2007 Mischief & Mayhem, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Caillerets
On pouring in the kitchen, the dark colour hard my heart sinking (once more) but outside in the garden, it was clear that this remains yellow not golden – even if dark yellow! The nose actually has a reductive twist and some exotic yellow fruit. In the mouth this is very large-scaled and with much less overt acidity, indeed freshness, than M&M’s 2007 Meursault Charmes. In style, I might have guessed this to be a typical (un-p.oxed) 2005 – i.e. mouth-filling and massively scaled – highly impressive, without being particularly delicious. Quite a good wine. I have another but many other things taste better to me at this stage, so I’ll bite the bullet and wait a while longer – I know I’m not taking my own advice, but why drink it if I don’t enjoy it?!
Rebuy – No

2005 des Croix, Bourgogne Pinot Noir
Still deeply coloured. The nose offers up sweet fruit of decent freshness, and now, for the first time, a vibration of extra age-driven complexity – yum! In the mouth this has plenty of volume and great texture. Without being super-fresh this is very well-balanced and nicely weighted – the fruit is, however, rather sweet and close to cordial-like. I find the fruit just a little distracting – but I can wait 😉 For a Bourgogne, this sits below the Barthod 05 today in terms of pure deliciousness, but overall, it’s really not far behind!
Rebuy – Yes

2008 Prince Florent de Merode, Ladoix Les Chaillots
This wine was always brilliant value, usually cheaper than a whole swathe of Bourgognes – but young, I found a few odd flavours in this wine – but no more! The nose is fresh and really only very modestly herbal – in that 2008 vernacular. In the mouth this has a good dose of complexity – herbs and fruit – and a very endearing freshness that makes it moreish. This wine is really coming into its own now – fresh, herby but with decent fruit and a certain ebullience. Yum!
Rebuy – Yes

2013 Clothilde Davenne, Saint Bris
A fresh nose and one that is a little more obviously sauvignon blanc than the 2012. Ooh – a lovely line and minerality to this wine – fresh, tasty and very moreish. Yum. Definitely a more varietal wine than the (I remember) more concentrated 2012. I prefer that wine, but this was lovely!
Rebuy – Yes

2012 Domaine Dublère, Beaune 1er Blanches Fleurs
Hmm – this smells rather dreamy-creamy – fine red fruit too – very inviting! In the mouth there is concentration dovetailed with a modest softness of texture. Super waves of strong, sweet and tasty mid-palate and finishing flavour. I find some oak influence here – but the wine remains nothing short of delicious – super!
Rebuy – Yes

2012 JC Boisset, Beaune 1er Les Grèves
Just a little deeper colour than the Blanches Fleurs. A deeper aromatic that has herb and tobacco when first opened – slowly it adds more flowers and has a fine dark-skinned cherry fruit. Big in the mouth with quite some intensity of flavour too – herb-inflected dark fruit – really this is very super, faintly saline wine – certainly there’s a mineral impression in the finish – a super long line of saline fruit notes in this finish. The waves of flavour are a little less obvious vs the last wine but generally there’s more complexity. Really a top, if rather young wine – yet, really yum! Probably better than, though less delicious today than, the Blanches Fleurs.
Rebuy – Yes

2013 Louis Latour Pommard 1er Epenots
Here is a wine that you should, currently, decant. It starts with a mix of modest reduction and slightly less modest oak notes – slowly but surely it gains higher and fresher notes – the fruit behind is never in question. A lovely width of fresh berry-cherry fruit on the palate with a faint halo of dryness, but not to the extent that there’s any tannic grain. A fine fruit note adheres to the tongue – and it’s very persistent. Today the wine is mainly defined by this oaky reduction – but seriously good material waits below. It’s a very different style of oak here vs the Blanches Fleurs – and this weekend, this is my favourite wine, very closely followed by the Grèves.
Rebuy – Yes

Having mistakenly opened a (remarkably super!) 2007 M&M to follow-up on my p.oxed 2005, here – eventually – are a couple of 2005 follow-ups. Sadly, and in my cellar at-least, these are for the fish or chicken sauce – only.

2005 Mischief & Mayhem, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Caillerets
Deep colour. Basically like the last bottle – it smells more like an exotic blend of fermented marmalade with a large helping of Jura wine. This is such a shame because this wine was a stunner 6-7 years ago – shame on me for not drinking them all at that time.
Rebuy – No

2005 Mischief & Mayhem, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Champs Gain
Deep colour – exactly the same as the last wine. This also has the fermented marmalade / cider / sweet honey nose – though in this case without a clear note of Jura. Less exotic than the Caillerets, but equally compromised. In the mouth there’s a good line and excellent concentration of flavour – but also a wine for the cooking, not the Riedel…
Rebuy – No

I shall be rounding up all my remaining 05s – save the Leflaive Chevalier – probably for cooking with…