I typed the last few sentences of the summer report while sipping on this. There’s no slacking here!

2007 L&A Lignier, Chambolle-Musigny Les Bussières
Medium, medium-plus colour. The nose doesn’t have much width, but from top to bottom there’s plenty of depth with high floral tones and deeper dark red/black cherry in the basement, slowly a creamy width starts to fill out the nose. Silky texture, the flesh of the fruit is successfully hiding much of the acidity, then comes a really nice cream-edged fruit – this is very good. I’d drink it sooner or very much later, in-between I suspect the acidity might dominate for a few years. Enjoyed a lot today…
Rebuy – Yes

2004 Fourrier, Chambolle-Musigny Vieilles-Vignes
Medium-plus colour. The nose shows herbal hints of mint and a faint cedar, but it’s hard to say if it’s part of the the 04 character, whatever, it’s on a very low level, overall a liitle floral and not too dense, eventually it delivers a nice acid cherry aroma. Fresh, with just a little astringency to the tannin. There is just enough sweetness to carry what would otherwise be mouth-puckering acidity. Not quite as clunky as the Clos St.Jacques currently shows and the good fruit flavour comes through well in the finish. Almost good.
Rebuy – Maybe

I’m a little slow mentioning this – it’s about 2 weeks ago that I opened it in Beaune with friends. The 1990 and 1985 had so thoroughly impressed this year that I though I wouldn’t be too unhappy if this was a failure….

1976 Tortochot, Gevrey-Chambertin Clos des Corvées
It was twilight and we were outside, but the colour seemed medium – maybe a little more. On the nose, just like the 1990 and 1985 this was very nice indeed; just a little more baked fruit but fresh, clean and very moreish. In the mouth I initially thought the acidity was too spiky, but 15 minutes later it and I were more in harmony – still the acidity was slightly in advance but nothing to complain about, particularly given that it is a village wine approaching it’s 35th birthday. There was sweetness and no undue tannin. Almost certainly passed its best (unlike the 1985) but it certainly isn’t falling off a cliff either.
Rebuy – Maybe

I also opened a second bottle of the 1986 Confuron-Cotetidot Clos de Vougeot – but sadly it was corked…

Only one issue with this wine; the ‘cork’ really did need the strength of Samson to remove, at least with the chosen tool – the generally reliable L’Atelier du Vin lever corkscrew (pictured). 80 year-olds probably need not apply…

2008 des Chézeaux (Ponsot), Chambolle-Musigny 1er Les Charmes
Ardea sealed. Shiny, bright medium-plus colour. The nose starts a little disjointed, then 5 minutes later – wow! Faintly vanilla-cream tinged very dark red fruit, maybe a little blue-skinned and certainly a little fresh peach with cream – the nose has an almost satin shimmer. In the mouth this has a smooth, slightly narrow entry before spreading wide and panoramic across the tongue. Beautiful balance with a depth of fruit that creeps up on you. Incredibly long and with completely buried tannin. Even as a big fan of Charmes I would have to call this ‘benchmark’ as the flavour stains your tongue. Charmes delivered with the focus and clarity that (maybe, only) 2008 can bring – wonderful.
Rebuy – Yes

So, really a triumph in one way – I don’t find a bit the 2004 character – but it’s far from a great Fourrier CSJ. That said, at this age you have every reason to expect a wine to be rather tight, and this isn’t. Just the acidity and tannin in the finish are slight niggles, and there is a slightly monolithic mid-palate impression that makes me think to 1994 – though I hope not. Still, nothing green, it smells great and it’s a wine you can drink today!

2004 Fourrier, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Clos St.Jacques
The wine is quite darkly (medium-plus) coloured – though far from young in shade, most 02s still look younger. The nose starts in that awkward slightly toasty oak way that Fourriers (to my bemusement) often do – they don’t see that much new wood, particularly the toasted type – I think it is reduction that needs to blow off. Less than 5 minutes in the glass and the oaky character is gone, now we have a deep, quite dark impression and a hint of cream gone lactic – it’s a hint so it’s still nice – a slight suggestion of dry forest leaves before a fruit note builds from the core, the fruit becomes ever-more prettier. In the mouth this has a silken texture and a concentration that builds as you head into the mid-palate. Initially I find the acidity not quite seamless – I’ll wait a little, hoping for either my palate or the wine to come together. The almost absent tannin only starts to reveal itself as a late bitter component in the mineral finish. The balance improves with food but I find the mid-palate flavours a little lumpen – smells great though.
Rebuy – Maybe

They say that divorced couples remarrying is the triumph of hope over experience – I think I’ll have a little of that tonight as I pull out a 2004, but it will be a Fourrier 2004 and I know that he’s not so severely affected by the vintage character – so let’s see, I think it should be a Clos St.Jacques.

In a similar vein I opened another 86 Mazis half yesterday – my 4th from the case – it was the first dud. Perhaps the opposite of what I’m expecting from the Fourrier tonight! In this case the Mazis showed a lower level than most of the others. It turned out to be slightly oxidised – which in itself I could have coped with – but also corked. Two failures from only one cork!

C’est la vie…

A novelty that (vintage 2006) I first tasted at the domaine a couple of years ago – here for the first time at home:

2007 Alex Gambal, Blanc de Noirs
Alex’s ‘vin de table’ in a clear Bordeaux shape bottle. The high-toned slightly savoury nose would make me think of aligoté, but there is also something of a Meursault’s ripe fruit! What sets this apart is its rather silkily-plush texture and it’s quite enough to offset what otherwise might be slightly mouth-puckering acidity – but like I said, this is actually well balanced. There’s a little acid-driven burst of intensity in the mid-palate before the flavour slowly decays in the finish. Lovely for enjoying on a warm evening outside after work – I’m sure it could have other uses too!
Rebuy – Yes