Coravin fun - Burgundy & Bordeaux

KC joined me to try the recent NZ purchases - a triumvirate of Dom de Bellene 1er Cru's - and I reciprocated by offering three brackets of 'getting there' Bordeaux for education purposes (yeah, okay, and for my own enjoyment)

I approached with moderate trepidation as I've never really got to grips with Nicolas Potel's new venture.

• 2009 Domaine de Bellene Beaune 1er Cru Pertuisots

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Beaune 1er Cru

  From Coravin Ripe berries and spice, cedar, a little rusticity here as well. And it lacks polish on the palate - again a little rustic but also a bit disjoined and finishes slightly bitter. Hmm. Where to from here?

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• 2010 Domaine de Bellene Beaune 1er Cru Pertuisots

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Beaune 1er Cru

  From Coravin Cream, soft red fruits slightly spice, richer than the 09. Juicy acidity but the fruit is more to the fore, though it does have that rusticity. Hmm again.

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• 2010 Domaine de Bellene Beaune 1er Cru La Montée Rouge

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Beaune 1er Cru

  From Coravin Ripe cherry and berry, quite fresh and welcoming though there is a slight herbaceous element' quite rip. This is more fruit forward and supported with a little more spice. Pretty nice and in a prettier place thatn the Pertuisots

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ahh, my old favourite…impressive longevity married to a certain homely rusticity…And from three exceptional vintages...happiness

• 2000 Château Belgrave

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc

  From Coravin. Bramble, forest floor, blackcurrant, slight menthol and general Autumnal loveliness. Juicy, fleshy, generous with similar flavours on the palate. Tannins are still present. This bottle has more to give - pity it's the last one.

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• 2005 Château Belgrave

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc

  From Coravin Slightly austere blackcurrant and liquorice, brambles and freshly tilled earth. Quite dense on the palate, again blackcurrant and liquorice, it's broad on the mid palate and has dense though not drying, tannins. Bit but balanced. Years to go.

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• 2010 Château Belgrave

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Haut-Médoc

  From Coravin ripe blackcurrant; not concentrated or jammy though, baked by spice. Still very primary and slightly jubey black fruits Smooth and plentiful tannins. Long. Lovely but time for me.

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A little parallel of these lovely Pauillacs. When I try these I'm put in mind of Senejac and Lynch Bages…not sure why. I will try and do a tasting with all three matched to the same vintage…another excuse to buy more wine

• 2009 Château Batailley

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  From Coravin Ripe blackcurrant, slight black cherry, spice, cream, vanilla and slight cassis. Still too young but so much more approachable than the 2010, carries exceedingly long. Drink and regret with a 2-3 hour decant. Yum

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• 2010 Château Batailley

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  From Coravin Blackcurrant, menthol, black cherry, spice, cassis, cedar. On the palate it's a bit too young, very primary fruit, with disjointed tannins and it's a little angular. Time required.

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• 2011 Château Batailley

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  From Coravin Brambles, blackcurrant, cream and vanilla. Tends to Cassis with time. Juicy, spicy, silky but drying tannins, blackcurrant tends to brambly fruit, cedar. Nice for the vintage

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Just a random selection of wines that I was interested in trying to see their current state of play.

• 2008 Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Pauillac

  From Coravin. Ahh, smells like a good quality, moderately posh, Bordeaux Cream vanilla, polished fruit and oak over wet hay, tobacco, leather and cedar. Juicy, fleshy and generous on the palate with similar flavours sliding in and out of focus on the long finish. Eminently quaffable.

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• 2009 Château Le Crock

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, St. Estèphe

  From Coravin. Crushed rocks, ripe blackcurrant and plums over cedary spice, cream vanilla…this is, actually, quite fruit cake. Pretty much the same on the palate with a menthol note, talc textured tannins and a bit of alcohol warmth on the finish. Yum.

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• 2009 Château La Tour de Mons

  France, Bordeaux, Médoc, Margaux

  From Coravin. .Slightly overripe black currant, spice and plums. Slight raisined fruit perhaps. Less over ripe on the palate with chalky tannins but it's all a bit meh for me.

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Of the Bellenes only the Montee Rouge really shone for me on this showing. The Belgraves are all lovely but I'm going to postpone tucking into that 2000 for a few more years I think. The Batailley, as usual, asked me the question "why don't you have more of me in your cellar" and of the randoms the Grand Puy Lacoste showed it's class and the Le Crock was just splendid in a quite new world way...