Villages

2008 Guyon Antonin Chambolle-Musigny Les Cras

By billn on October 31, 2011

Medium, medium-plus colour. Forward red fruit notes that have a hint of sour about them – they make me think of rhubarb – lucky I like rhubarb! In the mouth this is very smooth and it pulls you into the mid-palate with plenty of (equally smooth) acidity – but I expect this could become a bit screechy in 2-3 years as the sweet fat of the fruit shrinks. There is quite some intensity and even a little extra dimension in the mid-palate, though to be fair, it’s mainly acid-led intensity. The last flavours of the mid-palate have a little bitter-chocolate about them but I think they are mainly the result of a hint of toasty oak blended with a bit of borderline ripe fruit. I have to say that I’m enjoying this wine, but I really do think that the enjoyment could be transient – say 18-or-so months worth.

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2001 Camus Gevrey-Chambertin

By billn on October 31, 2011

An assemblage of multiple parcels dotted around the village. The colour looks quite mature. The nose shows some herbs and just a hint of volatility. In the mouth this is sweet and tasty – indeed very good. The acidity is penetrating without being sharp and long too. Blind I would have guessed a ‘ready to drink’ late-1980’s wine.

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1983 Arnoux Robert Nuits St.Georges

By billn on October 29, 2011

Medium colour, quite some browning. The nose is clean to start and all about soil, soil and more soil – with time we have a deep sweetness and a subtle undertow of musk. A little tannin bubbles below the surface and the flavour grows and grows in the mid-palate – really good intensity and plenty of sweetness too. I think this has a really good mid-palate complexity and with just a hint of creaminess too. Slowly lingering on beautifully judged acidity – medium-plus length – tons of enjoyment here; this is the archetypal melting old burgundy with tons of sediment at the end – completely yum!

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2009 Pataille Sylvain Marsannay Les Longerois

By billn on October 26, 2011

Medium-plus colour. The nose has an intensity that majors on a fine and clear raspberry note. In the mouth this reminds me of a 2008 with a sweet-and-sour approach; fine sweet fruit with a powerful acidity that offers impressive balance. There is a nod to the vintage with a modest mid-palate padding that also shows a hint of cream to the flavour. Like the 09 Ladoix 1er of Ravaut, this has nothing of the facile nature of many 09s – very impressive wine, and one that is worth a special search. It may ‘only’ be a villages wine, but it will amply reward 15 years in the cellar, yet, I have the impression it will never be other than generous despite its coiled intensity. Certainly worthy of a 1er cru label. Yum.

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1985 Voarick Michel Pernand-Vergelesses

By billn on October 13, 2011

What a nose; this jumps out of the glass, deep, musky, sweet, probably still plenty of dark oak – if you’d been told it was a Richebourg you wouldn’t be disappointed – not until you put it in your mouth anyway! The nose writes a cheque which the palate will never pay; there is a little fat and a nicely sweet lingering acidity that flows into the medium-plus finish. There is just a hint of tannin still and also some dimension to the mid-palate flavours. Overall this isn’t too bad but I’m left with the impression that I’m mainly sampling quercus, rather than Pernand. Fun and very much alive, if not quite my pre-eminent style-choice, yet it would be churlish of me to say anything other than ‘chapeau!’

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1969 Thomas-Bassot Chambolle-Musigny

By billn on October 06, 2011

Older bottles of villages wines are not quite a lottery but the odds of having a great experience are similar to tossing a coin, even when well-stored. We tossed well. This time the cork was removed in one piece; the aroma was disjointed and dark to start but in the glass you needed only ten minutes for it to transform into a beautiful musky, sultry, almost velvety dark red fruit – you had to be there! In the mouth there was both volume and dimension, sweetness and good length. A clean and very tasty wine indeed – I wonder if my second bottle will be so good…

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2010 Germain Henri Meursault

By billn on September 29, 2011

From two parcels; racked once, just before the harvest. Very pretty high-toned aromas that are supported in the manner of classic gingerbread Meursault. Fresh and involving despite a level of understatement – at least relative to the nose. The flavour holds beautifully.

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2009 Germain Henri Meursault Chevalières

By billn on September 29, 2011

High-toned, quite pretty aromas. After the (2010) premier crus this is less direct and focused, yet it oozes flavour across your tongue. Quite decent acidity too.

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2009 Germain Henri Meursault Le Limozin

By billn on September 29, 2011

Here is a much more frank fruit note. Fresh, with fine acidity though again there is less absolute focus versus the 2010s. Mouth-watering flavour of green-skinned fruit – lovely wine.

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