2012 Le Grappin, Beaune 1er Boucherottes
A nicely deep colour, but perfectly transparent. Just a touch of floral perfume over close to black fruit – clean and inviting aroma! Mouth-filling freshness – open and energetic with still just a lick of tannin. A super mouthful of dark-fruited clarity and energy. Really excellent wine that you can certainly enjoy now or keep another 5-10 years if that’s your wish – yum!
Rebuy – Yes

We had weekend guests, so plenty of stuff was opened that has already been in these pages a few times in the last months, but new(ish) was:

2017 Alain Geoffroy, Chablis 1er Fourchaume
Oh yes – clearly a fun Chablis from the first of the nose to the last of the finish! The nose is fresh, citrus and saline – a fine invitation. Good zip, and a flavour-energy combination that drives well into the middle and finish – really a nice line of acidity here. So Yum…
Rebuy – Yes

2006 Jean Foillard, Morgon Côte du Py
From Magnum. The colour is bright and freshly red but of only medium depth. The nose a little saline and whilst no faults, far from an invitation. The palate was simply lovely. Very comforting red fruits of sucrosity and energy – towards strawberry in fruit style. Light but very rewarding – drunk to the last drop by an appreciative crowd. Simply excellent despite the dumb nose.
Rebuy – Yes

2008 David Clark, Vosne-Romanée
Now here’s a wine that’s absolutely ‘on song‘ on all fronts today! The nose has depth and interest – another wine with a strawberry style to the fruit. Silky in the mouth with just a suggestion of fat to the texture and great energy without ever pushing too hard as some 2008s do. Delicious wine – also drunk to the very last drop.
Rebuy – Yes

2000 Thomas-Moillard, Bonnes-Mares
Deep colour. A nose that’s fresh, clean and packs a punch of deep, iron-inflected dark fruit. In the mouth this is still rather muscular – it’s a young wine – concentrated but without fat. The mid-palate intensity and length and complexity of the finish are really something to behold. You should still wait 3-5 years, but this drank well, if in a ‘no prisoners’ manner, unlike the ease of the previous two reds.
Rebuy – Yes

The grip of my cold is loosening – I can smell and taste okay – just the odd bout of coughing now – I might even start jogging over the weekend! To ease me into the grander wines, maybe a couple of ‘easy ones?’ It turns out more complicated than that!

2017 Domaine Passeloup, Pierres Dorées Chardonnay
Slightly creamy, heavily laden with exotic fruit and core of ripe lemon fruit – it’s definitely not from Chablis! Wide, unctuous, but also rather mineral and saline. Unlike most from the region, there’s no rigour, no harshness, to this mineral side, in fact, it’s rather good. The first half is not my style of wine, the second is quite good!. Far from my usual chardonnay tipple, but I can drink a glass of this – possibly two! A slightly warmer sip seemed alcoholic – not nice – keep this cool! I’m still not quite sure what I saw in this wine the first time around…
Rebuy – No

2010 Chezeaux/Berthaut, Gevrey-Chambertin
Ooh, that’s rather deeply coloured for 2010. A big nose, of soil and graphite, but with forward dark-red fruit too – dare I say very Gevrey! It’s a super invitation. Concentrated and really rather silky – graphite again in the mid-to-finishing flavours. Mouth-watering in the finish too. This is top class villages – concentrated, fresh, clean and with a little panache, despite the concentration. Young but wonderful villages wine…
Rebuy – Yes

A modest report of modest labels but a couple of beauties nonetheless – my cold pairing down the notes to a sub-minimum:

2016 Sylvain Pataille, Bourgogne
Good colour. Depth of concentration, really good texture. Balanced and excellent – the quality punches well above the label.
Rebuy – Yes

2017 Domaine Faiveley, Ladoix
Ohh, here is a proper white burgundy – just faintly oaked but with poise and drive – tension even! One bottle is not enough!
Rebuy – Yes

2015 Clotilde Davaenne, Chablis Vieilles-Vignes
Clearly more coloured than the Ladoix. Good drive, the impression of a little caramel to the flavours. Unfortunately put into the shade by the Ladoix, which it followed. Otherwise a good wine.
Rebuy – Maybe

2014 Jean-Marc Vincent, Puligny-Montrachet Corvées des Vignes
Plenty of colour. A nose that’s vibrant but also has a little rubbery reduction about it – for the 36 hours that this was open, it hardly faded. Wide, fresh, energetic, lovely acidity – penetrating flavour with super depth – moreish despite that same reductive note showing on the nose. Lovely but surely even better without the reduction…
Rebuy – Maybe

2017 Chasselay, Beaujolais La Platière
What to follow a Griotte-Chambertin with?
Ooh – that’s a deep, dark colour. The nose is a little yeasty and reductive – but what a panorma of flavour. Juicy dark fruit, layers of flavour. Fine freshness and lovely finishing. A hit!
Rebuy – Yes

2010 Gilles Bouton, Blagny 1er Sous le Puits
Hardly medium colour, also starting to show some age. A forward nose, showing some leafy development but essentiLly fresh and correct. Wide, open, bright and fresh – lip smackingly good flavour of acid-led freshness and fine depth and complexity – anonymously starting but opening with plenty pf interest. Essentially not much to start, but finishing with lots of fun, lots of flavour. Not as good as a decent 2010 villages from a proper red-wine village though…
Rebuy – No

2004 Alex Gambal, St.Aubin 1er Les Murgers des Dents du Chien
Plenty of colour here, but the nose is completely lacking any oxidation – there’s the first early suggestion of ‘older’ chardonnay aroma, and just a touch of asparagus too – I’ve met plenty of asparagus in 2011 Chablis, but this is a first in the Côte d’Or! The asparagus is present, if fainter, on the palate too. The palate has drive and an intense minerlity – I’m impressed, yet, this wine could do with a little more sucrosity – it’s hardly moreish. Good, indeed impressive, but certainly not great – other than intellectually…
Rebuy – No

2016 de Serrigny, Savigny lès Beaune Blanc
Ooh – that’s an attractive and inviting nose of creamy, sweet citrus I don’t mind if I do! In the mouth round but with rippling acidity, sweet citrus and a delicious, faintly oak-tinged flavour ensemble. Absolutely stunning for the price – über-delicious!
Rebuy – Yes

2002 Chézeaux/René Leclerc, Griotte-Chambertin
The extra-long cork comes out with a satisfying pop, but the end of the cork doesn’t smell nice – I’m anticipating brett or similar – drat – I have at least a couple more of these made by Leclerc plus two or three from Ponsot of the same vintage. I think of Leclerc as making better wines in 02 than today, fortunately the cork couldn’t have been more misleading – this turned out really well!
The nose – well there’s a toasty oak-style reduction here, but essentially this clean, attractive, wine with a bloody iron impression to good fruit. The smoky reduction is on the palate too – but it’s a palate of good energy and even nicer fruit with a lovely energy – you could drink this way too quickly! Less than half a bottle makes into day 2 (I was the only one drinking this) and the reduction – both aroma and taste – are gone. The freshness is still there and the aromas haven’t developed anything unwanted. The intensity is good and there’s a nice cushioning. This is holding up very well – exceedingly tasty wine – I’m now happy that I have more!
Rebuy – Yes at the old price!

1995 Jean Grivot, Nuits St.Georges 1er Roncières
Plenty of colour here – of-course colour with some age! The nose is forward, pepper-spiced and even a little creosote to this complex and inviting whole – clean though, there’s no brett. Nice volume in the mouth, still with some tannin but the sweetness of fruit is the perfect foil for that – strawberry-fruited long flavour – ooh that’s good – fine freshness and involving, tasty flavour and ready now! I have a general feeling of respect for this domaine, but rarely do I find the wines delicious – but this one is – and it only needed 24 years! This drank effortlessly well over 2 days.
Rebuy – Yes

Including a brace from Mr Croix this weekend…

2007 Camille Giroud, Chapelle-Chambertin
A wine that seems lightly coloured yet with time in the glass I’m sure it darkens. The nose has a lovely width of freshness, with clean white mushroom, clearly plenty of maturity here but it’s pure and attractive. Good volume in the mouth, modest, mid-weight, density – for a grand cru – but there’s a good intensity of flavour which lingers in a high-class way. The depth of flavour is subtle but fine. A wine that’s ready but with no rush to drink. Yum – indeed delicious – yet I think I preferred the recent 07 Cazetiers from here.
Rebuy – Yes – at the old price…

2017 Julien Brocard, Chablis Boissonnière
I stupidly forgot that I’d left this in the freezer – but on the positive side I didn’t need a corkscrew – only a few hours for the damn thing to unfreeze! Interestingly I had performed my own cold-stabilisation – the wine afterwards full of tiny tartrate crystals!
A little pineapple showing on the nose. Rippling, mineral, fine acidity with, like the nose, that pineapple aspect to the fruit. Wide modestly saline but fine purity in the finish. Super, as always…
Rebuy – Yes

2009 des Croix, Corton Grèves
Only two years younger than the Chapelle, but such a younger colour, and more depth of colour too. Hmm, a more pure-fruited and bright nose – but with depth too. Mouth-filling, penetrating, great intensity and purity – this is such a baby. Wide, fresh, still a little bitters in the finish, but what a persistent finish! Still a bit too young today but with undeniable potential!
Rebuy – Yes

2017 Alice & Olivier De Moor, Le Caravan
Clairette (Rhone), chardonnay (Ardeche), chardonnay and sauvignon gris from near Charolais, and pinot blanc and riesling from Alsace, and the aligoté from home.
The overt apple aroma seems to fading on this wine – but the fresh invitation remains. Bright, with lovely line and texture – narrower than the Chablis but a wine you can compare. Delicious, off-piste wine.
​Rebuy – Yes