(Subtitled: There are not many positives to take from a corked bottle of Romanée St.Vivant)

2018 Gueguen, Chablis Cuvée 1975
Sealed with DIAM³
This nose starts with a small reduction but slowly expands, filling the glass with agrume fruit as the reduction fades – very attractive. Hmm – that’s rather incisive and nicely saline too – more 2019 in style than 2018. Clean in the middle and mineral finishing. A very above average 2018 – indeed one of the best I’ve tasted at home in the last weeks – excellent wine!
Rebuy – Yes

2002 Marquis d‘Angerville, Volnay 1er Clos des Ducs
From a half-bottle. I worry that the cork may break, but slowly, slowly it comes out in one piece.
The nose starts, fresh, deep and darkly fruited – open but a baby. Sleek, incisive to start – after the Gueguen there’s clearly more acidity here but so silky and so balanced – ooh – and holding such a brilliant line and length of finish – already bravo – and we have hardly started! Aeration widens the palate of aroma, becoming redder-fruited, leafy and floral. The finish all the while becoming ever-more vibrant with fresh dark fruit. Save waiting for extra complexity, this wine is absolutely in place and drinking fabulously – one of the best wines I’ve opened this year so far – grand vin!
Rebuy – without blinking (at the old price!)

1999 Thomas-Moillard, Romanée St.Vivant
The cork comes out in one piece – but I don’t much like the smell of it…
To be fair, the wine smells less (bad) than the cork – it’s what the French would describe as liégeux – or faintly corky – you don’t always get the smell, but for me it was consistent on the palate. There are not many positives to take from a corked bottle of Romanée St.Vivant – but what I can say about this wine, is that having initially bought a case of 12, this is the first time I see some rounding of the flavours and aromas – it was a wine that, until now, was as hard as nails. Not yet ready but becoming drinkable – at least with a better cork!
Rebuy – obviously not a corked one like this…

1986 Henri Rebourseau, Mazis-Chambertin
Seemingly there remain 3-4 halves from this c.2007 auction purchase of a case of half-bottles. Cutting the capsule reveals a wealth of Penicillium mould – you can imagine a family of spiders living in it – so it was clearly disappointing that only a modest touch with the ah-so ‘corkscrew’ sent the cork and its spider’s nest falling into the bottle – tsk! My handy plastic beaker (decanter) to the rescue!
The nose has a little beef-stock, brett and a balsamic oxidative style – not quite repellent but hardly an invitation. The flavour surprised – positively: Open, nicely balanced, layered and finishing mineral and even showing a little extra menthol complexity – maybe that was the spiders! The nose never cleaned up but also didn’t get worse. The flavour sufficiently good/interesting for me to take a second glass – and for a half-bottle, that’s most of the bottle. A Curate’s Egg of a wine.
Rebuy – Clearly Not!

2019 Camille & Laurent Schaller, Chablis
Here’s a nice width of lemony, saline aroma. In the mouth, there’s a bit of flesh and ripe citrus but there’s also lovely energy and a nicely Chablis style. Completely delicious wine that disappears from the glass at an alarming rate! The last glasses on day two were seemingly a little riper but the wine had lost none of its drinkability…
Rebuy – Yes

1996 Germain, Château de Chorey, Beaune 1er Teurons
A rubbish cork, breaking in half but at least the second part just about avoided disintegration.
The nose starts unimpressively with a little brett and beef-stock – or similar – air improves the situation, but it’s not a night and day change. In the mouth, this is so incisive yet without being acidic – fresh, wide, über-complex and with a sneakily long, lovely, lovely finish – half a great wine – but the nose really doesn’t cut it. With brett every bottle will be different, it’s just the luck of the draw…
Rebuy – No

Every year when I taste the Chablis at Domaine Jean Collet, I also buy a little cremant, and usually in magnum. There’s a, non-size-related, advantage to buying in magnum too – at least this year:

Their base wine for the latest available cuvée is from 2018 – all Petit Chablis with 5g dosage, malo done, 1.5 hectares worth, harvested 3 weeks before the Petit Chablis. But if you are buying in magnum, these bottles are still based on the 2015 vintage, and like any NV Champagne, the do get better and better with a little cellar time. That is definitely the case here. This (large) bottle was absolutely delicious – much more-so than the slightly more angular wine (today) from 2018. I recommend it very highly…

This is why I buy a little each year 🙂

2017 Jean-Claude Boisset, Meursault Limozin
Almost a textured depth of aroma – certainly cushioned – modestly oaked and of ripe but not exotic fruit. In the mouth, this is nicely fresh starting, even a little mineral. There’s structure but also softness – probably because there’s still some visible oak in the finish. But the finish is wide, interesting and persistent – nicely structural and mineral here. This started a bit anonymously but finished with plenty of character. Give it a couple more years in the cellar if you’re confident with cork, but it’s a very good, almost excellent wine.
Rebuy – Yes

2009 Pavillon, Volnay 1er Santenots
This nose starts deep and fruity – seemingly still with some vanilla too – but very little air is needed and the vanilla is gone – wider, complex, inviting, starting to fill with secondary aromas – tobacco for instance – that’s great! Concentrated wine, with a saline-accented line of flavour, but wide and complex and delicious too. Still quite a baby and also still finishing with some lip-smacking oaky bitters. A tremendous wine though, almost bravo!
Rebuy – Yes

Of-course, due to my laziness, there have been others in the last weeks – just a few words about each as I didn’t record anything:

2018 Dampt Frères, Chablis 1er Montée de Tonnerre
Easy, decently concentrated, very tasty wine – only the merest impression of ‘Chablis’ – but considering the cost of ‘Bourgogne Blanc’ this remains a very worthy option.

2014 des Chézeaux / Berthaut-Gerbet, Gevrey-Chambertin
Amélie Berthaut’s second vintage – already here is both aromatic class and a lovely, balanced, flavour. Young, delicious wine. I’m very happy to have a few more of these – and her 1er cru Gevreys too.

2018 Alain Geoffroy, Chablis 1er Fourchaume
Round, rich, some fat, but decently balanced, very tasty wine. I wouldn’t have guessed Chablis though…

2011 Camille Giroud, Volnay 1er Caillerets
Modestly coloured. The nose while complex, disappoints me – so much vanilla is still visible here. Beautifully balanced, medium-bodied wine of proper Caillerets clarity – yet – the palate still suffused with vanilla notes. I’ve one or two more – given my lack of empathy with vanilla, I’ll be waiting another 5 years, I think…

2016 Jean-Claude & Romain Bessin, Chablis Valmur
I don’t have many more of these, but this is a grand vin and one of my wines of the 2016 vintage. It beautifully blends power and a direct flavour with a suave texture and an undoubted structure – with zero hard edges. There’s a real Chablis feel to the wine despite its obvious concentration and the finish is simply put, special. Proper great Chablis – still a baby – but bravo
Rebuy – Oh Yes

2006 Comte Liger-Belair, Echézeaux
Louis-Michel’s first vintage. I think that this is probably my last bottle – I hope to be proven wrong one day with a cellar find…
That’s a lovely nose but it starts out rather timid – aerating works some magic with a really inviting floral perfume over a plummy spice. Medium impact but of beautifully silky texture – just a few millimetres of cushioning. The oak that I remember is now gone, largely the tannin too, but not the minerality of the finish. This was always a wine of modest impact but ultra-sophistication and I’d say still lacking any real expressions of maturity – but who cares – gorgeous and bravo!
Rebuy – Yes – at the old price…