Medium-plus colour. The nose has depth and almost texture; sometimes when you have brett there’s a texture impression, and I have it here, but it seems clean enough. The fruit is dark and occasionally gives flashes of brilliance. It’s fresh and intense, keep it in your mouth and it becomes even more intense as the acidity penetrates your tongue. The tannin really only shows itself – and mildly – from the mid-palate into the finish and as a slightly bitter but flavour adhering additive – hmm, licorice I think. Actually there is more flavour in the finish than you get at the start – it really builds and builds. Overall – full-packed, hinting to rustic but full of interest and I might even say fun! If the nose didn’t slowly develop a more floral and pretty ‘whole’ I don’t think you’d ever have ‘Chambolle’ as your first guess – I suppose that’s the proximity to Bonnes-Mares for you. I’m happy to have a couple of larger format bottles to work through from 2020 onwards!
2006
2006 Jadot Louis Chambolle-Musigny Les Fuées
Medium colour. The nose is wide with flashes of dark red berries though essentially it’s a tight core of fruit. Very slowly it adds a creamy accent and quite pretty. The palate is lithe and finely muscled, not fat but certainly intense. Good understated acidity and a very mineral, quite dense and long-lasting flavour from the mid-palate onwards into the finish. Impressive.
2006 Allexant Charles Beaune Bressandes
This wine also carries a Tastevinages back-label. Medium ruby-red colour, perhaps already a little salmon shaded to the rim. Deep aromas of macerating, baking red fruit. Slightly astringent tannin but there’s width and intensity here. The dark flavours really cling to your palate. I find this slightly rustic but rather good!