1998 Thomas-Moillard, Nuits St.Georges 1er Clos de Thorey
Medium-plus colour. Deep, dark, macerated fruit aromas, perhaps a little roasted with some coffee but slightly alcoholic notes too. There’s plenty of background tannin, but given the Moillard extraction techniques coupled to the early presentation of the vintage tannins, this is much better than I hoped. The fruit is quite sweet and like the nose slightly roast. Overall this is not bad – indeed it was an easy, if not particularly transparent, drink.
Rebuy – Maybe

A bit of a step-up from the villages – or it should be – but this wine’s still not that much more expensive than father Claude’s domaine villages wine.

2006 La Gibryotte, Charmes-Chambertin
Medium, medium-plus colour. The nose is a little more mineral than the villages and shows plenty of wood spice too but the core is a very lovely dark, macerating cherry. In the mouth there’s a lot grainy texture – and that’s from the wood. The intensity is fine with a very nice supporting acidity, eventually the fruit comes too. Overall I find it too woody – after 5 years should be better balanced than this – there is lovely acidity, lovely fruit but marring, jarring, oak texture and finally a bitterness from those wood tannins too. About 70% of this wine I love.
Rebuy – No

Proportionally the villages Gevrey is the real winner here – I’ll buy some more of that – but despite some lovely parts, this curate’s egg is (for me) spoiled by its woodiness. Will it get better? – maybe, but I’d rather invest in something that gives me confidence.

2010 Jean-Marc Bouley, Beaune 1er Les Reversées
Medium, medium-plus colour. The nose starts with a bit of reduction, slowly clearing to give a hint of toffee and sweet red cherry fruit. Wide, lovely fresh acidity and a slowly growing intensity of flavour in the mid-palate – long and lingering to, if more mineral in aspect – this is fine stuff. The short note reflects the amount of time it took to finish the bottle!
Rebuy – Yes

Monthélie or Volnay – clearly a label-drinker would go for the latter, but comparing this 2007 Clos des Chênes with the 2007 Les Duresses of the other day, I’d certainly take the Monthélie for drinking now…

2007 Remoissenet, Volnay 1er Clos des Chênes
Just a little more than medium colour. The nose starts rather chunky and lumpen – the flavours are quite a contrast – decent weight, just hint of padding and a nice level of acidity – I like the freshness and overall shape, though the fruit is more roast than primary. Slowly (it takes over 1 hour) the aromas start to straighten up, the perfume is pungent but certainly it’s still perfume. The flavour has good length and sucrosité – it’s tasty wine, and in the context of 07s it’s a good result. I love this vineyard and liked this wine, but my extra cash would almost certainly be spent on different vintages.
Rebuy – Yes

The 2006 Nuits from the other night was so good, I thought I might try another 06. Claude Dugat has quite a following, and prices to match. ‘The kids’ of Claude have a small négoce operation and this label is part of that. Not for a second would I describe this wine as cheap, but it is half the price of Claude’s villages Gevrey-Chambertin – yet it is really excellent!

2006 La Gibryotte, Gevrey-Chambertin
Medium, medium-plus colour. The first sniff is lactic, but it hangs around only long enough for that one impression – afterwards there is fresh blue-black fruit and just a hint of pencil-lead-style minerality – aromatically it’s flexing lean but powerful muscles. Wide, fresh and with a baseline of slightly dry but very fine tannin. The intensity is just lovely for a villages – particularly due to the fresh way it’s delivered. Again it’s dark, almost bordering on blue fruit and it’s clearly sweet (ripe) fruit, but never for a second is it disappointingly so, as it’s delivered with such ‘fresh’ gusto. The finishing notes reflect that more mineral element of the nose. I think this excellent – I will have to buy a few more while I can – i.e. before you read this 😉
Rebuy – Yes