You could say that this was a disappointment! Maurice Ecard was bought by Bejot in 2006, so certainly before this was bottled. Of-course since the adulteration scandal of 2016, the parent for this ‘brand’ (yes – they all become brands…) is now maison François Martenot…

2005 Maurice Ecard, Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Les Jarrons
I last opened one of these in 2008 – and it was lovely. Hmm, the nose starts with an impression of funk/brett. In the mouth it’s a very raisined style of fruit and even tending to oxidation. I decide to leave it for half an hour to see if it clears up a little – I returned to totally oxidised! Most 40 year-old wines don’t taste like this. The cork is admittedly not very long, but looks to have been a correct seal. Not good. I have another, but I’ll let the pain fade a little before opening it!
Rebuy – No

2010 Louis Boillot, Les Trois Saints Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs
Fresh, very dry, tasty wine but lacking any great complexity – this was honestly a bit too young – positive for the eventual quality, but for drinking today their Limited Edition cuvée is the one to go for!
Rebuy – Yes

2017 Jean Loron, Jean Gamay Noir
A vin de france, not Beaujolais. Honestly there’s some interesting fruit, but this nose isn’t my thing, I find it a little (for want of a better adjective) cheesy – I decanted and it improved, but only a little. By contrast the flavour is brilliant! Depth, pure gamay-fruitedness, a wine that can be drunk far too easily. Just a shame about the nose…
Rebuy – No

2005 Marchand-Grillot, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Petite Chapelle
There is some aromatic similarity to the domaine’s 2005 Perrières in terms of the initial impression of the fruit and some high volume oak when young – but no funk – here is a bravado performance without defaults. Like the cordial nose, the first sip is almost too much of everything – too much fruit, too rich – how are we going to drink this? In short order the aromatic vestiges of vanilla oak are gone and there is a fresher and more saline vibe. The flavour too becoming more sleek and interesting. Wow. The best measure bay far, however, is that we thought almost half the bottle waited for our plate of food – actually just half a glass! A wine that goes so effortlessly is a great wine in our household!
Rebuy – Yes

A modest weekend as there was driving to be done. Another über-tasty Collet crémant followed by this little beauty:

2005 Cornu, Ladoix 1er Le Bois Roussot
My last 05 Cornu, about a month ago was good but a little austere – this, however, is just fabulous. The nose is so silky and attractive – with gorgeous red fruit that only intensifies with open time. In the mouth it’s wonderfully balanced yet so concentrated. I’d be happy if the label said Corton from another vintage. Simply great Ladoix!
Rebuy – Yes
 

Bern…

Bern…

Looking towards the Côte de Brouilly from Pizay (Morgon)

Tasted today at Bien-Boire-en-Beaujolais A quick-fire 43 bottles, starting with a section of new stuff from domaines that I largely don’t know, followed by some ‘old stuff’ from a mix of known and unknown domaines. I see that Jamie, who was there the day before, has also made a short film – I keep thinking abut doing the same – but editing time is not to be underestimated! Enjoy:

2015 Domaine Chignard, Fleurie Les Moriers
A nose with a dark depth and a brighter, almost floral top. Modest concentration, but a really fine texture and, still, depth of flavour. Waves of finishing flavour containing a little licorice and graphite – fine…
2016 Laurent Guillet, Domaine de la Chaponne, Morgon Côte du Py
Higher toned, more floral freshness. Much more floral and open on the palate. Long, graphitic, mineral finish – again. This is excellent!
2015 Cedric Vincent, Moulin à Vent les Merizes
Magnum – Vibrant, almost sweet raspberry nose. Depth of flavour, concentrated too, with unfolding layers, subtly accented with vanilla but at a level where I can’t (won’t!) complain. Excellent, indeed profound wine.

2017 Domaine Bertrand, Beaujolais Villages Super Canon
A pretty freshness, accented with attractive red fruit. Really mouth-filling, silky textured wine. Overt Beaujolais fruit style – but such fun – with layers of finishing flavour – excellent!
2016 Château Grange Cochard, Morgon Vieilles-Vignes
A narrow nose but with a top note of fresh fruit – slowly it widens, and deliciously! Ooh – a wine of comely sweet fruit, concentrated in the middle, but with a delicious finish. Tightly concentrated in the middle – delicious at all the edges – this just needs a little time, but it’s super!
2015 Domaine de la Bouronière, Fleurie
A modest nose but it gives the impression of silk. Direct, a little structured and muscular – not a Fleurie archetype – but there’s good density of mid-palate flavour that augers well.
2015 Pizay Morgon
Magnum – Almost black! A nose that initially lacks depth and seems a little volatile above. The flavours also hint at volatility, but there’s concentration and not a little tannin too. I’d avoid.
2015 Domaine Joncy, Côte de Brouilly
A width of sweet fruit, with more interest. Fresh, round in the middle, quite tasty fruit. Delicious!
2016 Domaine Joncy, Morgon
A relatively tight nose, but one with a very attractive floral component. A little accent of high-toned, almost volatile fruit. But very fine mouth-watering balance. The mid-palate into the finish are just lovely.
2016 Domaine de Fa, Fleurie Roche Guillon
A modest nose, very faintly floral. Good width of flavour and great texture. A fresh salinity and alround deliciousness. Yum!
2015 domaine Baron de l‘Evuse, Côte de Brouilly
Magnum – A wide and fresh nose, though a little herbed. Bigger and sweeter in the mouth than the nose suggested. A little fresh saline complexity abetting the weight of mid-palate flavour. Good wine.
2015 Domaine des Marrans, Fleurie
The nose offers A direct pyrazine note. Fresh, wide, open and tasty wine. Yum.
2016 Nicolas Chemarin, Beaujolais Villages Les Vignes de Jeannot
A deep, slightly brooding nose, sweetness and whole clusters – rather attractive, actually. Ooh, supple, concentrated in the middle, complex, and with lots of energy. Super wine, with a great finish!
2016 Domaine Clos du Fief, Juliénas Cuvée Prestige
A relatively tight nose. Fresh, layered wine, rather different in style to all that have come before. A strong saline accent in the finish. Tasty!
2017 Steeve Charvet, Chiroubles
A top and bottom style of nose, not so wide, but very attractive. Round, fine balance, supple and sweet – such a delicious thing. A modest accent of tannin in the finish. Super wine!

2015 Christophe Savoye, Chiroubles cuvée Loïc
An implied florality and depth, but quite a tight nose all the same. Bright, fresh, energy and concentration. This is really super, with lovely finishing layers of flavour.
2015 Romuald Petit, Morgon Pur Sang
Pur sang? Pur vanilla more like. Big, concentrated, vibrant wine – but not for me…
2016 Hirsch, Moulin à Vent
A modest nose some fresh complexity, a mix of herb and flowers. Volume and a nice fresh and sweet complexity in the mouth – much tastier than the nose suggests. Yum!
2015 Domaine de la Madone, Fleurie Dame de la Pétoche
A narrow nose but one that keeps adding more floral perfume. Round, a wine of freshness and sweetness of fruit. I like finish a lot – plenty of good parts here.
2014 Domaine Ruet, Brouilly Vieilles-Vignes
A narrow nose, but still a deep nose – lowly adding some floral interest too. Not as big as many on the mouth, but a wine that’s full of fresh energy – a dynamic wine – it’s delicious too!
2014 Jean Berard, Beaujolais Villages le Perreon Madone Bio
This nose is a little evolved, not so interesting. In the mouth its more alive, but also a little volatile. Not a great bottle…
2013 Chateau des Moriers Moulin à Vent Vieilles-Vignes
Hmm, less full-power than many, but here’s a nose still with lots of aromatic interest – perhaps a faint suggestion of vanilla too(?) Round, silky, nice concentration, yes some vanilla, but a 2013 that’s coming into a good place to drink. Tasty, with a little tannin in the finish too.
2013 Chateau des Ravatys, Côte de Brouilly R
Also an open if not full-power nose with hints of oak, pyrazine and fruit too. Round, fresh, good energy – a little vanilla in the complexity. But another 2013 that’s starting to show well.

Now some old stuff:

1988 Pizay Morgon
Magnum – A sweet, chocolatey width of aroma. Bright, fresh, still a rasp of tannin, but no oxidative aspects. A super surprise!
2003 Clos du Fief, Juliénas
A sweetness of turned leaves and old fruit. Extra sweet on the palate, intense, wide, almost too much sweetness in all directions, but in great shape!
2009 Julien Duport, Côte de Brouilly
A slightly tighter nose. In the mouth direct and fresh after the 2003! A tasty wine of lots of fresh energy – yum!
2005 Baron de l’Ecuse, Côte de Brouilly
A less attractive nose – almost a little rubber. The palate is better, with direction and intensity, a little chocolate complexity too.

2006 Clos du Fief, Juliénas Cuvée Prestige
Quite a brown colour. A bit bretty. Soft, simple, round, oxidised. Worst wine of the day…
2007 Domaine des Sochons, Morgon Les Climats
A brighter nose – it doesn’t take much! Round, good freshness a modest oxidative character but an interesting wine none-the-less.

2009 Chateau Thivin, Côte de Brouilly cuvée Godefroy
Magnum – Actually a little tight, but some lovely floral notes start to come through. Hmm, lots of sweetness but sleekness of line too with such fine texture. Beautiful wine – no surprise.
2009 Domaine Ruet, Brouilly Vieilles-Vignes
Deep, a little extracted and stewed. Lots of volume and good freshness, the flavour profile seemingly also a little stewed too.
2009 Domaine Bertrand, Brouilly
Magnum – A modest intensity nose – just a little sweetness showing. Lots of volume, quite some energy too, this is super – it finishes a little quickly, but it’s super in the mouth!
2009 Domaine de la Madonne, Fleurie 1889
Ooh – volatile and stewed – in the mouth very high-toned though less obviously volatile. Actually quite tasty here, but I don’t like the nose…
2009 Domaine de la Bouronière, Fleurie
A narrow nose with some freshness. Nice volume with mouth-watering flavour. The finish is the best part, mineral, mouth-watering and showing some complexity.
2010 Chateau des Moriers Mouilin à Vent
Wide, floral and vanilla. Volume, freshness nicely open, good in the mouth despite the vanilla.
 

Now that’s a blackboard!

Opening vines

Opening trees

A Super Canon!

Pizay lunch…

Pizay

Pizay

Pizay

​
2005 Marchand-Grillot, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Perrières
Hmm, drunk directly following the Chenu there’s more concentration, intensity and vibrancy of flavour. The nose starts with some old oak notes that quickly fade, then there are flashes of pure-fruited brilliance but also an intermittent Brett note. The latter only ever gets slowly worse. So I drank this quite quickly. A curate’s egg – but a good one if such a thing exists! I have two more – given the brett I probably won’t wait too long to attack those – and then there’s a couple of other 2005 cuvées from this producer – always there’s work to be done 🙂 Note, lots and lots of heavy sediment – the glasses needed a rinse before…
Rebuy – Maybe

2000 Vougeraie, Vougeot 1er Les Cras
When younger, this wine was a dead-ringer for a 2004 with its bright and forward pyrazine. Today it starts with a herby, vegetal, vegetable garden nose – which fortunately doesn’t last long – and what remains is floral fruit of good distinction – no pyrazine. The nose slowly adds a fresh and clean dried leaves aspect too. Unlike the palate where, whilst modest, it is an ever-present. That said, this wine has freshness and complexity – a certain joie-de-vivre before a little, slightly rustic, tannin. Very tasty wine indeed – it took two nights to finish, but it was very good all the same.
Rebuy – Yes

​Tasted last month, a small New Zealand session:

2015 Rippon, Riesling
A lovely nose – open and inviting. Fresh attack, direct, a little mouth-watering sweetness and perfumed finksh. Lovely.

2013 Rippon, Pinot Noir
Smells of some whole-cluster – round and attractive. Mouth-filling, a little astringent, but long flavours of freshness and interest.

2013 Rippon, Tinkers Field
A deep nose, of whole-clusters, sweet, really attractive. Lots of volume, melting flavour, long and with good concentration too. Yum.

2013 Prophets Rock, Central Otago
A more perfumed width of pinot fruit. Energy, complexity, slightly floral finishing. All these NZ wines are very aromttic so far.

2014 Prophets Rock, Home Vineyard
A deeper nose, dirty pinot, whole-clusters, perhaps reduction too – it sounds terrible but it’s quite lovely. Round, mouth-filling and complex, a good compbination of energy and sweetness of cherry-plum fruit style. Tasty wine.

​1997 Nicolas Potel, Volnay
This nose starts a little bulky but given time it opens – becoming an absolute belter! – really complex, alluring and a little floral too. The palate like the nose, also starts a little bulky – monolithic even – the acidity is a little forward and unbalanced. Unlike the nose, these two traits remain completely consistent. Maybe just this bottle (I have other opportunities to check this) but not a balance to enjoy – a shame because the nose is beautiful cliché Volnay…
Rebuy – No

2006 Louis Chenu Père et Filles, Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Les Talmettes
Hmm – lovely, fine, wide, simmering red fruit with a little sweetness and a suggestion of roses. Wide across the palate, modest intensity but beautifully balanced wine. Delicious, airy, never profound but always satisfying wine. Yum!
Rebuy – Yes

A little late out of the blocks – so more of a reminiscence than real notes:

1998 Christian Adine, Chablis 1er Montmain
Not a name that I know, half-blind (I knew it was Chablis) the aromas shouted 2008 to me – but it was a 1998! From magnum, but still in a beautiful condition – what a super wine to have so much of – mineral yet comfortable – an easy rebuy – if ever seen!
Rebuy – Yes

1990 Maurice Chapuis, Corton-Charlemagne
I opted to decant this from the start – as it turned out, despite an almost caramel colour, there were no oxidative notes to dissipate. Big wine, rich and ripe wine – with balance though. I would never have guessed that it was a Charlemagne, but a well-preserved, totally mature wine of plenty of interest was never in doubt. Good wine!
Rebuy – Maybe

1995 Gérard Mugneret, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Les Charmes
Wax-topped – the domaine doesn’t do that anymore. The nose was deep, leafy, almost textured but at the same time rather inviting – still, not a cliché pretty/floral Chambolle. In the mouth too, a wine of power and modest tannic rusticity to the texture – but also of depth and full interest. Relatively mature but will hold for as long as you like on this performance. Tasty wine!
Rebuy – Maybe

1999 Guy Castagnier, Clos de la Roche
Having tried the 97 and 98 in the last 10 days it seemed only fair to open one of these 99s too. I bought a couple of 6-packs way-back-when, and I may have already finished one of them – this the first from the next case.
The nose is far from forward but has very fine and pure fruit of great direction. It’s the same on the palate – a joyous line of crystal-pure dark-red, mouth-watering fruit with super persistence. My first glass empties very quickly. Subsequent glasses have aromas that sometimes betray a faint whiff of brett – then they are clean again – maybe time to start drinking these then – and why not, this bottle was emptied the night it was opened – usually the best of signs. Super wine.
Rebuy – Yes

Plus some wines recently tasted blind with (mainly) Grand Cru company – the grand crus will appear in my April Report – notes as written before seeing the wines:

2005 Robert Denogent, Pouilly-Fuissé La Croix Vieilles-Vignes
White 1 – Older colour. The nose has a sweet vibration and a suggestion of oxidative development – but it remains a great invitation. More direct over the palate than the nose suggests, but still with an engaging blend of fresh and sweet. Quite narrow into the finish. Eventually a super nose and a more modest palate – apparently mature and delicious but not profound – from the Mâcon?

2015 Buisson-Charles, Meursault 1er Les Cras
White 2 – A young nose, wide, not so deep but clearly this is a very inviting and fine wine. Supple, deep, a little oak – quite young and rich, plenty of minerals and long. Excellent and young – Chassagne 1er? After being told I could clearly smell the ginger spice on the nose, silly me – oh well.

2015 Buisson-Charles, Meursault Vieilles-Vignes de 1945
White 3 – A sweeter and more mature core of aroma. Wide, melting flavour, richness but with great mouth-watering balance. Long – super again – a great set of whites here. This has tension – from Puligny? Even when revealed, I couldn’t see the ‘Meursaultness’ but I could still see great wine – I rated it higher than the 1er cru!

2015 Buisson-Charles, Bourgogne Pinot Noir Hautes Coutures
Red 5 – Bright, fresh and very much younger aroma than previous bottles – with fine pure kirsch notes. Wide, pure, very fruity – a baby. Lots of volume, good concentration, very fruit forward but with balanced acidity. Long and super but a grand cru? I don’t think so…

2003 Bourgogne-Devaux, Pommard
Red 6 – Wide, vibrantly deep red fruit aromas, less pure than the last due to some residues of oak. More richness of texture, more concentration, much more maturity of flavour. A good older wine – – also probably not (a good!) grand cru.