2017 Armelle et Jean-Michel Molin, Fixin Blanc VV Les Ormeaux
A wine raised in a jar (amphora) with plenty of skin-contact it seems. The label proudly announcing Vin Biologique! A robust cork.
Plenty of colour; a little golden and not with 100% clarity. The nose is heavy with the aromas of grape and is a little bready – not elegant but definitely not a turn-off either. Mouthfilling, and with a nice fresh wave of flavour that holds quite well in the finish. There’s plenty of concentration here. You may be forgiven for not being sure whether this is chardonnay or not – so forget ‘Fixin!’ – but this remains a more than tasty glass for all that, one that I’ll happily take a refill of!
Rebuy – Maybe

1985 Guillemard-Dupont, Pommard
A domaine in Meloisey at this time. The cork breaks in more than one place, but I just about kept all of the parts on the corkscrew…
This is a big and open nose – the age is showing with its ‘forest floor’ of wet leaves plus a certain sweetness from the fruit – if you like the smell of older wines, you’ll love this! Mouth-filling, complex, still some layers of oak too. There’s a sweetness to the flavour and generally speaking, this seems a robust specimen of an ’85 – perfectly clichéd Pommard, if you like. The weight and length of finishing flavour is on another level to the Fixin. For what it is – bravo – drinking well over three days (kept in the fridge after opening) and not a hint of brett developed!
Rebuy – Yes (Luckily, I think I’ve more!)

2009 Gilles Bouton, St.Aubin 1er En Créot
I still have a few of these handily-sized 50cl bottles – in this case still drunk over two nights. A robust cork.
On first opening, this is a strange blend of sweet fruit and more herbed notes that might imply under-ripeness – both in the flavours and aromas. Yet this is a wine that pulls together very well with aeration – I’m sure it’s still going to improve in the cellar – assuming it takes on the aerated character rather than exacerbating the first impressions! Slowly coming together with some moderate sweetness of red fruit and a less forward herbacity; here is a wine that seamlessly transitions from ‘something to drink’ to a wine where I’m looking forward to a top-up.
Rebuy – Yes

After the abortive – actually horribly corked – 1985 Bertagna I tried my luck with another 1985.

This, a no-name (at least today) négoce. The cork broke in the middle but fortunately in this case I managed to keep it on the worm of the corkscrew. A previous bottle of this had been ‘okay‘ but this was metallic tasting and seemed rather structural – not a particularly attractive glass. This did make it into last weekend’s beef bourguignon! 🙂

Two grand crus from 1997 – both from Bouchard Père – the Le-La‘s…

1997 Bouchard Père et Fils, Le Corton
A wine that went through a strange phase about 5 years ago – the wines all (3 consecutive) seemed corked so I gave up trying them – or maybe they were corked! All my recent bottles, like this one, have been super.
Hmm, a much more forward nose from opening versus the next wine; a little whole-cluster-style complexity and with much to find – this is a great nose! Expressive, open-flavoured – I’m not sure that I would guess Corton, or even Côte de Beaune – this is absolutely delicious though, with beautifully balanced concentration and a sneakily mouth-watering long finish. Ooh – this is really in a great place at the moment. More than excellent.
Rebuy – Yes

1997 Bouchard Père et Fils, La Romanée
My previous bottle of this – 3 years ago – was fabulous. This was also not too shabby!!!
A nose that takes its time to grow in the glass – always fresh but taking its time to captivate – but in time it does with a growing floral accent to the spice – it makes for a very fine invitation. Pow! The nose was certainly understated in comparison to the impact in the mouth – full and wonderfully complex. After 23 years this is still youthful and even a little saline but absolutely a wine that holds my attention – it develops, seemingly without end, in the glass for over 2 hours. Bravo, no question!
Rebuy – Yes

Inserting a little extra juiciness into my weekend drinking…

2017 Château Ravatys, Côte de Brouilly Mathilde Courbe
Deeply, deeply coloured. The nose has a darkness of fruit to match the colour – slightly alcoholic and a little liqueur but not quite enough to be a turn-off. In the mouth, the black fruit is just so juicy and shows great energy. This is frankly delicious with a finely persistent finish. In the end, I just wish that the nose was a little fresher. An excellent wine that’s great in parts.
Rebuy – Maybe

2018 Manoir du Carra, Fleurie Clos de la Deduits
Compared to the Ravatys, this has a much more modest depüth of colour. The nose is easy-going and quite a good invitation with classical Fleurie red fruit and flowers. The palate, likewise, is easy-going and tasty – a wine that asks nothing of you – though I’d like to be challenged a bit more. Very good and faultless in this modest style…
Rebuy – Maybe

2015 Daniel Bouland, Côte de Brouilly Mélanie
Deeply coloured. The nose is a little alcoholic but majors on a sweet, dark cherry – time (and air) fills the glass, first, with an additional floral lift and, second, modifies the cherry as much more acid-cherry in style – that’s really super. A young flavour profile, of course, but here is concentration and a classy balance. Muscular but with fine intensity and freshness. Super – and easily my favourite of this trio…
Rebuy – Yes

2002 Pierre Damoy, Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Tamisot
Here is a beautiful nose; complex, spiced, faintly whole cluster, a core with a balsamic suggestion but in time a little violet aroma – aromatically that’s a very intiving impression. In the mouth, this is wide, energetic and shows a lovely acidity and simply super energy. In many vintages I find this cuvée aromatically beguiling – practically a grand cru level – but less exciting from a flavour perspective. In this vintage it is a much more balanced wine and one that may embarrass many premier crus. I’d happily start harvesting these now. Very tasty, complex and energetic wine.
Rebuy – Yes

We picked up a few of these at the domaine on Saturday:

2019 La Croix Montjoie, Vézelay ‘l’élégante‘
This 2019 sports an impressively long diam origine. Well done!
A young yellow-gold colour. The nose has concentration and an almost smoky whiff of clean, chalky, minerality – a great start. Nicely concise, precise citrus acidity which makes the flavour finely mouth-watering – the balanced concentration is clear to see. That chalky minerality to finish too. This is a great, young, chardonnay from an unexpected quarter – bravo – and one that you can keep and keep should you wish.
Rebuy – Yes

A ‘northern Burgundy night! A few ‘house’ Chablis to start the night – because we were 4!

2010 Benoît Cantin, Irancy
‘Only the standard Irancy, but a magnum! Of-course, a cork that broke in two!
Medium colour – just! The nose has a small vibration of fruit and a herby note – rosemary – interesting and quite inviting. Nice and freshly mouth-filling, I like the energy here. Not über-concentrated, more of an airy style to this, but this is tasty, easy to appreciate wine: a magnum of not so great wine tends to hang around, but this was a bottle that emptied quite quickly for its size. A similar level to a very good Bourgogne here.
Rebuy – Yes

I’d hate to think of myself as an ‘evangelist’ for anything because I’m a fan of balance; as such, when it comes to sealing a bottle I’ll buy wine that has been stoppered with anything if I’m intending to drink it within 2-3 years – both colours – but if I’m cellaring whites I want DIAM. The ‘traditional’ alternative has cost me too much over the years. I’d take screwcap too, but I so rarely see them. For reds I don’t have any problem staying with cork, but here’s an interesting example of one of the earliest DIAM bottlings, but still in perfect condition after 15 years.

2005 Roger Belland, Santenay 1er La Comme
DIAM seals were commercially available since 2004, here’s an example for an early adopter, but in red. This seal was in perfect condition – wine ingress amounting to no more than 2mm – at that rate the wine will age 100 years before the seal is breached!
Plenty of colour. Fresh, intense, the last vestiges of creamy oak – this nose is now far more interesting than when the wine was young. There’s a little grain of tannin at the base of this wine but the texture is good and the concentration for the label is very impressive – that’s the vintage of course. The creamy oak on the nose overlays the fruit on the palate too – but gives this wine an extra something to its baseline and little extra gloss. The flavour widening impressively in the finish. It’s a shame that this is my last of these; what was once concentrated, oaky and lacking a little clarity is now very good – another 5 years and it could be a dry fine Santenay indeed!
Rebuy – Yes