2007 Seigneurs de Bligny, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Clos du Chapitre
Medium colour, just. The aromatics are open sweet and just a little simple – though there is some oak derived (coconut/vanilla) complexity. Forunately there is none of the rubber oak and reduction that the 2006 eventually blew off. Here is a nice, slightly plush mouthfeel, transient sweet red (strawberry mainly) fruit before a finish that reflects the nose, plenty of vanilla flavour. Let’s be clear that this fulfills it’s primary purpose – it’s a tasty wine – I’m sure it will also improve with time, but given its position across the road from the Clos St.Jacques, I really expect a lot more. Even in 2007 and even in such relative youth!
Rebuy – Maybe

It was a long hard week, so why not indulge a little?

1978 Daniel Moine-Hudelot, Musigny
Medium mahogany colour. The nose is full but round, a deep core of baked fruit coated with herbs, the fruit just gets fresher and fresher, eventually having a distinct rose-petal aroma. Silky but still a lick of bitter tannin waits in the mid-palate. There’s a lot of fruit here and it’s a big wine in the mid-palate. Good finish. Rather primary to start with, but if you’d been told blind it was from the 90s you’d believe it. Not a life-changing Musigny, but impressive given no lack of power and such a youthful display and, okay, perhaps maybe just a little beguiling.
Rebuy – No Chance

Domaine Moine-Hudelot was sold off in 2008 to Patrick Landanger of Domaine Pouse d’Or when Daniel Moine, former mayor of Chambolle-Musigny retired. The Musigny vines, however, were split (as far as I know) between domaines Leroy and Drouhin-Laroze.

I decided I’d had enough of that old wine – time for some good new stuff 😉

2008 des Chézeaux (Ponsot), Clos St.Denis Très Vieilles Vignes
Ardea sealed and these things are frankly a pain in the arse to remove. Medium-plus purple-rimmed colour. The nose starts dense and unyielding but very quickly develops a dark macerating fruit aroma, then slowly evolves, adding dimension with beautiful high-toned berries – they take on an exquisite almost jellied dimension. I think I am in the presence of greatness – but before getting carried away, let’s taste. Silky, but it’s pure sinew and muscle, there’s not an ounce of fat. There is plenty of acidity but the flavours it helps introduce are incredibly intense and long lasting – those flavours start as essence of fruit and end as rocks. I dare say that I could really bore you with a long list of adjectives if I follow it for a couple of hours – but I only need five minutes to confirm what the nose suggested: I’m in the presence of greatness.
Rebuy – Yes

Maybe I taste too much nice stuff these days, so rarely do I find that emotional dimension – but it is here.

1972 Félix Clerget, Volnay Crot Martin
Medium-pale, there’s a core of bright red colour but it’s more like old mahogany at the rim. Deep, slightly dark aromas of clean soil and baked red fruit, eventually there’s a nice, quite young acid cherry. This is very silky and shows lovely acidity. The broad mid-palate flavours are sweet enough and for some reason remind me of the complexity of old Maderia, but interestingly without any overt flavours (or aromas) that indicate oxidation. Slowly the finishing flavours develop a raisin character. I must say, this bottle performed well-beyond my modest (40 year-old villages) expectation. Very good.
Rebuy – No Chance!

2008 Seigneurs de Bligny, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Craipillots
Medium, medium-plus purple-edged colour. The aromas have a musky depth though the core of fruit shines through, above is a higher tone of faint cedar. Precociously sweet fruit has a little bitter tannin to balance, and balance it does. The acidity is very well judged too. Slowly mouth-watering in the good and mineral finish. Medium density but more than medium interest, I have to say it’s much nicer than I expected.
Rebuy – Yes

Seems we were ‘lucky’ to leave France on Saturday, perhaps a day or two later and we would have been stuck there without ‘juice’ for the car. Still, there would be worse places ‘(eh, dear reader?)’

1985 Guillemard-Dupont et Fils, Pommard
Medium colour with a touch of orange about it. The nose has width, if not depth, and showcases sweetly baked red fruit tarts. In the mouth this is very smooth though if you really search you might come up with a suggestion of tannin near the finish. The fruit in the mouth is also sweet and it’s quite enough to offset a slightly tart impression given by the acidity. This is mature and very drinkable – not significantly complex, but that’s the why its a village label.
Rebuy – Yes

Anybody know anything about the domaine? It seems it was reasonably large and based higher-up the winding road out of Pommard in Meloisey at the time of RM Parker’s 1989 book on Burgundy, but I find no trace of it now.

It’s a shame that you no-longer see tasting notes for wines such as these. In former, more affordable days these bottles were often fun for various get-togethers, nowadays they much more often left in the cellar…

2004 Fourrier, Griotte-Chambertin Vieilles-Vignes
Medium, medium-plus colour. The nose starts with plenty of mushroom rather than the customary reduction, actually with swirling the reduction does make an appearance – a wine that needs a little air. Air dissolves the mushrooms and delivers a lovely pure red berry note, though this is also a transition to deeper, slightly darker red fruit aromas – rather primary though, as is the Griotte fashon. The well-padded palate starts quite silky though there is some bitterness to the finish, that said it’s in a bitter-chocolate style which is far from problematic. Like a number of 04s the acidity is a little elevated but that’s its position on the aging curve, nothing more. There is an interesting and very slowly emerging stony flavour in the finish. None of the disappointingly monolithic Clos St.Jacques proportions here. A very good wine that drinks quite well considering its age. Not a trace of the vintage malaise either.
Rebuy – Yes