1997 Dominique Laurent, Fixin 1er Les Hervelets
Medium colour. The nose starts a little unusual, green boiled vegetables – asparagus – slowly takes on a more classic pale red nose at the core, actually it was better than it sounds! Quite fresh, though the acidity is a little spiky and penetrating but there’s a mineral edge too. Mouthwatering with a mineral length. Interesting but I wouldn’t buy any…
Rebuy – No

1999 Denis Pommier, Chablis 1er Côte de Lechet
Cuvée Vieilles Vignes. Worryingly deep colour. The nose, however, is restrained, waxy and showing only the merest suggestion of oxidation – in short it’s a nice, older and ready wine. The palate is balanced and mineral, without showing obviously mouthwatering acidity. The old-timer’s oxidation is there on the finish but it’s very, very mild. A nice wine that is more advanced than a 99 should be, but is not ‘dulled’, or ‘tired’ – it is tasty now and should be drunk quickly – we also drank (and enjoyed) the second bottle quickly!
Rebuy – Maybe

1998 Joseph Drouhin, Beaune 1er Clos des Mouches
Medium ruby-red colour. The nose is soft, wide and red – perhaps with a hint of mint to go with many layers of fruit. In the mouth there is plenty of ripe, red-shaded fruit which shows an excellent length – I do, however, find the acidity sticking out just a little. There’s still some well-grained tannin that has plenty of balancing extract.
Only the less than perfect acidity means that I don’t unreservedly recommend this. Still a more than interesting wine.
Rebuy – Maybe

1995 Jean Grivot, Nuits St.Georges Les Roncières
From a half-bottle. Medium-plus ruby-red. A nose that remains relatively understated; faint red fruit overlain with equally faint, sweet caramel. Some fat, concentrated and with perfect acidty – this really dances across the palate. The tannins retain some grain but are on the wane. I rather fell-out with c.97-98 Grivots as unbalanced tannic monsters, but this is lovely – I’m happy to have a few in the cellar.
Rebuy – Yes

An interesting counterpoint to the Faiveley – one might expect the Chambertin to need more time than a Corton, but producer style counts for much. Also opened and then poured 1 hour later:
1999 Bouchard Père et Fils, Chambertin
Medium-plus ruby-red. The nose starts deep and wide – still primary – slowly providing a soft, savoury bacon-fat background. In the mouth this is intense, wide and mouth-filling. There is still plenty of tannin, faintly astringent and with a bitter chocolate edge that adds a little cream before going very long in the finish. There is a ton of structure here but it’s very well matched by the extract. Excellent, and wait a minute – hmm – I can still buy this cheaper than some ‘mid-range’ 2005 premiers…!
Rebuy – Yes

The first from a six-pack, opened one hour before pouring:
1999 Faiveley, Corton Clos des Cortons Faiveley
Medium-plus ruby-red. Faint higher tones over mineral coated pure red cherry that plums a good depth if not much width – give it another hour and there’s a lovely piercing red note. In the mouth it starts narrow, slowly widening as it heads for the mid-palate. The acidity is forward and more than just a little tart but the tannins are well hidden. Everything remains tight going into the finish but I have to say there is a sneaky extra dimension of creamy flavour that expands further in the finish – certainly the most compelling part. Time gives a little more fat and interestingly a little more astringency to ‘balance’. Okay now, but I won’t open another in the next 5 years…
Rebuy – Maybe

The 1999 of this wine is drinking very well right now – so what about the 1996?
1996 Jean-Claude Belland, Santenay 1er La Comme
Medium-plus ruby-red colour. The nose starts with a fine berry/raspberry note, set against a deeper brooding background – lovely – shame then that after 30 minutes you are left only with the brooding background! The palate itself is fresh and like very many of the lower appellation wines from this vintage, it is defined mainly by it’s acidity. Overall the tannin is hidden but the palate is linear and narrow, concentrated for all that but surprisingly primary. Length is almost good. Overall there is little here to suggest that it’s 11 years since the vintage. I wonder if/when it will ever open out – one more bottle remains – so I’ll give it one more chance, age 15, but I wouldn’t buy more.
Rebuy – No

Interesting to let this wine follow the Fourrier. I expected to enjoy the Fourrier more from a style perspective, and this was partly borne out – but the Dugat-Py is actually no muscle-bound monster, nor does it wear an impenetrable suit of oak, it merely lost out because it went through so many phases in the glass, not all of them enjoyable. Overall it impresses but is much more primary (but then it’s also younger) than the Fourrier which today I prefer for it’s elegant, layered complexity – but who is to say that that will not come(?) It’s an easier decision when you factor in the price and realise that you can have 5 bottles of Fourrier for every 2 of the Dugat-Py…

2002 Bernard Dugat-Py, Gevrey-Chambertin Coeur de Roy
Medium-plus cherry-red colour. On opening, the nose was actually rather engaging – like the Fourrier only denser. After about 40 minutes it’s deeper-still, rather savoury and ungainly – which is a shame – fortunately after 90 minutes it freshens up a little to give a relatively diffuse black-shade fruit which is not great but is certainly better – the last drops in the glass give cause for optimism though. The palate has a smooth, understated entry, in fact it’s silky smooth, linear and with darker-shaded fruit. The finish is understated, and the length is the equal of the 99 Fourrier.
Rebuy – Yes

The last 3rd of the bottle was consumed on day 2: The nose has remained fresh, the palate has remained linear, silky and balanced. An excellent wine for sure.

1999 Fourrier, Gevrey-Chambertin Vieille-Vigne
Medium ruby-red. A nose that starts deep and surprisingly oaky given that there’s normally a maximum of 20% in this cellar – but it’s short-lived before fading into redder, layered fruit overlaid by higher toned alcoholic aspects, maybe even an edge of coffee. In the mouth it starts impressively; it’s well balanced, and shows a lovely, succulent, creamy red fruit. Time increases the depth but eventually dulls the excitement just a hint. It’s intense in the mid-palate and you never really think of the tannin before it slowly fades in the finish – still with that creamy edge. Poised, elegant and a first-class villages.
Rebuy – Yes