​
2005 Marchand-Grillot, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Perrières
Hmm, drunk directly following the Chenu there’s more concentration, intensity and vibrancy of flavour. The nose starts with some old oak notes that quickly fade, then there are flashes of pure-fruited brilliance but also an intermittent Brett note. The latter only ever gets slowly worse. So I drank this quite quickly. A curate’s egg – but a good one if such a thing exists! I have two more – given the brett I probably won’t wait too long to attack those – and then there’s a couple of other 2005 cuvées from this producer – always there’s work to be done 🙂 Note, lots and lots of heavy sediment – the glasses needed a rinse before…
Rebuy – Maybe

2000 Vougeraie, Vougeot 1er Les Cras
When younger, this wine was a dead-ringer for a 2004 with its bright and forward pyrazine. Today it starts with a herby, vegetal, vegetable garden nose – which fortunately doesn’t last long – and what remains is floral fruit of good distinction – no pyrazine. The nose slowly adds a fresh and clean dried leaves aspect too. Unlike the palate where, whilst modest, it is an ever-present. That said, this wine has freshness and complexity – a certain joie-de-vivre before a little, slightly rustic, tannin. Very tasty wine indeed – it took two nights to finish, but it was very good all the same.
Rebuy – Yes

​Tasted last month, a small New Zealand session:

2015 Rippon, Riesling
A lovely nose – open and inviting. Fresh attack, direct, a little mouth-watering sweetness and perfumed finksh. Lovely.

2013 Rippon, Pinot Noir
Smells of some whole-cluster – round and attractive. Mouth-filling, a little astringent, but long flavours of freshness and interest.

2013 Rippon, Tinkers Field
A deep nose, of whole-clusters, sweet, really attractive. Lots of volume, melting flavour, long and with good concentration too. Yum.

2013 Prophets Rock, Central Otago
A more perfumed width of pinot fruit. Energy, complexity, slightly floral finishing. All these NZ wines are very aromttic so far.

2014 Prophets Rock, Home Vineyard
A deeper nose, dirty pinot, whole-clusters, perhaps reduction too – it sounds terrible but it’s quite lovely. Round, mouth-filling and complex, a good compbination of energy and sweetness of cherry-plum fruit style. Tasty wine.

​1997 Nicolas Potel, Volnay
This nose starts a little bulky but given time it opens – becoming an absolute belter! – really complex, alluring and a little floral too. The palate like the nose, also starts a little bulky – monolithic even – the acidity is a little forward and unbalanced. Unlike the nose, these two traits remain completely consistent. Maybe just this bottle (I have other opportunities to check this) but not a balance to enjoy – a shame because the nose is beautiful cliché Volnay…
Rebuy – No

2006 Louis Chenu Père et Filles, Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Les Talmettes
Hmm – lovely, fine, wide, simmering red fruit with a little sweetness and a suggestion of roses. Wide across the palate, modest intensity but beautifully balanced wine. Delicious, airy, never profound but always satisfying wine. Yum!
Rebuy – Yes

A little late out of the blocks – so more of a reminiscence than real notes:

1998 Christian Adine, Chablis 1er Montmain
Not a name that I know, half-blind (I knew it was Chablis) the aromas shouted 2008 to me – but it was a 1998! From magnum, but still in a beautiful condition – what a super wine to have so much of – mineral yet comfortable – an easy rebuy – if ever seen!
Rebuy – Yes

1990 Maurice Chapuis, Corton-Charlemagne
I opted to decant this from the start – as it turned out, despite an almost caramel colour, there were no oxidative notes to dissipate. Big wine, rich and ripe wine – with balance though. I would never have guessed that it was a Charlemagne, but a well-preserved, totally mature wine of plenty of interest was never in doubt. Good wine!
Rebuy – Maybe

1995 Gérard Mugneret, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Les Charmes
Wax-topped – the domaine doesn’t do that anymore. The nose was deep, leafy, almost textured but at the same time rather inviting – still, not a cliché pretty/floral Chambolle. In the mouth too, a wine of power and modest tannic rusticity to the texture – but also of depth and full interest. Relatively mature but will hold for as long as you like on this performance. Tasty wine!
Rebuy – Maybe

1999 Guy Castagnier, Clos de la Roche
Having tried the 97 and 98 in the last 10 days it seemed only fair to open one of these 99s too. I bought a couple of 6-packs way-back-when, and I may have already finished one of them – this the first from the next case.
The nose is far from forward but has very fine and pure fruit of great direction. It’s the same on the palate – a joyous line of crystal-pure dark-red, mouth-watering fruit with super persistence. My first glass empties very quickly. Subsequent glasses have aromas that sometimes betray a faint whiff of brett – then they are clean again – maybe time to start drinking these then – and why not, this bottle was emptied the night it was opened – usually the best of signs. Super wine.
Rebuy – Yes

Plus some wines recently tasted blind with (mainly) Grand Cru company – the grand crus will appear in my April Report – notes as written before seeing the wines:

2005 Robert Denogent, Pouilly-Fuissé La Croix Vieilles-Vignes
White 1 – Older colour. The nose has a sweet vibration and a suggestion of oxidative development – but it remains a great invitation. More direct over the palate than the nose suggests, but still with an engaging blend of fresh and sweet. Quite narrow into the finish. Eventually a super nose and a more modest palate – apparently mature and delicious but not profound – from the Mâcon?

2015 Buisson-Charles, Meursault 1er Les Cras
White 2 – A young nose, wide, not so deep but clearly this is a very inviting and fine wine. Supple, deep, a little oak – quite young and rich, plenty of minerals and long. Excellent and young – Chassagne 1er? After being told I could clearly smell the ginger spice on the nose, silly me – oh well.

2015 Buisson-Charles, Meursault Vieilles-Vignes de 1945
White 3 – A sweeter and more mature core of aroma. Wide, melting flavour, richness but with great mouth-watering balance. Long – super again – a great set of whites here. This has tension – from Puligny? Even when revealed, I couldn’t see the ‘Meursaultness’ but I could still see great wine – I rated it higher than the 1er cru!

2015 Buisson-Charles, Bourgogne Pinot Noir Hautes Coutures
Red 5 – Bright, fresh and very much younger aroma than previous bottles – with fine pure kirsch notes. Wide, pure, very fruity – a baby. Lots of volume, good concentration, very fruit forward but with balanced acidity. Long and super but a grand cru? I don’t think so…

2003 Bourgogne-Devaux, Pommard
Red 6 – Wide, vibrantly deep red fruit aromas, less pure than the last due to some residues of oak. More richness of texture, more concentration, much more maturity of flavour. A good older wine – – also probably not (a good!) grand cru.