Disgorged in December 2010. 60% Chardonnay / 40% Pinot Noir. A nice Champagne – I liked this quite a bit. It had a really nice nose, with pure tones of white fruit and mineral alongside some yeasty bread and a bit of spice. The palate was absolutely clear and precise, with the finest mousse and lovely clean acidity lending a laser-like focus to pure notes of white melon and green apples laced with a nice minerality. Fine finish too, with a long gentle trail of mineral and spice lingering in the mouth nicely - this had a lovely shape and focus to it. It still needs 3-4 years more in the bottle to develop I think, but it is definitely coming around nicely.

Enjoyable, if not exactly top-notch. This had a lovely rich nose of ripe yellow fruit – pineapples I thought – along with a light dose of spice and something flowery at the edges. A sweet, summery nose, almost Macon-likes in its sunshiney tones. The palate carried on with that ripe and fruity tone, showing pineapples and musk melons at the fore, then a little touch of chalk, a tiny tail of mineral and a kiss of citrus peel towards the finish. This is a friendly and delicious Puligny; decently balanced enough, if just lacking a touch of precision for me. Good for drinking now.

A little on the soft side, but absolutely enjoyable. The wine had a lovely nose with fragrant notes of dried flowers, dark cherries and sweet dried strawberries ringed with ash and spice, all on an earthy bed of leafy forest floor aromas. A nice, matured bouquet. The palate had soft velvety tannins with the lightest rustle of grippiness and clean, clear, fresh acidity running through its succulent flavours of sweet dark cherries and dried strawberries. It may have lacked a little depth and oomph, but this was such a gentle, warm, charming mouthful. Lovely bright finish too, with a little twist of herb and sandalwood and a warm flush of spice right at the very end. A fully mature and very enjoyable Rioja – about time to drink up though!

Quite good, but really advanced – most of us guessed late 1970s or early 1980s. It had an old nose, with dusty earth and stemmy, stalky notes alongside a whiff of sweet red cherries and wafts of cumin and wood spice – a nice nod to the Vosne terroir. While the palate had a good amount of fresh acidity to it, it did not feel really bright or zippy, especially in the context of the vintage. Instead, the overall impression was one of rich ripeness, with thickset flavours of cherries and wild berries flecked with spice and stalky herbs. On the midpalate, there were again exotic notes of cumin and cardammon and a twist of orange peel, all adding a nice bit of complexity and typicity. It flagged a bit towards the backpalate though. Here, the tannins had softened to an almost soupy non-existence; and while the finish had a fresh, open feel, the fruit was met here with a good dose of earth and stemmy notes that seemed reminiscent of a much older wine. All in all, a pretty nice wine if not exactly the most structured Vosne 1er Cru at its age. It is very advanced and needs drinking up soon.

What a lovely young Suchots – this was really yummy. Michel Noellat actually has one of the largest parcels of Suchots, with 1.5 hectares planted under 70-year old vines. The wine had a pretty young-Burgundy nose, with sweet, sappy aromas of strawberries and raspberries, with wafts of flowers and a little lift of wood spice alongside. Still very primary smelling, but very attractive. The palate showed a lovely depth and purity, with its rich, sappy notes of sweet raspberries and red cherries and a touch of strawberry jam laced with deeply integrated acidity that gave the wine a subtle juicness. Its fine, sinewy structure was deceptively gentle amidst all that succulent fruit, but there was actually a real grip to the fine tannins keeping the wine nice and tightly focused all the way into a long, juicy finish, where slightly stemmy notes of fresh-cut flowers and another sprinkle of wood spice. On the more elegant spectrum of Suchots, yet with no lack of muscle and grip, this was a lovely terroir-driven wine with a bright future ahead of it. It is drinking well young, but this should age effortlessly into the next decade and more. It is still primary and a bit simple now and deserves patience. 92+

An interesting contrast with the very young Michel Noellat Suchots that we had just before – this was actually quite nice in an old Burgundy way. It had a matured bouquet of dried cherries and berries and an unusual whiff of mint chocolates sprinkled with dried herbs, meat and spice. The palate showed a satisfyingly juicy fullness, with mellow flavours of sour plums and haw flakes with a twist of something almost salty in there. Not the most complex, but it had nice weight and balance for a 1975 wine. Decent finish too, with earthy notes ringed by a nice amount of Vosne spice. Time to drink up while this is still giving a good bit of pleasure – I am not sure it is going to last for much longer.

A true Echezeaux, and a pretty good one at that – this was about as masculine a red Burgundy as I have had for some time. The nose showed dark fruited aromas of black cherries, blackberries and plums surrounded by dried meat and spice, dusty earth and chalky notes, with a little metallic mineral ring around the banks of the bouquet. Masculine indeed. The palate was very much what the nose previewed. Broad shouldered and deep for a 2000, it had a thick mouthfeel with black fruit and wood spice flavours, and something somewhat reminiscent of dark chocolates with cherry centres on the midpalate. The mid-lengthed finish then eased away in nice layers of spice and wood bark. I liked the fresh, lively acidity this had, and although the tannins had some of the softness of the 2000 vintage, the wine was still a whole lot more structured than many of its brethren from the same year. A very decent Echezeaux if not exactly a superlative wine. While it is already nicely integrated and can be popped now without any regrets, I would personally give it another 2-3 years to see where it is going

A delicious wine, but not a great d’Yquem – this lacked the botrytised richness of the better vintages. It did have a lovely nose though, with dried apricots met by an unusual floral chrysanthemum notes, the a lift of citrus limes and a some mineral, metal notes. A lighter, more lifted and floral bouquet than I am used to with a d’Yquem, but no less attractive for all that. Like the nose, the palate came across as clean, pure and fresh, with notes of dried apricots and lemons wed to a musky floral perfume. What this lacked it unctuous depth, it made up for with a lovely clarity and balance. It was really drinkable. Right at the finish, more typical d’Yquem accents of burnt caramel and a touch of dessicated coconuts then drifted away into the distance. A very nice wine, drinking well now, but this should not be compared with other d’Yquems – it seems a totally different animal. Incidentally, I had quite forgotten having drank an earlier bottle a few years ago. Back then, I had the same impression of an elegant lightness to the as well, but was more impressed by the wine. It seems to have lost even more weight over the years. If anything, that may be a sign that it is really time to start drinking!