A good contact tells me that this was only the second vintage for Cyprien Arlaud – well he didn’t do badly then did he(?)

1999 Arlaud, Chambolle-Musigny
Rather deeply coloured, and it still looks quite young. The nose is deep and a little meaty, yet is classically (some might say clichéd) Chambolle-Musigny with its very pretty floral top notes – the bass notes are perhaps meatier than your average Chambolle but that’s probably the slow march to maturity. Round, clearly with plenty of extract and a lovely diminuendo into the mouth-watering finish. The tannins give a little astringency if you keep the wine in your mouth, but if you ‘just drink’, the word that comes into my mind is ‘luxurious’. Young but very drinkable. I can only dream that the rest of my 99s would perform to this level right now.
Rebuy – Yes

2008 Michel Niellon, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Clos de la Maltroie
Medium golden. Plenty of sweet toasted bread, brioche indeed – (very) nice as it is, it does rather smother any obvious Chassagne-ness. There is a decent whack of concentration though the personality is reasonably direct rather than round. Just about perfect acidity accentuates a little agrumes fruit and a finishing sweet note from the barrel that reminds you of the brioche nose, plus a little toffee. Initially, despite how delicious it is, I find the oak influence is obscuring the place; given about 1 hour your mouth starts to water with plenty of mineral flavour that actually does hint to Chassagne. Despite the caveats, simply delicious.
Rebuy – Yes

The last Bourgogne for a few days, and very tasty it was too!

2008 Sylvain Pataille, Bourgogne Le Chapitre
Medium-plus colour. The nose initially reminds me of the 2009 with a hint of cola, but this is relatively transient as a beautifully smooth and dark fruit comes to the fore. Quite round in the mouth but it’s understatedly concentrated whilst displaying an equally understated acidity. Long and mineral this is a wine that does everything without fuss but with great aplomb. Cut from the same cloth as the 2009, and certainly another wine to wait for…
Rebuy – Yes

Almost worked my way through the few 09 Bourgognes at home… This wine is a clear standout from the perspective of everything in the glass, though surprisingly it is still ‘pipped’ by the Bellene for absolute drinkability today – like the wine of Sylvain Pataille, this begs cellar time. Actually this really should be the clear standout; Cuvée ‘L’ is the code for the combination of the lees (at bottling time) of all C-G’s reds; villages, premiers and grands crus which is left in tank for a good few months more to settle out the fine lees. You would be forgiven for thinking (blind) that this could be a (slightly anonymous?) premier cru…

2009 Camille-Giroud, Bourgogne Cuvée L
Medium-plus colour. Ooh, depth, silky fruit and hints of violets. The texture starts with silk but quickly changes as the ripe tannin shows its face. Plenty of fruit and some minerality in the mid-palate too. Very good length. Clearly this is significantly above the standard suggested by the label, but given the contents of the bottle that’s surely no surprise. Another ‘Bourgogne’ that begs time to mature…
Rebuy – Yes