2005 Dubreuil-Fontaine, Volnay
This is a very good value wine, not only is it well priced for a villages wine, as we now know it also contains a significant amount of 1er cru grapes from Carelle Sous Chapelle, Les Brouillards and Les Lurets. Double decanted an hour before pouring. Aromatically this is a little mute but there are fresh, high-tones of dark red fruits and fainter, high-toned floral aromas – very fine fruit – and the empty glass smells of rose petals. The last vestiges of fat are melting as the acidity starts to come to the fore – very smooth before a hint of tannin in the back-end. Certainly there’s a really nice depth of fruit with a decent length and a residual hint of sweetness, but here’s a tight wine. With the merest hint of a wince, this is drinkable today, but realistically it is already set for a 10 year-plus sleep – I think I’m lucky that I didn’t meet it earlier – otherwise I might have bought 2 cases!
Rebuy – Yes

My first 2008 red at home:

2008 Domaine Lejeune, Bourgogne
Medium, medium-plus colour. The nose is a sweet, red/black, (mainly red) cherry over a base of herbs, even faint violets – it does remind me of Lejeune’s 2005 but this is more open. Some fat and some faintly astringent tannin before a lip-smacking tart cherry acidity. Okay length, and provided you like acid slap, this is a super, pinot fun-delivering bottle. The acidity might get a little too much in a couple of years, but this will be lovely over the summer – I really must check on the domaine’s ‘higher’ wines from 2008…
Rebuy – Yes

2006 Jean Tardy, Fixin La Place
Medium colour. High tones, slightly volatile, a hint of leaf and beef broth, eventually a blue-skinned fruit comes through – actually, nicer than the description may sound. Also a high-toned fruit impression in the mouth. There is a little fat but it quickly falls to the background as the slightly astringent tannin covers it. Good acidity and medium length, nice flavours. Not much density. The initial slight volatility makes me think to drink young, but the tannin needs one or two years to melt a little. Day two this seemed better. Despite the astringency, this is far from a traditional ‘rustic’ Fixin. It’s well made yet quite expensive for a ‘villages’, or at least one that could offer a little more density…
Rebuy – Maybe

1999 Remoriquet, Vosne-Romanée 1er Aux dessus du Malconsorts
Medium, medium-plus ruby-red colour. The nose slowly opens over about 25 minutes, hints of spice, warm dark fruit and a slightly strange mineral/coal note. Over the tongue, it’s balanced and quite intense, some grain still from the tannin, but that strange aroma is also their as a flavour too. Previous bottles were fine so perhaps this strange flavour is a one-off – it was anyway more of a background note on day two.
Rebuy – Maybe

2007 Denis Bachelet, Côte de Nuits Villages
Medium colour. The nose starts a little ‘thin’, but quickly fills out with a mix of red and blue shaded fruit and there’s a width of higher tones, no bass-notes though. A balanced and slightly floral impression with an impressive width, though like the nose there’s a limited depth for the life of this bottle. The fruit impression does build a lovely red, cream inflected note. This becomes very tasty indeed. A pretty wine that was once a great value cuvée – currently it’s just pretty…
Rebuy – Maybe