An interesting pair for this weekend – a more than half-good 1994, but one bested by a 2008 – despite their respective labels…

1994 Jean Grivot, Richebourg
Medium, medium-plus red colour – really not lots and lots of age. The nose has bright and ripe cherry-red fruit – quite nice I must say. In the mouth this is big and round, despite plenty of acidity, with ripe and appealing, sweeet cherry fruit that really has a certain ‘Richebourgness’ about it – I’m really amazed that this is a 94 until after the mid-palate and into the finish – here the acidity is rough and rustic, the finish is also pinched and not so long. Overall, interesting parts, but not really a coherent whole. Maybe half a Richebourg then, but this cost only £40 when released – which is much less than a 5th of a Richebourg now. Despite the finishing drawback, a very drinkable wine.
Rebuy – Maybe

2008 Jean Chauvenet, Nuits St.Georges 1er Les Perrières
After the Richebourg, here is a darker-shaded fruit, silky-smooth, inviting and with a small undertow of oak. The palate is sleek, just a little lush too. There’s plenty of acidity, but it’s less forward than the last bottle about 4 years ago – good balance. This is silky smooth all the way from the first impression to the last – long too, much longer finishing and more interesting than the Richebourg – modestly oaked, still – but super.
Rebuy – Yes

2007 Robert-Denogent, Mâcon-Solutré Clos Bertillonnes
My last magnum (I think!). The first of these half-dozen mags wasn’t that brilliant – maybe that was cork-related – the problem wasn’t oxidation, rather just not tasting great but all the rest have been excellent. An inspired auction buy about 4-5 years ago! This was crisp but weighty, ripe but fresh. It was devoured by 4 people – enough said!
Rebuy – Yes

1996 Bertagna, Vougeot 1er Clos de la Perrière
The first one of these I drank a few years back – it was sugary and not completely inspiring – could this be better now? This was a very modest nose – indeed tight – but something sweet and older was trying to get out – and it was certainly inviting. In the mouth, sweet, a little interesting flavour and actually very drinkable – but as a (sometimes!) great 1er cru, this remains a disappointment; rather lacking life, energy and even concentration. I have 1 more I think – but I’m not holding out much hope as this was less exciting than the last one…
Rebuy – No

2011 Ramonet, Bourgogne Pinot Noir
Both I and my girlfriend sniffed this as soon as it was poured – we both decreed that is was pyrazine free – she’s more sensitive to it that I – Excellent! – so we both began to drink. 20 minutes later, we both decided we were wrong, indeed it had become modestly smelly but more than modestly tasting of pyrazines. Initially, it was fresh, faintly minty red fruit – hardly medium weight. Fresh on the palate with a similar (almost) medium-weight concentration of transparent, sweet-enough flavour. Lots of people will be happy with this, but I found it hard to drink.
Rebuy – No

I knew exactly what I was looking for, end even more surprising I found it straight away – well, almost! Except, it wasn’t what I expected. I was sure that this was the 1995, but no. Hmm, maybe I do have a 1995, somewhere, but clearly I wasn’t going to find it in 5 minutes! Okay, I really prefer 20 years on a wine like this, but hey, I decided that I was already committed!

What I do have in mind is that the vines were not long replanted at this time(?) if that was really the case, I have to say that this was a brilliant performance, indeed a performance of bravado!

1998 Gros Frère et Soeur, Grands-Echézeaux
Deeply coloured – clearly not young, but it already looks a wine of weight in the glass. Very aromatic – quite some impact to the nose too, a little spice, a little leaf and dark-red, slightly roast fruit edged with graphite and spice – though to be fair, it could be oak-spice rather than Vosne-spice! Large-scaled in the mouth, architectural but with enough padding to make the wine more than just interesting. Quite some weight of flavour again and complex in the mid-palate too – where tannin still swirls, but does not jar. Really a wine of character, still with a little oak in the finish, but really it’s one of those ‘who cares!’ wines. Excellent!
Rebuy – Yes