The Nuits-Saint-Georges 2011 is a lovely combination of Pacalets organic style and the robust Nuits-Saint-Georges terroir. In the bouquet redberry fruit – rapsberries, blueberries – with a slight hint of liquorice. The palate is blessed with a rich red berry fruit – layers of strawberries, raspberries and pomegranate. The fruit is expressive and well balanced by the quite fresh acidity – nice hint of grape citrus and elderberries/elderflowers in the finish. It’s well structured by the quite powerful tannins – and I love the transparancy and the nice display of the underlying minerality.… Read the full article →
Very Good (88 – 90)
It seems like I have underestimated the Gevrey Chambertin VV from Dupont-Tisserandot when I tasted it from cask back in October 2012. This is a gorgeous village – the bouquet is crammed with cool red fruit – cherries, pomegranate with hints of ruhbarb and gooseberries – and a lovely earthy minerality. On the palate beautiful rich and quite intense fruit – 50+ year old vines – a lovely backbone of acidity and ripe tannins. It’s long and quite complex for this level – a classic Gevrey in the best sense of the word – very harmonious and balanced.… Read the full article →
The Colombiere 2011 is showing well from bottle. The nose is offering pure red berry fruit with a lovely Vosne spicyness – notes of violets and peony rose. On the palate lovely quite silky and very harmonious fruit – with a nice tension from the underlying minerality. It’s very focused for a village wine, with a well defined terroir expression. Love the balance and the drinkability of this wine – what can I say? – Cheers!
(Drink from 2019) – Very Good 89p – Tasted 18/03/2013.… Read the full article →
The Volnay Taillepieds 2009 from Dublere is a very good but still quite typical 09. The bouquet is currently slightly stemmy and floral – 50% whole clusters were used – and showing quite dark fruit for a Dublere wine. On the palate rich and quite dense fruit .. very well structured by the impressive minerality of the Taillepeids terroir. The finish is long and powerful … with a fine acidity for the vintage. A very good effort … but I prefer the lighter more transparent 2008 and the magnificent 2010.… Read the full article →
The Chassagne Montrachet Les Chaumees 2009 is a lovely wine in it’s own right, but not comparing well with the 2008 and the 2010 editions of this wine. The bouquet offer rich yellow fruit with notes of pear, acacia and pineapple – hints of stony minerality and citrus. On the palate beautiful rich and slightly opulent fruit, focused by a lovely acidity for the vintage. The minerality is adding a vibrant dimansion to this wine, but it’s not quite in the same league as the 2008 or the 2010.… Read the full article →
The Vosne Romanee Village 2011 from Cathiard is a charming effort. The nose is showing lovely pure red and dark berry fruit, discrete oak and a lovely Vosne spicyness with violets and a hint of liqourice. The palate is offering fine charming and pure pinot fruit with a good expression of Vosne terroir. It’s very harmonious with good weight and length. A lovely effort … but lacking a bit of focus in the terroir expression to match the best lieu-dit village wines from Vosne.… Read the full article →
The 2004 Pacalet Chambolle 1er cru is fully mature and ready to rock. In the bouquet expressive and expansive organic red fruit – notes of forest strawberries and sous-bois – spiced with cinnamon and allspice. On the palate juicy red fruit – organic style – with a lovely balance and focus from the fine acidity. The 2004s from Pacalet are impressive for the vintage – and in my view at their peak now – so enjoy!
(Drink Now) – Very Good 89p – Tasted 03/03/2013
The 2005 Philippe Pacalet Chambolle Musigny is not quite like other Pacalet village wines. On the the palate red and darker fruits – notes of blueberries, tar, gooseberries, strawberries with a slight hint of prunes and cinnamon. On the palate rich, dense and powerful with abundant tannins for a Pacalet wine at this level – thus also darker and more muscular than other vintages of this wine. So it’s a different but lovely Pacalet wine – after some time in the glass it’s drinking beautifully.… Read the full article →
The Dujac Gevrey Combottes 2006 is still quite dark and backward. The nose is offering dark ripe fruit, red and blue berries with some quite dense and sweet notes spiced by liquorice. On the palate dense red fruit with a good tannic balance. Quite undeveloped for a 06 – with the palate still showing hints of oak, and the fruit seems slightly extracted and dark currently. A very good effort, but surprisingly muscular and dense for the vintage.
(Drink from 2018) – Very Good 89p – Tasted 27/02/2013
The 2004 Vosne-Romanee La Colombiere from Liger-Belair is showing matured notes. The bouquet is open and charming with quite intense red fruit aromas – red and dark cherries, a hint of strawberries and raspberries – and a beautiful whiff of rose petals and Vosne spices. After some air the fruit on the palate is forward and quite silky with charming notes of sweet red berry coulis. The fruit is juicy and quite intense with quite some tannins and acidity in the fresh finish.… Read the full article →
The Beaune Les Blanches Fleurs 2007 from Domaine Dublere is just starting to get the first matured notes. This 1er cru terroir is a quite rare bird coming from a relatively unknown terroir neighbouring Beaune Clos du Roi. Blair is making this wine from the upper and sandy part of this triangular vineyard. The bouquet is open and expressive, with quite complex red fruit notes – cherries, sous bois and a slightly earthy minerality. On the palate good body and weight for the vintage, with a surprisingly fresh and crisp acidity.… Read the full article →
The Chambolle Le Fuees from Hervé Sigaut is drinking very well – but still not fully matured. Starting out with a very expressive nose of red 02 fruit, orange and sous bois with hints of gooseberries and tar. After some time in the glass the Chambolle minerality finds it’s way to the bouquet … need a bit time to settle. On the palate quite rich and dense fruit for the vintage and the terroir – very good midpalate concentration held together by a quite powerful tannin structure.… Read the full article →
The Puligny Montrachet village 2010 from Frederic Cossard is a very good wine and is now starting to settle down. In the nose white and yellow orchard fruits with a hint of citrus and acacia. On the palate a quite rich aromatic profile with rather dense fruit – balanced by a quite powerful acidity and a good but not impressive minerality. A quite lovely and drinkable white Burgundy – would however prefer a little less Cossard and a bit more Puligny terroir in the expression – nevertheless – a very good effort.… Read the full article →
The Chambolle 1er cru 2006 from Philippe Pacalet is open and ready to rock. In the bouquet sous bois, strawberries, gooseberries with a hint of tar. On the palate rich and quite loosely knit fruit – good body and length. It’s very organic and expressive and typical for the vintage i.e. lacking bit of focus in the fruit. Bottom line – quite lovely now – but not very focused and a bit mellow in the fruit like many reds from 06.… Read the full article →
The Chambolle Musigny 2008 village from Philippe Pacalet is a crisp and zappy wine. In the nose cherries, raspberries, sous bois and a hint of gooseberries. On the palate cool and energetic red fruit, good concentration and length. It’s very balanced with a quite long and intense finish focused by the powerful and zappy 2008 acidity. Typical for the vintage and with a lovely presentation of the Chambolle terroir. A nice airy feel and a vibrant energy … not a wine for lovers of coca-cola pinot!… Read the full article →
The Meursault En la Barre 2010 from Antoine Jobard is a lovely village wine. In the bouquet good complexity – notes of apple, pear, hazelnuts with discrete hints of exotic orchard fruits and a nice focusing minerality. On the palate very good midpalet intensity and concentration for this level. The fruit is pure and fresh with a lovely balance and harmony. A very good and rich village Meursault. I do however prefer some of the lighter and more mineralic terroirs in Antoine Jobards very impressive lineup … if you feel likewise try the Meursault Tillets.… Read the full article →
The Nuits-Saint-Georges Perrieres is showing well. Made from vines planted between 1937 and 1942. In the bouquet dark deep fruit with red and dark cherries. On the palate good body and length …lovely and pure pinot fruit. Perhaps not offering the same spicy complexity as the Vosne village … but a lovely balanced and very drinkable wine.
(Drink from 2020) – Very Good (88 – 89p) – Tasted 26/10/2012 from Cask
The Puligny Montrchet village 2011 is fulfilling the promise it showed from cask. In the nose white orchard fruits with a stony puligny minerality and a citrus twist. On the palate rich and quite luch yellow fruit with a good transparancy and a fine mineralic backbone. A lovely inner balance – a fresh and quite crisp acidity – but I’m a bit surpriced by the richness of the fruit. The fruit an the acidity is however in perfect balance – making it very approachable.… Read the full article →
The Morey-Saint-Denis 2010 Domaine Dujac is a quite beautiful village wine – really like the Dujac 2010s. In the bouquet dark red berries with notes of cherries, raspberies and cassis. On the palate lovely airy and cool fruit with a very fine transparancy and balance for this level. It’s typical for the terroir, and quite a lot darker than the Chambolle village – perhaps slightly monolitic compared to the Chambolle. A very good village … what a delightful wine!
(Drink from 2021) – Very Good 89p – Tasted 09/01/2013
The 2001 Meursault Clos de la Barre is really showing well. In the bouquet matured notes – almonds, acacia, hazelnuts and citrus. On the palate quite rich and fat with buttery chardonney aromas – spiced by a citrus mineral twist in the finish. It’s in my view fully mature, and given the premox problem with Lafon whites in these vintages I opt for drink now. Bottom line – a lovely mature Meursault … somewhat rustic like many 2001s … but still very enjoyable.… Read the full article →