2010 Burgundy: 15 years on

Age 15 feels like a good time to check in on some relatively serious 2010s - and see if the whites are still alive!

• 2014 Bérêche et Fils Champagne Premier Cru Le Cran 94 Points

  France, Champagne, Champagne Premier Cru

  Not very bubbly, nor many people's epitome of Champagne, but we loved it. Ripe nose, with crisp pineapple and gentle smoke. Also vivacious on the palate, with juicy acidity and a chewy, savoury side as well as a citric bite. With air the wine continued to show new facets, like digestive biscuits, bitter lemon, and toffee. Good length, and continually interesting - a great wine (even though it didn't play nicely with the cheesy gougères).

  Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No

• 2010 Domaine Jacques Carillon Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Perrières 94 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru

  Some concern before the wine was poured - will he, won't he... fortunately the wine was in great condition and at a wonderful point in its evolution. Rounded and well-integrated yet fresh and incisive, full of interest, and managed to combine lemon sherbert and something ripe and creamy into a seamless, arresting whole. Grippy finish and, on this showing, no hurry to drink, but it's hard to imagine that we didn't catch this at peak. Superb!

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

• 2010 Domaine des Malandes Chablis Grand Cru Vaudésir 94 Points

  France, Burgundy, Chablis, Chablis Grand Cru

  Appropriately leaner and greener than the Puligny, but still gorgeously rounded at this stage of development - it was in a great place. Green apple and exotic spice on the nose, with the palate stony and mouthwateringly limey, but tempered by that sense of roundness and completeness. Delicious wine.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

• 2010 Serafin Père et Fils Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Les Corbeaux 92 Points

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

  Incisive on the nose, with smoke and cherry - and it got increasingly smoky with time in the glass. Nicely lifted and light on its feet, but there's still some powdery tannin to provide grip. Very enjoyable already (and great with the food), and I suspect more to come as the wine finishes the process of relaxing and opening up over the next few years.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

• 2010 Dupont-Tisserandot Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Les Cazetiers 87 Points

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

  Not sure what happened here - heat/cork issue perhaps, or a brutish form of closed-down? I first tried this wine 12 months ago and it showed beautifully then (NA93) but tonight it was muddy and the dark fruit verged into the realm of tomato. Didn't finish my glass. Still, not bad to have only 1/12 wines showing any kind of issue.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

• 2010 Domaine Bertheau (Pierre et François) Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru

  Great nose - very perfumed in a woody/savoury vein, but not lacking in red fruit, and there's some florality too. Tangy on the palate, in that trademark Bertheau lean/lifted style, though the red fruit was sufficiently dense to provide something to chew on. Some clovey smoke, too. Bright, bitter and refreshing finish. So tasty!

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

• 2010 Domaine Heresztyn/Heresztyn-Mazzini Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru Les Millandes 94 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru

  Greener, brighter nose - stemmy? Apparently this is indeed a whole-cluster wine; I'm often a sceptic of that style, but it really, really worked here. Clean and sleek too, so perhaps that's the workaround. Lovely purplish brambly fruit on the palate, elegant yet substantial and with an underlying floral quality. Really great, and my favourite wine tonight.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

• 2010 Domaine des Lambrays Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru Les Loups 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru

  This was in great form, and rounded out a superb flight. Quite a lush and succulent nose... mmm, gorgeous. Noticeable savoury development on the palate, which started more red-fruited and moved towards a long, grippy dark-fruited finish. Delicious, and seemed to be a few people's favourite wine tonight.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

• 2010 Domaine François Lamarche La Grande Rue 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, La Grande Rue Grand Cru

  Tricky to pin this one down. Definitely not yet fully open and ready, but already pretty complex. The nose started out inky and statuesque, with a touch of wood, then became sleeker and smokier. Supple and red-fruited palate, dry and again with a touch of oak, and fanned out beautifully towards the finish. More cerebral than hedonistic, but likely to be brilliant c. 10 years from now.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

• 2010 Domaine Dujac Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Malconsorts 93 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru

  Every time I try Malconsorts it reminds me a bit of Bordeaux (the Lynch Bages of Burgundy?!) and this was indeed a relatively stern, sturdy, dark-fruited wine. There's some Vosne spice too on the powdery, stemmy nose, and plenty of substance. Neal Martin said of this wine "I love the “coiled-up” intensity of this Malconsorts that suggests it is built for longevity" and I cannot disagree, it is a monument that's not yet strutting its stuff.

  Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No

• 2010 Domaine Jean Grivot Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Pruliers 92 Points

  France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru

  Paler than the other reds, with lots of red fruit and a touch of tomato on the nose stalk, and the reduced note I often find in Grivot (and, personally, really enjoy - but not everyone seemed to). Actually quite open on the palate, with some blackcurrant and black tea. A good wine but didn't hit the heights.

  Post a Comment / Do you find this review helpful? Yes - No

• 1983 Château d'Yquem 94 Points

  France, Bordeaux, Sauternais, Sauternes

  Starting to move beyond orange, into brown, but no sign of tiredness. Spicy nose, both deep and airy and with a delightful note of toffee apple. It wasn't especially complex on the palate either, but anything that well-balanced which tastes of barley sugar, caramel and marmalade has got to be pretty good, and this absolutely was.

  Post a Comment / 1 person found this helpful, do you? Yes - No

A big success, and seemed a good time to open wines on this theme: the whites were fairly mature and really enjoyable, and the reds were either early in their window or just about to get there. The refreshing, digeste quality of the 2010s was immensely pleasurable, and I look forward to the next 15 years with these wines.