Popped and poured. Still a relatively deep, purple-highlighted colour. The very faint background reduction mixes with a little oak and higher-toned alcoholic notes – that could be a little CO2 – let’s see. Slowly that slightly volatile element calms with, first, high-toned redcurrant then raspberry as the aromatic profile becomes more settled. Fine, soft tannin, slightly plush with a very silky texture. Really good pinot flavour and again an oaky impression plus a little creamy depth in the mid-palate. Really fills the mouth but with dimension rather and acid-driven expansion. Super. Wait a couple of hours and the oak/reduction is on a lower level and the nose is both deeper and darker. And the flavour, well it rather recedes – it’s still there and still interesting but you have to chew harder on the tannin to find it – still without the dimension of its early phase. Just very good young wine with a quality level bearing no resemblance to its label. Day 2?: The nose is now about blackberry/blackcurrant. The palate is a little unusual as it starts wide but narrows very quickly – the cream undertow is back and the fruit is darker than the first day, but it is almost cordial-like – far too easy to drink!
2005
2005 Bize Simon Savigny-lès-Beaune Les Bourgeots
2005 Bize Simon Savigny-lès-Beaune Les Fourneaux
2005 Bize Simon Corton-Charlemagne
Deep, dense aromas – lack a big bag of children’s sweets. Full, round, very silky. A lovely mid-palate ‘growth’ of flavour. Just at the moment I’d look for the impression of a bit more freshness (I’m the same with most 05s), but maybe that will come as the density delineates. Clearly a wine to wait for.
2005 Fichet Jean-Philippe Meursault
2005 Liger-Belair Thibault Chambolle-Musigny Les Fuées
Medium-plus colour. Deep, rich, dark red fruit aromas – almost cordial. Intense, quite some blocky extract. There’s a linear intensity through the centre of this wine – it doesn’t narrow or widen, it goes like a train. The flavour has some of the dark mineral flavour of the Jadots, it’s also very long. Today this is a little tight, austere and far from seamless but it is far from lacking material. Return in 10 years.