgogne that’s deeply coloured and quite purple. Close your eyes and the first sniffs could convince you that it’s white wine in your glass – lightly toasted bread and well mannered oak of some depth – you have to concentrate to spot the background black cherry. The palate is fresh, showing plenty of mouth-watering acidity, some astringent tannin and good length with a faint edge of bitterness. Lots of personality again and again recommended, but at €16.50 it certainly doesn’t show the value of the Lignier-Michelot – or if your prepared to wait, the Arlaud.
Rebuy – Yes

Of the three 2005 bourgognes of the last nights, I would place the fun and interesting Lignier-Michelot in first place, followed by the much more sophisticated Arlaud which is demoted because of it’s not very great aromatics – at least on day – I would still probably spend my money elsewhere. Last place goes to the (still very good) Roulot simply because it’s so expensive, but on the plus side, it also shows character.

This cost a little less than one Euro more than the Arlaud, and for its character alone if your drinking now, it’s worth it – but if I’m honest, the Arlaud has a little more sophisticated texture and is certainly longer finishing.
2005 Domaine Lignier-Michelot, Bourgogne
Medium-plus colour with plenty of purple. Very understated nose – very little to say for the first glass, but glass two shows black cherry and a lovely red berry note as it drains. The palate is quite full, nicely textured and has good acidity that rolls into the finish. There’s a nice little burst in the mid-palate before you feel the slight astringence of the tannin. Lots of character here and enjoyed from the start.
Rebuy – Yes

2005 Domaine Arlaud, Bourgogne La Roncevie
Medium-plus colour with more than a hint of purple at the rim. The nose is (for me) disappointingly more like Beaujolais than pinot – for 60 minutes it’s completely unchanging. If the aromatics don’t really impress, I have to say the palate is a little more interesting: A narrow, lithe entry, quite some depth and dimension plus there’s lovely acidity pushing the finish rather long – probably too long for gamay. Overall I’m a little disappointed – the wine ‘only’ costs around €12 but tastes like a (almost good) €10 Beaujolais – I think it’s sourced from Gevrey vines but I get little sense of pinot, never mind Gevrey. In the interests of fairness I left some for day 2; it smells more like pinot – still understated, but almost good – it’s well crafted and there are no hard edges. Perhaps then, it will be more interesting in 2-3 years.
Rebuy – Maybe

2000 des Chézeaux, Gevrey-Chambertin
Medium-pale ruby-red. The nose starts with a waft of sweet oak, 2 minutes later it’s gone, replaced by a forward and ripe mix of strawberry/raspberry against a developing, more tertiary background. Sweet and soft with a good intensity in the mid-palate, the slowly mouthwatering finish is not bad either. This is a medium-weight wine that’s relatively easy drinking and simple but very tasty – shows the friendly side of the vintage.
Rebuy – Yes

This wine has wonderful packaging – Faiveley (who currently make this wine) will certainly not achieve the same level of interest – I expect, however, that the contents will be significantly improved, even if you don’t like the Faively style!
1996 Jaboulet-Vercherre, Beaune 1er Clos de l’Ecu
Medium-pale ruby-red. The nose has a high-toned start with a little resinous/green background, slowly a little jammier depth comes through. The palate is a little thin, with tart acidity, mild tannin and a rather unripe finish – if you persevere, your palate adjusts a little and there is some apparent sweetness – but I wouldn’t recommend it. Is this the worst wine I’ve opened this year? – well there was that 96 Lamadon Echézeaux, but more on that another day – for now this has that dubious award.
Rebuy – No Way

2005 Jean-Claude Boisset, Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er La Serpentière
Deeply coloured with a purple rim. Wide and high-toned aromatics on opening, very slowly deepens with black cherry and a snip of cream. Lithe entry, expanding in the mid palate with perfect acidity. The well-covered tannin is quite silky. Finally the nose is of redcurrant with a twist of tobacco – very nice. It’s young but a little easier to drink than the 05 Hautes Jarrons and certainly more elegant, but I just tend more towards the personality of the Hautes Jarrons – from 2012+
Rebuy – Yes

1996 Hospices de Beaune, Beaune 1er Cuvée Nicolas Rolin
A Chanson Père bottling. Medium-plus colour. The nose is deep and forward but throughout most of our time together it was always a little uncouth – there was finally a pretty red fruit note to save it. The palate is much better; density, very good acidity, background tannin and rather long – though like many from 96 the flavour profile is just a little metallic. Quite tasty but I wouldn’t go out of my way to buy more.
Rebuy – No

1997 D Rion, Nuits St.Georges Vignes Rondes
Medium-plus ruby-red. The nose starts with deep, musky oak, only very slowly does a lovely red berry note start to come through – actually it becomes very nice indeed.

The palate is lithe though concentrated and shows balanced acidity. The tannin is there but you must search hard to find it. The finish is long, but like the nose, rather oak driven and, hence, just a little bitter.

A good wine that is not at all easy to spot as a ’97 and needs at least another 3 years to start coming into maturity.

Rebuy – Yes

Hallelulia! I was beginning to fall out with Guy!

His wines are honest and tasty, never the nth degree of class or complexity – but always fulfilling that important question: Did you enjoy it? – yes. Last week I came home from travels and decided what better to recover than Guy’s 1999 Clos de la Roche – hmm – horribly corked! So last night after a hard couple of days I though; ‘okay the 1998’. First sniff was okay, second… cork., I swore under my breath!

So why not continue the sequence with 1997…

1997 Guy Castagnier, Clos de la Roche
Medium ruby-red colour with more than a passing shade of amber at the rim. The fresh nose has some lovely componets; high tones, coffee, sweet undergrowth, unfortunately they don’t really meld together in a particularly interesting way. The palate has more interest, starting with a narrow entry it opens nicely on the mid-palate and shows good intensity. The acidity sticks out a little but there is sweetness and a very impressive length. Overall there’s no real class here – it’s very drinkable despite the rough edges, but hardly a grand cru experience – at least it wasn’t corked!
Rebuy – No