2005 Burgundy
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Vosne-Romanée in the haze
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Back in Burgundy again, this time in December, rather
than January, itching to get at the wines and secure
stocks of the good stuff, having heard rumours that
even the supermarkets are getting in on the stampede.
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Situation: barrelling south from the Channel tunnel
alone, Victoria at home keeping warm and looking
after Joseph. The darkening landscape is punctuated,
as ever, over a 30 mile-or-so stretch by raptor
legions, like crotchets on sheet music made up by the
fence posts and their connecting wires, awaiting the
moment when small mammals with no knowledge of the
Green Cross Code venture forth in a trans-tarmac
dash. Their patient forms seem content enough,
although I can't help but wonder whether a glass of
burgundy with which to accompany their road kill
might make them happier still.
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Burgundy, like Bordeaux and much of the rest of
Europe, has experienced, in 2005, a vintage about as
fine - at least for the reds - as one could wish for.
I am becoming suspicious about Burgundy, however.
Just running through the last five fine vintages for
the red wines one comes up with a list that reads:
1990; 1993; 1996; 1999; 2002. It's like one of those
annoying mathematical puzzles in which one has to
guess the next number in the sequence, except this
one's for duffers. If 2008 throws up another classic
I am going to start getting spooked.
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So what's 2005 all about? Well, after the excesses of
2003 and the delicate 2004s (we're still talking
about reds here; more on the whites later), we're
back to a Venus de Milo classicism (that's if V de M
had all her limbs as these wines lack nothing).
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If one could write a list of all the elements one
would wish to find in one's glass when poured a
measure of the Côte d'Or's finest, we find them in
'05. Concentrated fruit - tick; tannin, alcohol and
acidity in balance and present in sufficient quantity
to assist in the ageing process (and in the best 05s,
we're talking as great an ageing potential as any
vintage I can think of) - tick; the finely etched
nuance that speaks clearly of the vineyard from which
the wine comes - tick.
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As in Bordeaux, this was a vintage for the wine maker
to act philosophically, rather than scientifically
i.e. in what is the traditional French manner i.e.x2
not to stick his/her oar
in. Here was a harvest that provided naturally
concentrated fruit, thick, ripe skins, perfect
balancing acidity and sufficient alcohol for there to
be little or no need to chaptalise (that procedure of
adding sugar to the must to raise the level of
alcohol in the finished wine. Pinot Noir is rubbish
unless it is bottled at a minimum of 12.5%abv). The
fruit was also exceptionally healthy. There really
was little need to manipulate the juice in the wine
making process. Crush; ferment. Voilà!
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The white wines of 2005 are delicious. However, they
come on the back of a very fine burgundian chardonnay vintage,
against which it was fascinating to taste them during
my recent visit. The 2004s are highly focussed,
laser-guided, mineral knives with flinty edges. If
you feel that you missed out on them, just let me
know as we may well be able to supply some superb
examples.
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As a follow-up, the '05s are much more flâtteur:
richer, fatter, more forward and probably more
immediately delicious, without the depth of cerebral
interest offered by their predecessors. If you bought
in '04, buy again in '05 and look forward to some
very interesting comparisons in the years to come!
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As an aside, I must mention a theory of mine
concerning the wines of Corton-Charlemagne. This
patch of chardonnay vines that form a collar around
the south/south-western end of the hill of Corton are
something of an anomaly. I have noticed that, over
the years, vintages for this unique Grand Cru more
closely match the vintages for red wines than those
of the other famous burgundy whites grown in villages
further south. Once again, in 2005,
Corton-Charlemagne has scored. I have tasted utterly
compelling wines from this appellation in '05 and two
of them appear below.
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Mission Statement
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As elsewhere in the wine making regions of the world,
the stamp of the wine maker is a considerable
influence on the wine we end up uncorking. Expression
of terroir is of paramount importance, but how
best to let that communicate? Should the wine be very
tannic, or only moderately so? Should phenolic extraction - including
the colouring element - be pushed to the max, or
handled with more subtlety? Should fermentation
temperatures be prevented from climbing very high,
thereby preserving the higher aromatics, or should
one allow the temperature in the vats to climb to
levels at which the wine gains additional body and
structure?
In Bordeaux one finds, even in vintages like 2005 (if
there is such a thing), wine makers who feel the need
to wring out every last gasp of colour and extract
from their fruit. Parker's influence and the desire
to please his taste buds have resulted in some wine
makers pulling out all the stops regardless of
whether the vintage requires it. This is unwelcome in
Bordeaux; a disaster in Burgundy.
Bowes Wine's idea of fine Burgundy is clear. We tend
towards Pinot that is not deep in colour; Pinot that
has pronounced aromatics; floral, subtle, complex
Pinot of the natural sort. In 2005, we are happy to
say that we have found a glittering array of wines
that fit our taste to perfection!
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The Growers and Their Wines
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Domaine Dupont-Tisserandot,
Gevrey-Chambertin
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Didier Chevillon,
looking quietly confident
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The wine here is made by Didier Chevillon, the son-in-law of
Bernard Dupont. His aim
is straightforward: exploit the old vines of the
estate's vineyards to make rich, expressive Pinot of
good Gevrey typicité. He
succeeds. I love this style. A new domain to us.
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| Vintage |
Wine |
Drink dates |
Case size |
Price In Bond |
| 2005 |
Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Lavaux-St-Jacques, Dupont-Tisserandot, Burgundy, France
Notes: N.B. The Combe de Lavaux forms something of a basin in the vineyards of Gevrey. It is cooler than much of the rest of the slope (thus it was brilliant in '03), the wines frequently more structured.
The nose here is very smoky, these elements reminding me rather of Lapsang Suchong tea. The fruit aromas are very black and very pure, of black currants, with chocolate notes. The palate is creamy and full of black currant fruit. This is fresh and crunchy in the mouth, with lots of rich tannins. The quality is evident in the parallel profile. This is very persistent and there is real grip at the back.
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2015-2022 |
12x75cl |
£330.00 |
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| 2005 |
Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Les Cazetiers, Dupont-Tisserandot, Burgundy, France
Notes: The domaine owns a sizeable 2 hectares of the Cazetiers vineyard and the vines are 45 years of age. Didier considers this a house speciality.
Delicious, beguiling nose here, complex and wild. The fruits are those found in hedgerows: wild plums and rosehips. Some of the aromas hint at nut and cocoa. Rich, old vine sort of a nose. The palate is rich and old vine-y too and full of ripe, crisp fruit: sloes and rosehips. There are very fine, medium tannins and the whole thing is very long and very fresh. Benchmark 1er Cru Gevrey.
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2012-2017 |
12x75cl |
£330.00 |
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Domaine Digioia-Royer, Chambolle-Musigny
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Does any wine sum up better the majesty of Pinot Noir
than Chambolle? Queenly
is a rather naff word that unfortunately describes it
quite well. M Digioia is
of Italian extraction, hence the very un-French
sounding name. He does, however, understand full well
how to make the most of his diminutive landholding
(but 4 hectares under vine here).
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Domaine François Lamarche, Vosne-Romanée
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The Grand Cru of La Grande Rue, owned by Domaine
Lamarche
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The wines at this estate fall firmly within Bowes
Wine's stylistic sights: pale, but concentrated;
complex and profound. Very exciting wines here.
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| Vintage |
Wine |
Drink dates |
Case size |
Price In Bond |
| 2005 |
Vosne-Romanée, François Lamarche, Burgundy, France
Notes: Good pale colour. The nose is floral and cherryish, the aromas ripe. There are hints of nut and spice. A ripe, rich nose altogether. This is medium weight, with lowish, nutty-rich tannins. It swells in the mouth, with delicious cherry fruit. Fresh and very long. Really good wine for a village Vosne.
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2010-2015 |
12x75cl |
£219.00 |
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| 2005 |
Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Chaumes, François Lamarche, Burgundy, France
Notes: The nose here is a delicious, rich compote, nutty and with red and black, cherry cordial fruit. In the mouth, this is rich and supple, with satin-textured fruit of red and black cherries. Nutty, firm tannins are integrated. Fabulous profile, swelling in the mouth, with really excellent freshness. Very long and complete; red and pretty.
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2011-2016 |
12x75cl |
£345.00 |
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| 2005 |
Echézeaux Grand Cru, François Lamarche, Burgundy, France
Notes: Really fine colour here. The nose is of delicious, pure red cherry fruit. Very rich in the mouth and really fresh and ripe. This has distinct mineral terroir on the palate, along with medium, nutty, integrated tannins. Composed, very red, very long wine. Subtle and rewarding. Grand Cru, of course.
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2015-2020 |
12x75cl |
£453.00 |
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Domaine Jean Grivot, Vosne-Romanée
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Etienne, Jean's son, makes the wine now. These are
the sort of bottles that one can squirrel away
year-on-year with absolute confidence, as Etienne's
among the best wine makers in Burgundy.
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| Vintage |
Wine |
Drink dates |
Case size |
Price In Bond |
| 2005 |
Chambolle-Musigny La Combe d'Orveau, Jean Grivot, Burgundy, France
Notes: As ever, the nose here is a potent cocktail of red and black fruits with such beguiling depth and purity. The fruit is so concentrated that the oak has largely been absorbed already, with only a vague sniff remaining. In the mouth, this goes in and spreads out like a SWAT team in a rogue embassy building. One suddenly finds oneself with a real mouthful, flavours of black and red fruit – plums and cherries – pressing you with a request to swallow. There’s a wealth of very fine tannin and a delicious lift at the end. This’ll make fine old bones.
N.B. I tasted, today (16th January), a couple of Grivot’s ‘04s and wow, are they impressive. You won’t have to wait very long, but woof! What pleasure one will gain!
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2012-2018 |
12x75cl |
£261.00 |
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| 2005 |
Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Rouges, Jean Grivot, Burgundy, France
Notes: There's an intriguing note of red liquorice about the nose of this wine; the fruit is very red, too. There are very rich fruits on entry here, carrying great freshness. Along with the red fruits, there are well-defined minerals. Just medium, integrated tannins, very ripe. This is really fresh and even quite powerful. Finely balanced. Very long and backward. Can't wait!
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2012-2018 |
12x75cl |
£399.00 |
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| 2005 |
Clos Vougeot Grand Cru, Jean Grivot, Burgundy, France
Notes: This is another stunning wine to look at in the glass. The nose is rich and richly nutty, with a lot of ripe black fruit aromas, including some dried fruit. There are hints of liquorice and violet. The palate here is very cool and reserved; ripe and full of structure. Quite parallel and rather backward. This gains in grip through to the finish, which is exceptionally long. This is not massive, but composed. The tannins are nutty and rich.
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2016-2025 |
12x75cl |
£531.00 |
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Domaine Jean Chauvenet, Nuits-St-Georges
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Christophe
Drag, wine maker at Chauvenet, also looking
confident (must be the vintage)
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Visiting this estate and tasting the wines with Christophe Drag, the wine maker, is a rapid-fire lesson in
the influence of terroir. One starts with the
village Nuits-St-Georges and follows it with six
premiers
crus. The more I taste the
wines of Nuits, the more fascinating I find the
terroir, from the cassis-tinted wines north of
the village to the austere minerals to the south.
Christophe's an excellent
cove, too.
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| Vintage |
Wine |
Drink dates |
Case size |
Price In Bond |
| 2005 |
Nuits-St-Georges, Jean Chauvenet, Burgundy, France
Notes: Very ripe nose, black and rich and brambly; a touch floral. This is rich and richly tannic. The fruit is all plum and bramble and there are minerals twined about it. Fresh acidity. Young, ripe and serious village wine. (N.B. I have been drinking the 2003 of this wine recently and it is absolutely delicious. If you have some, try a bottle or two to enjoy fat young Pinot at its most seductive.)
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2009-2014 |
12x75cl |
£171.00 |
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| 2005 |
Nuits-St-Georges 1er Cru Rue de Chaux, Jean Chauvenet, Burgundy, France
Notes: N.B. This is the first vineyard one encounters as one leaves the village to the south. The vines were planted in 1921 on very stony soil.
There are wild black fruits to the nose here: plum and chocolate notes, with minerals above all. Rich and backward in the mouth, with really square, nutty-rich tannins. Floral. Long and parallel. Fresh and fabulous! Real Nuits this, with a fabulous vibrancy and aftertaste.
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2015-2020 |
12x75cl |
£282.00 |
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Domaine Bonneau du Martray, Pernand
Vergelesses
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This domaine is unusual for several reasons. It
markets only wines that are Grand Cru status. They
own the single biggest tranche of Grand Cru vineyard:
9.5 hectares of Corton-Charlemagne. Their
Corton-Charlemagne vineyard is precisely that that
was given by Charlemagne to the local Abbey in 775AD.
Tasting this wine next to other wines of the same
appellation, one is always struck by its elegance;
the fact that, whilst other wines may be more
powerful and concentrated, that of Bonneau de Martray is the best purveyor of
the quintessential character of the vineyard.
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Domaine Follin-Arbelet,
Aloxe
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The Follins were away
when I visited Burgundy; a shame, as they had made us
very welcome when last we visited. However, they
kindly left barrel samples for us at the
Château de Corton-André. We tasted them
as soon as I returned home and were blown away a) by
the quality and b) by their evident age-worthiness.
This is a fine estate, represented here by two highly
undervalued appellations.
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| Vintage |
Wine |
Drink dates |
Case size |
Price In Bond |
| 2005 |
Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Cru Les Fichots, Follin-Arbelet, Burgundy, France
Notes: A nutty, fresh nose of red and black fruits greets the taster. There are raspberries, red currants and plums to be found. The palate is rich and cool, with crunchy, largely red fruits and lots of fine-grained tannin. There's a welcome minerality. Balanced wine, very long, with a fresh, crisp finish.
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2011-2017 |
12x75cl |
£168.00 |
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| 2005 |
Aloxe-Corton 1er Cru Les Vercots, Follin-Arbelet, Burgundy, France
Notes: Fabulous hue in the glass. The nose here is rather closed up, but there are some very fresh, black fruit aromas: cherry and bramble. Crunchy, really pure, fresh palate; rich, but very crisp. This gains in intensity through the palate, picking up mineral structure along the way. Very rich and fine tannins and there is real punch at the end. Long and juicy and very full finish. Red and black, this one. Parallel. Very, very long in the mouth.
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2013-2020 |
12x75cl |
£243.00 |
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Domaine du Château de Corton-André,
Aloxe
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The château towers above Aloxe, displaying its
colourful roof tiles and, for many years, churning
out an endless stream of very ordinary hooch. There's
been a sea change of late, however. New wine maker;
new level of quality. These are pure, modern, clean
and rather beautiful expressions of both Pinot Noir
and Chardonnay.
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| Vintage |
Wine |
Drink dates |
Case size |
Price In Bond |
| 2005 |
Ladoix Blanc, Château de Corton-André, Burgundy, France
Notes: Ladoix is one of the larger villages in the Côte; a pair of villages, really, as more commonly indicated by its full name: Ladoix-Serrigny. As a wine it has virtually no brand image to speak of and is often labelled as Côte de Beaune.
N.B. This is the product of 35 year old vines and is given barrel fermentation and 25% new oak.
The nose here is delicious: nicely rich, floral, of pears and other yellow fruits. There a tiny lick of fennel about it and ripe lemon aromas. This is rich in the mouth. Some dried fruits, but mainly lemon, some of which is glacé. This has fine persistence and a really nice profile. A touch of crystalline minerals add seriousness. Concentrated, with medium acidity well tucked in under the fruit. This offers amazing value; a really interesting white burgundy.
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2008-2012 |
12x75cl |
£105.00 |
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| 2005 |
Nuits-St-Georges 1er Cru Les Damodes, Château de Corton-André, Burgundy, France
Notes: Damodes is right up on the Vosne border, thus one would anticipate a more "aristo" style of Nuits. One is not disappointed here!
This is really quite closed, implying that this is built for the long haul. There are some ripe, floral, berryish black fruit aromas that emerge with agitation. The palate is plush and plump and cool on entry. Then a shed-load of minerals kick in. Firm, high tannins support the feeling that this is a long-distance runner. This is highly grippy at the end. Backward, rich and structured. Fine Nuits.
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2012-2018 |
12x75cl |
£351.00 |
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| 2005 |
Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru, Château de Corton-André, Burgundy, France
Notes: It's a funny white wine Corton-Charlemagne. Rumour has it that Charlemagne's wife had it planted with white grapes so that her husband avoided staining his beard: a bit of a "must" if he wanted to be taken seriously one would have thought.
Being a white vineyard surrounded by Pinot Noir vines, one shouldn't be surprised that the vintages more often follow the pattern of the reds, rather than the other famous whites of the region to be found further south.
Corton-Charlemagne should always be mineral in a steely sort of a way and with one sniff of this one realises that one is bang on target. The aromas are mineral and there is meaty, pear fruit. In the mouth, this is rich and full of a fierce energy. The fruit is all lemon and pear, with big, mineral punch. Real cool composure here and this is really intense at the back. Something of a classic, indeed. Brilliant white wine.
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2012-2019 |
6x75cl |
£300.00 |
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Maison Camille-Giroud, Beaune
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We offered the '03s from this negociant and
they were very well taken up. I must have
communicated something of the impressions I got when
I tasted them; they fairly blew me away.
Camille-Giroud was purchased recently by a consortium
of Americans led by Ann Colgin of the estimable
Californian winery Colgin
Cellars. The sheer array of wines here is almost
daunting when one visits to taste. Fortunately, the
quality is there for all to see. These are very
special wines indeed.
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| Vintage |
Wine |
Drink dates |
Case size |
Price In Bond |
| 2005 |
Beaune 1er Cru Cent Vignes, Camille-Giroud, Burgundy, France
Notes: Proper, pale Pinot colour here. The nose is perfumed, with pronounced aromas of red currants. There's an animal note that I can only describe as a smell of clean, rather upmarket stables. Plus there are smoky aspects. The silky fruit is all red plums and currants. There's real sheen to this elegant Beaune; really good elegance. There's a little, fine tannin and then a floral note, like rose petals. Juicy, medium, perfect acidity. This is long and pretty.
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2009-2014 |
12x75cl |
£174.00 |
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| 2005 |
Nuits-St-Georges 1er Cru Les Vaucrains, Camille-Giroud, Burgundy, France
Notes: As we have discussed, there's Nuits and there's Nuits. The wines up towards Vosne-Romanée can become distinctly Vosne-ish and can be fabulous…but is that true Nuits, if one describes it as resembling another appellation? In Vaucrains one finds out what Nuits is all about. This is just upslope of the Les St-Georges vineyard: the other Nuits "biggie".
The nose here is very black. Bela Lugosi would have loved it. There are elements of dried fruit - prune perhaps - by overall it is brambly and spicy. The palate is very black, too, and coats the mouth with rich, Nuits-proper, slightly burly tannins. This is backward, very long and really a very powerful mouthful of Pinot. Brambly and quite brilliant!
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2013-2020 |
12x75cl |
£300.00 |
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| 2005 |
Corton Rognets Grand Cru, Camille-Giroud, Burgundy, France
Notes: This nose is simply fabulous: a rich compote of red and black cherries, touched by charred meat and wisps of may blossom. The palate gives a really rich, big mouthful of concentrated, mineral, red and black fruit. A juicy/crunchy Grand Cru burgundy for the long term. Scintillating stuff!
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2014-2020 |
12x75cl |
£360.00 |
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| 2005 |
Chambertin Grand Cru, Camille-Giroud, Burgundy, France
Notes: What is Chambertin but Gevrey on steroids; a product of the village that is magnified in every way? This has the tell-tale whiff of bonfire smoke so common in Chambertin and the better 1er Crus of Gevrey. Wild, wild fruits line up for your inspection. There are hints of pepper and meat, too. There's full, ripe, plump fruit here; altogether a supple, concentrated, smoky palate. Red and black fruits are to be found, along with Grand Cru minerals. Huge grip here. This is like being taken for a walk by a very large dog, possibly a Rhodesian Ridgeback. The fine tannins are absorbed by the fruit, but make no mistake; this is backward. Nutty and really quite powerful. Great drive and energy. Very long with a fabulous finish.
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2017-2025 |
12x75cl |
£840.00 |
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Domaine Joseph Voillot,
Volnay
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Jean-Pierre Charlot is M
Voillot's son-in-law and
makes the wine here. He's obsessed with burgundy and
a big fan of the female of the species. "Where's your
wife?" I was asked the moment I stepped through the
door. No hello; no welcome. Direct and to the point,
is M Charlot. He's
thankfully also very generous. After tasting here, we
visited another domaine and then returned, sensing
that something nifty was about to be laid on for
Japanese visitors Jean-Pierre was entertaining. Good
thing we did. We were able to enjoy 1978 Pommard 1er
Cru Les Rugiens and 1966
Volnay 1er Cru Les Champans, this latter not only
from my année
de
naissance, but an absolutely fabulous glass of
wine in the peak of condition. A superb source, this.
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| Vintage |
Wine |
Drink dates |
Case size |
Price In Bond |
| 2005 |
Pommard, Joseph Voillot, Burgundy, France
Notes: This is a touch closed at the moment, but there are distinct aromas of very black, wild plums. Pop it in the mouth and one is immediately met by plump, sumptuous fruit. The profile here is parallel, which gives me instant confidence. There are masses of very ripe, chunky tannins and real freshness, the flavours of wild plums so pure and lively. A classic Pommard.
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2012-2017 |
12x75cl |
£180.00 |
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| 2005 |
Volnay 1er Cru Les Champans, Joseph Voillot, Burgundy, France
Notes: This is a stunning pale ruby colour and gives off pretty, floral red and black fruit aromas: pure cherry and berry; quite beautiful. The palate is concentrated, rich and fresh. There's real power and composure here and great finesse. Very long and mineral mouthful. A lively, fine wine.
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2014-2020 |
12x75cl |
£276.00 |
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| 2005 |
Pommard 1er Cru Les Pezerolles, Joseph Voillot, Burgundy, France
Notes: What a cellar in which to examine the difference between Volnay and Pommard, those two neighbouring appellations lying immediately to the south of Beaune and so different in character. Pommard is usually described as the more masculine, more austere in youth; Volnay more elegant, more supple, more of a charmer.
And what a profoundly different wine to that above. The nose here is spicy and black and really concentrated, giving off aromas of sloe and what the French call sous bois: the sort of leaf litter one finds on the forest floor. The palate is rich and mouthcoating, the fruit black cherry and small plum. There are rich, very fine tannins. The profile is parallel. The whole thing's pure, powerful and complete; delicious too! This is fine wine.
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2014-2020 |
12x75cl |
£330.00 |
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Domaine Rebourgeon-Mure,
Pommard
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Daniel Rebourgeon,
snapped during our trip in January 2006
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I am quietly smug about the inclusion of this estate.
I first read about the domaine in The Vine, the
monthly periodical of Clive Coates MW, now defunct
(the periodical, not Clive Coates that is). I visited
a couple of years ago, but the domaine was tied to a
little-known UK importer and all I could extract from
them was a slab of 2003 Bourgogne Rouge and superb it
was too. I was, however, frustrated not to be able to
offer the more senior wines. I found tremendous
quality in the cellars when I visited in
'04…and even more extraordinary stuff when I
tasted there in December. As Clive Coates had
intimated, this is a superb source of truly wonderful
burgundy.
N.B. A visit to Rebourgeon-Mure really opens
one's eyes on several fronts. Firstly, one needn't
always go for the more expensive 1ers and Grands
Crus to find red burgundy of
exceptional quality and secondly, there are producers
of Burgundy not even an ardent devotee wine merchant
has heard of; producers that are quietly producing
stunning bottles. All we have to do is go and find
them!
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| Vintage |
Wine |
Drink dates |
Case size |
Price In Bond |
| 2005 |
Volnay, Rebourgeon-Mure, Burgundy, France
Notes: Floral aromas leap out of the glass and combine with the ripe, nutty, red and black cherry fruit. There are hints of kernels, too. Up front on the palate, the fruit is very rich and supple, almost satin-textured. There are medium, well-integrated tannins and the whole thing boasts this beautiful equilibrium. Very long and elegant wine; juicy and delicious.
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2009-2015 |
12x75cl |
£150.00 |
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| 2005 |
Pommard, Rebourgeon-Mure, Burgundy, France
Notes: The nose here starts with very black, rich aromas of plum, spice and liquorice. This is instantly bigger than the Volnay from the same producer; chunkier and more backward. There are rich, chunky, nutty tannins and great grip to the palate. Black plum fruit dominates, well ripe. Very long wine; very impressive.
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2012-2016 |
12x75cl |
£159.00 |
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| 2005 |
Pommard 1er Cru Clos des Arvelets, Rebourgeon-Mure, Burgundy, France
Notes: This is a touch closed, but just sooooo black, giving up rich, black cherry fruit of great purity. The palate is a rich, black cordial of cherry fruit, very pure, very mineral. There is huge grip here. Long and juicy and very fresh at the end. This has such great intent about it. Cassis and cherry. Very, very long wine.
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2014-2020 |
12x75cl |
£216.00 |
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Domaine Michelot
Mère et Fille, Meursault
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An all-girl operation in Burgundy! That's quite a
rarity. The Fille
is a funky, flirtatious young woman who
produces, with her husband, a fabulous range of pure,
mineral wines. I like the style, both of the wines
and the fille!
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| Vintage |
Wine |
Drink dates |
Case size |
Price In Bond |
| 2005 |
Meursault Tillets, Michelot Mère et Fille, Burgundy, France
Notes: The nose here reminds me somewhat of the white wines at Corton-André i.e. the style is very clean and the voice of the soil is allowed to speak clearly. Tillets is very stony and a lieu dit; in other words not a 1er Cru, but deemed to be of sufficient quality as to deserve identification by name.
Properly mineral, lemon-scented, with notes of lime. The palate is really very rich, very ripe, with notes of spice and a great deal of mineral expression. The mineral themselves are chalky-textured. This is one complete wine; very long and apple and pear flavoured. But above all, it is lemony and fresh.
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2009-2015 |
12x75cl |
£225.00 |
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| 2005 |
Puligny 1er Cru Les Folatières, Michelot Mère et Fille, Burgundy, France
Notes: There's already great complexity on the nose of this wine: a sure sign of its inherent quality. There are glacé aromas of lemon, pear, chamomile and some dried yellow fruits. The palate is utterly sumptuous and rich, a kind of cordial of lime and dried fruits and easy minerals. Beneath the fruit is barely medium acidity leading to real intensity at the end. This is fine wine, without a doubt.
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2010-2017 |
12x75cl |
£330.00 |
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Domaine Guy Amiot, Chassagne
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This domaine has something of a host of importers in
the UK and, unusually, I do not begrudge sharing the
glory! Amiot produces extraordinarily fine wine from
its range of antique vineyards in Chassagne and keeps
prices sensible, for which they deserve great kudos.
The style is easy, seamless and pure. I love visiting
and I love the wines.
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| Vintage |
Wine |
Drink dates |
Case size |
Price In Bond |
| 2005 |
Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Macherelles, Guy Amiot, Burgundy, France
Notes: N.B. The vineyard here was planted 35-40 years ago: not old by Amiot's standards. The wine sees 30% new oak. The soils here are clay.
Ripe lemon notes dominate the nose, aromas that sweep on through to the palate in fresh, ripe lemon flavours. In the mouth, this is quite a meaty wine; really quite powerful. There's a touch of nutty wood and a mineral, really fine finish. Great profile on this lovely.
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2009-2014 |
12x75cl |
£228.00 |
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| 2005 |
Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Vergers, Guy Amiot, Burgundy, France
Notes: N.B. The vineyard here is over 50 years old.
Some oak aromas on this one, plus really piercing lemon fruit. There are intriguing floral notes, too. The palate is very rich and mouthfilling; very cool, with a really chalky mineral character. Very long, with nice grip. In fact, this is stuffed with minerals. Very, very long, to a fine finish.
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2011-2016 |
12x75cl |
£228.00 |
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| 2005 |
Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Caillerets, Guy Amiot, Burgundy, France
Notes: The spécialité de la maison, as it were, the vineyard over 80 years of age and lying right next to the domaine.
The nose here is rich and richly mineral/chalky with aromas of pear and chamomile. The palate is rich and reserved; very cool and controlled…and those chalky minerals! One can just tell that the vine roots have been licking ancient stones way below ground. Pear and apple fruit in subtle combination. And then a full, mineral, chunky finish. Gripping stuff!
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2012-2017 |
12x75cl |
£246.00 |
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