Paul D's Chandon de Briailles @ 28-50

• 1998 Nyetimber Classic Cuvée 91 Points

  United Kingdom, England, Sussex, West Sussex

  Blind. Nicely rich on the nose. Honeyed and mellow. Rich, rounded with a nice spice towards the finish. Just enough acidity too. A mini Bollinger in style. Wow, best English fizz I've had - really didn't stand out as non-champagne. ****

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• 2009 Domaine Chandon de Briailles Corton-Charlemagne 86 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru

  Very tight on the nose. Wet stone, tightly floral, a sense of oak in the background, but a bit pulled in on the nose. Something tropical coming through too. Densely textured. Quite oaky rich. A faint chalkiness. Lots of heft up front, a little raw and skinny through the back end. Herbal and fore square. A cart horse rather than a thoroughbread. Bare ***

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• 2007 Domaine Chandon de Briailles Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Cru Ile des Vergelesses 90 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Cru

  More strawberry on the nose, a little lighter and purer whilst retaining a slight dustiness. Round, strawberry led fruit. A touch of relatively fine grained tannin and some good acidity on the finish. Promising. ***1/2

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• 2001 Domaine Chandon de Briailles Savigny-lès-Beaune 88 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Savigny-lès-Beaune

  Starting to open up and show some meaty character. Nicely cooly red fruited, relatively lean, a long distance runner rather than a sprinter. A dusty red-fruitedness. Maturity brings a little more savouriness. ***

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• 1959 Domaine Chandon de Briailles Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Cru Ile des Vergelesses 94 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Cru

  Pale garnet. A nicely meaty, fragrant, still slightly fruity nose with some caramel. Lovely. Beautifully sweet, rounded fruit with impressive body (without being overdone). Sweet and lovely. ****1/2

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• 2002 Domaine Chandon de Briailles Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Cru Ile des Vergelesses 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Cru

  Lovely bright strawberry fruit.round and harmonious and a decent finish. A slightly riper and more mature version of the 07. A bit more oomph too. Given a few decades one might see the 59 here. ****

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• 1996 Domaine Chandon de Briailles Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Cru Ile des Vergelesses 91 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Cru

  A little leaner, brighter, more focused, just the right side of shrill. Cuts through the duck beautifully. Shows the structure of the vineyard without some of the gloss of prettier vintages, but it works well. Bare ****

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• 1993 Domaine Chandon de Briailles Corton-Clos du Roi 89 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton Grand Cru

  A little more ready, but still quite surly. Hard work without much reward. A touch lactic and muddy. Lacks brightness and purity. Maybe with time, but... **(*)

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• 1999 Domaine Chandon de Briailles Corton-Bressandes 90 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton Grand Cru

  Dense. Dark-fruited. Muscular. Impressive from a distance. Do not disturb. A slightly worrying muddies and lack of definition/purity to the fruit. As with the 93 Roi, this fits in to the "life's too short" category. For the (current) money I'd rather pay a little more and get some genuine excitement and class. Or pay less and get the structure with joyous fruit of the Ile de V. **(*1/2)?

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Lovely 1er Cru wines, real class (and longevity) with the Ile de V. The 59 simply stunning for what it is. The Cortons, for me, we're hard work with little return. Muscular, surly and lacking Grand Cru density, class and excitement - happy to pass. The best English fizz I've tasted too - proper champagne style and quality. Thanks too all, as usual.