2006 Gilles Bouton, Blagny 1er Sous Le Puits
Unlike many recent ones – here’s a good cork; robust and well-seated.
The nose starts with much invitation, a modest maturity but with both energy and depth – this brings a great first impression. The flavour is a little more attenuated than the nose, finishing with a modest astringency from the tannin – just a little rustic – and certainly not more interestingly flavoured than better Bourgognes. Day two and, as luck would have it, the nose is less impressive but the flavours and general shape are nicer than on day one. Gilles makes classier whites than reds, given that, I’m impressed by his resolve to stick with pinot here, because I’m sure that I’d be enjoying much more a Puligny 1er from him! Not strictly a bad wine, but you can do much better for red Blagny from the likes of Benjamin Leroux or Comtesse de Chérisey…
Rebuy – No

2007 Lignier-Michelot, Chambolle-Musigny Vieilles-Vignes
Oops – a cork that slides out way too easily – I’m almost surprised that the worm of the corkscrew didn’t push it deeper into the neck! It’s one of those, not very attractive, pale-looking things – it looks peroxide washed.
Given the cork, I wouldn’t have been surprised if the wine was prematurely aged – certainly, the colour is far from youthful – but the nose confounds me with quite a muffled and reductive start – the flavours playing a similar game. Only 10 minutes from opening and there’s a significant improvement; the nose remains a little clumsy but has flashes of Chambolle fruit – the palate too – but a little better than the nose. The half a bottle that made it into day 2 didn’t hold up well. Maybe I should blame the cork, but on this outing…
Rebuy – No

2007 Fourrier, Morey St.Denis Clos Solon Vieilles-Vignes
Another unimpressive cork, indeed an infuriating cork that breaks in half, the last part coming out in one piece – but only just! Fortunately, it seems, nonetheless, to have been a good seal and has a decent (untreated) colour.
Like the Lignier-Michelot, the colour is showing some age. Also a wine with a little aromatic reduction – but you can almost blink and then it’s gone – maybe 5 minutes at the most – I neither ‘shook’ nor decanted this bottle. The nose freshens nicely, and with each little swirl, you get a floral reward. In the mouth, it’s fuller and deeper flavoured than the Chambolle – more clarity of flavour and with a fineness of structure that I’m really appreciating. This is a lovely wine – despite the cork. Yum!
Rebuy – Yes

2007 Camille Giroud, Chapelle-Chambertin
The best cork of the lot – a Trescases for what that’s worth. It looks untreated and was well-sealed and robust.
Like the previous wines, the colour here is far from young – as I may have expected from a 2000 or 2001, but I’m surprised by the aged consistency of these colours – here the Chapelle is also the lightest coloured of all these wines too – it’s barely medium intensity. But here’s a nose that delivers far more than ‘medium’ intensity – full and round at the base, initially a little creamy, let is stand in the glass and there’s forest-floor and even a suggestion of balsamic, swirl and you have a heady weight of floral perfume – now we are talking! In the mouth, the shape and weight of their flavours belie the colour – complex, initially silky and even more floral perfumed than the nose – what a wine. Slowly a hint of structure, worth calling-out as faint rusticity, creeps into the finishing impression – but it’s a wine that simply declaring its youth. Bravo – super wine!
Rebuy – Yes

So, this particular bottle of Lignier-Michelot is a little prematurely aged. The Fourrier has the youngest fruit, the Camille Giroud the youngest structure, both of these last two wines are simply excellent for their respective labels. Despite their colours, these 2007s have come on very well…

1985 Cave du Dauphin, Beaune 1er Grèves
More than 10 years ago, and still to my eternal shame, I bought a bunch of these at auction. Half have been ‘sort-of’ okay, from an ‘old-wine’ perspective – the others have been irredeemably oxidised. Chalk another one up to oxidation here….

2017 William Fèvre, Chablis
Again the domaine version. As my 2018s how been tasty but young and structural, I tracked down some 2017s of the same:
Hmm – a flighty and attractive nose – citrus and salinity in tandem – that will work! In the mouth more supple, melting with flavour, less structured but also less overtly concentrated than the 2018 – go figure given the yields! But what a deliciously easy wine to drink. Not quite the same impact as the Julien Brocard that has been my house wine for the last 18 months, but not far behind. For now, this is still a worthy replacement while the 2018s mature a little more.
Rebuy – Yes

1990 Michel Juillot, Corton-Perrières
A wine that on opening has both a good strength and apparent youth to its colour. Easy and fruity on the nose – and likewise it’s the same for the flavours – not very Corton-Perrières-esque! Easy and tasty wine – not really a grand cru performance. It’s just as well that it’s an easy drink, because any that’s left-over in the fridge for day 2 has lost both its clarity and its interest – not so robust!
Rebuy – No

2017 Francois Carillon, Bourgogne Aligoté
Here’s a nice weight of fresh aroma, that’s very modestly citrus too. Hmm, I like this on the palate too; mineral, yes citrus again, but melting over the tongue too. That’s excellent aligoté!
Rebuy – Yes

2017 Chanzy, Santenay 1er Beaurepaire
Here the nose is airy, open, and brimming with an almost macerating strawberry fruit. Modest tannin supports open, delicious, easy flavours – but there’s complexity too, it grows out from the mid-palate – so this 2017 isn’t too simple. Early drinking for sure, but delicious drinking too!
Rebuy – Yes