1997 Champy, Beaune 1er Clos des Avaux
(Magnum) Deep and dark on the nose. Sweet and ripe fruit runs through the palate, no problem with the tannins but the acidity seems not all that well integrated. Overall this is not bad, indeed quite drinkable.
Rebuy – No
1997 Château de Chorey, Beaune 1er Les Cras
(Magnum) Medium-plus colour. On the nose you note the much fresher fruit than many. Lots of ripe concentration on the palate backed by forward but ripe tannin. Understated length too. This is very very good for the vintage.
Rebuy – Maybe
1997 Lucien Jacob, Beaune 1er Cent Vignes
A wide and interesting nose of red fruit that largely avoids roast notes. High-toned in the mouth, concentrated and somehow masculine. Plenty of ripe tannin and good depth. Also very good in this vintage
Rebuy – Maybe
1997 Michel Lafarge, Beaune 1er Grèves
An understated, tight nose. Sweet red strawberry fruit on the palate couples to understated tannins and reserves as yet untested. Understatedly impressive.
Rebuy – Yes
1997 Bouchard Père et Fils, Beaune 1er Grèves Vigne de l’Enfant Jésus
The nose is reasonably fresh and quite wide. In this company the palate is very fresh yet still appears balanced. The fruit is tight yet ripe, but is wrapped in fine tannin that adheres to your teeth – they seem ripe enough. This is the youngest wine I’ve yet come across in this series of ’97’s, I would not hesitate in saying leave these for another 5 years. Seems to have real potential.
Rebuy – Yes

A wine which easily amplifies the point; don’t worry about the prices of the ‘top’ wines in 2005 – you can fill your cellar with wines like these and drink happily for the next 15 years – no problem!
2005 Gaston & Pierre Ravaut, Ladoix Les Carrières
Deep cherry red colour. A deep and dark nose; it’s a mix of red and and black fruits and a very subtle undertone of oak. Mouth-filling, soft-textured – density without inappropriateness and ripe primary fruit. The acidity brings a ‘just right’ balance. Tannins are not too unruly though you will have to search hard for them and there’s an additional faint black olive element that seems wood derived. Tasted blind you might guess a 2004 grand cru from the concentration but alas never the finish – merely a solid medium length. Tremendous value at €12 and highly recommended.
Rebuy – Yes

1997 Champy, Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Les Peuillets
(Magnum) Medium colour. The nose shows quite some oak overlaying roasted fruits. The palate is incredibly unruly but also quite fun – oak, astringent tannin and that same roasted fruit – you could never use the term ‘balanced’.
Rebuy – No
1997 Simon Bize, Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Marconnets
(Magnum) Medium-plus colour. The nose is understated – actually quite tight. The palate is equally tight, the only forward aspect is the grainy astringency of the tannin, the fruit gives little away, though it’s ripe enough and shows no roast characteristics. In this format I wouldn’t be rushing to drink bottles, but I wouldn’t be searching them out either.
Rebuy – No
1997 Chandon de Brailles, Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Lavières
(Magnum) This smells a little older than its years, but I have to say it smells wonderful – just wide, understated complexity. The palate doesn’t quite live up to the early billing as the main component is astringent grainy tannin. That the nose is so far ahead of the palate is a little worrysome and would dissuade me from looking for bottles, but if you have some, keep them locked for now.
Rebuy – No
1997 Jean-Marc Pavelot, Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Aux Gravains
(Magnum) A deep, dank, underbrush nose with ripe fruit to match. Sweet, with high-toned fruit in the mouth and still some tannin too – though less astringent than the preceding wines. This is very good, but really does require another 3 or so years in the cellar – in this format anyway.
Rebuy – Maybe
1997 Bruno Clair, Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Les Dominodes
Wide, sweet and interesting aromatics – some dried fruits in the background. Plenty of grainy tannin, but it’s ripe tannin – nice density and the fruit is pleasant enough. This is also very good and like the Pavelot also requires another 3 or 4 years in the cellar.
Rebuy – Maybe

At the recent Beaune tasting of 1997’s a number of people pointed to the quality of this wine – but those were the same people who downed the magnum before I could get a sample! Anyway given some of the illustrious names that made those comments I ‘bit’ on a case from a local merchant – that’s more bottles than my preference (at least 6 more!) but they don’t split cases – anyway at ~25% of the (ridiculous) price of the 2005 it turns out to be a bit of a ‘snip’! Come to think of it, if Sylvain did such a good job with his 97’s, I have a lovely warm feeling inside about that day in the future when I break open my six-pack of his 1999 Romanée Saint-Vivant…
1997 Sylvain Cathiard, Vosne 1er Aux Malconsorts
Medium-plus ruby-red. The nose is deep and dense with an edge of maturity, cocoa and undergrowth too – actually it reminds me of the 97 La Tâche – cool! – very Vosne. The cocoa/chocolate is apparent on the palate too, set against some fat and a lovely penetrating and slowly lingering central line of flavour. Of-course the acidity is on a relatively low level but, hence, provides no awkward shape to the wine. The tannin is velvetty and has just a trace of bitterness, but in a pleasing bitter chocolate style. The length is very impressive – maybe it was worth buying a full 12 after-all! The balance makes this quite precocious, so for drinking from now and over the next 10+ years.
Rebuy – Yes although I already have enough now!

2005 F&D Clair, Santenay
Medium, medium-plus cherry-red. The nose starts like cherryade and whilst it becomes a little finer, on day one it never loses the intense cherry although in the background there’s an additional mineral edge. Day two it’s much more interesting with a red berry note behind the cherry – very nice. The main impression on the palate is a rather forward acidity – it’s clean and lingering but certainly pronounced – for all that it has quite some intensity. Day two it’s a little rounder. It’s nice enough wine, and without some of the extra ripeness of many from this vintage. It’s not very expensive yet becomes ever-more serious if you give it enough time. In 2005 there’s a lot of competition at the lower price points, this is good but doesn’t excel.
Rebuy – Maybe

2005 Louis Jadot, Bourgogne Chardonnay
2002 was fantastic and 2004 was very good, so I bought a six-pack of 2005 blind! The nose is pretty classic for this bottling with faintly oaky, sweet depth, pear fruit and some higher tones – eventually a little minerality too in this vintage. This has a slightly different stance to the plusher 2002, it’s very well balanced but throughout the mid-palate and into the finish it’s rather more mineral with slowly lingering acidity. Less facile than the very user friendly 2002, I think this will also be rather long lived. Excellent
Rebuy – Yes

Seems I’m getting ‘grief’ for being lazy with these! The next batch will be all red!
1997 Jean-Noël Gagnard, Chassagne 1er Les Caillerets
Wow – don’t often drink from a jeroboam! Medium-pale yellow colour. The nose is understated but relatively fine – gives the impression of being very young. The palate has lots of interest and character – just as important, appears very well integrated. A very nice personality to this wine.
Rebuy – Yes
1997 Jean-Marc Boillot, Puligny 1er Champ Canet
Medium golden colour. The nose is high-toned and faintly estery – not unpleasantly so but not ‘fine’ either. In the mouth it’s very ripe and sweet. Though the acidity is not bad, I still find it too sweet – not my style.
Rebuy – No
1997 Maison Champy, Puligny 1er Hameau de Blagny
Golden colour. The nose is high-toned, faintly estery and also faintly oxidative. Lacks cohesion on the palate and shows spiky acidity – Drink Up!
Rebuy – No
1997 de Montille, Puligny 1er Caillerets
(Magnum) The nose is very mineral – the only white in the 1997 line-up that showed this. Tons of dimension on the palate that is is magnified by the citrus acidity. Very long and showing lovely balance. Vintage independant – very, very good-
Rebuy – Yes
1997 Bonneau du Martray, Corton-Charlemagne
Pale yellow. The nose is high-toned but is also coupled to an understated depth. Concentrated and ripe in the mouth, even hinting at minerality. Good integration and long finishing. Very good.
Rebuy – Yes
1997 Leflaive, Bâtard-Montrachet
Medium yellow. Typical toasty nose of quite some depth and eventually sings with high-toned notes – the last drops showing an intensity more like a red wine. The palate is jam-packed, showing good texture and always interest. Again, very, very good.
Rebuy – Yes
1997 l’Arlot, Nuits St.Georges 1er Clos de l’Arlot
Fat, concentrated long and very tropical – not why I buy white Burgundy.
Rebuy – No

1997 Joseph Matrot, Meursault 1er Blagny
Medium yellow. An understated though slightly estery nose. The palate is more interesting, it shows real depth, good texture and very nice integrated acidity.
Rebuy – Maybe
1997 François & Antoine Jobard, Meursault 1er Poruzots
Medium yellow. An understated but very pleasant nose. The palate has dimension, concentration and integration – It’s really very good. Lowish acidity but very tasty.
Rebuy – Yes
1997 Comtes Lafon, Meursault 1er Genevrières
Width, freshness and a brioche depth on the nose. Ripe and concentrated with a very good texture. Long too. This hangs together very well, it’s very good wine – vintage independant.
Rebuy – Yes
1997 François & Antoine Jobard, Meursault 1er Genevrières
Medium yellow. A narrow, tight nose. Well balanced and tasty but suffers a little after the ripeness of the Lafon, holds a very good length though.
Rebuy – Maybe
1997 François Mikulski, Meursault 1er Genevrières
(Magnum) Medium yellow. It’s an understated nose – little to put your finger on. The palate is wide, nicely concentrated yet also understated. Another wine with excellent length – really good balance here.
Rebuy – Yes
1997 Comtes Lafon, Meursault 1er Charmes
Pale yellow. The nose is less obviously forward than his Genevrières, but finer with extra sophistication. The palate is wide, complex, ripe and long. What more can I say? Less showy but no less quality than the Genevrières.
Rebuy – Yes

1997 Morey-Blanc, Saint Aubin 1er Combes
Medium yellow. The nose is understated and high-toned. The palate isn’t! Waxy, deep and softly concentrated. The acidity is not so well integrated but this remains a very enjoyable wine.
Rebuy – Maybe
1997 Hubert Lamy, Saint Aubin 1er En Remilly
(Magnum) Medium yellow. The nose is nicely wide and shows more than a touch of brioche. The palate is wide and fresh with particularly good integration of the acidity – plenty of mid-palate density too. Very nice wine whatever the vintage.
Rebuy – Yes
1997 Patrick Javillier, Meursault Cuvée Tête de Murger
(Magnum) Medium yellow. The nose is very understated – tight even – but quite round. The palate seems to mirror the nose with a very narrow entry though quickly it opens out into the mid-palate. The acidity is not bad, contributing to to a good savoury length. Today the tightness gives this the impression that it lacks character, but there are no obvious faults. Leave for a couple of years and re-try.
Rebuy – Maybe