The Dönnhoff has always been very tasty, moreish wine – actually a bit too sweet – but that doesn’t seem to slow us down drinking it 😉

2019 Zito, Gamay Noir
When I recently visited Bernard Zito, just as I was leaving he put this in my hands and said – tell me what you think. Apparently, it’s a blend of gamay from Beaujolais (Côte de Brouilly), Mâconnais and Côte d’Or.
I love 2019 Beaujolais so it was hardly a surprise that I was going to love this too – the nose is very aromatic and floral-infused – give it enough air and there’s a hint more structure and a slightly graphite-style minerality. In the mouth this has volume and energy – it’s completely delicious – full of crunchy red and darker-red fruit. Joyous wine!
Rebuy – Yes

2021 Gautheron, Chablis Emeraude
My first from a dozen purchased.
Plenty of colour – more yellow than green. There’s plenty of weight, indeed concentration to this wine – ripe fruit but still with all the requisite energy and chiselled style that marks it out as Chablis – it’s delicious too!
Rebuy – Yes

Or maybe I should have said Prehy, in Chablis – but the family, and, of course, the vines are from Irancy. Brice’s father was one of the first in the village to change to organic farming. These wines were bottled at the start of November and contain only pinot:

2021 Irancy Paradis
A modest red colour. Old vines next to Mazelots – all pinot fin. Almost a small smoky note of tobacco to this nose. Nice shape in the mouth – juiciness of red fruit – just enough ripeness. The last drops are almost a little juicy, creamy, peach in the finish.
Rebuy – Maybe

2021 Irancy Mazelots
Younger colour and a little more colour too. A more vibrant nose – seemingly quite silky too. Hmm – texturally lovely – width and velour. The fruit with a small creamy cushion – it’s from an old demi-muid. This is delicious, impressive wine – very lovely in this difficult vintage.
Rebuy – Yes

It was already week 28 2023!

The weather was warm so it was no surprise that the accent was heavily white:

2016 François Buisson (Buisson-Battault), Bourgogne Chardonnay
Always a winner – the recent tasting of his 2022 showed a winner too. You will think that you have Meursault in your glass – only when you compare to an actual Meursault, particularly from François, will you see that there is more headroom. Drinking excellently and still very young.
Rebuy – Yes

1995 Germain (Chateau de Chorey-lès-Beaune), Beaune 1er Les Cras
There’s some green, quite texturally green, on this nose – not pyrazine, rather ‘less ripe’ tannin – it’s like you can smell the tannins before you taste them! Then you, of course, you taste them! A wine that improves markedly with plenty of air – more than 1 hour – though it’s clearly wine from a different generation. Actually, this wine got better over a period of 3 days – until it was gone. A slightly masochistic pleasure but my pleasure all the same!
Rebuy – Probably not…

2017 Thibert, Pouilly-Fuissé Vignes Blanches
What an inviting nose! Wide, cool, and with the impression of minerality – something that’s amply delivered in the flavours. Clean-cut, precise with fine flavour depth and it’s absolutely delicious – that’s a great Pouilly!
Rebuy – Oh yes!

2020 Alain Geoffroy, Chablis 1er Beauroy
There’s plenty of colour to this wine. Aromatically, my nose is anticipating a little of the vintage green – but today I don’t find any – rather a richness and even slight sweetness of aroma. In the mouth this has good energy and even a hint of richness for Beauroy. Just a very good and tasty wine.
Rebuy – Maybe

Great, good or bad – I feel I’d be wasting this bottle by putting it in a blind line-up…

Referencing this recent post – there was a comment (and linked study) from reader, Siddharth Dasgupta – particularly relevant to the potential for inbuilt bias whilst tasting.

It’s something that you have to be aware of and I know I do sometimes find myself making apologies for small issues – relevant at the time of tasting – but perhaps not relevant in the context of an anticipated maturity window for wines of known (higher) potential at maturity – blind tasting is largely in the moment. So a few thoughts on my perspective:

Blind tasting has its place and it’s a great place for grounding – indeed challenging – your expectations but from my perspective, the whole idea of Burgundian hierarchies and appellations and climate and lieux-dits – not to mention the vintage effect – makes for the extra anticipation of drinking a Chambolle – or a Musigny! It is exactly this anticipation and how the wine compares to the construct that I have prepared in my mind for the wine and the vintage that is the most fascinating to me.

Of course, I may be more inclined to forgive some aspects of an expensive wine due to the reasoning cited above or I may be in another camp – one that will be less tolerant of issues – particularly outright faults – but it’s exactly this construct that can also highlight, indeed emphasise, my disappointments. Renown and your personal expectations can be a double-edged sword – and a sharp one at that!

Maybe my fortunate position as not just(!) a taster of thousands of wines per year – I like drinking them too! – gives me a different perspective to that of the average drinker – I’ve already tasted at more than 370 domaines since the 2022 harvest. But for me there’s even more pleasure and interest in comparing a wine with my expectations than the discovery of something blind – but both are important – it’s simply a question of the ratio of one to another.

Or how about coupling the two? – what about 20x Echézeaux from a single vintage? – That sounds good to me!