2010 Philippe Livera (Domaine Tilleuls), Fixin
Quite deeply coloured. The nose is deep with dark cherry fruit and subtle oak spice. Lithe, growing in intensity with a fine acidity which is tempered with a ripely grained tannin. So a wine with intensity, rather than concentration of flavour – yet at it’s level, this is well-made, clean and tasty but with no lack of character. A very good buy.
Rebuy – Yes

2010 Bart, Marsannay Les Champs Salomon
Medium, medium-plus colour. The aromas deliver a big punch of sweet, toasty oak – the dark elements behind seem a little more cola-like than fruit. After 1 hour the toast has faded a little but not the sweetness or the cola, even the last drops in the glass are broad and indistinct. Nice balance, decent acidity and understated tannins. It is the flavours that are largely unsatisfying – reflecting the nose they are sweet and broad with almost something tasty and interestingly focused in the mouth-watering mid-palate – almost. No obvious faults here but it’s not really to my taste – I think you guessed that! This is not an expensive bottle – but no excuses – I expect it will improve over the next 2-3 years but the style will surely still shout louder that the place.
Rebuy – No

As a post-script, I vacuvinned this and left it in the fridge for 3 days while in Beaune. On my return – no oxidation but the taste of the wine was really too oak-cream infected. I really didn’t like it, but I think you guessed that too…

I met a couple of RTs at the Gevrey Syndicat 2010 tasting, this time last year (Hmm, must be time for 2011s!). And I was so happy to see that they’d left behind their overwhelming 1990’s ‘wall of toasty oak’ era and you could actually taste and smell the wines – good they were too. Of-course, I’m completely glossing over the wonderful 1990 RT Latricières we had with dinner last month! Anyway, last year I tasted their villages Etelios, rather than this VV, and have the impression that the former should be better than this wine – but bottled and side-by-side, who knows…(?)

2010 Rossignol-Trapet, Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes
Medium, medium-plus colour. The nose starts with a faint whiff of toasty oak with some higher tones. Time blows away the toast, still with a little high-toned spirits but a slowly growing red fruit and mocha note too – the last drops in the glass are beguiling acid-red notes. In the mouth you need a little time for this to fill out, but even then I feel that it is ‘a bit thin’ yet, the balance is fine, and there’s a nice edge to the tannin. There’s good intensity and an unexpected extra dimension of flavour in the mid-palate and a long, slightly coconut edged, mineral finish. I have enjoyment and disappointment in equal measure. This really needs to add weight to be a rebuy, but the glass is emptying quite easily. Day 2, and the wine has filled out more – acceptably so – the tannin seems more to fore too – but this should be hairy forearmed Gevrey! Okay – good!
Rebuy – Yes

2010 Michel Noëllat, Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Les Lavières
Medium, medium-plus colour. The very shy nose has a hint of savoury to it, perhaps vaguely reductive – either that or oaky! In the mouth this is very well balanced, there’s a nice intensity and good acidity too. The fruit is a little dark shaded and perhaps shows a little Lavières earth. The tannin is quite polished and far from grainy, though seems to speak a little more of barrel than grape, likewise, the flavour in the finish is quite creamily barrel inflected (as opposed to old-vine cream). I like many aspects of this wine, and the bits I’m less fond of will probably fade as the oak influence subsides – perhaps 6-12 months should be enough. On day two there was little to dislike so 6-12 months sounds about right.
Rebuy – Yes