Creamy and a slight bit autolytic. To be honest, I've not been a huge fan of that whole movement at Bollinger to go all natty, and this comes off a little older than I would expect for a current release Champagne. Plenty tasty now, but not convinced of the overall longevity.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru
Served double blind. Clearly white Burgundy, with a modest bit of reduction and a touch of oak. I was thinking along the lines of Lamy, but it felt like this was more in line with the style of early 2010s Lamy than the current ones, and yet this was clearly around 5 years old. Just a small hint of reduction here -- it's not a reduction-focussed producer. Lighter and with less depth and weight than I would have expected given the label -- I was thinking this was some sort of St. Aubin. This did fill out with more air, towards the end of the dinner.
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola - Amity Hills
Served double blind. Clearly riper and richer than the other two chardonnays, but without the ripe fruit of a Californian one, so it wasn't a big leap to get to Oregon. It's clearly fatter and riper and more heavyset, and missing some of the lift that the acids from Burgundy can provide. Plenty of yellow fruit on the nose and palate, but missing the minerality and cut of chardonnays I like.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
Served double blind. Clearly back to French chardonnay here. No overt reduction or oak, but with a fairly fat and rich palate that I liked quite a bit. However, this didn't have quite the expected amount of complexity, especially for the vineyard (in hindsight of course). I didn't come close to thinking this was a Perrières -- something a little more modest, just because of that missing weight and depth. Ticks the boxes, but unfortunately not much else tonight.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru
Very pleasant red fruit here. It's much more elegant than the somewhat burly and stewy 2009, but on the whole, this feels a lot lighter than a grand cru ought to be. It's pleasant and approachable, and while very much enjoyable, I admit I expected a fair bit more from this bottle.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru
A bit step down from the 2010, which was red-fruited and elegant. This was more brooding and showed more of a stewy quality that I didn't really like. Plenty of fruit, but it feels more than a little bit over the top, and this doesn't have quite the same elegance of the 2010 alongside. I think this is an exemplar of some of the fears of the 2009 vintage being overripe becoming reality.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru
I've not had particularly compelling experiences with Giroud, but I liked this bottle, especially with the somewhat overdone Château de la Tour alongside. This has a coolness to it, with a red-fruited acidic cut that seems more 2008 than 2009. Clean and bright, but lacking the weight I want in a grand cru.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru
This needs more time. It is not showing the spice I expect from Vosne, though it is quintessential Berthaut with its post-modern, crisp red fruit. More house style than site here, but I would hope with more time that this fleshes out and shows more than the house style. That said, the house style is pretty damn delicious...
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Bonnes Mares Grand Cru
Almost funny how approachable this is right now, with its bright 2016 red fruit. The structure is definitely there underneath everything, but it's the sheer deliciousness of the fruit right now that really makes this so impressive. The grainy tannins at the end hint at all the structure buried underneath that fruit; this is no doubt a wine that has a very long life ahead of it.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Bonnes Mares Grand Cru
Approachable now despite the reputation of Vogüé; certainly in no rush though. The brilliant red fruit of the vintage is on display here, and while there's of course the archetypal burliness, I do really enjoy the intensity and power of this wine. Quite prominent tannins, that will likely outlive the fruit, but all-round impressive weight and complexity. Feels very much like that cliché of an iron fist in a velvet glove.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Bonnes Mares Grand Cru
The intensity of the style here plays really well with the vintage. The high acids, which are still present, feel more rounded out by all the rest of the fruit and structure. It's a darker profile for 1996, but it works because the vintage melds so nicely with the house style. Impressive, leathery structure that still could use time to unfold, but it's nice to catch this with fruit still remaining at this point.
Wax top. Impressive. Very intense for Dauvissat, and almost veering slightly towards Raveneau territory with more texture than usual. Lemon and saline notes, with maturing yellow fruit on the palate. I like the balance of acidity and texture here.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
A fantastic showing of this wine, which has always been one of the choicest bottles in the Jadot lineup. Intense ripe strawberries on the nose, with an earthy spice note to supplement it. This is resolved and silky in texture, and the fruit, while sweet, doesn't feel heavy at all. There's a translucent quality to this wine with crystalline precision that's so damn good. A seriously impressive bottle of pinot noir that can readily hold its own against a lot of other spendier bottles.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Bonnes Mares Grand Cru
This feels like it's still too young. While the lovely red fruit is on full display here, there is still so much structure on the back end of this wine to resolve. It seems to me that structure comes more from the acidity than the tannins right now (though there are heaps of both). This is ripe, but not in the way Vogüé is -- it's more of a crystalline quality and far less of that intense brooding nature. For my palate, not yet at peak, though it is certainly an impressive bottle of wine already.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru
Leroy really does it for me -- it's this maddening perfume that is just absolutely incredible. Very ripe, but not for a second over the top. It's this really refined rusticity that no one else has ever managed to replicate. Hints of spice and earth on the nose, but it's more a story of just how expressive and intense the aromatics are. On the palate, this is again ripe, but not overwhelmingly so. Quite dark and earthy in complexion, but impeccably balanced as well. One of those rare bottles of Burgundy that actually does it for me.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos de la Roche Grand Cru
I've never felt particularly attracted to the Drouhin wines -- something about them just doesn't ring my bells. This is a bit brothy and dirty, and the fruit just doesn't show particularly cleanly. Not getting much Morey spice here either.
Been quite a long while since I had this last. For my palate, this is starting to get long in the tooth. The old-school Krug weight is here for sure, but there are lots of browning notes to the fruit here. Plenty of acidity to cut the richness on the palate, but also a bit of nuttiness from the age.
2014 Bollinger Champagne La Grande Année 90 Points
France, Champagne
Creamy and a slight bit autolytic. To be honest, I've not been a huge fan of that whole movement at Bollinger to go all natty, and this comes off a little older than I would expect for a current release Champagne. Plenty tasty now, but not convinced of the overall longevity.
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2019 Domaine Henri Boillot Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos de la Mouchère 93 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru
Served double blind. Clearly white Burgundy, with a modest bit of reduction and a touch of oak. I was thinking along the lines of Lamy, but it felt like this was more in line with the style of early 2010s Lamy than the current ones, and yet this was clearly around 5 years old. Just a small hint of reduction here -- it's not a reduction-focussed producer. Lighter and with less depth and weight than I would have expected given the label -- I was thinking this was some sort of St. Aubin. This did fill out with more air, towards the end of the dinner.
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2017 00 Wines Chardonnay Hyland 90 Points
USA, Oregon, Willamette Valley, Eola - Amity Hills
Served double blind. Clearly riper and richer than the other two chardonnays, but without the ripe fruit of a Californian one, so it wasn't a big leap to get to Oregon. It's clearly fatter and riper and more heavyset, and missing some of the lift that the acids from Burgundy can provide. Plenty of yellow fruit on the nose and palate, but missing the minerality and cut of chardonnays I like.
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2019 Ballot-Millot & Fils Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières 90 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault 1er Cru
Served double blind. Clearly back to French chardonnay here. No overt reduction or oak, but with a fairly fat and rich palate that I liked quite a bit. However, this didn't have quite the expected amount of complexity, especially for the vineyard (in hindsight of course). I didn't come close to thinking this was a Perrières -- something a little more modest, just because of that missing weight and depth. Ticks the boxes, but unfortunately not much else tonight.
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2010 Domaine Château De La Tour Clos Vougeot 93 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru
Very pleasant red fruit here. It's much more elegant than the somewhat burly and stewy 2009, but on the whole, this feels a lot lighter than a grand cru ought to be. It's pleasant and approachable, and while very much enjoyable, I admit I expected a fair bit more from this bottle.
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2009 Domaine Château De La Tour Clos Vougeot 90 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru
A bit step down from the 2010, which was red-fruited and elegant. This was more brooding and showed more of a stewy quality that I didn't really like. Plenty of fruit, but it feels more than a little bit over the top, and this doesn't have quite the same elegance of the 2010 alongside. I think this is an exemplar of some of the fears of the 2009 vintage being overripe becoming reality.
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2009 Camille Giroud Charmes-Chambertin 90 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru
I've not had particularly compelling experiences with Giroud, but I liked this bottle, especially with the somewhat overdone Château de la Tour alongside. This has a coolness to it, with a red-fruited acidic cut that seems more 2008 than 2009. Clean and bright, but lacking the weight I want in a grand cru.
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2019 Domaine Berthaut-Gerbet Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Suchots 90 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru
This needs more time. It is not showing the spice I expect from Vosne, though it is quintessential Berthaut with its post-modern, crisp red fruit. More house style than site here, but I would hope with more time that this fleshes out and shows more than the house style. That said, the house style is pretty damn delicious...
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2016 Louis Jadot Bonnes Mares 93 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Bonnes Mares Grand Cru
Almost funny how approachable this is right now, with its bright 2016 red fruit. The structure is definitely there underneath everything, but it's the sheer deliciousness of the fruit right now that really makes this so impressive. The grainy tannins at the end hint at all the structure buried underneath that fruit; this is no doubt a wine that has a very long life ahead of it.
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2010 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Bonnes Mares 93 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Bonnes Mares Grand Cru
Approachable now despite the reputation of Vogüé; certainly in no rush though. The brilliant red fruit of the vintage is on display here, and while there's of course the archetypal burliness, I do really enjoy the intensity and power of this wine. Quite prominent tannins, that will likely outlive the fruit, but all-round impressive weight and complexity. Feels very much like that cliché of an iron fist in a velvet glove.
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1996 Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Bonnes Mares 93 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Bonnes Mares Grand Cru
The intensity of the style here plays really well with the vintage. The high acids, which are still present, feel more rounded out by all the rest of the fruit and structure. It's a darker profile for 1996, but it works because the vintage melds so nicely with the house style. Impressive, leathery structure that still could use time to unfold, but it's nice to catch this with fruit still remaining at this point.
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2008 François Raveneau Chablis Grand Cru Valmur Flawed
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
Sadly corked. This was clearly an impressive wine though, with iodine and lemon oil notes that I really enjoyed.
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2008 Vincent Dauvissat (René & Vincent) Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos 93 Points
France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru
Wax top. Impressive. Very intense for Dauvissat, and almost veering slightly towards Raveneau territory with more texture than usual. Lemon and saline notes, with maturing yellow fruit on the palate. I like the balance of acidity and texture here.
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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
A fantastic showing of this wine, which has always been one of the choicest bottles in the Jadot lineup. Intense ripe strawberries on the nose, with an earthy spice note to supplement it. This is resolved and silky in texture, and the fruit, while sweet, doesn't feel heavy at all. There's a translucent quality to this wine with crystalline precision that's so damn good. A seriously impressive bottle of pinot noir that can readily hold its own against a lot of other spendier bottles.
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2001 Domaine G. Roumier / Christophe Roumier Bonnes Mares 95 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Bonnes Mares Grand Cru
This feels like it's still too young. While the lovely red fruit is on full display here, there is still so much structure on the back end of this wine to resolve. It seems to me that structure comes more from the acidity than the tannins right now (though there are heaps of both). This is ripe, but not in the way Vogüé is -- it's more of a crystalline quality and far less of that intense brooding nature. For my palate, not yet at peak, though it is certainly an impressive bottle of wine already.
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1997 Domaine Leroy Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Boudots 98 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru
Leroy really does it for me -- it's this maddening perfume that is just absolutely incredible. Very ripe, but not for a second over the top. It's this really refined rusticity that no one else has ever managed to replicate. Hints of spice and earth on the nose, but it's more a story of just how expressive and intense the aromatics are. On the palate, this is again ripe, but not overwhelmingly so. Quite dark and earthy in complexion, but impeccably balanced as well. One of those rare bottles of Burgundy that actually does it for me.
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1998 Joseph Drouhin Clos de la Roche 88 Points
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos de la Roche Grand Cru
I've never felt particularly attracted to the Drouhin wines -- something about them just doesn't ring my bells. This is a bit brothy and dirty, and the fruit just doesn't show particularly cleanly. Not getting much Morey spice here either.
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1996 Krug Champagne Vintage Brut 93 Points
France, Champagne
Been quite a long while since I had this last. For my palate, this is starting to get long in the tooth. The old-school Krug weight is here for sure, but there are lots of browning notes to the fruit here. Plenty of acidity to cut the richness on the palate, but also a bit of nuttiness from the age.
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