2000 La Truffière, Romanée Saint-Vivant
Medium-plus colour. Width though limited depth on the nose, but the depth on show has a soft and smooth feel. In the mouth it’s clearly got an executive texture, plenty of well-textured tannin bubbling below the soft, concentrated fruit and an understated acidity that gives no hint to the vintage – neither does the fruit profile. If anything it’s just slightly fresher than the DRC of the same vintage, though without that complexity. I creamy hint lingers very long on the finish. For the vineyard it’s a decent effort and for the vintage it’s a very good result. At the price paid (about €80 three or four years ago) it’s a hit!
Rebuy – Yes

A strong recommendation for buying decent regoinal wines and saving them for ten years – indeed saving your credit-card bill too!
1998 Michel Champion, Bourgogne Côte du Chalonaise
A medium-pale, bright ruby-red. High tones and depth, apple skin, a sweeter base and a red fruit note. Nicely plump, no hard edges despite slightly elevated acidity and the remnants of tannins that were probably quite astringent when younger. This is good with food but edgy without as it has an element of unripeness that was quite engaging. Probably showing at it’s best since release and will likely peak in another year or two.
Rebuy – Maybe

1999 Guy Castagnier, Clos de la Roche
Medium, medium-plus colour. Aromatically fresh with good depth and an almost shiny, glossy effect from the dark fruit nose. Super acidity that really extends itself into the finish and pushes the finish longer. Still rather linear, the tannin is more of an after-thought, they still need a few more years once you’ve located them though. Mineral and muscled, a step-up from the (2) Petits Monts and a long way from entering a mature phase. Very good.
Rebuy – Yes

2002 Nicolas Potel, Vosne-Romanée 1er Les Petits Monts
The nose is wide, with faint coffee and oak notes and a chocolate effect. Not forceful nor deep, but very nice. Good soft texture and tannins with a little grain – but quantity-wise not so much. Wide and lingering subtle flavours borne on good acidity. It’s not a big wine, but it has all the components for a promising future and a tasty present.
Rebuy – Yes
2005 Nicolas Potel, Vosne-Romanée 1er Les Petits Monts
Deeper colour, deeper nose. The aromas have a similar toffee/coffee complexion that cover the fruit. Denser, more tannic and with more depth too. There is little complexity here but there is a sure-footed intensity that will really deliver in the future. Slowly fading in the finish – excellent.
Rebuy – Yes

2005 Cornu, Ladoix 1er Le Bois Roussot
Medium cherry-red colour. The nose is high-toned and wide with a red/blue shade to the fruit – very clean, not a hint diffuse. In the mouth it’s also clean and beautifully fresh, quite linear until the nicely intense mid-palate. Super balance, though as it gets more and more mature, perhaps the acidity will start to dominate – but today it’s lovely.
Rebuy – Yes

2005 Eric de Suremain Château de Monthelie, Monthelie 1er Sur La Velle
Surprisingly deep colour. While far from profound, the nose has a raw, fruity depth and interesting width. The palate is bathed in well-textured ripe tannin, some brown-sugar sweetness and shows a dark edge to the fruit. Understated acidity and an understated finish too – at least to start – the finish becomes ever-more interesting. It’s well-priced and well-tasty, but today it doesn’t make me dream of burgundy…
Rebuy – Maybe
PS – How do you know what to call it? – Is it Château de Monthelie or is it Eric de Suremain? Tsk, Tsk…

2001 Marquis d’Angerville, Volnay 1er Clos des Ducs
Medium ruby-red colour. The nose remains tight and undistinguished during our time together – faintly red, slightly high-toned and floral with an occasional deep baked red fruit note – but always very understated. A silky-smooth entry and nothing more than a suggestion of tannin. The acidity is inconspiciously efficient and there seems reasonable concentration. Silky and very long are the positives, and I found no negatives – unless you count that I found relatively little. It’s tight but judging by this bottle at least, I’m not disappointed that further bottles lie in the cellar.
Rebuy – Maybe
Following the Jarollières, this was a much nicer wine, but for the price (and expectation) it needs to show much more.

2000 Jean-Marc Boillot, Pommard 1er Les Jarollières
Medium, medium-minus colour. The nose is a long way towards maturity with soft, ripe and sweet red berry fruit and faint cocoa notes that could come from a 1980’s wine. In the mouth there is still a block of tannin in the middle that needs resolving that has a dry edge. Decent enough acidity, if slightly lifted. Finishes well. Still not as tasty as its first 18 months in bottle but far better than most of the years that followed. Needs anothe 2-3 years for the tannins.
Rebuy – no

I spotted this on a usual merchant’s list for 29 francs – most ‘name’ villages wines cost 40+ francs, so naturally I was hoping for good things despite not knowing the name:
2005 Remi Jeanniard, Morey St.Denis Vieilles Vignes
Medium, medium-plus colour. The nose is high-toned and a little alcoholic with a suggestion of a red-fruit core. Smooth entry, quite well concentrated and balanced – also in the mid-palate. I was ready to love this wine – particularly for the more than interesting tariff – but the smooth tannins have a strongly bitter finish to them that’s like charcoal. I assume it’s barrel derived but there are no other oak artifacts – strange and a shame as the rest of the wine is nice. I found it hard to drink, even on day 2 it was not much better – except with overcooked pizza!
Rebuy – No
So, no tale of a new name that smashes the value barrier – that said, the concentration is not bad and there’s quite some dissolved carbon dioxide so made in reductive, quality oriented way – but that bitterness is too much – I’ll lookout for some other vintages though it seems there are a number of Jeanniards (2 weeks ago I didn’t know of any) as I find this on a UK merchant’s website for an Alain Jeanniard:

“Between his father’s death in 1978 and his picking up the reins of the family Domaine in 2000, Alain Jeanniard earned his living in the electronics industry. Then he decided to return to his roots. First, he put himself through a wine and vineyard baccalauréat in Beaune. On completing, he was immediately recruited by the Hospices de Beaune to look after their two greatest Grand Cru vineyards on the Côte de Nuits: Mazis-Chambertin and Clos de la Roche. His own estate is less glamorous, but the vines give absolutely superb fruit. He is a carefully focussed, sensitive wine-maker, with enormous talent. Two years ago, we were the first company to introduce his wines to the U.K. Burgundy enthusiasts pounced on them, for they are superb quality and value.”

I’ll ask some locals what they know!