Élevage by Thibault Liger-Belair. This was pretty good, but stylistically, it could just as well have been a well-made new world Chardonnay. The nose showed plenty of oak, with toast, butter and roasted corn notes alongside ripe yellow-fruited aromas. Very modern. The palate shared some of that too. It was less pronounced on the oak thankfully, but this came across as fruity and primary, with plenty of rich, ripe flavours of yellow fruit, pineapples and a touch of green mango, all laced with more citrusy sweet lemon notes. The midpalate was punctuated with a nice breath of brighter acidity that then led the wine into a spice and mineral finish. Served bllind, it was only there when I was quite sure this was a Burgundy rather than something from say California or Australia. To be sure, it had sleeker lines than either of the Kongsgaard Chardonnays that came after it, but this certainly did not feel a world away from them. Not quite my style of Burgundy then, but this was nevertheless a decently good wine, and it should improve with a few years in the bottle as well.

Very, very good indeed – I was really impressed by this wine. Blind, we all thought it was clearly a new world Chardonnay, but a truly excellent one indeed. Saying that though, the nose actually bore more than a passing resemblance to the rather modern Meursault Charmes that preceded it, with similar shades of toasted corn, butter and cream alongside ripe, sunny notes of rich yellow fruit and meadow flowers, with a toss of earthiness all adding to a nicely complex bouquet. Attractive, but it was really in the mouth where the wine showed its mettle. If I could describe the palate in just one word, it would be “Yummy!”, with the exclamation mark in bold. This was delicious in a full, rich, clearly new world fashion, with ripe, sappy flavours of sweet melons, nectarines and pineapples, all fringed with more exotic tropical accents. Just a great mouthful of wine. For all that though, what kept the wine drinking so well was a lovely balance that kept it beautifully poised even with all its fleshy weightiness. There was just a smidgen of heat right at the backpalate, but not quite enough to distract from the long, sappy, grippy presence of the wine, chocked full of sweet lemons, honey and loquats, and spiked with a little toast and a nice streak of bittersweet mineral into a long, powerful finish. Truly delicious stuff, drinking well and showing a nice complexity even now, but this certainly has the stuffing and balance to go on for quite some time yet. One of the very best new world Chardonnays I have had in ages.

A classic Chablis, and a delicious one to boot – this was really nice. There was just a smidgen of oxidation on the fringes of the wine, and I think a few more years in the bottle would have done it in. We thankfully got to it while it was still fresh and beautiful. On the nose, this could hardly have come from anywhere else in the world, with tons of salty mineral and saline, seashelly notes drifting through white fruited apple flesh and melon aromas, all touched a shade of earthiness. The palate shared that same savoury, almost salty character, along with a lovely weight of fleshy apple flavours edged with just a hint of oxidative sour plum and fig peel notes. There was such an elegant balance to the wine. It had the beguiling softness of a mature white Burgundy, yet it was still long and compelling, with a sticky, juicy depth and gentle Grand Cru strength driving it into a long finish, where a light sweetness in the fruit was undercut by a salty mineral drift and a kiss of lemon zest. Very nice indeed, and drinking just about at peak - this was easily a step or two up from the bottle I had some 6 years back.

I have seen plenty of notes on this wine complaining of premature oxidation. However, the bottle we had was excellent, adding to the line-up of really good Chardonnays that we had so far. It had a lovely nose, full of flinty mineral and seashell aromas that were almost reminiscent of the Chablis that preceded it, but here, these were wrapped around a core of sweeter smells, with wafts of pineapples, rich red apples and lush floral tones patted down with a little earth. A great bouquet. It was lovely on the palate too. There was such a juicy, melting balance to the wine, with mouthwatering flavours of red apples and more citrusy lemons laced with fresh acidity and a lovely minerality. It was clearly mid-bodied, lacking the weight of some of the other wines on the night, but this still packed quite a punch on the backpalate, where it showed a deep finish with a lovely length sprinkled with a little bit of spice. Very good, and drinking really nicely now, this was a top 1er Cru.

Quite serendipitously, we had a second Kongsgaard on the night. This was clearly several steps down from the 2008 Judge that came earlier evening, but it was still quite a commendable wine. Strangely enough, the nose here started out rather Burgundian, with chalk and earth and cream accents drifting around red apple aromas. As the wine warmed up and with some time and air though, sweeter fruit tones, with ripe, sunny melons started coming to the fore. This was true on the palate too. It seemed very controlled on first pour, with citrusy lemon tones at the fore, but then sweeter notes of ripe pineapples started emerging with time, coming across almost candied but not quite, with bright acidity bringing a nice lemony balance to the whole package. There were some lifted alcohol tones mixed-in with a little sprinkle of warm spice as the wine slid into its finish, but otherwise, this was a well put together and enjoyable wine. I would not keep it around for much longer though – time to start drinking.

Brilliant. I love Fevre’s Grand Cru Chablis, but have cut down my purchases in recent years due to the preponderance of premoxed examples. We had two bottles on the night though, and both were singing – reminding me of just how good a wine Fevre can produce when on song. There was a lovely, classic Chablis nose here, with lots of chalk and saline, seashelly notes along with a little cream and some white fruit aromas. A nice and fresh bouquet. The palate was pure Les Clos. It had all the weight and power and length of the terroir wed to a lovely poise and balance, with a lovely core of gentle minerality that stretched through pure white fruited flavours and into a long, creamy finish with a little saline seashelly hint. Lovely, lifted acidity kept the wine fresh and lively all round, but this was already wonderfully integrated by now and drinking beautifully well. The last two bottles of 2002 Fevre Les Clos I had were disappointing. One bottle was tight and unyielding, while the second was premoxed. This more than made up for it though - my wine of the night amidst some serious competition. While really good on present evidence, this is a wine that (barring premox) should go on aging really well for many years too.

Just under 200 cases of this 100% Syrah is produced from the small plot of “Les Grandes Places” each year. This was pretty good, but way too young at the moment. Opened and decanted some 4 hours ago before serving, it still came across youthful and primary. The nose had thick scents of gummy fruit – blueberries and violets I thought – with whiffs of menthol, herb and smoky garrigue trailing on behind. With that floral character, I was actually quite surprised to find that this did not have any Viognier in it. The palate had the same rich thickness of a young, perhaps more modernly styled Cote Rotie, with shades of blue and black fruit sprinkled with garrigue and licorice and a little spice at the finish, but it had a nice clean feel and a lovely grip lent to it by a fine structure of powdery tannins and lovely fresh acidity. Modern fruit, but classic shape. A nicely elegant expression of Cote Rotie, with a good future ahead of it – one to try in 10-15 years.

A nice wine, with plenty of character to it. This was a good punctuation mark between the long flight of lovely Chardonnays that we had and the smattering of reds that followed. The nose here had an intense minerality about it, with smoky, flinty, stony notes along with a bright whiff of lanolin – almost like drawing sheets fresh out of the clothes dryer – and then a core of lemons, white melons and green mango aromas. Unusual, but attractive. The palate was a nice echo of the nose, perhaps with a deeper, more subtle character. Here, salty notes of mineral and seashell framed juicy lemons and green apple notes, all built upon a solid, grippy mouthful with plenty of depth and freshness to go along with its tons of dry extract. There is a lot packed into this wine. While quite pleasantly and food friendly, it is still clearly in its infancy. This is a wine that should age effortlessly though, and I would love to try it again in 5 and 10 year marks down the road.

Like a Burgundy sibling of the 2006 Cote Rotie that preceded it, this was a nice marriage of modern styling with more classical structure and balance. Opened a day ago, it was showing precociously well on the night, starting with a lovely, sweet Chambolle nose of rich dark cherries and blueberries ringed with notes of flowers and spice and a touch of earth. Really pretty. The palate had a lovely sappy sweetness to it too, with gobs of sweet cherries and blueberries that showed a richness that belied the wine’s village status. In spite of that though, this still had a nice purity and balance that kept the wine being spoofy or even new world-ish. Nice finish too, trailing away with a blush of flowers and warm spice. Nice. This was very good village that will drink well relatively early. It should be even better in a couple of years or so.

Arnoux makes such great Suchots. The pick of the reds on the night, this was a wonderfully accomplished 2004 with nary a hint of green meanies on it. It had such a lovely nose, with rich wafts of dark cherries and plums seasoned with Vosne spice and dark violets and earth and just a little hint of 2004 herb. Really classic stuff. I really liked the palate too. This seemed quite ready to drink, with rather straightforward, but wonderfully pure flavours of black cherries and sour plums ringed with some orange peel and more of that fragrant spice picked up on the nose. While there was that little trace of herb on the nose, the palate was absolutely clean and clear, almost surprisingly so for a 2004, with a lifted, citrusy acidity carrying it into a nicely fresh finish. Very good indeed, and starting to show well - a great way to end the evening. Give it a few more years to gain some complexity, and this will be superb.