1999 Ghislaine Barthod, Chambolle-Musigny
Medium, medium-plus ruby-red colour. The nose is very high toned, just a little metallic and is faintly red in tone – over 90 minutes there is little more showing. A little sweetness, rather linear and some intensity too. The acidity is mouth-watering and the length almost good. Linear and giving little today – but many villages and 1er cru wines from 1999 are showing in quite a similar way right now. Seems an okay wine but one that’s best left in the cellar for at least a couple more years. Day two this has much more depth and interest – confirming that it’s time to leave in the cellar.
Rebuy – Maybe

1998 Denis Mortet, Gevrey-Chambertin
Medium-plus ruby-red colour. The nose still shows plenty of woodsmoke and a trace of ash – time in the glass brings higher tones and fainter red fruits to fill the scene. Very good texture with a real extra dimension of creamy black fruit on the mid-palate and into a finish that still shows a little bitter oak. The oak is far from dominant on the palate but is still a loud voice. The tannins remain grainy and a little astringent. For my taste the oak is one or two notches too high – still.
Rebuy – No

Okay, okay – I know this a 1er Cru and costs much more than the village Barthod, but I needed to see some improvement to get me over the awful weekend weather. What we have here is a wine that Burgundy afficionados will swirl and cajoule, sniff and slurp and find many subtle facets. Those who prefer their wines more ‘up-front’ might be left a little disappointed :
2001 Bertagna, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Les Plantes
Medium ruby-red colour. The nose is quite creamy with toffee-edged understated red fruit and wider higher tones. The palate is rather fine but rather slender; it’s very well textured with faintly grained tannin and really good length. I think it needs a little extra density for stardom, but this is a lovely subtle and complex wine.
Rebuy – Yes

I bought a full case of this ‘en-primeur’ – frankly almost every bottle has disappointed due to an excess of sulfur;
Bottle one – undrinkable for 2 days due to strong bottle stink (1999), bottle 2 (2001) undrinkable as the sulfur never lifted – even after 2 days. Bottle 3 (2004) started stinky but slowly improved becoming almost good as did another bottle last year – here’s another try.
1996 Ghislaine Barthod, Chambolle-Musigny
A soft and spongy cork. The colour is a medium-plus ruby red showing just a faint amber edge. The first note is a hard sulfur note and it takes quite some time to lift, slowly a quite striking violet note over soft red cherry comes through – quite a compelling impression. The palate starts quite short, but lengthens in tandem with the improvement in the nose. The tannin is still quite astringent and the overall impression is still a little harsh. The acidity is good and the nose eventually shines but this wine remains the Curate’s egg. If you want to drink now, decant or open a couple of hours before pouring.
Rebuy – No
I’ll give the 1999 a run for its money this week to see if I can say something nice about a Barthod – everyone else thinks they’re great!

1996 Leroy (Maison) Bourgogne Rouge
I bought a case of this in ’98 and that first bottle majored on mouth-puckering acidity; time has worked a little magic. Medium ruby red. The nose is a mix sweet red cherry and not too heavy plum. Nicely textured, this is elegant, again nicely plummy red fruit with very good but certainly not overstated acidity. The finish is understated and interesting. The table finished this bottle in double-quick time! There’s lots of life left in these bottles.
Rebuy – Yes

These wine all tasted in their last week or two in barrel. Xavier Meyney (NP business manager) was was a little disappointed how the wines were showing from barrel – saying that we were out of phase with the moon – despite his disappointment, these wines did little to hide their apparent quality. We started with a good quartet of Nuits – the last was a real cracker – it may be a little dull, but there’s little here I wouldn’t buy:
2005 Nicolas Potel, Nuits St.Georges 1er Pruliers
A tight nose with an undercurrent of bright red fruit. Powerful but with fine tannins and super intense mid-palate. There is just a little oak-derived bitterness on the long finish, but this will quickly fade. Sauve and accomplished for a Nuits
Rebuy – Yes
2005 Nicolas Potel, Nuits St.Georges 1er Murgers
This vineyard sits close to ‘Richemone’ from 45 year-old vines. Much more ebullient nose, just an edge of malo to be found but this is wide and interesting. Also very fine tannin and intense concentration. It’s hard to hold in the mouth and has super acidity. Just a little oak-derived texture on the good finish. A wine that impresses.
Rebuy – Yes
2005 Nicolas Potel, Nuits St.Georges 1er Damodes
A dense nose that still shows a little malo and just a little reduction too – it starts deep and tight, but slowly widens. The palate is well delineated and a little mineral. Good acidity and the tannins are so well covered they are just an after-thought.
Rebuy – Yes
2005 Nicolas Potel, Nuits St.Georges 1er Boudots
There’s plenty to see on the nose, and it’s not just about fruit – a nice toffee note comes through too. In the mouth it’s all about fresh fruit and acidity followed by a real extra kick of concentration in the mid-palate and into the finish. This really does have an extra dimension vs the last wines and comes across just a little Vosne-like. Really super, bravo.
Rebuy – Yes
2005 Nicolas Potel, Vosne-Romanée 1er Petits Monts
A dark and interesting nose of spice-edged damson and a suggestion of toffee. A subtle and elegant wine, with real depth and quite some complexity. Slightly grainy tannin is a fleeting impression before the acidity whisks you into the long finish.
Rebuy – Yes I did.
2005 Nicolas Potel, Vosne-Romanée 1er Malconsorts
Understated, edgy, coffee-tinged fruit on the nose – the nose never really expands in our time together. Roll this concentrated wine around in your mouth and you get sweet, dense fruit and many dimensions of flavour. The wine still seems to be opening out as you move from the mid-palate into the finish – a peacock’s tail.
Rebuy – Yes

We sampled both the brassy and forward Echezeaux and the denser, more sullen Clos de Vougeot, both were impressive, but both showed too much gas on the palate for a formal note.
2005 Nicolas Potel, Chambertin Clos de Bèze
A very fine and sweet nose with well delineated fruits – very impressive. Wow – almost everything is available here; concentration, never-ending complexity and dimension. Marvellous, multidimensional stuff. This wine almost left me out of breath!
Rebuy – Yes I did!
2005 Nicolas Potel, Bonnes-Mares
A deep nose that also shows quite some width. Warming and swirling fills in the picture with some higher toned notes. Big and impressive in the mouth with chocolate covered fruits and a wave of tannin that keeps abreast of the fruit. Incredibly impressive stuff, but for my own preference it’s just a little brutal today. Really impressive stuff.
Rebuy – Yes

Whilst I thought François and Denis Clair’s Dents de Chien was an okay wine at the price, this is on a completely different level, and to be frank, not that much more expensive…
2004 Alex Gambal, St.Aubin 1er Les Murgers des Dents de Chien
Pale lemon-yellow. A smooth nose of brioche and mineral notes and some quite bready depth – very appealing. This really stands apart on the palate, very good acidity coupled to nice minerality, yet there is good mid-palate impact. The finish is just a little oak driven at the moment, but this wine has drive and personality. Everyone enjoyed this very much.
Rebuy – Yes

Three more bottled wines:
2005 Nicolas Potel, Nuits St.Georges
A fresh and forward, though initially slightly diffuse nose of predominantly red fruit – becomes more interesting and ‘coulis’ in style in the glass. The concentrated palate strikes a masculine pose. Good acidity and intensity too. The finish is a good one, there’s nothing wimpy about this rather ‘honest’ bottle of Nuits. Recommended.
Rebuy – Yes
2005 Nicolas Potel, Gevrey-Chambertin
This wine also starts a little slowly the glass, but after a short while the aromatics become quite interesting with faint coffee supporting a nice black fruit profile. In the mouth this is very wide and concentrated with a little grain to the tannin. There’s real mid-palate intensity and just a little oak texture on the long finish. Very high-class villages.
Rebuy – Yes
2005 Nicolas Potel, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Lavaux St.Jacques
Medium-plus colour. The nose is similar to the village gevrey – if anything tighter, more understated and consistent. Very intense; this is hard to keep in your mouth. Super acidity dovetails with plenty of tannin. Despite the concentration the personality is rather cool, clean, mineral and understated.
Rebuy – Yes