Dinner at Tonny's

Vosne / Gevrey night, with a 3kg line-caught parrot fish courtesy of PH.

• 2017 Domaine Fourrier Gevrey-Chambertin Vieille Vigne 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin

  So very enjoyable - this was a brilliant village. This had a pretty nose of lifted blueberry aromas laced with a bit of spice, bramble and mineral. A bit of sweet, preserved luo han fruit and a kiss of florals in there as well. Just lovely. The palate was clearly youthful, but so delicious, with a more open, red fruited expression - red cherries and berries I thought, and a little touch of mineral, this wrapped in a robe of silken tannins and juicy acidity. So drinkable and delicious even now, with a solid, almost 1er Cru intensity wed to a beautiful purity that just rang all the way into a long spicy finish, with just a twist of green herb in there. Bravo. So delicious now. Not sure how long this will age, but I would just whack these by the bottle at the moment - this was such a joy; one of the best young Burgundy village wines I have had in awhile.

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• 2012 Domaine Robert Arnoux / Arnoux-Lachaux Vosne-Romanée Les Hautes-Maizières 91 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée

  This was another very nice village - better than the last bottle I had, probably because it was opened and air some 4 hours before serving. The nose was rather thicker and more obvious than the beautiful 2017 Fourrier Gevrey that we had alongside, with notes of meat and earth, dark berries, and then a nice layer of spice and mineral. The palate had a similar sense of thickness and extract to it for a village, with rich blueberry and black cherry fruit seasoned with more spice, earth and just a touch of violet florals. Quite delicious, if not quite as silkily elegant as the Fourrier. Still though, this was nicely shaped, with velvet tannins and fresh acidity giving it a fine sense of structure. The finish just had a touch of bittersweet bramble that threw me off slightly, but otherwise this was nice. Will continue to age well too.

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• 2004 Domaine Fourrier Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Combe aux Moines Vieille Vigne 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru

  10 years down the road, this was really nice but not perfect - it was just a touch short and skinny on the finish. The nose was absolutely brilliant though a wow. It tumbled out of the glass with layers of red cherries and sweet raspberries, earth and spice and pretty floral perfume. Lovely. Not a hint of green anywhere. This was a haunting nose. The palate was perhaps a half-step behind, but not far. The tannins were beautifully soft and silky, and the acidity beautifully judged and integrated, all this framing a delicious mouthful of darker cherries and red berries infused with a blush of warm, pepper spice and a bit of bittersweet mineral that trailed into a long, lingering finish. Absolutely delicious, and with that lovely purity that I always like about Fourrier, but this did feel just a bit light and short towards the finish.

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• 2009 Domaine Fourrier Gevrey-Chambertin Vieille Vigne 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin

  Lovely again, this was such a nice Gevrey village. The nose had a 2009 ripeness in its exuberant aromas of cherries and red berries laced with spice, earth and a bit of meatiness, this wreathed in a lovely floral perfume. Really nice. The palate was at a beautiful place now. Rich and ripe, with lovely layers of cherries, berries and a little bit of earth and spice, but also beautifully pure, transparent and impeccably balanced, with fresh acidity and wonderfully shaped tannins, all this leading into a lipsmacking finish of sake cherries infused with a bit of warm spice. Chewy, pure and delicious, this was a wonderful village. I thought it was a 1er Cru blind. Even better than the last bottle I had a couple of years back - really hitting its stride now.

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• 2005 Domaine Armand Rousseau Père et Fils Gevrey-Chambertin 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin

  Way better than it was 5 years back - this is starting to show very nicely, but it still needs time. A testament to the strength of the 2005 vintage. The nose was still a little tight, with a little layer of earth and mineral, maybe a hint of meat, than a lovely lift of red cherries and berries and a lilt of flowery perfume. Very nice. The palate was showing very strongly - fine velvet tannins and firm acidity framed a lovely mouthful of dark cherries and red berries sprinkled with dried rose petals, and then a nice touch of earth and a bit of spice leading into a full, chewy finish. Lots of power and depth here - this drank more like a 1er Cru than a village, but needs quite a bit more time before it reaches anywhere near peak. Solid.

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• 2007 Sylvie Esmonin (Michel et Fille) Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos St. Jacques 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru

  Pretty nice, if just lacking some of the purity and elegance of the superb 2002 Jadot CSJ that we had alongside. I loved the nose on this - with its deep draws of dark cherries laced with earth, meat and a rather pronounced toastiness. This somehow added to, rather than distracted from the attractiveness of the nose though. The palate had a lovely richness to it for a 2007, obviously extracted, but not too overwhelmingly so, with rich flavours of red cherries and darker berries seasoned with a good bit of spice, earth and mineral, this trailing into a toasty, meaty finish. It lacked a bit of authority on the backpalate, going off in a rather watery end. Otherwise, quite a delicious wine, if not quite built in a style that I like. This was starting to drink nicely too.

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• 2002 Louis Jadot Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos St. Jacques Domaine Louis Jadot 95 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru

  Superb again - this was Burgundy as I love it. Pure, elegant, transparent, and absolutely delicious. Pure magic. The nose was quietly beautiful, with gentle but insistent drifts of dark cherries and red berries rising on a lovely depth of earth, spice and wet-stony mineral. An archetypal Clos St Jacques nose to my mind, and how lovely. The palate was as beautiful as the last bottle I had. What really stood out as with the last time was the pitch perfect balance on the wine, with its meltingly juicy acids and soft, silky tannins rustling around a pure, transparent core of dark cherries and red berries, again on a lovely savoury bed or earth and meat, and then a long gentle finish with gentle notes of stony mineral and warm spice, this lingering beautifully on the back palate. Absolutely superb and drinking absolutely on point. Burgundy magic.

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• 2015 Maison Leroy Bourgogne 88 Points

  France, Burgundy, Bourgogne

  As alway, a really solid Bourgogne, but tasting more of Leroy than Burgundy, or even Pinot - a particularly tight Leroy at that. The nose showed deep draws of dark fruit, earth and a touch of mineral and some spice, all layered together with a bit of Burg funk. Not all that alluring at the moment truth to be told. The palate was really tight too, a touch to ginkgo nuts, some oak, with a good depth of blackberries and dark plums. Really monolithic and unyielding - huge of a Bourgogne, but really not giving much now. Firm tannins and soft acidity completed the picture. This will be good in time, but it needs many years yet.

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