With the help of friends:

1996 Pierre Matrot, Meursault-Charmes
I had modest expectations – and they were met! The colour is certainly older but the the nose is not super-oxidative – not in the context of a 1996, anyway. Unfortunately the modest oxidation mixes with something musty from the cork – not TCA – but anyway musty. This nose is not a beautiful thing. In the mouth it’s classic 1996 – a citric line and certainly an old chardonnay that hints at a little finishing cream. Interesting, but hardly worth 1 star from 5…
Rebuy – No

2009 Vincent Dancer, Meursault-Perrières
Hmm, a nose that starts compact but very clean, slowly building an attractive floral side too. Starting direct and mineral – this is a beauty – only with time does the depth of texture and a modest richness grow in tandem with the warming in the glass. Delicious wine.
Rebuy – Yes

1997 Château de Chorey, Beaune 1er Vignes-Franches
A nose that starts a little rustic and animale but with energy and depth too. As it breathes it cleans-up and becomes ever-more engaging and inviting – super. The palate surprises after the sweetly invigorating nose – tighter, younger, slightly structural – but balanced and tasty too. A 97 that’s not yet fully ready, but it’s close. I have the impression that this may have been quite oaky when a youngster,. but today it’s in really great shape.
Rebuy – Yes

2006 Comte Liger-Belair, Echézeaux
The wine starts cold and tight, but soon lets loose a beautiful floral aroma as it warms – a deeper plum-red fruit in the middle – just getting better and better as it combines with the air, adding a modest but highly attractive musk-spice. This has never been a wine of impact and concentration – but it doesn’t need it! There is width, beautifully silky texture – cushioned yet fresh. A little background oak but also a gorgeous lingering flavour with a suggestion of minerality at its limit. Tannin is still present – but you will be forced to search for it. Essentially a wine that has been open and giving since the very beginning – never having closed – remaining a beautiful expression of the vineyard despite its relative youth. Bravo!
Rebuy – Yes

2015 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey, St.Aubin 1er En Remilly
Hmm, this is showing a very appealing, almost sugared ripe-yellow citrus aroma. Open and fresh with delicious layers of well-defined flavour. Simply an excellent and sweetly delicious wine. There is already great pleasure to be found here.
Rebuy – Yes

2014 Caroline Morey, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Champs-Gain
A much narrower nose, reductive in a vibrant, mineral, way, rather than fireworks or lit matches. The palate is the same – a different style of more direct intensity than PY’s wine, but vibrantly mineral and interesting – yet also less delicious and approachable than the St.Aubin today. An impressive wine of line and mineral interest but definitely one that’s to wait for…
Rebuy – Yes

It was a hot one – the weekend – and we were out a lot, enjoying the views and the fresh (lake) fish – but I still managed to find the time for a couple of cold ones!

2016 Domaine Diconne, Auxey-Duresses Vieilles-Vignes
Modest colour. A deep nose, with a good line of clean freshness that reminds of the young 2010s, plus the faintest whiff of toast. Hmm, width, lovely silky texture and a slowly growing intensity. Despite the width, this is a wine that, like the nose, follows a great line with energy and fine salinity. Citrus-bright finishing waves of flavour that hold very well. 40% of the price of a négoce villages Puligny. Massive value – Excellent wine.
Rebuy – Yes

As the last, aromatically, reminded me of a 2010, what about seeing how one of those is developing?

2010 Alex Gambal, St.Aubin 1er Murgers des Dents du Chien
Deeper colour, but nothing untoward – actually the nose has a little reductive toast to go with the ripe lemon – the reduction maybe helped along by the extra-long cork! Lovely width, and really very complex – lots of little layers of flavour – here also an (old) reductive performance that plays well with a baseline of good minerality. For a 2010 I’d expect a hint more energy, though the complexity is great. A lovely wine, but a wine that you (unfortunately) which you have to pay attention to the serving temperature – if it warms in the glass there’s insufficient energy and it disappoints. Blind I’d guess a 2009 – maybe I should also try one of those 🙂
Rebuy – Yes

And just a few images of our trek for a great fish-lunch on Sunday:
 

Three winners this weekend, including two honorary Burgundians, one of whom sadly missed:

2014 Alain Geoffroy, Chablis 1er Fourchaume
Relatively pale colour. The nose has a small vibration of minerality but is relatively tight. Wide over the palate but with such a ripe, almost honied flavour that I’m surprised I’m drinking a 2014, not a 2015. The flavour holds long with something of a nougat style note in the finish. A wine of width rather than of line – and I was looking for line today. Delicious nonetheless…
Rebuy – Yes

2012 Le Grappin, Beaune 1er Boucherottes
A rare DIAM-sealed wine where the wine has traveled halfway up the ‘cork’ – but clearly not to the detriment of this particular bottle.
Medium, medium-plus colour. The nose has admirable purity – starting red-fruited but the shade deepening with aeration. Good volume in the mouth and a fine, layered delivery of fresh flavour – slowly mouth-watering with just a faint anecdote of tannin. Pleasingly long. Simply a delicious wine – with almost a black fruit – more open and less strict than it was a couple of years ago and certainly a wine of line rather than depth or texture – it went great with half a roasted Bressé chicken from the Beaune market!
Rebuy – Yes

2008 David Clark, Vosne-Romanée
Hmm – some of David’s other 2008s are a little acid-forward right now – but not this one, not a bit! Directly a pure, fresh, faintly spiced Vosne nose – so inviting! So delicate, and softly complex – but with beautiful definition and also with faintly floral anecdotes in the finish – beautiful! Whilst a long way from ‘mature,’ this is already ravishing…
Rebuy – Yes