If I’m relatively happy with the reduction of the green component in the 2004 Georges Mugneret then this wine begs a question or two. If it has improved to the same level (I don’t have a 1 year ago reference point) then it must have been quite a challenge. It is rather green today and will have to have quite a turnaround to achieve a rebuy rating.
2004 Ghislaine Barthod, Chambolle-Musigny
Medium colour. The nose is dominated by that cedar-green note, it does slowly recede over 2 hours, revealing more of the ripe red strawberry fruit below. In the mouth it’s ripe and sweet, full of red fruits, a nice texture and a good burst of concentration on the mid-palate – but it’s also here that you can taste the green element. It’s soft, sweet and nicely concentrated, but with this level of green I can’t recommend it…
Rebuy – No

Another recent wine that confounded my expectations. My recent Cornus (2003’s) were deep and darkly oaked, couple that to the persona of many 2005 Savignys and I epected a big wine:
2005 Domaine Cornu, Savigny-lès-Beaune Les Saucours
Medium, medium-pale cherry-red, hints of purple. The nose has a wide red-fruited conserve impression. Entry in the mouth is narrow, swiftly widening into the mid-palate where the acidity comes through late coupled to a extra creamy vanilla dimension. This a beautifully detailed, light-bodied with all-but absent tannin, and it’s a very fine villages wine. It’s delicious right now but with the balance to gracefully age.
Rebuy – Yes

2005 Ponsot, Bourgogne Cuvée du Pinson
Deeply coloured with a twist of purple. Wide, with a high toned and slightly estery nose. The palate is well concentrated and certainly well textured. High-toned, ripe fruit in the mouth with good acidity and good length. There is plenty of wine here, but today I find the high-toned flavour and aroma profile just a little odd (I remember a Dominique Laurent like this), in fact I didn’t want a second glass. Day two was much better – less high-toned and ‘chemical’. I very much enjoyed the last two glasses. A couple of bottles can sleep in the cellar…
Rebuy – Maybe

Drank directly following the Ardhuy 1er Cru Pommard (below), the Pommard doesn’t show a great deal more concentration but is a significantly more interesting wine for not dissimilar outlay.

2005 d’Ardhuy, Pommard 1er Fremiers
Medium, medium-plus cherry-red. The nose is pregnant with dark oak and soft spice, quite sweet but avoiding toast and only hinting at vanilla – all this covering black cherry and berry notes. The palate is concentrated without fat, intense in the mid-palate, and with acidity that pushes the finish quite some way. The fruit has dark oaky elements for the first minutes, but the tannins are completely buried. I’d leave this a couple of years to lessen the oak-derived aromas, but it is a medium-weight, complex and rather cultured Pommard.
Rebuy – Yes

Guess why I bought this – correct – because I’d never heard of the 1er cru and thought ‘let’s have a look’. Even after I found out it was red, I still thought ‘why not?’ 😉

2004 Louis Carillon et Fils, St.Aubin 1er Les Pitangerets
Medium ruby red, already a little development at the rim. The nose starts a little like roast red tarts with an overlay of herbal, slightly cedarish notes. In the mouth there’s nice enough texture but the tannins coupled with the acidity will certainly make your mouth pucker – it’s an interesting contrast to the ripe fruit. A nice middle-weight wine with food, but more challenging without. I’m not unhappy to have drunk my first Pitangerets, though I’m not straining at the leash for the next, at least not from 2004…
Rebuy – No

Note the subtle change to Domaine Georges Mugneret – no more the Dr. Georges.

There was a a big dose of the ’04 greenery’ in this first wine 14 months ago – even seeping into the flavours. I can see a considerable improvement now, so the remaining 4 bottles can safely rest for a few years. The 2004 is the riper and friendlier, but the 2005 is the better wine – or will be eventually. I look forward to comparing it to the very good 2002 in another 8+ years!

2004 Georges Mugneret, Gevrey-Chambertin
Medium, medium-plus colour. The nose starts with a waft of dark oak that is slowly replaced by cedar. It’s a short peak of green that slowly, but never completely subsides, filling out with soft, ripe and creamy fruits with fainter brûlée. The palate is well-textured, ripe and sweet. Initially the acidity is a little prickly – carbon dioxide probably as it fades and smooths. The finish is a very good one, again edged with cream. The green element has faded to the extent that it is no longer part of the flavour profile. I’m more confident now for the future – perhaps the next in 3 or 4 years…
Rebuy – Maybe
2005 Georges Mugneret, Gevrey-Chambertin
Deeper colour than the 2004. The nose more reticent but is deeper and with darker black-shaded fruits against a faintly sweet spicy gingerbread background. Starts narrow but really widens on the palate with inky, palate staining concentration. It’s rather mineral but very impressive – the structure is completely buried. An absolute home-run for this wine in 2005 – and it will need at least 10 years in the cellar – did I leave it too late for more bottles?
Rebuy – Yes
Yep – another 3 bottles for the cellar – it’s an expensive ‘villages’ so I was ‘modest’…

2005 Albert Bichot, Grands-Echézeaux
I drank this (the vines of and tended by Philippe Engel) out of sequence as I really wanted the comparison with the Griotte. The vanilla-style sweet oak is still too much to the fore, this is a wall of almost overpowering aromas – it’s certainly not shy. The palate is balanced, initially with a hint of carbon dioxide and incredibly wide and long – by far the most impressive wine of the night in this respect. This wine needs at least 2 years to lose the facile, sweet oak – but afterwards, it will be a stunner!
Rebuy – Yes

2004 Jacky Truchot, Chambolle 1er Les Sentiers
Medium colour. Lots of dirty, toasty oak and burnt match to start with – and he hardly uses any new oak! – eventually a little raspberry peeks through. Lots of ripe and sweet fruit on the palate, and just a little tannin. The acidity starts a little prickly (carbon dioxide?) but softens in the finish. I quite liked this in the end, but the initial aromatics were hardly attractive.
Rebuy – Maybe

2005 Antonin Guyon, Volnay 1er Clos des Chênes
The nose starts tight, a wider alcoholic tone over a tight kernel of fruit – opens beautifully in the glass with lovely fruit. The palate is quite fresh and linear but provides a super burst of fruit in the mid-palate that slowly lingers in the finish. Far from the best Volnay in 2005, but it’s very, very lovely.
Rebuy – Yes