A great wine and a good wine…

2010 Patrick Puize, Chablis Terroir de Fyé
A golden colour. Hmm, lovely nose, a little development, a little honey, a little mineral reduction – lovely and very inviting. Yup! This has gorgeously flowing flavours and seemingly a little fat to the texture – wonderfully balanced with the acidity. Almost impossible for two people not to drink the whole bottle. Fortunately we were two, so I didn’t have to test the hypothesis with 1 person! 😉
Rebuy – Yes like a shot!

2011 Jean-Claude Cluzeaud, Volnay Beau Regard
Medium-plus colour. The nose starts all big and bulky – just a dense block of dark-red fruit. I decanted. After 30 minutes the nose has opened with a lighter, wide note that is almost a textured sweet herb and a narrow but deep red fruit note. Bright acidity, red fruit, a nice extra dimension of fruit in the mid-palate. Really good finishing width. Whilst this may benefit from cellar time, this is very drinkable today. Not the clarity of flavour of the vintages either side, but this is a good wine and so I’m not sure I’d wait…
Rebuy – Maybe

2005 Roger Belland, Santenay 1er Commes
I note a DIAM closure here – that must be one of the earliest. Belland’s wines, certainly the 05 and 06s started big, brash and impressive before becoming fainter and thinner – maybe that was a phase, because this is now quite impressive…
Still deep colour. A deep, dark-fruited nose. Wide. The first impression is silkiness followed by a growth of tannic texture – though that tannin is relatively smooth. Good dimension of flavour with a nice ‘pop’ of mid-palate flavour that is wide and clean in the finish. A fine Santenay with a certain power but no fat – also this seems to hardly be aging, it’s a baby – but tasty!
Rebuy – Yes

2014 Drouhin Vaudin, Chablis 1er Mont de Milieu
I’m almost surprised to start with – I think I’ve taken a couple of sips and tasted nothing – I must concentrate – and thus I’m rewarded:
A complex, sleek nose. Round and very complex in the mouth – really a width of complexity delivered in an almost Vosne-style. Supple, and very tasty today with super finishing flavour; really fine fruit flavour – super wine!
Rebuy – Yes

And a few others from memory…

2006 Camille Giroud, Volnay 1er Taillepieds
Very tasty and quite aromatic wine. Super, but not as fine as the 06 Gevrey En Champs tasted from this producer in the last weeks.
2007 Fourrier, Morey St.Denis Clos Solon
Picture perfect – no lack of fineness in eather the nose or the palate – seamless – and that’s not a word you’ll hear too often about 2007s!
2009 Edmond Monnot, Santenay Chainey (Blanc)
Excellent in all respects – a little richness but balance and fine flavour dimension. Simply yum!
1998 Jadot, Beaune 1er Grèves
A négoce wine. Smells not bad but tastes rather good – still something of a baby. Wait another couple of years before re-tasting.
2005 Gaston & Pierre Ravaut, Ladoix 1er Carrières
What a fabulous fruit on the nose. It’s like that on the palate too, certainly with a little structure, but really super wine – showing great.
2012 Christian Moreau, Chablis Les Clos (Clos des Hospices dans Les Clos)
Drunk in Au Fils du Zinc in Chablis. The nose and the palate betray a little discreet oak, but this wine offers both aromatic and flavour joy. A certain richness but concentration and an inner dynamism – this is sooooo good!

Over a year ago when I tasted the 2013s chez Dufouleur Frères, it might well have been a root day; the wines really didn’t show very well, but they certainly did show a strong accent of dark oak – François-Xavier (FX) Dufouleur really wasn’t happy with the overall showing that day. When I tasted the 14s in December, no such problem with those wines, and, when it was time to leave, FX thrust into my hand these two 2013 samples as he was interested how I might find them 1 year on:

2013 Dufouleur Frères, Cote de Nuits Villages Vaucrain
Very faintly accented with reduction, less faint an accent of oak spice but delivered in quite a pretty way. Bright, wide and with a super intensity of layered flavour. I also find plenty of oak here and something of a little salinity too. Overall a bright and perky wine of plenty of appeal despite clear barrel references. The last third of the bottle was even better on day two as most of the oak references had disappeared into the background. Very good!
Rebuy – Yes

2013 Dufouleur Frères, Nuits St.Georges
Unlabelled, so not in the pic!
A little darker colour. The nose starts tighter, but with added depth and less reduction and much less oak spice – this soon delivers a really lovely, indeed striking, fruit – yum! Silkier, and with more concentration and intensity too. There’s a small ripple of tannin and a little ridge of oak texture towards the end of the palate, but really nothing to give much of a second thought to. Simply a very tasty wine today that lingers with a little more mineral note. Very good, tasty wine!
Rebuy – Yes

2007 Dublère, Beaune 1er Blanchefleurs
Hmm – now that’s interesting, the nose has quite a strong accent of vanilla today – I’m most of the way through this case, and I’ve never noted it before! In the mouth this is nicely, smoothly textured with the customary, pretty and fresh red fruit notes, but, here again, there’s a creamy, vanilla oak. More than I would like – but I’ve never seen it before. Maybe I should have checked the cork to make sure that it is the same wine 😉
Rebuy – No – not on this showing anyway. Every other bottle has been a pleasure.

This week I re-acquainted myself with a couple of old friends; Bouchard’s Le Corton. Always a very well-priced cuvée but with a great a quality – I know this is young for Corton, but how are these two doing?

2001 Bouchard Père et Fils, Le Corton
Hmm – a lovely nose of seemingly mature fruit, wide and complex – this is very appealing indeed. Actually the nose is the best part of this wine; the palate has a nice width and shows prettily complex flavour – also seemingly showing in a rather mature but very tasty way. Nothing wrong here but I might have expected more impact and intensity – yet it trips over the tongue in a sweet and easy way – I wouldn’t guess Corton, blind. Although I don’t expect it to fade any time soon, this is surprisingly mature and quite tasty already – if you have, take one out for a test-drive.
Rebuy – Yes

2002 Bouchard Père et Fils, Le Corton
The colour is a little more intense and younger. The nose – hmm – beef broth – a sign of brett perhaps and not the nicest – it does fade a lot though. Nose aside, this tastes great! There is more fat, more intensity and sweet flavour dimension and a very nice line. This tastes super and is easy to drink despite showing really much younger than the 2001. After 3 hours no beef aroma, and there never was any on the palate – still, a bit of a question-mark against this particular bottle. Much younger and very tasty wine – still, this is remarkably easy for Corton!
Rebuy – Maybe

Well, it’s so rare that anyone seems to drink anything more than 3 years old, I thought I might as well list them! Fortunately the vintage played right into my preference zone, the 2007s easily the best for me! Nice to see that these were all so fresh too!

2008 Domaine du Chardonnay, Chablis 1er Vaillons
Deep, green-fruited aromas. Bright and fresh in the mouth, indeed nicely mouth-watering, super Chablis, but the green fruit, which is common in 08 is not my favourite as it sometimes tends towards asparagus.
Rebuy – Maybe
2008 Domaine du Colombier, Chablis Bougros
A similar colour nose to the last wine, just a little more airy and fresher. Intense and direct flavours with an extra cushioning, just like a grand cru should have. A super finish!
Rebuy – Maybe
2007 Alain Geoffroy, Chablis 1er Beauroy
Pretty, complex and fresh – indeed lovely. Direct and incisive very lovely flavours edged with a little salinity. Excellent length too – yum!
Rebuy – Yes
2007 Jean-Paul et Benoit Droin, Chablis 1er Mont de Milieu
A little more aromatic roundness and weight. Super-fresh, again incisive and direct but also with lovely complexity. In a word, gorgeous!
Rebuy – Yes
2007 Domaine de la Meulière, Chablis 1er Fourneaux
This nose starts bigger and tighter but slowly opens to show some quince and a lovely, engaging open complexity – it becomes really great. Very nice, complex wine – also gorgeous, but different, and just gets better and better in the glass – Bravo!
Rebuy – Yes
2006 La Chablisienne, Chablis Les Preuses
Ooh – now that’s pretty oaky! Time in the glass lessens it a little but this vanilla impression seems to be stubbornly sticking around – I’d have expected it to be gone by this age. Broad, seemingly modest acidity but lots of tasty flavour dimension.
Rebuy – No

We  weren’t planning on being in Beaune over the new year holiday, rather we had the 31st planned with friends in Bern – but due to problems their end, this was postponed – so why not Beaune(?) Well the obvious answer (having now done it!) is that Beaune is completely dead! Walk around the Boulevard (periphique, if you prefer) at 11pm and you may be passed by half a dozen cars – only! The central streets were silent, just the occasional music from an apartment. We decided to walk to Hotel Le Cep for a little bubbles – and there were more staff than people – actually it was about equal – 4 of each, including us! Still it was a lovely moment when 24h00 passed and the bar-man came around with fresh champagne for everyone – classy!

I’m starting a campaign of about 40 domaines in Chablis today, so these are probably the last bottles until next weekend – anyway, considering the amount of food and drink to have passed through my lips over the last couple of weeks – probably a little discipline won’t go amiss! Given the vintages I wasn’t sure if I’d end up drinking all of these, but as it turned out… 😉

2004 Pascal Lachaux, Clos Saint Denis
Deep colour. I’m looking for a bit of pyrazine but I know from experience (I bought 6!) that this wine has shown it on only the lowest level, and sometimes, depending on my detection equipment, not at all. Today is a not at all day. The nose still lacks for any delicacy though there’s the first interesting showing of a little leafy development. In the mouth it tastes much nicer than it smells. The texture is lovely, silken but with a hint of richness that tells you it’s from a very good vineyard. The flavour is ripe enough, layered and tasty. If you don’t want to sniff this is very fine for the vintage.
Rebuy – No

2011 Nicolas Rossignol, Volnay 1er En Chevret
Here’s a wine that needs air-time as it’s a big, tight bundle of dark aroma – there’s a little reduction here. Air allows it to unwind its limbs and become much more aromatically welcoming. In the mouth this has plenty of power for a 2011, weight but balance – excellent balance. I’m obviously drinking this far too young but there’s more than a suggestion of good things to come…
Rebuy – Yes

Dec 23

Dec 24

The magnums

Dec 25

Dec 26

Dec 23+24

Dec 27

Dec 28

Dec 29

Dec 30

Dec 30

Dec 31

Just a modest selection that’s kept mind and soul together over the last days; but quickly going through (most of) them:

2001 Mugneret-Gibourg, Vosne-Romanée
Really something of a modest disappointment – though consistent with previous bottles; fine bones, sleek, but modest, indeed dilute – not a patch on the flamboyance of its youth – at least at near 15 years old!
2005 Alex Gambal, St.Aubin 1er Murgers du Dents du Chien
Wow – one of the best surprises of Christmas – big, deep, complex, somewhat reductive with a modest struck-match. Just a brilliant, brilliant wine – Bravo!
1998 Pol Roger (Mag)
My last of 6. As good as any – beautiful, sleek, complex, elegant drinking – also the last glass on day 2!
2009 J.Moreau, Chablis Valmur (Mag)
Lovely wine with a certain fat but insinuating sweetness and lovely acidity. An absolute wow with people who just want a nice glass of wine.
2000 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Romanée St.Vivant
My last of three and easily the best. Just wonderful on every level – everyone was complimenting it – so I didn’t tell them what it would cost to buy one today!
2000 Finca Altimera Malbec
Dark, almost black, concentrated – seems like a baby, a very tasty baby. Just a great contrast to the DRC.
2008 Alex Gambal, St.Aubin 1er Murgers du Dents du Chien (Mag)
Lovely with a very faint reduction that starts like toasty oak before vanishing. Nicely layered and with lovely acidity. The second half on day two was even better – just a beautiful wine. Not as good as the 05 this Christmas but damn fine.
2001 Leflaive Bourgogne Blanc
Lovely, lovely wine. Fine, precise, beautiful acidity with a subtly excellent finish. The 2008 Dents du Chien was a little more crowd pleasing, but this was lovely.
2007 Mugneret-Gibourg, Bourgogne
This smelled rather nice and open. In the mouth there was good fruit and just a faint spikiness to the acidity – not the most perfectly balanced wine, but easy to drink.
2010 Jean-Marc Bouley, Volnay
This seemed deep and concentrated, a little impenetrable to start, but give it about 3 hours and there’s complexity and even a little elegance. Very enjoyable now, but only if you carafe!
1998 Bouchard Père, Nuits St.Georges 1er Clos St.Marc
I’d been planning to open this when it was 20, but every time I searched for something in the cellar this seemingly popped up shouting ‘me!’ This day I succumbed. It is indeed still a little young – but grand cru in every dimension – what a brilliant wine – complex, powerful and with great dimension. Red surprise of the Christmas.
2005 Mischief & Mayhem, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Champs Gain
Just a faint whiff of oxidation- but faint enough to add complexity not sadness. Big in the mouth but with a truly super line of minerality in the long finish. Holding on and still a great performance.
2005 Potel-Aviron, Morgon Côte du Py
The 11th of 12 – and all have been frankly super. Dark coloured, complex, not obviously gamay. Just a bottle that was very much enjoyed in the same context as all the other more expensive bottles.
2010 Edmond Monnot, Maranges 1er Clos des Rois
Wide-open, pretty red fruit. A certain complexity and freshness. Engaging, indeed faultless!
2009 David Clark, Bourgogne Au Pelson
Lighter colour than many. Floral and pretty (100% whole cluster). Engaging, complex and lovely drinking already.
2009 Chézeaux/Ponsot, Griotte-Chambertin
Do I not like those ardea closures! Damn near impossible to remove with a waiter’s friend, hard enough with a screw-pull! I almost broke the ‘cork’ it was so hard sealed – others I’ve cracked the glass! Anyway, deep, dark, glossy, ripe. Full in the mouth, full-flavoured too. Very one-dimensional today, though it does come out of its shell a little after a few hours. Hard to tell its from Burgundy before that!
2006 Camille Giroud, Gevrey-Chambertin En Champs
Lighter coloured, less intense but prettier aromas. In the mouth it’s sleeker and less rich, but the mid-palate to finishing flavour is beautifully complex, indeed just beautiful, despite a faint vanilla note. Lovely and much nicer than a freshly opened 09 Griotte!
Billecart-Salmon NV Brut Reserve
Lovely, fresh, almost mandarin notes – easy (and fast!) drinking!
1993 JJ Confuron, Clos de Vougeot
Ouf! What do I have in the glass before me(?)
Medium-plus colour of indeterminate middle-age but no browning.
Deep, herby and spicy aromas, massively scaled, and something of a cool, almost dismissive stance.
Mouth-filling, beautifully textured, indeed a little richness to this texture. Growing intensity and rather massively concentrated.
The flavours are also a little herby but also very complex with quite enough sweetness and seemingly resolved tannin – yet – this wine shouts out that it needs 10 years more in the cellar.
Honestly this is something massive, and I have the impression of much, much oak in its youth, but, I don’t know if I like it or not. It’s far too early to love it. Day 2 this was much more drinkable – I think I caught myself enjoying it 😉 The 1993 Jadot Clos de Vougeot is as good a wine as I’ve had in the whole year (behind an incredible 1971 Chambertin) but this Clos de Vougeot is far too young to make such pronouncements!

Wines with friends on Saturday – that I mainly managed to finish on the Sunday! Just a few reminisces…

The bubbles came from Perrier-Jouet, just the normal (gold label) NV, but this particular bottle was laid-up in the cellar for at least the last 6-7 years – the nose was okay but not the best, yet it was a bit of a stunner in the mouth! Next was one of my few remaining St.Aubin Dents du Chiens from Gilles Bouton, a 2010 and it was on great form. I think I bought about 4 mixed cases of St.Aubin 1er 10s from Gilles as my ‘daily drivers’ and just one more bottle lies in the cellar – I’ve had only one sub-standard bottle, and that was the very first!

Two Malconsorts followed; the 2002 from Potel is rather evolved now, classically wild Malconsorts though. That said, I think (my bottles) were a little nicer when younger. Still this showed well. The last was the 2003 Malconsorts from Clos Frantin, and this showed brilliantly. The fruit is broader and, of-course, riper but the overall impression, blind, would have been of a jump to a grand cru wine after the Potel, as opposed to simply a hot vintage. Fresh, complex, still quite young – top stuff!

Actually, even with help, I didn’t finish these, so I think the Engel and Esmonin will live on – for tonight at least 😉

2008 Paul Pillot, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Clos St.Jean
Medium lemon yellow colour. A toasty reduction lasts about 5 minutes to be replaced by a fresh, bright yellow, slightly padded citrus fruit. Wide with a lovely freshness and a bead of mineral acidity that runs through the core. Despite that forward mineral/acid blend there is width, balance and very pretty fruit. A beauty – it sings across the palate – really lovely wine!
Rebuy – Yes

1995 René Engel, Vosne-Romanée 1er Les Brûlées
Medium-plus colour and certainly with some browning of the colour. Comforting, stewing plums, spiced plums – slowly it adds both depth and a slightly floral top-line too. a wide flavour panorama, very good acidity and the tannin resembles a ‘3 day beard’ it’s there, and almost looks like it should be there! A long, spiced, faintly sweet finish that gives a more mineral than fruit impression. Tasty wine indeed, but really not a special wine to search for…
Rebuy – Yes

1993 Frederic Esmonin, Ruchottes-Chambertin
A little deeper colour than the Engel – looks just a little younger too. Ooh! Wide, complex and with beautiful depth – also a little plum aroma here but much fresher-shaded versus the Engel – becomes more floral too – lovely, lovely! Direct, but then widens with much more intensity and concentration of sweet, energetic fruit borne on beautiful acidity. Fresh finishing with the merest suggestion of tannin. If anything this is still a young wine, but one that is singing today. Simply, deliciously super!
Rebuy – Yes