I haven’t delved into my 1996s for some time – it is alleged that they are turning a corner – let’s have a look.

1996 A.-F. Gros, Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Clos des Guettes
Medium-plus colour – there’s a little age to the colour but it remains quite deep. Dark aromas hinting at prunes, accented with herbs and spices – wait 2 hours and there are interesting flashes of red fruits and licorice. Clean flavours that tend towards savoury notes but there is just enough sweetness to keep me interested; fresh and intense too though the tannin is very understated. Concentrated dark fruit flavours that are quite long, but honestly(?) this is still too early to drink. This wine gives me the impression that its oak was prominent when it was younger, but it is now melting. It is a balanced, but still rather architectural wine, and probably needs another 3-5 years I expect.
Rebuy – Maybe

My last ’72 Clos Frantin was 5 or 6 years ago, and it was the Richebourg. On that day it seemed to have everything – certainly more than the accompanying ’88’s – another Richebourg and a Grands-Echézeaux. Unfortunately, that ‘everything’ included TCA! Luckily, no TCA today!

This wine becomes ever-more compelling with open-time, it is fine old Burgundy, but I’d never go further than that; it’s not overtly ‘Vosne-spicy’ and there’s certainly none of the often characteristic aromas of young GE, all of which had me thinking: There’s an oft-quoted ‘truism’ (was it Jacques Seysses?) that (for instance) there are many versions of Echézeaux, but once they are 20+ years old, they are all ‘Echézeaux’. Well, that might possibly be the case from the undisturbed cellars of producers, but frankly it’s an observation that no mere mortal drinker could ever confirm. Good wine though!

1972 Domaine du Clos Frantin
Like most older bottles, the smell of the cork and the smell in the neck is hardly attractive; I leave it with a glass stopper for an hour. Over 40 years young, but the dominant aroma is more a deep strawberry preserve than it is soil and undergrowth – perhaps jam tarts – your nose is pulled into the glass, over, and over. Round, mouth-filling, tasty and with an acidity that only very slowly becomes mouth-watering as you head into the finish. There’s a good intensity of clean flavour in the mid-palate and tannin can certainly be found if you search. There’s only one quibble – a sort of background metallic dimension to the faintly truffly flavour, but it’s hardly enough for concern. A pleasure.
Rebuy – No Chance

I really wanted to like this – the back-label was giving me some feel-good factor. Unfortunately on the first night, the wine didn’t deliver – fortunately I had some patience!

2010 Rossignol-Trapet, Beaune 1er Les Teurons
Medium, medium-plus colour. The nose starts quite tight, only after an hour does it become more communicative; high-toned, faintly sulfury, with a warm, slightly spicy, toffee-inflected pale red fruit, eventually a few floral notes try to liven things up. If the nose largely lacks distinction, then the palate struggles to make up for it. The impression is light but with a little too much oaky bulk in the mid-palate which brings a caramel/toffee taste in the finish, but eventually allied to a decently sharp red fruit. Initially it seemed close to volatile but this becomes less obvious in the glass. Not enough distinction or concentration I’m afraid. Day two and the palate has much more balance, the sulfur on the nose is gone and this is a rather drinkable package. I still feel it misses a little concentration and the slightly volatile impression remains, but I was more than happy to take a second glass – unlike on day 1!
Rebuy – Maybe