No, not a lecture on ‘off-wine’ – well not in an ‘orange direction’ anyway.

I expected maybe one glass from the Puligny, but fortunately it was on fire, because the 98 Beaune Grèves that I had planned to follow was corked. I open all 1990s wines with a certain (cork) trepidation as it was a terrible time for taint – easily 10%, but I reckon higher. I’ll try another of these Jadots in the next days…

Returning to the Puligny. From an auction ‘lot’ I bought a year or two ago, this is the second I’ve opened. All these have a dark colours and the first had quite a high level of oxidation on the both the cork and the wine. This one’s cork smelled fine, despite the wine almost tending to brown…

1982 Etienne Sauzet, Puligny-Montrachet
Dark orange wine – almost tending to brown, but – hmm… Bingo! A certain freshness, white chocolate, wet wool, lanolin… In the mouth a plush silkiness with gorgeous sucrosity of fruit leaching, together with the acidity, through the gaps in your teeth and over the tongue. The finish is super-wide and slowly mouth-watering and with a faint nougat in the length. Great wine!
Rebuy – No Chance

I’ve 3 more of these, and if none are as good as this – so be it – but this was brilliant. Not bad for a villages! The only other villages I’ve had at the same level were the 64 and 59 Meursaults from Nicolas Potel’s Collection Bellenum – this one sits somewhere in-between.

Two 2010s but unfortunately the first – the Talmettes – was heavily corked…

2010 Hervé Murat, Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Nuits Le Clos Duc
Medium, medium-plus fruit. A dark and herby nose – but with brilliant flashes of fine, dark-red fruit – the herb isn’t so great, but the fruit is. This is supple and shows good concentration and excellent balance. Nice dark-fruit flavour with a mouth-watering sweetness that runs through the structure – but no dryness. Good finish too. Tasty wine…
Rebuy – Yes

Dinner in Caves Madeleine yesterday, and generous diners wanted to open the 2004 de Vogüé – so I naturally had to find something to pique their interest too.

Not a bad pair of after-dinner labels…

2004 Comte Georges de Vogüé, Bonnes-Mares
The 2005 of this is magical, but unfortunately this shows in a classic 2004 vernacular. Today that means quite a mushroomy start, then after 10 minutes in the glass a slowly growing pyrazine note. Another taster said peanuts – I don’t get that but it fits to what some other people see in this aroma. The acidity also seems a little spiky to me – but I usually have this impression in the presence of pyrazines, so your mileage may vary. Yet – great mid-palate flavour and a really wonderful, exceptionally long finish here. Still not a wine I’d like a second glass of – even with the wonderful 00001 bottle number!
Rebuy – No

2012 Comte Liger-Belair, Vosne-Romanée Clos du Château
Hmm – clearly a spicy nose – perhaps from Vosne but also from the barrel, almost a modest smokiness too – I’m far from a big oak fan, but this remains alluring. In the mouth, fresh attack of flavour and a structure that’s still supported by plenty of oak – that oak almost seems a little burning in the mid-palate, but then magically melts to leave a lovely, mouth-watering finishing flavour with no bitterness, rather one of real elegance. Lots to find here, and a wine I like to keep going back to, despite being such a baby…
Rebuy – Yes