Simple, tasty wines…

Not quite an ‘antidote’ to Richebourg and Romanée St.Vivant, but two lovely wines that won’t break the bank:

My second (of 3) of the 2025 Beaujolais Nouveau from Château Thivin. Easy, perhaps softer than a couple of months ago, the finish more acidulated. But very easy, delicious drinking. Actually, versus many Beaujolais or Beaujolais Villages, you’re paying for the name here – even if only 15 Euros – that’s the double of many from the lower appellations – non Nouveau. But it’s still a tasty wine for cheaper than a Bourgogne Rouge. I might keep the last bottle to drink at the next presentation of Nouveau !!
The Marini, slightly rounder and riper than I remember, but how tasty is this. The perfect wine to drink a glass or two each day, for 3-4 days. Yum !!

Of course, it wasn’t just magnums of Beaujolais over Christmas, as I’d promised myself it was time to start drinking some of these…

1998 Fougeray de Beauclair, Bonnes-Mares
I’ve lost touch with this estate – I must try to reconnect this year. This, of course, with Bonnes-Mares from the Bruno Clair domaine. The vines returned to Bruno for the 2016 vintage, with a couple of barrels still put to one side for Fougeray. A wine that laughs at the proposition that ‘great wines are great from the start‘ – what BS! This wine was undrinkable in 2001; the sandpaper tannins of that vintage being particularly aggressive in this case – to start with, I really regretted buying this six-pack. But, at about 16 years old – my second from the owc – wow! That’s the thing about tannin, it polymerises and settles out onto the sides/bottom of your bottles – tannins always lessen over time. So for that second call of BS – if you don’t want to laugh in someone’s face when they utter the immortal phrase ‘I don’t think the fruit will outlast the tannin‘ – at least for 1er/grand cru – you can quietly laugh inside !! My last bottle of this was 5 years ago, when I gifted one to Marko de Morey. Unfortunately, I don’t think that he had the time to try it. I have just one more.
A good, robust cork – and it’s done its job well: Medium, medium-plus colour. A sweet-smelling, airy width of flowers with an accent of iron/blood. Mouth-filling, beautifully energetic and with a suggestion of fat. Lovely, buzzing with energy from a well-controlled acidity. There’s modest finishing intensity but of clearly immodest length. That starts just beautifully – zero faults. I’m very happy with this…
Rebuy – Yes

1999 JJ Confuron, Romanée St.Vivant
Bottle number 17 of my 18 RSVs from 1999. The DRC will be the last one – maybe next weekend – certainly it will come under the corkscrew soon. No note here as I’m making an RSV report – for my January Report. But is was a fine one, and one of the most backward…

1985 François Gros, Richebourg
Bottle 79 of 320. The rubbishly short cork manages to be extracted in one piece. Given the cork, I’m just happy that this was drinkable on day 1…
Medium colour. A modestly proportioned but clean nose of undergrowth and a small suggestion of rose perfume. Good acidity and energy – still plenty of structure too. The tannin framing good mid-palate flavour – amazingly still majoring on the barrel. The finish has decent complexity, including a hint of balsamic. Not a great Richebourg – that’s for sure – but a good experience. The remaining wine was completely dead on day 2…
Rebuy – No

1998 Jean Grivot, Richebourg
I’m still waiting for my 1999s of this. Also, this cork is of modest length, though better than that of the FG Richebourg – but it comes out in one piece.
Like the 98 Fougeray – it’s an attractive nose though of modest volume – it’s pretty and clean, and still has lots of attractive, young fruit. The first flavours reflect the nose – pretty and complex, still young, but the impact hardly impresses – just about all 1998s seem like this at the moment. All the action here is to be found in the finishing flavours – wow !! Still a young wine in many respects but the tannin isn’t a bit wearing. I’d be tempted to wait another 5 years for my last one…
Rebuy – Yes

Some nice wines and a shameful wine – or rather the cork – over the last few days…

1999 de Montille, Volnay 1er Mitans
This has been my goto ‘great’ vintage this year. Here’s a wine that captivates you from the start with its aromas – fresh and mature. In the mouth, we have volume and still some structure – but nothing to scare this palate – what length too. Bravo wine – impeccable wine !!
Rebuy – Yes

2020 Baluce, Beaujolais Vieilles-Vignes
From old vines in the Pierres Dorées, DIAM3 sealed.
Still with a deep and young colour. A forward nose of graphite minerality but also a roundness of faintly spiced dark fruit – this is very inviting. Round, supple and silky – quite a floral accent to this really attractive fruit – and plenty of concentration. Slightly easy until the broad and complex finish – That’s a great wine for (probably!) one-third the price of your average Bourgogne Pinot Noir !!!
Rebuy – Yes

2022 Mélanie & Daniel Boulard, Morgon Bellevue ‘Delys’
Magnum. This is the younger vine cuvée of the domaine’s Delys, with a mix of vines from the 1970s and 1980s – the older part is from 1926!
Despite its 14% alcohol, here’s a good width of round fruit aroma – not a bit alcoholic. In the mouth, good scale and concentration – round and accommodating – really much more accessible than I expected – 5 of us polished it off in no time !!
Rebuy – Yes

2006 Nicolas Potel, Volnay 1er Les Fuées
Magnum. My unused backup wine from last Christmas – so I was definitely going to open it this Christmas! The cork came out in one piece – but a stinky ‘corky’ cork. I poured with trepidation – the colour was lovely and still strong. The nose was just bizarre, and the flavour suggested cork taint. 5 minutes later, the aromas and flavours were overrun by the taint. In the context of double the volume (a magnum) and a normal-sized cork – this was almost unbelievably obliterated by TCA. I went from being happy with surprise when I found magnums of Potel’s 2005 VR 1er Petits Monts in my cellar when locating this bottle – being ‘less than happy.’ What great recompense for 18 years in the cellar…

2011 Alex Gambal St.Aubin 1er Murgers des Dents du Chien
Plenty of golden colour. A nose of salty biscuits, slowly adding, creamy, golden citrus. Aromatically, this is in great shape. In the mouth, we have depth, complexity and richness – really wide with some boiled sweets complexity – it’s really wide and long. This is absolutely singing. The nose becomes finer and more open, the finish cleaner and more refreshing – yes!!
And you know, this drank perfectly – and with complete stability – over three nights…
Rebuy – Yes

2021 Domaine de Bellene, Nuits St.Georges Vielles-Vignes
Red wax-topped, DIAM¹⁰ sealed…
Plenty of colour. Hmm. A nose of slightly reductive depth – muscular at the base – I have to say, it’s rather sexy… Wide over the palate, subtly cushioned with some sweetness of very well-integrated, slightly creamy-toasty oak. And then just holding. For such a youngster, this is so very, very drinkable. A few hours and the reduction is gone. I find this type of aromatic very attractive, but if you prefer to avoid it, decant – it will only take a few minutes to depart…
Rebuy – Yes

2019 Laurent Martray, Brouilly Sur Pierreux
Lots of colour. A nose of deep, dark fruit – an impression of dark chocolate and cranberry! Wide over the palette, my first impression is the width of graphite minerality – then the almost juicy dark fruit that supports the flavours. At the end, this is a silky wine of very sophisticated tannic texture. Such a big wine though, one that seems quite alcoholic unless you put it in the fridge for a time – then it will drink much too quickly. Delicious wine and with a juicy style despite the warmth of the fruit.
Rebuy – Maybe