I feel a 1993 phase coming on. I suppose I should have started with a bourgogne as here’s a villages and a 1er and grand cru (sorry they are all from Vosne…)

1993 Louis Latour, Vosne-Romanée
Medium mature, slightly mahogany colour. A little warmth of sweet undergrowth and a subliminal suggestion of Vosne spice, the last drops have a pretty acid red-cherry note. In the mouth this is sweetly fruited and has excellent balancing acidity. Medium concentrated with fully resolved tannin. The finish is freshly and understatedly sweet. More than ‘competent’ but not significantly more, there’s no wow factor. Tasty if a little simple…
Rebuy – Yes

I just knew the football would turn out badly after I opened this hideously corked bottle. A 1998 Antipodean shiraz served as a less than adequate replacement, much like the bunch of people who were supposed to be England footballers…

Back from travelling and will likely have to suffer England playing football tonight – probably I need more than one bottle! I did however note a very loud cheer in the Irish bar last night when the second Mexican goal was scored! Whilst on the football theme I wonder how ‘der Kaiser’s’ critiques are coming along 😉

As an aperitif (short-lasting it must be said, the match hasn’t even started) I enjoyed this Fixin blanc – perhaps not a candidate for long search but it’s a rare appellation and was very tasty.

2007 L&A Lignier, Fixin Champs de Vosger
Medium yellow. The nose is of fresh, faintly spritzy, slightly unripe pineapple – which I find preferable to ripe pineapple! The acid is just a little forward but this has a nice kick of concentration and is very moreish in a kind of lemon sorbet vernacular. There’s good texture – the acidity ensuring that there is no obvious fat – and the merest hint of creaminess in the mid-palate. Not bad value and yum.
Rebuy – Yes

My first wine at home from Nicolas Potel’s new stable…

2008 Maison Roche de Bellene, Meursault Vieilles-Vignes
Medium yellow. A faint toast quickly lifts to leave a wide and deep, but never heavy, curtain of ripe but fresh, sweet fruit. In the mouth there is perfect acidity and a sweetness that comes from perfectly ripe fruit. Wide but essentially linear flavours just add a hint of extra creamy width in the mid-palate – there’s no obvious fat here. Good length with still a hint of sweetness. A bottle that on a warm summer day empties very quickly indeed…
Rebuy – Yes

I needed to ‘get my hand in’ after a few wine-less days. What better than a long chat with a bunch of wine-centric people(?)

My recollections, 24 hours later…

2002 Raveneaux, Chablis 1er Vaillons
A relatively deep gold though there’s nothing amiss on the nose; which is a little dense but like the skin of an onion keeps shedding a new layer of interest. The palate starts a little monolithic and misses some excitement, yet in the mid-palate a line of super-smooth acidity ushers you into a more interesting mid-palate and finish. I kept coming back to this and each time it was more engaging…
Rebuy – Yes

2004 JF Mugnier, Nuits 1er Clos de la Maréchale
The colour is starting to show some age. The aromas are a poster-child for the vintage, I can taste it too. Not for me.
Rebuy – No

2000 Armand Rousseau, Clos de la Roche
The aromas initially mix a little mineral and green – not so engaging. The palate is a world different; sweet, complex, fresh enough and like the Raveneaux, quite engaging. The nose very slowly improves, losing the strident edge and taking on a little sweetly smoky bacon-fat aromas.
Rebuy – Yes

Many thanks to the provider of the bottles…

David Croix told me his 2008s were like monks – totally silent when opened in the morning before singing later in the day. I think I know what he means, only this monk seemed to be en grève…

2008 des Croix, Beaune 1er Les Grèves
Medium, medium-plus colour. The nose shows a faint savoury edge but little else for at least an hour, swirl madly a there’s dark but tight core of fruit with faint oak seasoning. Given plenty of time (2+hours) the nose shows a little inky depth before sticking with a glossy dark red/black fruit personality, only the last drops have a pure redcurrant essence. The palate starts just a little tart, but within 30 minutes it’s opened a little addng both texture and sweetness of fruit – from the start it is intense but it’s a linear intensity. For the life of the bottle it never quite fulfils it’s potential – the acidity remains just-about in balance (sorbet-like), and despite its intensity the wine offers only a very linear experience – even on day two. Everything seems in place, but I don’t know how long we might have to wait to see a ‘wow’.
Rebuy – Maybe