Simple but enjoyable. The nose was very Blanc des Blancs, with a nice bouquet of brioche, white fruit and yeast, with a little kiss of minerality at the edges. The palate had a nice bright shape to it, with fresh lime and lemons speared through a midpalate of red apples, all framed by zesty acidity and a nice fine mousse. Simple, and finish was a bit on the short side, but this was a pleasing start to dinner.

Characterful, and really yummy. The nose was perfumed and pretty, with lovely drifts of roses and smoke, sweet little red berries, and lovely little kisses of earth, herb and spice. Such a beautiful nose. The palate had real character to it, and was delicious to boot - with fine, powdery tannins and nice acidity running through nicely delineated flavours of black cherries and berries. Nice finish too, with bits of earth, herb and spice drifting into a beautiful bittersweet finish. A darker character than the nose, slightly leaner in texture than I would expect too, but altogether wonderfully enjoyable. Drinking nicely now, but this will develop well over the next decade or so. Really, really nice.

A bit Bordeaux-like, this was quite pleasant, if just a bit big for my tastes. It probably needs a bit of time yet. It had a rich, thick nose, with ripe notes of cassis, blackberries, earth and wild herbs. The palate was still marked with a chew of firm tannins and decent acidity wrapped around a rich core of cassis and black berry fruit. A bit simple and primary, but quite delicious. There was a lovely spine of dried earth and mineral beneath it all giving the big fruit a welcome sense of shape and balance. Not my favourite style of wine, but this was a nice characterful wine that should age well over the next 6-8 years and beyond.

5 years since my last bottle, this was just as delicious as I remember it being. The nose was lovely, with beautifully perfumed wafts of beeswax, stone fruit and sweet white flowers. I loved this. The palate was en pointe, with lovely soft acidity draped over an effortlessly elegant core of stone fruit and beeswax. Plenty of power, yet it wore its depth and weight so lightly and effortlessly. Great finish too, beautifully long and fillegreed, trailing away in a lovely stream of chalky mineral and a little kiss of spice. Wow. Fantastic and drinking so well now.

Really lovely. This was drinking beautifully and was absolutely delicious. The nose was classic Latircieres, with sweet aromas of red cherries, wet stony mineral and nice earthy accents, with just a twist of herb and florals at the very edges of the bouquet. The palate was beautifully balanced, with bright juicy, even citrus 1996 acidity lasering through beautifully fresh, snappy flavours of red cherries and berries, again with a little suggestion of florals, all leading into a nicely full finish. Neither the most complex not the most powerful, but this showed enough Grand Cru depth and intensity to be immensely satisfying, with a surprising fullness for a 1996 throughout. A delicious drop, showing beautifully now. It faded after an hour or so in the glass, but was really nice when first poured.

Decently good, but it needs a lot of time yet. The nose was very expressive, with a deceptively mature smelling waft of earthy Burg funk swirling around a ripe core of sweet blueberries seasoned with touches of bramble and earth. The palate was more backward. Similarly blue fruited, it showed blueberries and black cherries cloaked with a deep-set structure of firm tannins and decent acidity stretching into a long, but rather dry and tannic finish. This had quality on it, but needs a good 7-8 years to approach anything like peak.

A really commendable 2003. This was a nice wine, drinking very well now, but with years left in its tank. The nose had a nice lift of ripe black cherries, earth, meat and peppery spice traced with just a hint of NSG’s minerality. The palate had a lovely fresh feel to it that made it seem a lot younger than its age, with bright acidity and fine sinewy tannins wrapped around a core of dark cherries and ripe berries, all this infused with bits of peppery spice and dried earth, leading into a full, generous finish. There was a nice elegant strength to this. A touch ripe and warm, but I would never have guessed this was a 2003 otherwise. Very nice, and starting to show very well.

Lovely - a nice way to end the evening after a series of Burgundies. The nose was lovely, with a nice matured melange of cassis, tobaccos and capsicum, all patted down with a bit of loamy earth. The palate was beautifully resolved, with soft velvety tannins and bright acidity framing round flavours of cassis and dark berries touched with savoury bits of orange peel, earth and pencil lead, with another lovely curl of tobacco smoke drifting into a satisfyingly fresh finish. Not the most complex nor powerful, but this was such a delicious charmer. Lovely, and at peak now.

Much too young, but this was an impressive wine. The nose was pure Vosne goodness, with lovely draws of wood spice, ripe dark cherries, and more savoury accents of meat and earth. This smelt lovely. The palate was still clearly on the young side, but was clearly impressive, with Grand Cru intensity and weight to its dark cherry, Vosne spice and lots of dried earth and mineral tones - this wed to a lovely transparent feel, all the way into a deep, powerful finish. It was nicely structured too, with fine tannins and lovely acidity forming a really nice frame for the wine. More impressive than absolutely pleasurable at the moment - it may be rather asleep - but this was quality through and through. It will be lovely 10-12 years down the road.

Almost exactly one year down the road, this bottle was still nice, but was clearly weaker. Very similar tones to the last time, with earth, mineral and Burg funk on the nose, all swimming around a nice bit of red fruit. The palate was soft and rounded, with velvety tannins and decent acidity lapping against a core of dried red fruit, with a bit of spice and earth leading into a decent finish. Rather tiring, but still a real charmer.

Superb. One year down the road, this was a much stronger bottle. The nose was Montrose at its best, with wafts of damp earth, sweet cassis and pencil lead, wreathed in rings of fragrant tobacco smoke. The palate was beautifully. Velvet tannins, juicy acidity, with lovely, transparent flavours of cassis and dark berries, then earth, spice and graphite, trailing away into a beautifully long, accurately detailed finish. Just a touch of drying tannins at the very end marked it a bit. Otherwise, this was a wonderfully complete, beautifully integrated wine. This was drinking at a delicious peak.