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

I already know what you’re going to say:

“My, my Bill, that’s rather darkly coloured, isn’t it!(?)”

And I suppose that would have been expected of twenty year-old white Rully, even before the current oxidative paradigm – yet, there is no oxidation here – the chromophores (or auxochromes) responsible for this colour have nothing to do with the aromas and tastes of Jerez.

1991 H et P Jacqueson, Rully 1er Grésigny
Medium, medium-plus golden-yellow. The nose shows some toasted bread and a faintly caramelised lemon. In the mouth there is an impressive intensity of flavour – starting narrow but forging wider and wider. The acidity is rather understated – like an average 2006 – but it comes more to the fore in the mid-palate, emphasising the cooked lemon of the nose and further padding it out with butterscotch. Yes the finish seems a hint astringent – mouth-puckering without the texture of astringent tannin. Very interesting and eminently drinkable – though probably more from the standpoint of curiosity. I expect that I’d have enjoyed it much more in 1994!
Rebuy – No Chance

It’s been a while since I opened a 2006, and given that I thought Nuits/Vosne to be the very epicentre of 2006 quality – where better to start(?)

2006 Alain Hudelot-Noellat, Nuits St.Georges 1er Les Murgers
Medium-plus colour. The nose is deep and dark-shaded with almost black cherry notes to the fore – let the glass drain and there are beguiling red fruit notes too. Despite being at an ‘awkward’ age, there is still some padding to the texture, and the high-toned dark fruit has a real underpinning of tannin and acidity – currently they have a fine balance, despite the tannin’s texture being just-about the wrong side of velvet – but it’s a lovely package, really lovely. Surprisingly open and giving right now; more masculine than feminine but with character and flavour – in spades. Just a very lovely bottle. I may have to revisit the price, perhaps it is worth adding a few more to the cellar.
Rebuy – Yes (note, there’s a difference between a ‘passive’ and an ‘active ‘rebuy’…)

2010 Louis Chenu Père et Filles, Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Aux Clous
Barely medium colour. The nose is lovely: lot’s and lots of red berries, shaded to raspberry, but with an undertow of something faintly earthy and mneral. Surprising intensity here (after the colour – such is Burgundy!) – there is so much flavour here, strawberry/ raspberry fruit (again) underpinned with that earthy mineral note that shows on the nose. Just a first class balance here: faintly padded texture and lots of flavour. At twice the price, this would be something of a bargain!
Rebuy – Yes

This Meursault had a very smelly cork indeed – had me thinking oxidised, but I won’t say ‘premature’!

1983 Jacques Prieur, Meursault Clos de Mazeray
The colour is certainly aged, but mercifully the aroma seems to have little to do with the cork. The aromas start a little murky, then there’s home-made lemonade(!), slowly but surely a decent red berry note comes into focus, underpinned by a leafy note that seemingly adds texture – this just gets better and better. Lithe, slightly lean in stature as the acidity has an element that isn’t completely ripe, but overall – no great problem. There’s decent enough concentration and an (overall) interesting glass of wine – the fruit seems to have just enough sweetness to make me want to go back again, and again…
Rebuy – No Chance

2007 Comtes Lafon, Monthélie 1er Les Duresses
Medium, medium-plus colour. The nose starts a little burly but settles down, softening with time in the glass: fine red fruit and a Volnay-esque perfume – very nice indeed! Lithe, lovely acidity, slowly growing, fresh mid-palate flavours – you will hardly note any tannin – this is really on a much higher level than I had assumed. Lovely wine – for me this is always the ‘value’ (red) cuvée chez Lafon.
Rebuy – Yes