There was a time when such bottles were easy to come by, not so today, but that’s no reason to forget:

2000 Hudelot-Noellat, Romanée St.Vivant
It’s a long cork, and just as well, a red line follows a crease almost to the very end – not much time to spare I think! Medium-plus colour. The nose offers plenty of turned, dry leaves – this seems a H-N speciality! – below is a dark plummy core and some green vegetation. In the mouth this is the antithesis of most 2000s, less obviously ripe – both fruit and tannin – but with a certain grand cru volume and intensity. It’s a velvet tannin but still edged with astringency, the finishing flavours are quite long with a little raisin fruit – there’s plenty of depth to the flavour too. Overall, this is a savoury wine, with a hint of astringency and a twist of bitterness to the finishing flavours. It is certainly a wine of interest and character, but it definitely needs food, it’s also not what I might expect from 2000, maybe some 1998…
Day 2 and this has softened up a little – so (not surprisingly) there’s no rush to drink. Yet charm remains in short supply.
Rebuy – Maybe

I may have had something sweet before this, but it was never going to put this wine in the shade.

2010 Digioia-Royer, Hautes Côtes de Nuits
Medium-plus colour. The nose starts with a bit of fizz but is short-lived and replaced with dark-skinned cherry. The first instinct is that the acidity is on the bright side but then you’re engulfed by flavour, not too sweet, and dark-fruit shaded. This is a dancer that doesn’t wait for you to make up your mind, it just plucks you from your seat and twirls you around. Smooth texture, understated tannin – be prepared to dance! I’d drink it young to enjoy every bit of its energy!
Rebuy – Yes

But first, happy new year to all of you who accidentally (or otherwise…) end up on these pages. In the spirit of 2013-ness, here is a small collection of New Year ‘cards’ from some people you may know and love – note there were others too, but why would I want a boring picture of their bottles in my inbox? – note for next year, send me a real bottle 🙂 !

Domaine Hubert Lamy

Maison Seguin-Manuel

Mischief & Mayhem

But let’s return to those lovely people, the Lafarges: This is the last of three bottles bought at auction: The first was irreparably damaged by oxidation, the second was quite drinkable – indeed good for a 1986 – and then there was this one:

1982 Michel Lafarge, Volnay 1er Clos des Chênes
Once-more, the cork slides out rather too easily and looks damp across its full length – it carries the smell of oxidation, but the wine seems to have largely escaped that fate. Actually there is a trace of an oxidative note but there’s pretty fruit too, but it’s the cork taint spoils it most…!
Rebuy – No Chance

Luck is a fickle thing! I suppose I should really be drinking 85-92 to break my duck and have a really great Lafarge – but they are hard to come by…

Lastly – a good article on David Clark here. I visited him at the end of November and got to see his tidy row of demijohns – interesting that a small strip of silicone rubber that ‘seals-off’ (seal is clearly the wrong word) his aspirators were quite porous enought to allow gas exchange.
[Archived]

2010 Philippe Livera (Domaine Tilleuls), Gevrey Chambertin En Champ
Deep colour. The nose starts with a deep waft of cushioned, dark oak – it really needs about 30 minutes for this to fade to ‘acceptable’ for my palate – but by which time, the wine is much more than acceptable! A dark cherry aroma is slowly allowed to take centre stage as the oak fades. Very understated fine tannin and beautiful acidity support dark, intense and rather elegant (for Gevrey) flavours. There’s a succulence to the mid-palate fruit-flavour that almost rushes you into taking another sip. The finishing note is part mineral, part bitter oak but quite attractive. Excellent villages!
Rebuy – Yes

Well, it’s almost Christmas, so why not another one! Overall, I have a preference for the 1996 today…

2002 Pierre Damoy, Chapelle-Chambertin
Medium-plus colour. The nose starts with a blast of reduction, but it doesn’t stick around for very long. What remains is a heavy whole cluster aroma that twists and turns with almonds and warm Bakewell tart. In the mouth this has a strong core of flavour but perhaps the outlying flavours are a little more diffuse – still the acidity and concentration are rather good. The tannin is completely understated but searching for it seems to pronounce the whole cluster flavours. A wine that wears its fermentation on its sleeve – but it is rather good!
Rebuy – Yes

After the Damoy ’96, why not go back another 10 years!

1986 Michel Lafarge, Volnay 1er Clos des Chênes
The cork slides far too easily out, but in one piece and it doesn’t smell too oxidised. Just a hint more than medium colour. Like the Damoy of last night, there is a faint twist of beefy brett, but on a way lower level – the precise red berry fruit literally sweeps it aside – overall an interesting nose but not one that keeps drawing your nose to the glass. In the mouth this has just a little cushioning to the velvet-soft texture, and an acidity that is balancing but slightly too emphasised in the mid-palate. The fruit still has sweetness and interest – this is indeed a nice 1er Cru from a very variable vintage and reflecting that, its performance is a little variable too – but there’s no taking away how well it drinks! The last third wasn’t so nice on day two – so don’t delay, drink today!
Rebuy – No Chance