A long weekend – in much of Europe the Pfingst/Pentecost weekend means an extra day. My choice of wines saw a poor start but getting better:

1997 Sylvain Cathiard, Vosne-Romanée 1er Malconsorts
Oof – not a great nose – balsamic and with brett. If you can get the wine past your nose and into your mouth, this tastes rather good – showing hardly any of the disappointment of the nose – but it’s a big ‘IF.’ More of this was left or used for cooking than was actually drunk – that tells all that you need to know. The only positive thing I can say about brett, is that every bottle will be different – just as well as I have 2 or 3 more of these!
Rebuy – No

2005 JC Boisset, Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Les Sepentières
A deeper colour. More depth of fresh and clean aroma – a little graphite and dark fruit. Deep, young fruit here – concentration and super depth. Archetypal young, but not closed, 2005. Perhaps the mid-palate and finish of the Cathiard were nicer, but you had to get past that wine’s nose – no easy task. Bravo wine for the appellation.
Rebuy – Yes

1993 François Jobard, Meursault 1er Genevrières
Deep golden. No oxidation, though a nose that starts rather abruptly – slowly some pineapple is released, then stem ginger, finally a ripe and waxy lemon. Just like the nose, the first impression over the palate is of something a little angular – a wine of rigour. Air changes things, always, seemingly for the better with this wine. It relaxes, becomes silkier and manages to ingrain its flavour into the palate. Never a wine of total deliciousness but always a wine of robust complexity and interest. Intellectual rather than sumptuous. Excellent!
Rebuy – Yes

2013 Camus, Latricières-Chambertin
A nose with a little green about it, but just tipping the balance towards mint rather than herbaceousness. Light across the palate but complex too. A volume of cushioned, airy, focused red-fruited flavour. Long finishing young wine. Not the concentration of either of the previous reds – a modest 1er cru level – except that it was the most open and complex finishing of these.
Rebuy – Maybe