France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Saint-Aubin 1er Cru
Definitely not what I expected from a 2016. This is inordinately high acidity, with an almost green streak running through it. Perhaps this didn't even finish malo? Served blind, I would never have guessed this vintage; perhaps 2011? A very strange edition of this wine, and one that I'm not enthused about.
"I like this unironically." Some detected volatility on the nose here, but I can't say I did (I had a mild cold/cough thing, so that may well have been missed). I did pick up a fair amount of bread and yeastiness, both on the nose and palate. There's a bit of a carbohydrate sweetness, and then a hint of chalkiness on the finish.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chorey-les-Beaune
Hanging on, but not my cup of tea. The nose is a bit too dirty and funky, and while you get the sense there was once a lot of fat fruit on the palate, age has thinned it out. On its last legs.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Cru
I really like how this has resolved. There's a very nice brown spice component on the nose, as well as hints of light red fruit, though the fruit is definitely drying out at this point. The acidity of 2001 looms over this wine, but it manages to stay fairly balanced. The slightly more rustic terroir shows here as well, as this is a little more coarse than the other Burgundies tonight, but it is absolutely lovely for what it is.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru
Very true to the terroir. The nose shows a slightly rustic earthiness, and with some more air, a slight hint of brett developed. The silky texture on the palate can't quite hide the less refined beast underneath. The scale and breadth of this wine is massive, but I think age has tamed a lot of the more unrestrained components. (I've really loved how 2009 red Burgundy has evolved, and I think it was a mistake to pass on so many of them when they were released.) Lots of potential but already quite delicious.
Wow. This is an awesome bottle of Volnay, with some slightly modern (not oaky modernist) trim in the way the fruit is so ripe and expressive. A beautiful spicy perfume here with a mix of sweet red and black fruit. The palate is full-scaled but balanced by the acidity. At no point does any oak poke out here. This is very clean and finishes quite crisply. My wine of the night.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru
Despite the need for Bize wines to get some age, this bottle was pretty much open for business. The classic 2010 red fruit is here on both the nose and the palate. There's a bit of dustiness and backwards tannin on the palate but the attack here is a heap of that delicious red fruit.
I haven't much experience with the Moreau reds, but with this bottle, I'll probably have to change that. This is in a very good spot already, with the primary fruit still quite accessible, and a slight earthy tone just starting to emerge. This shows more of that much-mentioned Volnay perfume, and a really lovely balance with ample acidity. Like the 2009 Leroux tonight, there's a crisp mineral finish here that I love.
The least Volnay-like of the Volnays tonight, this shows a little more oak spice than Volnay spice on the nose. There's very nice red fruit on the nose as you'd expect from the vintage, but the palate feels a little clunky and blocky. It's not a particularly elegant example, and I get the sense that this is a slightly blockier wine that you're supposed to age for a while.
I think this is a little too young to show all the complexity that this wine has. It's mostly a juicy and delicious wine that's enjoyable for the exuberance of the fruit. I love the interplay of the red fruit and acidity here, kind of like the red Burgundy style en vogue these days, but there is far more gravitas on the palate. Easy to drink right now, but clearly this has the stuffing to age, and I think it will age very, very nicely.
2016 Hubert Lamy Saint-Aubin 1er Cru Les Frionnes Blanc 88 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Saint-Aubin 1er Cru
Definitely not what I expected from a 2016. This is inordinately high acidity, with an almost green streak running through it. Perhaps this didn't even finish malo? Served blind, I would never have guessed this vintage; perhaps 2011? A very strange edition of this wine, and one that I'm not enthused about.
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2010 Mestres Cava Visol Brut Nature Gran Reserva 88 Points
Spain, Cava
"I like this unironically." Some detected volatility on the nose here, but I can't say I did (I had a mild cold/cough thing, so that may well have been missed). I did pick up a fair amount of bread and yeastiness, both on the nose and palate. There's a bit of a carbohydrate sweetness, and then a hint of chalkiness on the finish.
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1997 Jean-Pierre Guyon Chorey-les-Beaune Les Bons Ores 85 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chorey-les-Beaune
Hanging on, but not my cup of tea. The nose is a bit too dirty and funky, and while you get the sense there was once a lot of fat fruit on the palate, age has thinned it out. On its last legs.
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2001 Domaine Chandon de Briailles Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Cru Ile des Vergelesses 90 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Cru
I really like how this has resolved. There's a very nice brown spice component on the nose, as well as hints of light red fruit, though the fruit is definitely drying out at this point. The acidity of 2001 looms over this wine, but it manages to stay fairly balanced. The slightly more rustic terroir shows here as well, as this is a little more coarse than the other Burgundies tonight, but it is absolutely lovely for what it is.
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2009 Thibault Liger-Belair Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Saint Georges 93 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru
Very true to the terroir. The nose shows a slightly rustic earthiness, and with some more air, a slight hint of brett developed. The silky texture on the palate can't quite hide the less refined beast underneath. The scale and breadth of this wine is massive, but I think age has tamed a lot of the more unrestrained components. (I've really loved how 2009 red Burgundy has evolved, and I think it was a mistake to pass on so many of them when they were released.) Lots of potential but already quite delicious.
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2009 Benjamin Leroux Volnay 1er Cru Clos de la Cave des Ducs 93 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru
Wow. This is an awesome bottle of Volnay, with some slightly modern (not oaky modernist) trim in the way the fruit is so ripe and expressive. A beautiful spicy perfume here with a mix of sweet red and black fruit. The palate is full-scaled but balanced by the acidity. At no point does any oak poke out here. This is very clean and finishes quite crisply. My wine of the night.
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2010 Simon Bize Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Aux Vergelesses 93 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru
Despite the need for Bize wines to get some age, this bottle was pretty much open for business. The classic 2010 red fruit is here on both the nose and the palate. There's a bit of dustiness and backwards tannin on the palate but the attack here is a heap of that delicious red fruit.
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2012 Domaine Bernard Moreau et Fils Volnay 1er Cru Santenots 93 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru
I haven't much experience with the Moreau reds, but with this bottle, I'll probably have to change that. This is in a very good spot already, with the primary fruit still quite accessible, and a slight earthy tone just starting to emerge. This shows more of that much-mentioned Volnay perfume, and a really lovely balance with ample acidity. Like the 2009 Leroux tonight, there's a crisp mineral finish here that I love.
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2016 Bouchard Père et Fils Volnay 1er Cru Caillerets Ancienne Cuvée Carnot 90 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru
The least Volnay-like of the Volnays tonight, this shows a little more oak spice than Volnay spice on the nose. There's very nice red fruit on the nose as you'd expect from the vintage, but the palate feels a little clunky and blocky. It's not a particularly elegant example, and I get the sense that this is a slightly blockier wine that you're supposed to age for a while.
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2016 Domaine Y. Clerget Volnay 1er Cru Santenots 93 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru
I think this is a little too young to show all the complexity that this wine has. It's mostly a juicy and delicious wine that's enjoyable for the exuberance of the fruit. I love the interplay of the red fruit and acidity here, kind of like the red Burgundy style en vogue these days, but there is far more gravitas on the palate. Easy to drink right now, but clearly this has the stuffing to age, and I think it will age very, very nicely.
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