I look for good, older wines on the Ma Cuisine list, not always totally successfully. This Meursault was a mixed bag. Golden colour. Somewhat unhygenic nose. Cheesy and a little caramalised. "Aromatically uninteresting", as someone said. Better on palate. Vibrant acidity. Decent length. Appropriately oxed not premoxed. Lemons, toffee apple, grilled nuts and a touch of honey. "It's got a line to it. Direct and clean. Nice creamy finish", remarked Bill. However, I agreed with him when he said, "I see the vintage, not the terroir". Time to drink up.

Knowing I was looking for another white, the proprietor Pierre encouraged me to choose this wine (saying "if you don't buy it, the staff and I will have to drink it tonight after work".), noting that six barrels of it were made in 2009. Bright pale gold. A little reduction then lemon, grapefruit, cinnamon and other baking spice on the bouquet, more pear than peach, with meadow flower perfumes. On palate, very precise with quite racy acidity. More Puligny than Meursault, I thought (however this is not surprising, given the proxity of Les Perrières to Puligny-Montrachet). "Very fine, not fat. Nice texture ...", noted Bill. Citric, mineral, pear and green apple. Excellent accompaniment for my escargots in garlic butter. As Andrew noted, "as it warms it becomes more 2009", but not excessively so, in my view. Brilliant. In its prime drinking window.

From a vineyard close to Clos des Mouches, Pierre said. A deep, complex nose of dark cherry, black spice, tilled damp soil, clove and old oak dresser. Also, plenty of secondary funk. In the mouth, surprisingly youthful. Very much dark fruit, with earth and damp vegetation. Bill described it, accurately I thought, as "take me now (but I didn't wash)", pronouncing the brackets out loud. "Very Côte de Beaune, black cherry and chalk", said Andrew. Fresh acidity, sufficient weight and in good balance. Excellent with my pidgeon. This bottle had years in front of it.

David of Andromeda very kindly brought this bottle over to our table to share with us (apparently he was dining with Burgundy Al, but unfortunately I didn't get to meet him). Bright, attractive aromas of black cherries and damson plums, brown spices and chalky minerals. In the mouth, very young, rich and powerful. Very silky, suave, spherical tannins. Good, persistent acidity. Black fruit, spices and minerals. Full bodied yet elegant. Dense with serious mid palate weight. No suggestion of 2011 greeness or pyrazines here. Ideally, I'd hold for at least 3-4+ more years. Excellent!

Bill very generously opened this Liger-Belair for us. Beautifully perfumed and pure on the bouquet. Popped and poured, slowly unfolding, showing layers of dark florals, sweet-seeming black fruit and an array of spices. Incredibly pure, clean and focussed on palate. "Incredible persistence", noted Andrew. Silky, mouth caressing with ultra-fine tannins. However, quite primary and tensile at its core. Beautiful dark fruit and minerality. One of the wines of the trip.