All tasted, as is the habit, blind – the identities only revealed for the photos – after the notes were written.
Unfortunately, no ‘Bravo / Great Wines’ but I did highlight the modest number that I found excellent. As noted in my January report there’s a high percentage of wines that are showing green, pyrazine, notes.
2020 Bourgogne Côtes Auxerre Rouge
Almost all, with a greater or lesser extent, of greener, pyrazine notes.
2020 Domaine Petitjean, Bourgogne Côtes Auxerre
Transparent but still with plenty of colour. A crunchy fresh fruit with, today, a small accent of greenery. Wide, fresh, joyously mouth-watering. There’s energy here too with an intense wave of finishing flavour. This wine is a very subtle green note – but today it’s very attractive at this low level. Yum – a summer terrace wine.
2020 Domaine Petitjean, Bourgogne Côtes Auxerre Les Boisseaux
There’s more colour here. A narrower nose – of similar tones – except for an extra depth of dark fruit. Hmm – an extra depth to the flavour too – super textured. Here’s a premium cuvée if ever there was one. The modest note of green on the nose is not visible in the flavours – though maybe the oak is masking it a little today. Still, an excellent Bourgogne!
2020 Domaine Philippe Sornin, Bourgogne Côtes Auxerre
More transparent colour again. This nose is full of wide red fruit energy – perfumed. Wide, silky, a subtle green accent but another wine where the accent is fine as it’s so discrete. A faint sizzle of tannin frames these flavours. That’s another fine Bourgogne.
2020 Romain Sornin, Bourgogne Côtes Auxerre 1577
A thinner red fruit – it even smells a little astringent. Certainly not the same level of ripeness as the previous wines – energy, red fruit but a structure to wait for – traditionally green rather than any pyrazines… Certainly, a wine that stands out!
2020 Domaine Felix et Fils, Bourgogne Côtes Auxerre
Deeper colour – the floral perfume is more overtly accented with pyrazines and a more cooked red fruit. The cooked fruit theme is evident in the flavours too. Plenty of tannin but with a fine grain and not really astringent. Another ‘individual’ wine…
2020 Clotilde Davenne, Bourgogne Côtes Auxerre
Deeper colour again. A nose similar to the previous wine but with an extra dash of freshness, faint oak and partly masked pyrazine. In the mouth, this is really good – wide and mouth-filling. Lots of flavour energy – indeed just energy but there’s a certain class to the structure and shape of this wine. Very good – possibly with more to come…
2020 PL&JF Bersin, Bourgogne Côtes Auxerre Cuvée Marianne
Freshness and a hint of green to plenty of good fruit. The wine with the most dryness so far but here is a cool fruit almost a hint of sweetened rhubarb – but in a creamy, good, way. I really like this lip-smacking finish!
2020 Bourgogne Epineuil
Of course, an appellation for red wines.
2020 Domaine Alain Mathias, Bourgogne Epineuil
A compact nose yet one of great depth – pyrazine-accented. Easy, concentrated but never fat – this sits beautifully in the mouth with a fine mouth-watering style. Modestly creamy-oaked in the middle and always mouth-watering. A super, if slightly sweet, wine!
2020 Alain Mathias, Bourgogne Epineuil Côte de Grisey
Plenty of colour. A nose of width, slightly higher-toned, some green, yet attractive, accents. Mouth-filling – like the last a certain sweetness but deliciously mouth-watering too. The fruit is deliciously cordial in style and the structure is almost completely hidden. Another really super wine.
A fine nose – purity of fresh, crunchy fruit. Impact, slightly structural, sinuous in shape – a wine to wait a little time for – maybe a year – not more. Simply excellent!
2020 Dominique Gruhier, Bourgogne Epineuil, Côte de Grisey
Not a ‘full’ nose but one that still shows some perfumed energy. Direct, lots of freshness yet there’s plenty of concentration here too. Slightly herbal but very delicious a super wine.
2020 Dominique Gruhier, Bourgogne Epineuil Cuvée Juliette
This nose is shy – but with some violet accents. Mouth-filling, framed with a little dryness of tannin but hardly any grain. A very faint green in the finishing flavours but there’s tasty energy here with this wine!
2020 Dominique Gruhier, Bourgogne Epineuil, L’ame des Dannots
An open, ‘easier’ nose – slightly darker fruit. Open in the mouth too – a little more structural in style with an almost chalky finishing tannin and flavour – always with the darker fruit flavour. I think this is good.
2020 Domaine Marsoif, Bourgogne Epineuil Cuvée Croix des Templiers
A deeper nose of round fruit – slightly cooked in style but slowly evolving a little perfume too. Cordial fruit and a lot of freshness in the mouth – just a faint austerity to the structure here – but with very tasty flavours – some flashes of fine fruit clarity.
2020 Simonnet-Febvre, Bourgogne Epineuil
Probably the palest colour of this tasting. Shy red fruit aroma – but of good purity. A mouthful of freshness – but not really anything of austerity or green. Easy-drinking good wine with a sneakily good finish.
2020 Courtault-Michelet, Bourgogne Epineuil
A nose of medium intensity – but vibrating with red-fruit energy too. Mouth-filling, good energy, even a touch of salinity. A little thin for the first flavours but the middle and finish are really lovely with a fine and pure red fruit. That’s very good!
2020 Vézelay
2020 Simonnet-Febvre, Vézelay
A broad and inviting sherbet freshness – lovely. Silky – growing in width over the palate. Some stone-fruit style. Despite its concentration, always of interest and just enough energy. Delicious wine.
2020 La Croix Montjoie, Vézelay l’impatiente
A heavy bottle – a black mark!
More golden colour. A little deeper and more golden fruit aromas. Extra width and more fresh attack to these flavours. Ripe fruit but never awkward. More structural with extra flavour depth in the middle and finish – a lingering more mineral impression from this wine too. This needs a bit more time than the previous wine – it could be very good – but wait 12 months.
2020 La Croix Montjoie, Vézelay l’elegante
A heavy bottle – a black mark again!
A finer width of energetic invitation – lovely. Fresh and incisive. Mobile over the palate, a fine grain of tannin contributes well to its texture too. An appley-style to this fruit flavour. Despite starting well – probably still my third-favourite in this series.
An even heavier bottle – or my arm is getting tired! – the blackest mark!
Despite the width of this aroma, it is the most compact of all. Clean and incisive to start – open – beautifully shaped and perfectly balanced – except – the oak is a little too much for my delicate palate today. Give this 12 months and I dare say that it will be just as excellent and a better fit for my taste. Still the best wine!
2020 Bourgogne Côtes d’Auxerre & Tonnerre Blanc
2020 Domaine Alain Mathias, Bourgogne Tonnerre, Côte de Grisey
Golden colour. A chalky freshness of aroma. Mouth-filling, there are layers to this flavour – plenty of concentration – still a slightly golden style to the fruit flavour with attractively faint green highlights. Tasty wine!
A narrower and more saline nose. More direct, mouth-watering and mineral. This feels super in the mouth with a fine depth of complex, mineral finishing flavour – that’s excellent!
Quite a heavy bottle!
Almost a little Mâcon-style quince ripeness – but still fresh. Broad and cool over the palate – lots of energy and a slight prickle of gas and tannin. Deliciously mouth-watering in the finish. The wine is super here. Another excellent wine.
2020 Domaine Dominique Gruhier, Bourgogne Tonnerre
Another black mark – for the heavy bottle!
Golden colour. Vibrant and golden fruited aromatics. A lot of gas in this wine. Some similarities in fruit style the quince of the last – but again finishing broad and deliciously energetic!
2020 Clotilde Davenne, Bourgogne Côtes d’Auxerre Blanc
The first nose with an obvious green accent. Fresh, lots of energy, a subtle green accent to otherwise interesting and energetic flavours. Still good – helped by the mouth-watering tasty finish!
2020 Domaine Marsoif, Bourgogne Tonnerre Cuvée de Marguerite
The most forward nose – energetic, slightly green but always invitingly complex. Plenty of dry tannin to frame the flavours – but the line of flavour through the middle of this is very attractive. Long finishing too – that’s potentially very good.
2020 Domaine PF & JL Bersan, Bourgogne Côtes d’Auxerre Blanc
Heavy bottle again…
Golden colour. Fresh and silky width of aroma – quite mineral. Silky and mineral in the mouth too – the oak is in the background though present, adding a little caramel style to this flavour. Overall there’s a sophistication to the shape and texture of this wine – but the flavour doesn’t deliver to the same extent. But good!
2020 Philippe Sornin, Bourgogne Côtes d’Auxerre Rosé
More golden than pink. Some width of slightly creamy aroma. Fresh, cushioned yet still quite incisive. Supple, generous in flavour style. The finish is the tastiest part. Good!