Dec 23

Dec 24

The magnums

Dec 25

Dec 26

Dec 23+24

Dec 27

Dec 28

Dec 29

Dec 30

Dec 30

Dec 31

Just a modest selection that’s kept mind and soul together over the last days; but quickly going through (most of) them:

2001 Mugneret-Gibourg, Vosne-Romanée
Really something of a modest disappointment – though consistent with previous bottles; fine bones, sleek, but modest, indeed dilute – not a patch on the flamboyance of its youth – at least at near 15 years old!
2005 Alex Gambal, St.Aubin 1er Murgers du Dents du Chien
Wow – one of the best surprises of Christmas – big, deep, complex, somewhat reductive with a modest struck-match. Just a brilliant, brilliant wine – Bravo!
1998 Pol Roger (Mag)
My last of 6. As good as any – beautiful, sleek, complex, elegant drinking – also the last glass on day 2!
2009 J.Moreau, Chablis Valmur (Mag)
Lovely wine with a certain fat but insinuating sweetness and lovely acidity. An absolute wow with people who just want a nice glass of wine.
2000 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Romanée St.Vivant
My last of three and easily the best. Just wonderful on every level – everyone was complimenting it – so I didn’t tell them what it would cost to buy one today!
2000 Finca Altimera Malbec
Dark, almost black, concentrated – seems like a baby, a very tasty baby. Just a great contrast to the DRC.
2008 Alex Gambal, St.Aubin 1er Murgers du Dents du Chien (Mag)
Lovely with a very faint reduction that starts like toasty oak before vanishing. Nicely layered and with lovely acidity. The second half on day two was even better – just a beautiful wine. Not as good as the 05 this Christmas but damn fine.
2001 Leflaive Bourgogne Blanc
Lovely, lovely wine. Fine, precise, beautiful acidity with a subtly excellent finish. The 2008 Dents du Chien was a little more crowd pleasing, but this was lovely.
2007 Mugneret-Gibourg, Bourgogne
This smelled rather nice and open. In the mouth there was good fruit and just a faint spikiness to the acidity – not the most perfectly balanced wine, but easy to drink.
2010 Jean-Marc Bouley, Volnay
This seemed deep and concentrated, a little impenetrable to start, but give it about 3 hours and there’s complexity and even a little elegance. Very enjoyable now, but only if you carafe!
1998 Bouchard Père, Nuits St.Georges 1er Clos St.Marc
I’d been planning to open this when it was 20, but every time I searched for something in the cellar this seemingly popped up shouting ‘me!’ This day I succumbed. It is indeed still a little young – but grand cru in every dimension – what a brilliant wine – complex, powerful and with great dimension. Red surprise of the Christmas.
2005 Mischief & Mayhem, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Champs Gain
Just a faint whiff of oxidation- but faint enough to add complexity not sadness. Big in the mouth but with a truly super line of minerality in the long finish. Holding on and still a great performance.
2005 Potel-Aviron, Morgon Côte du Py
The 11th of 12 – and all have been frankly super. Dark coloured, complex, not obviously gamay. Just a bottle that was very much enjoyed in the same context as all the other more expensive bottles.
2010 Edmond Monnot, Maranges 1er Clos des Rois
Wide-open, pretty red fruit. A certain complexity and freshness. Engaging, indeed faultless!
2009 David Clark, Bourgogne Au Pelson
Lighter colour than many. Floral and pretty (100% whole cluster). Engaging, complex and lovely drinking already.
2009 Chézeaux/Ponsot, Griotte-Chambertin
Do I not like those ardea closures! Damn near impossible to remove with a waiter’s friend, hard enough with a screw-pull! I almost broke the ‘cork’ it was so hard sealed – others I’ve cracked the glass! Anyway, deep, dark, glossy, ripe. Full in the mouth, full-flavoured too. Very one-dimensional today, though it does come out of its shell a little after a few hours. Hard to tell its from Burgundy before that!
2006 Camille Giroud, Gevrey-Chambertin En Champs
Lighter coloured, less intense but prettier aromas. In the mouth it’s sleeker and less rich, but the mid-palate to finishing flavour is beautifully complex, indeed just beautiful, despite a faint vanilla note. Lovely and much nicer than a freshly opened 09 Griotte!
Billecart-Salmon NV Brut Reserve
Lovely, fresh, almost mandarin notes – easy (and fast!) drinking!
1993 JJ Confuron, Clos de Vougeot
Ouf! What do I have in the glass before me(?)
Medium-plus colour of indeterminate middle-age but no browning.
Deep, herby and spicy aromas, massively scaled, and something of a cool, almost dismissive stance.
Mouth-filling, beautifully textured, indeed a little richness to this texture. Growing intensity and rather massively concentrated.
The flavours are also a little herby but also very complex with quite enough sweetness and seemingly resolved tannin – yet – this wine shouts out that it needs 10 years more in the cellar.
Honestly this is something massive, and I have the impression of much, much oak in its youth, but, I don’t know if I like it or not. It’s far too early to love it. Day 2 this was much more drinkable – I think I caught myself enjoying it 😉 The 1993 Jadot Clos de Vougeot is as good a wine as I’ve had in the whole year (behind an incredible 1971 Chambertin) but this Clos de Vougeot is far too young to make such pronouncements!

Wines with friends on Saturday – that I mainly managed to finish on the Sunday! Just a few reminisces…

The bubbles came from Perrier-Jouet, just the normal (gold label) NV, but this particular bottle was laid-up in the cellar for at least the last 6-7 years – the nose was okay but not the best, yet it was a bit of a stunner in the mouth! Next was one of my few remaining St.Aubin Dents du Chiens from Gilles Bouton, a 2010 and it was on great form. I think I bought about 4 mixed cases of St.Aubin 1er 10s from Gilles as my ‘daily drivers’ and just one more bottle lies in the cellar – I’ve had only one sub-standard bottle, and that was the very first!

Two Malconsorts followed; the 2002 from Potel is rather evolved now, classically wild Malconsorts though. That said, I think (my bottles) were a little nicer when younger. Still this showed well. The last was the 2003 Malconsorts from Clos Frantin, and this showed brilliantly. The fruit is broader and, of-course, riper but the overall impression, blind, would have been of a jump to a grand cru wine after the Potel, as opposed to simply a hot vintage. Fresh, complex, still quite young – top stuff!

Actually, even with help, I didn’t finish these, so I think the Engel and Esmonin will live on – for tonight at least 😉

2008 Paul Pillot, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Clos St.Jean
Medium lemon yellow colour. A toasty reduction lasts about 5 minutes to be replaced by a fresh, bright yellow, slightly padded citrus fruit. Wide with a lovely freshness and a bead of mineral acidity that runs through the core. Despite that forward mineral/acid blend there is width, balance and very pretty fruit. A beauty – it sings across the palate – really lovely wine!
Rebuy – Yes

1995 René Engel, Vosne-Romanée 1er Les Brûlées
Medium-plus colour and certainly with some browning of the colour. Comforting, stewing plums, spiced plums – slowly it adds both depth and a slightly floral top-line too. a wide flavour panorama, very good acidity and the tannin resembles a ‘3 day beard’ it’s there, and almost looks like it should be there! A long, spiced, faintly sweet finish that gives a more mineral than fruit impression. Tasty wine indeed, but really not a special wine to search for…
Rebuy – Yes

1993 Frederic Esmonin, Ruchottes-Chambertin
A little deeper colour than the Engel – looks just a little younger too. Ooh! Wide, complex and with beautiful depth – also a little plum aroma here but much fresher-shaded versus the Engel – becomes more floral too – lovely, lovely! Direct, but then widens with much more intensity and concentration of sweet, energetic fruit borne on beautiful acidity. Fresh finishing with the merest suggestion of tannin. If anything this is still a young wine, but one that is singing today. Simply, deliciously super!
Rebuy – Yes

Back in Switzerland and given that I’m not tasting 20 wines (plus!) per day, I really do have a thirst for opening things – surely it’s good training for Christmas too 😉

2002 Domaine des Varoilles, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Clos des Varoilles
I though I had this in magnums – but not – it must be the La Romanées in mags – it’s only a question of ‘where?’ Medium, medium-plus colour with just a hint of browning. The nose has a few meaty notes, pepper too over a more guarded red fruit core. Silky, beautiful acidity, and a very fine mid-palate intensity – impressively so. Almost a chewy flavour to finish. Very good wine on the cusp of changing to something much more secondary and interesting. Tasty!
Rebuy – Yes

The last of my stash of 1998s from Bruno. The halves were mainly brett infected in the last couple of years, but this 75cl was fine…

1998 Bruno Clair, Marsannay Longeroies
A healthy medium/plus colour. The nose is a hint cushioned, a hint savoury and shows an occasional flash of good deep red fruit. In the mouth, just a little less sweet than the Varoilles and there’s a suggestion of bitterness about the finishing flavours, yet in isolation this has a little fat, some freshness and no lack of sweetness to the fruit. The finish is a good one that hints toward dry tannin without ever managing to deliver it. Fresh, cool fruit, off-dry. Tasty wine but I have to say it was even tastier 5 years ago!
Rebuy – Yes

2013 Berthaut-Gerbet, Vosne-Romanée
A bottle bought after the super tasting in Fixin the other week. On first opening there are a few sulfites clouding the dark fruit. Really this needed 15 minutes of air to freshen up, but then it was super; a mildly sweet and spicy dark-fruited nose. In the mouth just modestly sweet but with very nice complexity and much moreish-ness. Delicious wine.
Rebuy – Yes

2013 Louis Latour, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Sous les Puits
A beautiful width of aroma – fresh apricot and agrume. Fills the mouth with mineral flavour, energy with a great punch of mid-palate flavour. Very impressive, a wine that got better and better, the longer it was open.
Rebuy – Yes