Medium colour. Lots of dirty, toasty oak and burnt match to start with – and he hardly uses any new oak! – eventually a little raspberry peeks through. Lots of ripe and sweet fruit on the palate, and just a little tannin. The acidity starts a little prickly (carbon dioxide?) but softens in the finish. I quite liked this in the end, but the initial aromatics were hardly attractive.
Medium yellow. The nose starts with a forward brioche note before fading into a good if simple ripe fruit effect. There is some fat, but this wine is defined by a lovely spine of acidity – it starts just a little prickly but quickly smooths. Unlike many heavy and ponderous whites from the Côte de Nuits, I find this fresh and engaging.
Medium yellow. Nose starts with savoury oak which slowly fades to nice brioche – wide and interesting – it’s a good start. Soft and smooth texture, widening on the palate. It’s a little mineral and has super balance. Could perhaps benefit from an extra depth, but maybe it’s just tightness that I perceive. Very nice length and the nose remains interesting throughout.
Rather deeply coloured. The nose starts tight, clean, slightly floral but gets progressively more impressive with red fruit that has a twist of blueberry in the mix – despite being primary it becomes very lovely – there is a hint of the vintage green somewhere but it’s on such a low level it is really additive. The palate is linear and intense, also very clean and mineral even. It’s just a little more unruly in the mid-palate but only because it’s so effusive. It’s a lower-case finish showing a slightly creamy undertone. This is very impressive for a 2004, I must look out for the 2005!
Medium cherry-red colour. The nose starts soft, sweet and quite oaky – though not very toasty – over one hour from opening and you have high-toned estery notes over what is frankly a super, griotte-like red fruit nose. As with the nose, some time is required before real interest is found – it starts rather flat – so-much so that I wondered if there might be a little taint. One hour of patience reveals a light-medium-weight wine of elegance and real complexity; the acidity is quite fresh and the wine is lithe rather than fat, but there is an array of red fruits and a little raisin edge to the subtle but long finish. Tannin slips by virtually un-noticed. This is a world away from dense, blockbuster wines and I suspect it will disappoint some drinkers, but for me, despite the wait, it delivered.
Deeper colour than the villages – edged with purple. The nose is much tighter and less giving, but earthier. The palate is denser and smoother – executive beefcake here. Perfect acidity and a very impressive length. Just like the villages, this wine is mainly about a black fruit profile with fine dry tannin that is completely covered by the soft fruit. I was very happy until I returned to the last half glass that had overnighted in the fridge – the earth has turned to cedar on the nose, less plush in the palate and the tannins stuck out. Day 1 fantastic, day 2 not! Many wines made in a reductive style won’t survive overnight in the fridge – Fourrier is a good example – based on this I’ll give it the benefit of the doubt because it was super on day 1.
Medium, medium-plus cherry-red colour. The nose starts wide and creamy – I though a little lactic too but this was transient – quickly taking on a forward cream coverd red cherry aspect and eventually coffee notes too. Understated, concentrated and tons of mid-palate dimension – many of these wines are one-dimensional in comparision. The fruit is so well done that it completely buries any necessity to discuss acidity or tannin. The creamy finish is understated but very long. Really top-class wine.
Medium-plus cherry-red colour. The nose is deep, soft red fruit, more berry than cherry – just a little high-toned estery aspect too. Sweet fruit, packed with effusive acidity and tannin showing a little grain. The overall aspect is just missing a little 1er cru intensity and the finish is only medium plus. Very well made with no unripe facets and just a small impression of oak. Just a little too understated I think, but given that I bought a six-pack I’m hoping that it gains a little something with time.
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