4/15/2024 - SimonG wrote:

Jonathan’s/Nick’s 04 Bordeaux (Hawksmoor Guildhall, London): Half. Mid to full amber. Sweet. Barley sugar. Very sweet, could do with more balancing acidity. A touch of medicinal saffron-led botrytis. Relatively one dimensional. Does what is says on the label but a one trick pony. ***1/2

4/15/2024 - SimonG wrote:

Jonathan’s/Nick’s 04 Bordeaux (Hawksmoor Guildhall, London): A late entry off the subs bench under the table, so a quick decant and no more. First look at this since purchasing a. Axe on the strength of its showing at the Bibendum 05 and 04 EP tasting at Lords in 2006. Yup, money well spent. Dense ruby. Young but resolved. Served a touch warm but holding itself together nicely, some blackcurrant, sandlewood, very harmonious even after ice cream! ****

4/15/2024 - SimonG wrote:

Jonathan’s/Nick’s 04 Bordeaux (Hawksmoor Guildhall, London): Warm and broad on the nose. Smooth. Disguises its 14% abv well. Crying out for steak. Full but nicely balanced. Very decent, and maybe my favourite PM since the 97. ****

4/15/2024 - SimonG wrote:

Jonathan’s/Nick’s 04 Bordeaux (Hawksmoor Guildhall, London): Dense ruby. A touch lactic on the nose. Redcurrant in with the black. A shade too warm. Just a pinch of VA giving a sense of Viennese hot chocolate reminiscent of a feral half of 64 CVNE VR GR a few years back. Very attractive though, and the nose does seem to clear. Softer and more open than a previous look at this. Not quite right but still a very lovely drink. ****

4/15/2024 - SimonG wrote:

Jonathan’s/Nick’s 04 Bordeaux (Hawksmoor Guildhall, London): Dense mid to full ruby. Some blackcurrant and blackcurrant leaf, softer with a touch of mocha. Some spice. Soft and approachable. Really quite giving. Lovely but not quite up to the promise of the 06 Bibendum tasting or a subsequent bottle at the 09 Alba PB offline.

4/15/2024 - SimonG wrote:

Jonathan’s/Nick’s 04 Bordeaux (Hawksmoor Guildhall, London): Beautifully dense ruby. Vibrant. More focused than the PB alongside. Good depth of cassis.cool with a hint of cedar. More restraint here. Opening nicely. A sense of tautness cf the PB. Sorry not to own any of this. ****

4/15/2024 - SimonG wrote:

Jonathan’s/Nick’s 04 Bordeaux (Hawksmoor Guildhall, London): Dense ruby. Broader and meatier on the nose, less precise with some blackcurrant leaf alongside the fruit. Broader palate too, accentuated by being 2–3C° warmer too. Quite rich with less precise definition. A bit more Henry Moore than David; fun though. ****

4/15/2024 - SimonG wrote:

Jonathan’s/Nick’s 04 Bordeaux (Hawksmoor Guildhall, London): First of a half case bought on the strength of trying in April 06 at the Bibendum Lords 05 EP tasting. Full deep vibrant ruby, finely chiselled, blackcurrant fruit with a beautifully fragrant top note of violet and fresia. Similar on palate. So precise, linear, elegant and long cf the Pav Rouge’s relaxed breadth. Classical elegance in cool marble. ****

4/15/2024 - SimonG wrote:

Jonathan’s/Nick’s 04 Bordeaux (Hawksmoor Guildhall, London): 20210 disgorgement. Pale to mid straw. Interesting nose, fresh but bready, a touch ocidative maybe nodding towards the barrique aging. A touch of spice too, ice weight on the finish with a touch of ginger. Positive but could go either way. ***1/2

4/13/2024 - SimonG wrote:

Dense ruby. Some medium to dark red fruit, but relatively muted and compact. Tannins pretty much resolved, the structural profile being very much acidity led. Not a huge amount of complexity here, and a little shrill. Perfectly drinkable, but expensive (12 years ago) for what it is. Holds well overnight, possibly better balanced now, but still no more than mid ***

4/10/2024 - SimonG wrote:

2/12 Bright full ruby. Nicely resolved. Mulberry fruit, finely velvety, soft tannins, a sense of richness in a classical, restrained frame, moderate length and complexity. Good to go now but with plenty of time in hand. Very attractive and a good match for côte de boeuf. ***

4/6/2024 - SimonG wrote:

Bright mid ruby. Slightly tart red fruit. Silky, quite ligh, a low key rendition of Chaignots. Quite tight, a touch of cranberry, currently lacking generosity and substance.needs some coaxing. Let’s see what tomorrow brings… Yes, fuller, richer, quite rounded. This has opened back up overnight. ***1/2

4/6/2024 - SimonG wrote:

Bright mid ruby. Some red fruit, but with air a sense of 11 character, but actually with a bit more air it’s clearly corked.

4/5/2024 - SimonG wrote:

Pale to mid straw. Attractively fresh with a hint of bruised red apple fruit coupled with a lightness and mineral line. Attractive freshness helped by the relatively lowish abv. Very attractive and drinkable. ***

4/4/2024 - SimonG wrote:

Light mid ruby, brightly translucent. Lovely crunchy cranberry-led fruit in a finely silky frame. Initially quite light and bright, filling a little with air and gaining some sweetness to the cranberry and redcurrant fruit. Very attractive and drinkable. BR density, complexity and length. A lighter, vintage-transparent take on this wine in contrast to the deeper, cherry fruited, velvety 2019, different styles but qualitatively as good. Overnight in the fridge this puts on weight, plumping out the mid-palate and taking on a sweeter element to the fruit. ***

4/3/2024 - SimonG wrote:

Half. Gorgeous mid ruby, really bright and translucent. Lifted strawberry fruit, nicely pure and focused. Starts out quite light and fresh, putting on weight and texture after an hour or so, really densely silky, sweet red fruit. Good volume for BR. Nicely à point in half format. Lovely. ***

3/31/2024 - SimonG wrote:

A Bereche-esque oeil de perdrix hue. Quite fresh and lemony initially, aperitif-style. Overnight it puts on some weight and rounds out. Dosage evident though not detrimentally so. Rounded and very decent if unremarkable. I’m not sure I’d pick this as English if served it blind. ***

4/1/2024 - SimonG wrote:

Mid to full garnet. Mellow sandlewood and cedar on the nose, some gentle red autumnal fruit and a pinch of tobacco. Harmonious on the attack, quite fresh, nicely classical and understated, long. A quietly satisfying and unshowy VCC that has shown similarly across almost a full case over the past 15 years. ****

3/31/2024 - SimonG wrote:

Full garnet, mid ruby at its core. Red fruit, church pew and a hint of warm leather.This bottle quite bright and youthful and not yet at the orange zest phase. Lovely bright red fruit combining strawberry, cranberry and a pinch of hibiscus. Lovely line. Super wine, and coped admirably with roast saddle of hogget with wild garlic pesto. ****

3/30/2024 - SimonG wrote:

1/12 Following on from the Morey en Rue de Vergy at the start of the month, this is deeper, darker and denser. Lovely full deep ruby. Dark red fruit, a touch of black. Finely velvety with good weight.Density to the fruit, this is more serious and brooding, less immediate elegance and elan than the the eRdV. Certainly in the early stages of approachability, but I’ll be making inroads into the village wine while this one slumbers. ***(*)

3/29/2024 - SimonG wrote:

Mid straw. A touch of vanilla cream, but lots of underlying energy and a mineral ine with good tension. Nice weight, line and limey fruit on the finish. A slightly leaner version of a bottle four years ago, but equally good and possibly slightly improved by an extra dose of freshness and minerality. ****

3/28/2024 - SimonG wrote:

Pale mid garnet, highly transluscent. Lovely evolved sous bois and caramel nose.. Lifted, almost ethereal. Mid weight. Good length. Penultimate bottle from the case and it’s been consistent over the last six years. ****

3/28/2024 - SimonG wrote:

Mag. 30 months on from my first taste of this (in half), the extra bottle age and magnum format has done wonders for this. Fresh, already nicely rich, a degree of complexity and focus, the dosage quite evident but not obtrusively so. This should be fun to follow ove4 the next couple of evenings. ****

3/24/2024 - SimonG wrote:

Half. Lovely full ruby. Classic blackcurrant leaf and sandlewood nose. A touch of graphite too. Densely silky, blackcurrant and cool minerality. Tannins nicely resolved but sufficiently there with the acidity to give a spine. Good length. Last of my halves, and absolutely spot-on, the best to date. ****

3/23/2024 - SimonG wrote:

Pale straw. Ooh yes, this is lovely, a hypothetical blend of the reductive, mineral new style of Meursault and the richness and buttery nuttiness of the old; a combination that works very well here. Nicely reductive on the nose, enhancing rather than overpowering, lightly toasted hazelnut and a hint of beurre noisstte on the palate with a minerally, quite grippy and somewhat lime-tinged finish. Really very good for villages, weight, complexity and length. ****

3/22/2024 - SimonG wrote:

Mytik Diam. Mid to full straw. Lovely and quite refined nose of vanilla crème pat. Fresh with good energy. Fully resolved and ready to go in a Comtes-like but not Comtes-lite way. Really very decent indeed. A slight step up from a bottle a couple of years ago. I wasn’t at all convinced by my first taste of this seven years ago, but the cellar time has worked wonders. Fresh finish with a good line and energy. ****

3/21/2024 - SimonG wrote:

Half 10/12. Duller in the glass than previously, still mid to full ruby but a dullness and lacklustre appearance. A melange of deep cherry fruit with damp earth and meatier notes starting to develop. Densely silky, good fruit, and more of a discernible Gevrey than producer character, though a sense of vigneron lingers. This is really very good village wine. ****

3/20/2024 - SimonG wrote:

Absolutely beautiful, dense but bright full ruby. Glorious. On first taste, this ticks all the Gouges boxes — dense, tannic, steak wine. Just as well it’s accompanying steak. After a couple of hours though the medium to fine tannins seem to melt away to a dense silky plushness, and the mid to dark red fruit comes to the fore. Supple, dense, almost lush. If served blind I was told it was a 19 drinking on its fruit I’d believe it. Ready to go in its primary phase, but it’s a long way from showing any meaty Nuits development. Oh so drinkable though. ***(*)

3/17/2024 - SimonG wrote:

Quite a dense mid ruby. Mid red fruit, some development, quite rich. Surprisingly weighty in the mouth. Village complexity with premier cru texture, just not obviously Volnay. Enjoyable. Early maturity with time in hand. Holds surprisingly well overnight. ***

3/15/2024 - SimonG wrote:

Fullish straw. A nice balance between pithy grapefruit mineral acidity and a wider sense of richness with some lanolin, beeswax and orange peel. There’s lots here. Excellent with some simply grilled red mullet. ****

3/13/2024 - SimonG wrote:

Vibrant, bright mid garnet. Garrigue strawberry with cranberry top notes and a whiff of autumn on the nose. Similar on the attack, initially quite sweetly fruited before tightening ever so slightly with balancing acidity coming through on the mid palate to finish. A lacy minerality. Attractive in the lighter, fragrant style of Chambolle. Precise red fruits. Holds amazingly well in the fridge overnight. This has drunk decently for a decade, but age has given it a sense of seriousness and precision. ***1/2, maybe just nudging bare ****

3/9/2024 - SimonG wrote:

Mid ruby tending to full garnet. Rich nose, dark red fruit, mulberry and damson with a meatiness and almost, but not quite, touch of soy. Properly GC weight and densely velvety texture, opulent and plush without being de trop. Very full and satisfying, though perhaps not overly complex. Cosseting. ****

3/9/2024 - SimonG wrote:

Deep, full old gold, almost a touch of amber creeping in. Surprisingly good stream of bubbles and a sprite ly mousse. Fully mature but still vibrant and vital. Ginger spice, rich, almost meaty. Good weight. Positive finish. Some oxidative hints as one would expect but far from being oxidised. Possibly not everyone’s cup of tea, but this is lovely. ****1/2

3/8/2024 - SimonG wrote:

Last from a case purchased in 2015. Mid straw, a touch of ‘Bereche’ oeil de perdrix. Nicely smooth and rich. Good red fruited density with creamy development through the finish. Good lift. ****

3/8/2024 - SimonG wrote:

Lunch at Noizé: Mid purple to full vibrant ruby. Really sweet and confected strawberry fruit on the nose. Primary. Sweet dark red to blue fruit. Strawberry jam and clotted cream on warm scones. Primary but approachable and really quite drinkable, the ripe fruit balanced by decent acidity and low alcohol (12%), though hardly the last word in complexity, at least at this stage. Bare ****

3/8/2024 - SimonG wrote:

Lunch at Noizé: Riper and broader than the 96. Gentle mocha with a touch of blackcurrant leaf. Still quite young, showing well and consistently with a bottle from the same case a couple of years ago. Fresh with good acidity and fine tannins. ****

3/8/2024 - SimonG wrote:

Lunch at Noizé: Dense, full garnet to cloudy mid ruby. Blackcurrant with some mocha. A touch of smoke and beef fat. Fine grained tannins and good acidity. Still quite young. It’s all there. ****

3/8/2024 - SimonG wrote:

Lunch at Noizé: Mid ruby tending to full garnet. A lot more youthful with good fruit in a mildly structural frame. Another gorgeous wine with such a strong familial resemblance to the 04 and 01. *****

3/8/2024 - SimonG wrote:

Lunch at Noizé: Mid to full garnet with a touch of ruby. Quite richly fruited. The hypothetical blend of the 01 and 07. Three peas in a pod, just at slightly different ages. Gorgeous wine. *****

3/8/2024 - SimonG wrote:

Lunch at Noizé: Full garnet. Really quite rich when opened. Three hours later, still nicely rich, but dialled back slightly, a ourity of fruit and a mineral line. Autumnal fragrance laced with truffle. Elegant, fragranced, nuanced. Just lovely. Fine burgundy with a little oomph. *****

3/8/2024 - SimonG wrote:

Lunch at Noizé: Mid gold. A sense more oxidation on the nose. Some furniture polish too. Leaner and more linear with less obvious complexity cf the 01. ***1/2

3/8/2024 - SimonG wrote:

Lunch at Noizé: Full gold. A touch of orange blossom on the nose when first opening with an unctuous texture. Three hours on this has tightened and calmed a little. Waxy and leggy. There’s a surprising lightness and line here with filigree. O peel it’s woven around it. Another wine I’ve not looked at for over a decade, and time has served it well, perhaps freshening it a little. A clear step up from 04 currently, and a more complete wine. ****

3/8/2024 - SimonG wrote:

Lunch at Noizé: Mid straw. Not many bubbles, made slightly worse by a detergent-tainted glass. Gains more energy and aroma when decanted into a different glass. Nicely rich now, the sharp cut of its youth transformed to a vanilla crème pat richness of middle aged chardonnay. A mineral line with some tang. Stylistically this is essentially pettilant white burgundy — B de M Corton Charlemagne from a ripe vintage. Twelve years on from my last encounter, and obviously the wine has evolved, become richer and less vibrant, but maybe lost some of its energy too. ****

3/8/2024 - SimonG wrote:

Lunch at Noizé: Light to mid straw. Quite rich on the nose. Broad with some orange blossom on the nose. Red apple. Good line. Very decent. ***1/2

3/8/2024 - SimonG wrote:

Lunch at Noizé: Pale straw. Nicely fresh. Crisp young b de b, some energy and line here. Very decent. ***

3/6/2024 - SimonG wrote:

Deep cherry to a hint of ruby. Dense nose, glossy loganberry and redcurrant fruit with a hint of blueberry and a sense of something slightly more reductive. Densely silky on the attack and mid-palate, nicely bright with a squeeze of orange on the finish. Mid length. Good energy. Very moreish. Certainly more consistent with previous bottles than Monday’s. Very drinkable indeed. ****

3/4/2024 - SimonG wrote:

Village Burgundy: Ever so slightly cloudy mid garnet. A touch high toned. Some sous bois. The acidity feels a little prominent. Quite floral with time against the farmyardy backdrop. Still a sense of tannin on the finish. Somewhat discombobulated currently. ***

3/4/2024 - SimonG wrote:

Village Burgundy: Mid ruby. Just starting to hint at garnet. Similar familial nose to the 05 but with more red fruit and lift. A slightly meaty edge to the developing sous bois with some redcurrant and cherry. A nod to redder fruit, definition and more line here. Peony on the nose with air. Rustic would be harsh, but not a suave and sophisticated number, maybe lacking a little generosity of spirit. ***

3/4/2024 - SimonG wrote:

Village Burgundy: Full ruby. Spice, dark red fruit, a touch of orange peel. Luxe. Density with elegance. Lots here. Serious villages. Harmonious and complete.****

3/4/2024 - SimonG wrote:

Village Burgundy: Dense ruby. Plush and rich. Dense velvet. Spicy nose. Less expressive than the MG. A density, in some ways understated.. 18 shows. Needs a decade. Promising. ***(*)