France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chorey-Côte-de-Beaune
Wood and pungent green (? wood tannins) tones. Light and tight with high acid and precious little cherry fruit. Astringent and not at all charming. It may be closed but I would not bet on this due to its lack of balance. Too bad, I fondly remember the '02 as a very good wine and a great value.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru
Perfumed with red fruit and even a bit of citrus on the nose. Light bodied with snappy acidity but pleasingly sweet strawberry fruit. Slightly overbalanced to the acidity side, but a nice red Chassagne and good entry level Cote de Beaunes wine. I surely wouldn't pay $50 for it, though.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru
Pale color. Brambly, black fruit nose. Light and lean with proper amount of fruit for its weight, good earthy complexity and good balance. The tannins become more obvious as it opens, but still good length. This may be the most transparent wine of the flight.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru
Higher toned, pretty nose. Light to medium weight. Less fruit and more Savigny bite and tannin than the Bize. Tart, black licorice finish. While I did not care for this upon first tasting it, it is quite lively and improves with air.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru
By far the deepest, darkest wine of the group. This looks serious and it is, with a more dark, brooding nose of black cherry and blackberry. Its size is striking in this context, being the ripest, roundest, and most mouthfilling wine in the flight. Lush black fruit without overt sweetness, a whiff of very well integrated wood, excellent depth and long finish. The only wine today I would have mistaken for a Cote de Nuits, perhaps a Nuits St. Georges. Like it or not, it is the vintage rather than the soil that is doing all of the talking here. Impressive and trying hard to justify its mind boggling price for a wine from this appellation.
Oh my, the gamy nose on this one just shouts Burgundy. Medium weight with excellent concentration (and no overconcentration) of fruit, harmonious, downright silky, gentle and long. Subtle wood base, lower acidity than many of these wines. Lovely, seductive wine and one of the best '06s I've tried so far. Granted, this is a little loose and not destined for a long life, but it is full of pleasure now.
Pale. Sharp aromatics with some VA and licorice. Light weight, dry, lacking fruit with high acidity. This was jarring coming right after the lovely Pousse d'Or Volnay. Completely unsatisfying and an abominable value at $80.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton Grand Cru
Complex nose of licorice and red fruit. In the mouth, light, high acid, and the fruit is blacker than the nose would suggest. Delicate with some sappiness trying to peek through. Nice sense of earthiness, especially on the finish. It gets better over time, but does not remotely reach Grand Cru quality.
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton Grand Cru
Earthiest aroma of all the wines, indeed a bit of funk. This is a very different animal from the Volnay-spicier, leaner, and much more grip at the end. Built for the future. Nevertheless, it still has good mouth feel. Given the price differential and the seductiveness of the 60 Ouvrees, that is the wine to buy.
2005 Domaine Tollot-Beaut Chorey-Côte-de-Beaune
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chorey-Côte-de-Beaune
Wood and pungent green (? wood tannins) tones. Light and tight with high acid and precious little cherry fruit. Astringent and not at all charming. It may be closed but I would not bet on this due to its lack of balance. Too bad, I fondly remember the '02 as a very good wine and a great value.
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2006 Château de la Maltroye Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru La Boudriotte Rouge
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru
Perfumed with red fruit and even a bit of citrus on the nose. Light bodied with snappy acidity but pleasingly sweet strawberry fruit. Slightly overbalanced to the acidity side, but a nice red Chassagne and good entry level Cote de Beaunes wine. I surely wouldn't pay $50 for it, though.
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2006 Simon Bize Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Les Fournaux
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru
Pale color. Brambly, black fruit nose. Light and lean with proper amount of fruit for its weight, good earthy complexity and good balance. The tannins become more obvious as it opens, but still good length. This may be the most transparent wine of the flight.
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2006 Mongeard-Mugneret Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Narbantons
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru
Higher toned, pretty nose. Light to medium weight. Less fruit and more Savigny bite and tannin than the Bize. Tart, black licorice finish. While I did not care for this upon first tasting it, it is quite lively and improves with air.
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2005 Domaine Bruno Clair Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru La Dominode
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru
By far the deepest, darkest wine of the group. This looks serious and it is, with a more dark, brooding nose of black cherry and blackberry. Its size is striking in this context, being the ripest, roundest, and most mouthfilling wine in the flight. Lush black fruit without overt sweetness, a whiff of very well integrated wood, excellent depth and long finish. The only wine today I would have mistaken for a Cote de Nuits, perhaps a Nuits St. Georges. Like it or not, it is the vintage rather than the soil that is doing all of the talking here. Impressive and trying hard to justify its mind boggling price for a wine from this appellation.
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2006 La Pousse d'Or Volnay 1er Cru Clos des 60 Ouvrées
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru
Oh my, the gamy nose on this one just shouts Burgundy. Medium weight with excellent concentration (and no overconcentration) of fruit, harmonious, downright silky, gentle and long. Subtle wood base, lower acidity than many of these wines. Lovely, seductive wine and one of the best '06s I've tried so far. Granted, this is a little loose and not destined for a long life, but it is full of pleasure now.
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2005 Domaine Joseph Voillot Pommard 1er Cru Clos Micault
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Pommard 1er Cru
Pale. Sharp aromatics with some VA and licorice. Light weight, dry, lacking fruit with high acidity. This was jarring coming right after the lovely Pousse d'Or Volnay. Completely unsatisfying and an abominable value at $80.
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2006 Michel Picard Corton-Clos des Fiètres
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton Grand Cru
Complex nose of licorice and red fruit. In the mouth, light, high acid, and the fruit is blacker than the nose would suggest. Delicate with some sappiness trying to peek through. Nice sense of earthiness, especially on the finish. It gets better over time, but does not remotely reach Grand Cru quality.
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2006 La Pousse d'Or Corton-Clos du Roi
France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton Grand Cru
Earthiest aroma of all the wines, indeed a bit of funk. This is a very different animal from the Volnay-spicier, leaner, and much more grip at the end. Built for the future. Nevertheless, it still has good mouth feel. Given the price differential and the seductiveness of the 60 Ouvrees, that is the wine to buy.
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