2005 Domaine Louis Boillot et Fils, Gevrey-Chambertin
Medium-plus colour with plenty of purple at the rim. High tones of violets over blackberry fruit and faint earth. In the mouth it’s got reasonable concentration but lovely flavours of black cherry jam edged with faint oak toast. Fine balance and a subtly penetrating length. Not the ‘flash’ of many 05’s, and far from the best value too – but it’s still a beauty!
Rebuy – Yes

Another long-weekend – shame it’s almost the last of the year (with public holidays) despite us being only in May. Not much wine drinking, more chauffering but I’m looking forward to this week and 10 scheduled visits in the Côtes Thursday to Saturday…

2000 Nicolas Potel, Savigny 1er Les Peuillets
The colour is becoming quite mature. On the nose it’s instantly about warm confiture with a powdery core of red fruit. Soft, relatively concentrated and shows a good burst of interest in the mid-palate and decent density – it needs just a hint more acidity for me but the length is good. Overall an interesting and tasty if not covetable wine.
Rebuy – Maybe

2005 Roger Belland, Santenay 1er Commes
A cork amalgum seal. Richly coloured. A super nose – immediately dark and wide with a faint twist of dark oak, then in an instant has lovely red-edged fruit and a dried cranberry note – yum. The palate is actually much more acid-forward than when tasted in November – it’s a harder drink now. I chose to leave it stoppered for 2 days (actually I didn’t plan 2 days, but I was ‘out’ the following night!); on the third day the aromatics still deliver with just a hint of lactic but very nice – more importantly the balance on the tongue has improved a lot. This was a good buy, but will really need at least 8-10 years of slumber.
Rebuy – Yes

2006 Jean-Pierre Charton, Mercurey 1er Clos du Roy
A good medium-plus colour. High-toned, faintly blue fruit aromas that slowly take on more width. Cool, high-toned, but slightly black-shaded fruit. Forward acidity and minimal tannin. Fresh, medium-weight and very well made – I’d leave this in the cellar for another 2-3 years, but has a lovely freshness now…
Rebuy – Yes

Ah, a warm weekend at last. So warm in fact that the vine in my garden started to burst its buds; that’s about five weeks later than the precocious Spring of 2007 – likewise it’s a more ‘normal’ Spring-time in the Côte d’Or – I’m looking forward to visiting in 2 weeks.

Did I mention it was warm? – Better open up something white…
2001 La Buxynoise, Montagny 1er
Eleve en fûts de chêne in bold type on the label. Medium yellow colour. A subtle and quite sophisticated nose that has very faint brioche and very nice yellow-skinned citrus fruit. In the mouth it’s round and soft but with super acidity that leaves the flavour lingering. Great value, I could drink this all summer long, alfresco…
Rebuy – Yes
The acidity seems a little more shrill on day 2 – so drink on day 1 😉

Clearly the 2005 bourgognes have spoiled us – intermediate age wines like these wither in the shadow of those 05’s – but like the recent Côte de Chalonaise, these really need to be judged in about another 3-5+ years time when they have started to show some more maturity.
2001 Ghislaine Barthod, Bourgogne
Medium colour. A soft red fruit nose with a faint cedar top note, slowly develops more density to the red core and eventually a little redcurrant. Well textured with plenty of forward fruit and again a faint edge of cedar – but at this level it’s additive – I do though find the overall profile slightly jammy. A simple but balanced and quite tasty luncheon bourgogne that never quite gets the pulse increasing.
Rebuy – Maybe
2002 Ghislaine Barthod, Bourgogne
Just a little darker in colour. The nose goes darker and deeper; a hint riper and no cedar but clearly a few diffuse alcoholic overtones. In the mouth it’s fuller with an edge more tannin and acidity that is slightly tart – it’s not a problem, just it’s personality. On the back of the acidity is a little burst of intensity on the mid-palate before fading into the finish. Less smooth than the 2001 but more material. I look forward to making another comparison in a few years.
Rebuy – Maybe

2005 des Varoilles, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Clos des Varoilles
Medium-plus colour. The nose starts with a wild brambly black fruit – slowly goes deeper with faint caramel. Wide and intense – again with dark-hued fruit. Reasonably well-packaged tannin and very good length though the tannin resurfaces here. It’s still brusque and bruising in its intensity so will need a few years in the cellar – but I will buy a few for the ride.
Rebuy – Yes

2002 Joseph Voillot, Pommard 1er Les Rugiens
Medium colour. Initially the nose is tight and thin, 10 minutes brings a savoury depth and faintly floral width. In the mouth it’s a narrow entry, the defining feature of this wine is it’s acidity – it’s slightly forward, but everything flows from it – soft texture and lovely expansion in the mid-palate before an impressively lingering finish. My kind-a wine.
Rebuy – Yes