3/6/2024 - jaggeral1 wrote:

First from a case. Quite a deep colour, a youthful blue purple. Primary nose, over time some berries come through and even a little floral aromatics. The palate also primary at this point and quite black fruited co pared to other vintages. Somehow manages to be big framed and a little lean to begin though it does flesh out with time in the glass. A sense of 'only' being a BR here somehow and not the usual Fourrier signature style. The finish is very persistent but with a distracting bitter note I didn't enjoy. I think I will leave these a while to settle down maybe.

1/1/2024 - jaggeral1 wrote:

Opened early, shaken like Stevens, and given a good old swirl in the Sensory. Ah yes, Fourrier style on the nose with all that attractive red fruit. The palate delivers but this wine is starting to lose the JMF signature and show signs of MSD terroir and some autumnal decay . Perhaps just pinching up a little on the finish too and lacks a little finesse compared to the straight Gevrey VV '11 which is a decent effort in the vintage. A top 3* for me today.

1/1/2024 - jaggeral1 wrote:

Glorious St J nose, blackcurrant led, some cherry, spice and a touch of gravel. Still youthful, the fruit adds a nice sense of creaminess and noticeably for an '04 a real sense of a plush midpalate. Long satisfying finish. I've always liked this wine but this has continued to improve and defies the critics lowly ratings. A decent 4* effort.

6/19/2023 - jaggeral1 wrote:

A really good showing today. Big classic nose, blackcurrant, pastille, touch of cassis, graphite. Quite full bodied in the mouth, still elegant with the graphite keeping all in check. Long Cabernet finish with still some grip on show. Classic, lovely with Lamb. I think still a couple more years to come here (having rested in my cold cellar 15 years) then along plateau ahead.

6/18/2023 - jaggeral1 wrote:

I was really looking forward to tasting this wine perhaps too much so. Still quite a youthful purple. Big nose, lot's of black fruit. This follows through to the palate, lots of fruit and really quite sweet. Tannins are resolved and it's very easy to drink. Try as I might there's not a lot else going on here, and while certainly a good wine it's ultimately a bit monotone. I've enjoyed Minimalist and Lismore for purity and Stark Conde for a bit more Sauvage more I think.

6/18/2023 - jaggeral1 wrote:

This bottle really outperformed expectations. No bricking at all and a lovely shine to it. Red fruits, raspberry, lifted but with a really plump middle. Lightweight yet not thin at all. A sense of Drouhin in this wine despite it's minor appellation. Just a hint of grainy tannin on the finish.

6/17/2023 - jaggeral1 wrote:

Super bright, red berry fruits, so pure and in an elegant refined tannin framework. Fresh, supple, precise with just a really pleasing hint of decay in the mix this is such a refined expression of NSG and just really classy wine.

6/17/2023 - jaggeral1 wrote:

Drinking beautifully I think this has to be at peak. Round, creamy, pure, elegant. Gorgeous mousse and of course still super fresh with a long stony chalk finish. Great start to cellar dabbling.

3/6/2023 - jaggeral1 wrote:

This has really developed nicely the last year or so. Fresh pure cherry and red fruit nose. Medium bodied and lifted the palate has lovely mineral limestone feel to it. Elegant, a creamy mouth coating and very long. Not a wine you might call as Vosne blinds perhaps but a delicious wine. Worth noting this was grumpy, stemmy and stringy as little as a year ago but far from that now. Burgundy, eh!

2/26/2023 - jaggeral1 wrote:

A really excellent BR. This has relaxed enough to be really enjoyable now. Combination of producer and vintage produce a fresh red fruited wine with a juicy core. A little more weight and sphere here than usual. The nose is super fresh with a gorgeous raspberry profile today. The extra weight also adds a bit more textural interest than usual. Not too much of a stretch to call this one a baby Volnay. Top BR.

2/26/2023 - jaggeral1 wrote:

This wine has been drinking well for a while. The latest bottle has a curious dominant VA feel to it but with a lovely wine underneath. Combination of producer and vintage lend to a red fruited wine with a juicy feel. Not too much complexity but a top Bourgogne with plenty of time in hand.

2/26/2023 - jaggeral1 wrote:

A good showing tonight at the start of a long drinking window. Lovely blackberry fruit and stony notes. A real sense of crispness here and a chiselled definition. Serious wine in a good way. Plenty of fruit, add savoury blackberry leaf to the nose, but also a pleasing mineral austerity. Suave and well heeled. Can be enjoyed now but would certainly suggest food.

2/26/2023 - jaggeral1 wrote:

After a few bottles seeming a little tired this bottle showed very well. Deepy plummy, curranty fruit but still a red fruit feel. There's nice vibrancy here today and the wine is juicy in the vintage style. The balance feels spot on today, still some structure to support, mineral and acid freshness and plenty of stuffing. The finish is long and satisfying. In a good zone for drinking now.

2/25/2023 - jaggeral1 wrote:

Bright , sweet nose, cherries, berries and the sweetness of strawberry. The palate is fresh, lifted and what one imagines 'Chambolle 'should be. The mid palate has really filled out since the last bottle and better still the texture has become silky, elegant and refined. It dances on the palate mixing the red fruits with a little spice. Great showing today. (Footnote, the glass was salty from my tears realising I not only bought this in a sale but a dozen for £18 a bottle - the '21 BR was offered at £36ib a bottle)

2/23/2023 - jaggeral1 wrote:

Clear, pure, cool red fruited nose. The palate is crisp, fresh and fine boned. A nice sense of the savoury and mineral here. Red fruit freshness and refreshing acidity. Just a sense of earthiness in the mix. Maturing but with a little upside and a longer plateau than one might expect. This is a superb value wine.

8/1/2018 - jaggeral1 wrote:

Still alive, red fruits, nicely resolved, touch of tin and iron. Drink up 2019.

8/1/2018 - jaggeral1 wrote:

This was a delight, mid weight, approachable, fragrant, lifted, floral, super balance. Classy wine.

8/1/2018 - jaggeral1 wrote:

Absolutely lovely, intense, pure, balanced and long.

1/10/2018 - jaggeral1 wrote:

Wonderful wine. Sweert resolved, elegant and lithe, beautiful red fruits, smoke, slither of Cedar. So balanced and classy. A real treat.

1/10/2018 - jaggeral1 wrote:

In the seven years since I last tried this wine I cannot believe how much weight and heft it had gained. Rich, purple almost!, heady, classic tar and roses profile and a far more viscous texture than the ethereal bottle in 2010. This bottle felt just a little lacking in freshness and as enjoyable as it was I would have preferred a touch more elegance. Very instructive bottle though!

1/10/2018 - jaggeral1 wrote:

This was a real surprise. Surprisingly traditional and elegant -even from jero - with bright red fruits, spices, tar. Lots of lift and energy not overworked at all and very drinkable.

1/10/2018 - jaggeral1 wrote:

The nose and palate were just so so tainted by either TCA or more likely another spoilage (as it didn't get any worse with air). Under that lurked a glorious sweet and pure wine, still a little grip, still some fruit and spice notes. Long finish too - what a shame!

1/10/2018 - jaggeral1 wrote:

Beautiful resolved Barolo. Fragrant, gentle, sweet, persistent. So bright with a vein of energy running through it. Just a little grip. Great bottle and all that Jazz.

1/10/2018 - jaggeral1 wrote:

Oxidised with a lovely wine beneath.

10/29/2017 - jaggeral1 wrote:

Slightly four square nose here, blackurrant and cherry other wise a little shy. The palate follows this through with some classic currant and cherry notes, a little lead but the main interest is in a lick of creaminess, a suave texture and a nice sense of balance and proportion. Correct and solid, nothing wrong with that at all, but not a wine of fireworks and perhaps one could hope for just a little more Margaux magic.

9/15/2017 - jaggeral1 wrote:

Heavily reduced. There is a prettiness to the nose of this wine, red fruits, smidge of spice, some iron. Not a pyrazine to be found, a good thing. The palate is again pretty, gentle red fruits some iron and mineral notes but it does feel almost a little dialled down rather than attractive finesse. There is a nice balance to the component parts but it falls away a little on the finish again leaving a sense of just not enough inner energy.

Interesting things to note:

I wish I had opened this wine much earlier than the 1 hour and Fourrier shake I gave it as it noticeably filled out and developed in the last couple of pours.

It doesn't feel like a wine for the long haul but neither was it mature in my opinion.

I think most people drinking these wines know the story but this bottle had an impeccable, high quality cork, not one but two (!) high quality capsules and a very smart label to boot.

If you are going to open one give it time for the reduction to clear - open in the morning!

9/15/2017 - jaggeral1 wrote:

The nose is intense, toasty and stony, a little one dimensional at this early stage. The palate offers a little creamy fruit burst follwed by a citric hit smoothly segueing into a mineral stone finish. After half an hour it becomes a little more austere, aloof and stony but I actually love a little haughtiness. Surprisingly drinkable now - the good lady Isabel said it was drinking well - but with some decent upside.

8/10/2017 - jaggeral1 wrote:

Excellent BR and super QPR. Fresh, elegant, energy and a brisk red currant fruit profile but without a hint of lean/mean. Super.

8/10/2017 - jaggeral1 wrote:

Excellent BB as ever. Taut, tensile, succulent and nicely balanced it just slips down a treat.

8/10/2017 - jaggeral1 wrote:

Drinking well already, not as tight as some young Bon Batons. Juicy, red fruited, touch of gloss and a super fresh finish.

8/8/2017 - jaggeral1 wrote:

Excellent BB, 2 consistent bottles, plenty of interest, energy and tension.

8/8/2017 - jaggeral1 wrote:

Excellent wine, crisp, fresh, good energy and line. A producer to watch.

8/8/2017 - jaggeral1 wrote:

Beautiful, mature claret, on its plateau. Sweet blackcurrant seam throughout this, fragrant, classic, gentle and eminently drinkable.

8/5/2017 - jaggeral1 wrote:

Reductive on opening. This initially shows a little more Fourrier than Vosne. Pretty, berry fruit, the usual creamy elegance. It feels a little under powered on the mid palate and finish but as it opens out it gains a bit of traction and shows a little Vosne spice and incense in the background.

8/2/2017 - jaggeral1 wrote:

Still plenty of life, lots of richness and intensity for the vintage, perhaps a little blurry in the middle but a fine Poujeaux.

7/24/2017 - jaggeral1 wrote:

This wine didn't show so well on this occasion. Still tight, structured, pokey acid and just a little lean. Cool, austere and not playing ball. Another few years to relax and unwind I think, it might never reach the heights of the 10 or 12 but it should come around.

7/24/2017 - jaggeral1 wrote:

This showed the best out of a trio of 10/11/12. Cool fruit, sappy, some stone and just an extra layer of depth and dimension the vintage gives. Drinking well already (with a little audouze) with nice purity, balance and a pleasing finale.

7/24/2017 - jaggeral1 wrote:

Strangely sub par bottle. No tca or oxidation but muted ant listless. Strange texture too. Not rated and I'd suggest leaving this a while as it just felt shut down.

7/24/2017 - jaggeral1 wrote:

Showing well already, juicy plum fruit but with some tension and line. Plush, creamy, texture, easy natured and just so enjoyable to drink.

7/7/2017 - jaggeral1 wrote:

Clean pure nose, hint of pineapple fruit. Lovely wide mouthfeel but tingling with energy. Pure, stony, refreshing and long. A lovely BB and ready to go now.

7/5/2017 - jaggeral1 wrote:

The Tour de By '04 is reaching its plateau of maturity. A wide, open, nose shows a core of classic currant with a rich, meaty note. Creamy texture in the mouth but still retaining a sense of austerity and restraint it finishes long and linear. Not complex or particulalry focused it still is a wonderful advert for inexpensive, mature, quality Cru Bourgeois.

7/5/2017 - jaggeral1 wrote:

A really juicy easy vintage. The elegant, refined Cramant fruit is balanced with creamy light footed notes. This interplays juicyness and line very well and still shows a nice sense of purity and stone. I really notice the 7g's dosage - personal taste is a little lower generally speaking - but the wine still treads the right side of the freshness line. Drinkable now.

7/5/2017 - jaggeral1 wrote:

Opened - with no little trepidation - early in the morning for an evening meal. The wine shows warm, sweet, red fruits. Open and inviting, nothing green at all, creamy texture, not focused but charming and particularly easy going. A good Volnay wine, drinking well but not mature, better than expectations and is just fresh enough to keep coming back to the glass. A relative success.

NB. Fellow owners, a tip for any of your Maison Ilan wines is to open early enough to dissipate the reduction, these wines are not over oaked at all, but very reductive so this is key to enjoyment. Open early in the morning or give a huge shake or decant.

7/5/2017 - jaggeral1 wrote:

Round, juicy, salty and showing plenty of energy. It feel's quite 'big' in a Roulot context at least and perhap lacking in a little line. Having said that, this humble wine coats the mouth and persists intensely with a green fruit and saline finish. Great QPR for release price but not the, now bonkers, secondary market.

7/5/2017 - jaggeral1 wrote:

This magnum showed especially well in July '17. NV but pure '09 it bursts with energy, zip, minerality and combines elegance with just a hint of richness. Less evolved than the Cramant '09 but sparkling and in a wonderful place for those who want the purity and freshness tallied with some creamy Cramant development. Great stuff.

7/5/2017 - jaggeral1 wrote:

Showing beautifully in June '17. The elegant fine, mineral Cramant fruit unravelling to add more creamy notes. Pure, fresh, intense this wine shows superb poise. Bravo Bertrand.

6/28/2017 - jaggeral1 wrote:

Youthful and boisterous at present this is still approachable for an '08. The Chardonnay dominates today, rich and fleshy, lemon oil, some chalky notes and whilst the attack is a little aggressive there's a lightness to the intense mid palate. Long stony finish. Needs time but this is a cracker. 92+

6/25/2017 - jaggeral1 wrote:

A couple years of bottle age has allowed this to unfurl. Creamy, mineral nose. Lovely sense of richness with an elegant and mineral line. Complex but energised and fresh to drink. In a good place June '17.

6/25/2017 - jaggeral1 wrote:

Youthful, fresh, tight, mineral. Nice weight, balance and texture. Placeholder bottle, this needs several years to unwind and gain layers of interest.

6/19/2017 - jaggeral1 wrote:

A slightly apple/oxidised nose on this bottle. the palate hints at something oxidative but also carries some tension and mineral line. Slightly grumpy/sub bottle I think but still enjoyable.