Well the last one was really good – so what’s to lose in trying again? Another bit of humour on the top of the cork – I’m definitely warming to this producer. I think I need to try their bourgognes – that’s usually the acid-test!

2008 A&R Olivier, Santenay 1er Beaurepaire
Medium-plus colour. The nose starts almost too forward but slowly settles into a fine and deep expression of red and black fruits and something that almost touches on aniseed. Concentrated and certainly intense this has more padding than the villages Santenay so never hints at anything mouth-puckering. The texture is very good indeed. This premier cru essentially delivering more weight without any penalty in terms of fineness or focus. Really very accomplished.
Rebuy – Yes

A slight name-change since I last tasted a bottle from this domaine, but the quality is just as good. Maybe I should pay a visit. Anyway I like the sense of humour for the cuvée name!

2008 A&R Olivier, Santenay ‘Les Temps de C(e)rises’
Medium-plus, bright cherry red colour. The soft red fruit has width and impressive depth, a faint musty/stalky element to but it’s more complexity than a negative – it is anyway gone after 30 minutes of air. Full, bright, perhaps a hint petillant to start – I’ll let it settle for a while. Settle down it does; there is depth, impressive intensity and a clarity to the fruit that you don’t always find with Santenay. The acidity is just about covered, helped by quite some velvet texture, but still gives a lip-smacking effect – better than mouth puckering I suppose. I like this a lot for it’s ebullient ‘crunchy’ fruit, but when it loses some flesh it will be more challenging. Factor in a price of just over €10 and it is an absolute winner – bravo!
Rebuy – Yes

A tasting recollection – drunk over dinner with friends on Saturday.

2000 Lambrays, Clos des Lambrays
Medium, medium-pale colour. A little warmth of alcohol in the nostrils but chocolate, good stems and clean undergrowth too – it was very pretty. In the mouth there is sweetness, good balancing acidity and a tannin that just occasionally shows itself in the quite long finish. Dry stuff that description – often the problem with recollections – it doesn’t tell you that everyone around the table was oohing and ahing and saying the same word – ‘lovely’. Showing very well now but with the balance to last and last…
Rebuy – Yes

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…