Having been quite impressed with my recent Petits Monts I thought I might test another of my 1999 problem children 😉

With such easy availability back in 2001/2002 – at least where I lived – I bought quite a bit from chez Mugnier in those years. Musigny was also no problem way back when – I may open a 1998 at Christmas-time… But I digress!

I bought half a dozen bottles and 12-pack of half bottles of this 1999. The bottles were delicious, if structural, when young. The longer they were kept, the less attractive they became. For whatever reason, all of my 75cls were drunk a long time ago but fewer of the 37.5s – so let’s look at one of those:

1999 JF Mugnier, Chambolle-Musigny
Half-bottle. The cork takes plenty of effort to budge – but surprises me by coming out in one piece – bravo! And this quercus-suber bark smells quite sweet.
The colour is modest for this vintage – only a medium red and with a faint haze too – perhaps I hadn’t been gentle enough with the bottle! The nose has some encouraging signs but it’s a note of brett that grows more quickly and takes over the centre stage: a beefy, bretty impression that I might say comes with the territory if the wine was another 15-20 years older – but not today. In the mouth, the stark austerity of this wine’s early teens is much less overt – it’s clearly better – but there’s still a slightly hard minerality to the middle and finishing flavours, though here the flavours are clean and I don’t note any meaty bretty influence. There’s also almost enough sweetness to carry the wine. Actually, the fluidity, intensity and texture are big positives with this wine but to be honest, at this age, I’m still pleased that it’s only a half-bottle – as there’s less for me to drink! This remains one of my least successful 1999 purchases – except for those first 3 bottles, 20 years ago…
Rebuy – No

Well, that’s settled – my harvest in Beaune starts on Thursday 8th September. Now back to the wines 😉

2014 Dubreuil-Fontaine, Corton-Charlemagne
A fine looking natural cork from Trescases
Oops – but that’s a deep colour – plenty of brown here. The nose is obviously oxidative, slightly caramel too – I have the impression of a ‘very natural’ cider in my glass. A sip tells me it’s obviously oxidised but has a great mineral spine – such a shame. I put my glass in the fridge for a couple of hours – as it’s 35°C in the garden – as I’m sure it will freshen up and probably still be modestly drinkable. I was wrong – no improvement. What a shame. I fully appreciate and applaud why Christine Dubreuil changed part of her range of whites to DIAM seals…
Rebuy – No

1999 Veronique Drouhin, Vosne-Romanée 1er Petits-Monts
This used to be a wine could easily source – I bought two 6-packs from Denis Perret in Beaune – pre-ordered. I do remember them being quite expensive though – the price of a same vintage René Engel grand cru – how things have changed. The first bottles (more than 15 years ago) were fine but with time this wine became thin and uninteresting – time for it to sleep. This the first bottle from my second 6-pack – a good length of unbranded (by the supplier) cork.
Plenty of colour. This nose is direct, linear – you get my drift – but has a silky complexity and intensity. Much better than I remember from more than 10 years ago! In the mouth it’s redolent of the nose – direct, forceful and intense – and with a very impressive middle to finishing flavour. Still with some baby-wine austerity! 1999s continue to surprise me with their quality, yet after nearly 25 years, their unreadiness! This is the first of this purchase (bottle 7!) where I genuinely see the proximity of these vines to Richebourg. Potentially a great 1er – even from Vosne – but I would still be waiting another 4-5 years!
Rebuy – Yes

2021 Gautheron, Chablis Emeraude
My Charlemagne replacement – already many notes for this – I must put something else in the fridge 🙂

2019 Raphael Chopin, Beaujolais-Lantignié La Savoye
Lots of colour. Fresh, crunchy dark fruit – even a little extra floral interest with more air. Chunky, crunchy dark fruit flavour – but never heavy. I love the combination of energy but still intensity – again – never too much. Simply delicious – I only have a couple more – a shame!
Rebuy – Yes

Time moves so fast – another 20 weeks and it’ll be 2024! But first a brief look back at some opened bottles:

Tripoz, Cremant ‘Nature‘
I’ve always been a fan of this cuvée, slightly deeper coloured than the average, a nose of some power but not overtly missing its sulfur. In the mouth a wine of large scale and tasty flavour energy. A bit more expensive than your average crement, but worth it!
Rebuy – Yes

2021 Gautheron, Chablis 1er Montmains VV
Already my third for this dozen – you don’t need yet another note – except to say that I should start drinking some other wines 🙂
Rebuy – Yes

2005 Camille Giroud, Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Les Peuillets
What a wonderful, deep, nose – there was obviously some dark oak used here – in that respect it also reminds me of CG’s 2005 Gevrey En Champs. Fecund is a word that comes centre stage for this ‘perfume.’ In the mouth, this is remarkably lacking in austerity for an older Savigny – the wonderful vintage taking over with concentration, proper structure, depth of fine flavour. Simply a great Savigny – 2005 strikes again!
Rebuy – Yes

2009 Camille Giroud, Corton Clos du Roi
An infuriating cork! With not much effort from the corkscrew, this cork decides to break in half in the neck. The remaining half was impossible to extract in one piece, indeed eventually falling into the wine. A decanter was required. Maybe because of the decanter, the whole wine was drunk in one sitting – by two of us! The nose was good but a little subdued – the real grand cru element was the width, persistence and energy of the flavour. 2009 was never my favourite vintage and, for now, it still isn’t – too easy and ripe – but this wine has promise – the cork excepted!
Rebuy – Not yet

Time is running – week 30 already. The weekend wines were all very worthy, fortunately:

2018 C&F Gueguen, Chablis 1er Vaucoupin
Open, and easy aromas – I think I may guess Chablis blind. In the mouth similar – a certain fluidity if concentration – but the extra 1er cru depth is sufficiently evident for the label. This is a wine that drinks very easily – it’s not demanding – bit it IS delicious – yum!
Rebuy – Maybe

2019 Berthaut-Gerbet, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Les Plantes
Not a commonly seen 1er but here is a very impressive invitation to drink – the aromas flex their muscle but with elegance and depth – very lovely. Sweetness of clean, balanced fruit, some barrel sweetness but that fades with plenty of air. Broad, fine and intense too – and simply lovely texture. This is very fine – and drinking very well already – I love 2019!
Rebuy – Yes

2021 Julien Brocard, Chablis Boissonneuse
My first from this 7(!)-pack.
Like another recent 2021, both the amount of colour and ripe concentration is obvious – yet, so is the fresh energy and juicy, delicious drinkability. Clasically Chablis and wonderfully delicious – more oomph than the 2018 1er above – a great villages.
Rebuy – Yes

2010 Camille Giroud, Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Les Peuillets
I have quite a few vintages of this cuvée – I should start looking at them in a more serious manner!
Modest colour in our modern context but really without overt age. The nose is broad and faintly (warm-)spiced with a roundness to the red fruit – not overtly anything of age. Like most 2010s a juicy, mouthwatering fluidity over the palate that is just so satisfying. Versus 2010s from more renowned appellations, this has just a hint of austerity – call it a certain strictness. But the lip-smacking clean lines and still very modestly bitter bass-line in the finish has you searching for the next sip. That’s a very fine Savigny.
Rebuy – Maybe

The Dönnhoff has always been very tasty, moreish wine – actually a bit too sweet – but that doesn’t seem to slow us down drinking it 😉

2019 Zito, Gamay Noir
When I recently visited Bernard Zito, just as I was leaving he put this in my hands and said – tell me what you think. Apparently, it’s a blend of gamay from Beaujolais (Côte de Brouilly), Mâconnais and Côte d’Or.
I love 2019 Beaujolais so it was hardly a surprise that I was going to love this too – the nose is very aromatic and floral-infused – give it enough air and there’s a hint more structure and a slightly graphite-style minerality. In the mouth this has volume and energy – it’s completely delicious – full of crunchy red and darker-red fruit. Joyous wine!
Rebuy – Yes

2021 Gautheron, Chablis Emeraude
My first from a dozen purchased.
Plenty of colour – more yellow than green. There’s plenty of weight, indeed concentration to this wine – ripe fruit but still with all the requisite energy and chiselled style that marks it out as Chablis – it’s delicious too!
Rebuy – Yes

Or maybe I should have said Prehy, in Chablis – but the family, and, of course, the vines are from Irancy. Brice’s father was one of the first in the village to change to organic farming. These wines were bottled at the start of November and contain only pinot:

2021 Irancy Paradis
A modest red colour. Old vines next to Mazelots – all pinot fin. Almost a small smoky note of tobacco to this nose. Nice shape in the mouth – juiciness of red fruit – just enough ripeness. The last drops are almost a little juicy, creamy, peach in the finish.
Rebuy – Maybe

2021 Irancy Mazelots
Younger colour and a little more colour too. A more vibrant nose – seemingly quite silky too. Hmm – texturally lovely – width and velour. The fruit with a small creamy cushion – it’s from an old demi-muid. This is delicious, impressive wine – very lovely in this difficult vintage.
Rebuy – Yes

It was already week 28 2023!

The weather was warm so it was no surprise that the accent was heavily white:

2016 François Buisson (Buisson-Battault), Bourgogne Chardonnay
Always a winner – the recent tasting of his 2022 showed a winner too. You will think that you have Meursault in your glass – only when you compare to an actual Meursault, particularly from François, will you see that there is more headroom. Drinking excellently and still very young.
Rebuy – Yes

1995 Germain (Chateau de Chorey-lès-Beaune), Beaune 1er Les Cras
There’s some green, quite texturally green, on this nose – not pyrazine, rather ‘less ripe’ tannin – it’s like you can smell the tannins before you taste them! Then you, of course, you taste them! A wine that improves markedly with plenty of air – more than 1 hour – though it’s clearly wine from a different generation. Actually, this wine got better over a period of 3 days – until it was gone. A slightly masochistic pleasure but my pleasure all the same!
Rebuy – Probably not…

2017 Thibert, Pouilly-Fuissé Vignes Blanches
What an inviting nose! Wide, cool, and with the impression of minerality – something that’s amply delivered in the flavours. Clean-cut, precise with fine flavour depth and it’s absolutely delicious – that’s a great Pouilly!
Rebuy – Oh yes!

2020 Alain Geoffroy, Chablis 1er Beauroy
There’s plenty of colour to this wine. Aromatically, my nose is anticipating a little of the vintage green – but today I don’t find any – rather a richness and even slight sweetness of aroma. In the mouth this has good energy and even a hint of richness for Beauroy. Just a very good and tasty wine.
Rebuy – Maybe

Great, good or bad – I feel I’d be wasting this bottle by putting it in a blind line-up…

Referencing this recent post – there was a comment (and linked study) from reader, Siddharth Dasgupta – particularly relevant to the potential for inbuilt bias whilst tasting.

It’s something that you have to be aware of and I know I do sometimes find myself making apologies for small issues – relevant at the time of tasting – but perhaps not relevant in the context of an anticipated maturity window for wines of known (higher) potential at maturity – blind tasting is largely in the moment. So a few thoughts on my perspective:

Blind tasting has its place and it’s a great place for grounding – indeed challenging – your expectations but from my perspective, the whole idea of Burgundian hierarchies and appellations and climate and lieux-dits – not to mention the vintage effect – makes for the extra anticipation of drinking a Chambolle – or a Musigny! It is exactly this anticipation and how the wine compares to the construct that I have prepared in my mind for the wine and the vintage that is the most fascinating to me.

Of course, I may be more inclined to forgive some aspects of an expensive wine due to the reasoning cited above or I may be in another camp – one that will be less tolerant of issues – particularly outright faults – but it’s exactly this construct that can also highlight, indeed emphasise, my disappointments. Renown and your personal expectations can be a double-edged sword – and a sharp one at that!

Maybe my fortunate position as not just(!) a taster of thousands of wines per year – I like drinking them too! – gives me a different perspective to that of the average drinker – I’ve already tasted at more than 370 domaines since the 2022 harvest. But for me there’s even more pleasure and interest in comparing a wine with my expectations than the discovery of something blind – but both are important – it’s simply a question of the ratio of one to another.

Or how about coupling the two? – what about 20x Echézeaux from a single vintage? – That sounds good to me!

Feel free to ask – I may have some memory 😉

No ‘big guns’ but still some nice recent bottles to have graced my glass…