Michel Lafarge 2005

It’s always worth checking on a few old friends 😉

2005 des Croix, Bourgogne Pinot Noir
It’s been a while since I checked in on this wine – last time out it was showing in a rather sweet fashion but was clearly still a great young wine. Today a little less overtly sweet – at least with a couple of thousand 2018s having been tasted behind the scenes! The cork broke in half and then the bottom half disintegrated into the bottle – so it was decanted into a jug.
The colour has lost all of its purple highlights. The nose starts with a modest reductive impression – almost an onion-skin impression too to the darker berry fruit – I’m assuming the cork’s to blame though I note that my last bottle was also a little reductive – the nose improves with time but never quite seems 100%. In the mouth this remains excellent – at this age meagre Bourgognes and indeed plenty of village wines start to thin and screech – there’s not even a suggestion of that here. Mouth-filling, wide, silky but still concentrated wine. Not the perfect example, I’m sure, so less easy to say if this will benefit from more patience – but it tastes super, right now, without any overt impression of aromatic development. I won’t rush to drink my remaining half-dozen, or-so, bottles.
Rebuy – Maybe

2018 Clotilde Davenne, Chablis
What a very tasty wine – plump but balanced, deliciously fruity and with a good nose too. I see only one problem; it just doesn’t taste like Chablis today – a nice Chardonnay for sure – still a great value too, also for sure, but no real sense of place. If it wore a Bourgogne Chardonnay label I’d be heaping plenty of praise on it for the price! I’ve some more – so I’ll give those 2 years to see if this wine can recover its family accent.
Rebuy – Not today

2005 Camille Giroud, Gevrey-Chambertin En Champs
Now that’s a great nose! Complex, the first semblance of dried leaves and finely judged maturity – still young but heading in a very fine direction – it’s such an invitation to take a sip! The palate is concentrated and just a little less yielding than the nose – tasty, with beautifully packaged concentration – but still showing a little tightness in the flavours. Overall much to like and good though the texture is, it’s a little behind the two other reds here, but overall the second-best red of this tasting because of the nose of Croix.
Rebuy – Yes

2005 Michel Lafarge, Beaune 1er Les Grèves
A sweeping nose, super depth – it brings the impression of energy and good red fruit – but it still can’t match the Gevrey in this department. In the mouth, this is different to the previous wines – more direct, lots of energy, really a wine with a more driving and mineral personality – frankly, it’s brilliant here – if it were a white you might call it Perrières or Caillerets. A young wine but such an impressive wine.
Rebuy – Yes

So drinking, but still young wines these 2005s…

I like to keep things varied – in terms of the label – plenty of great acidity in this selection of wines. It’s also nice not to experience corked bottles for the first weekend in a while:

2017 Chanzy Rully Les Cailloux
A very faint toast, but a certain concentration is evident below. Yes, there’s a suggestion of toast in the flavours too, but this wine’s a beauty – mineral, great intensity. Super Rully – a presence that belies the label – bravo! Subscribers will remember how much I loved the 2017 Côte Chalonnais wines!
Rebuy – Yes

2008 Jean Chauvenet, Nuits St.Georges 1er Les Perrières
Deeply coloured – the nose is wild, wide and darkly fruited – but what’s that? Vanilla? I don’t remember that! In the mouth, this reflects the nose with a width of seamless, wonderfully textured flavour. The vanilla is less bothersome in the flavours – and of course, the acidity is super. Beautiful balance, intense, but far from mouth-puckering – a great 2008 – despite the vanilla!
Rebuy – Yes

2017 Philippe Pacalet, Moulin à Vent
Hmm, thats a lovely nose – partly floral, fresh red berry fruit. Fine concentration and super energy – complexity too. It’s a high-toned, energetic flavour that I might describe as airy if it wasn’t so insistent – sustains a great length too. This wine’s a honey – so yum!
Rebuy – Yes

2014 Céline and Frédéric Gueguen, Côteaux Bourguignone – Sacy ‘Cépage Confidentiel’
Oh – this sings and zings – the acidity of 2014 but nothing sharp – more overt freshness than the 2008 Nuits. So mineral and also so saline. Blind it would leave me confused – I think of Chablis – but not quite Chablis – often one of Burgundy’s great bargains!
Rebuy – Yes

2013 des Chézeaux/Berthaut, Gevrey-Chambertin Clos des Chézeaux
Amélie Berthaut’s first vintage in charge of vinification at the family domaine.
Good depth of colour. The nose is sweeping and interesting – it’s an invitation. Sleek and driving flavour – not quite together at the outset but it comes together well with some air – the structure has just a suggestion of rusticity. 2013 remains a vintage that needs to find its place – the wines can be ordinary or great – this one starts a little ordinary but gets better and better – it’s tasty but it’s not yet great though!
Rebuy – Maybe

2016 Domaine de la Pirolette, St.Amour La Poulette
Wow – from start to finish, this is a great wine; so sleek, so silky-textured, so mineral too. This is a wine that vibrates with energy – red berry fruit – it’s also very well matched in style to the acidity of many of the wines here. Pure, intense and very classy – bravo!
Rebuy – Yes