Burgundy for heroes!

Gevrey-Chambertin "Mes Favorites Vieilles Vignes" 2005, Domaine Alain Burguet
A lovely, expressive nose of ripe black cherry fruit, smells divine. No distracting wood, this is pure fruit and Gevrey class. The palate has big tannins, and quite high acidity, but lovely fruit and real style. It is very long. This is a glass of class, manly class for sure, but class.

Heavy petrol action here.

Riesling Spatlese Brauneberger Juffer-Sonnenuhr 1999, Fritz Haag
Lots of petrol on the nose, also one hell of a lot of lemon/citrus fruit. This is lovely, but the addition of the slatey minerality makes this wine very satisfying on the nose. Cripes the palate is delicious. The intellectual tension between the acidity, fruity sweetness and minerality is freaking thrilling, man. Seriously complex, incredibly long, oozing charm and personality, this is a top bunny wine double-plus.

The wine is delicious, though. My first taste of one of the Chavy son's wines after Gerard died a few years ago.

Puligny-Montrachet Premier Cru les Pucelles 2005, Domaine Alain Chavy
A detailed, intense nose of stone and fruit. It smells a tad green. There is refreshingly little oak there, but what oak character there is is a tad smoky. This smells a precise wine, of distinct flavours and undoubted youth. The palate has density and real concentration of flavours with lovely ripe lemon fruit. It has great minerality which really persists on the finish which is pleasingly, but not incredibly, long. The one problem with this otherwise beautiful wine is that it is a bit acidic. This is not too much of a problem, though, as the overall impression of the wine is that it is most satisfying with enough of a personality to make this in possession of that laudable property, namely being interesting and thought-provoking. I feel this is frighteningly young, and will be much better in five to ten years time.

It is true. I like some of the Chardonnays and Semillons, but Riesling is where it is at and Grosset is the address to go to in Australia.

Riesling "Polish Hill" 2006, Grosset
A very pure, direct nose of lime fruit, with a rich gravelly undercurrent. This smells like it'll hurt my stomach, but pain can be good. It is a stellar bundle of intensity on the nose. Yes, the palate is very acidic, but the fruit is lovely as is its minerality. This is really shows quite a lot of complex for such a tightly-wound ball of brilliance. Ouch... ow... ow... it does hurt my stomach a lot, but I will be drinking more of this because this is a bottle of really top bunny Riesling. I bet it'll age a treat as well. A bargain at a shade under fifteen sheets.

This wine has had a lot of skin contact. Very different to the Fevre les Clos 05 I had in December.

Chablis Grand Cru les Clos 2005, J-P & B Droin
This smells very fresh and green, but with a good depth of lemony fruit and a pleasing play-dough minerality. There is the merest hint of oakiness, but that is just fine. The palate has density, but is really very acidic. There is also more than a hint of astrigency there, which is a bit odd. There is more than a degree of confusion about the palate, the flavours don't quite seem to work terribly well together. It is not bad, but the Fevre was a lot better.

Much is talked about premature oxidation of white Burgundy, this doesn't suffer from that in the slightest.

Puligny-Montrachet Premier Cru Clos de la Mouchere 2001, Jean Boillot
A lovely, nutty, buttery nose with nice ripe lemon fruit and a good mineral tang. This smells fresh and lovely, pretty god-damned complex too. The nose is a sleek charmer of pronounced beauty. The palate is very fresh, with concentrated flavours, good acidity, nice fruit and a really satisfying mineral character on the finish. It has weight and density as well, but these don't detract from its racy excitement. The finish is just great, nice and long with really detailed flavours of fruit and minerality. This could easily age for longer, but is quite a bundle full of joy now. Excellent stuff.

I do love Bandol. 1997 wasn't a great vintage but I enjoyed this last time I had it and I am enjoying this now.

Bandol Cuvee Speciale la Tourtine 1997, Domaine Tempier
A lovely nose of soft fruit, grilled meat and a bit of arsehole character. This is very perfumed and has a very pleasing aroma. Nice earthy complexity there, too. This smells properly mature and up for drinking, good. The palate is quite soft, too, with good, mature fruit, a nice yielding tannic structure and satisfying earthiness. This is really quite complex, and has very good length. Perfectly mature and enjoyable. A top bottle of Bandol that restores my faith in the wonders of old Domaine Tempier.

Now I am going to be rude and turn my attention from the neighbours in order to write a quick note on this wine. It has been sitting in my cellar for just over three years as I thought, when I tried it on release, that it was interesting enough to do the experiment.

Champagne Cuvee 728, Jacquesson
Very mushroomy and biscuitty on the nose, some reasonable complexity of aromas here. Nice mousse, reasonably refined, with good flavours of toastiness and buttery fruit. Quite what buttery fruit is I don't know, but that is what it tastes like. Good length, good style too. This has not only lasted for three years but has improved. Top NV fizz!

I've just decanted the magnum of red we'll be drinking with the neighbours tonight, seems better to write a tasting note now rather than be rude when they are around and bury my nose in a computer for a few minutes.

Bandol 2000, Domaine Gros Nore en magnum
A meaty, herbal nose, like some kind of stew enriched with prunes. No arsehole character at all, but it still has a degree of complexity and a nice earthiness. I love the scented, perfumed character of the nose, it is very fragrant. The palate has a very impressive tannic structure, some mature fruit, and more of the meaty herbal character. Fruit persists on the finish, but it is not terribly long. It has a degree of style and some charm for what is a bit of a tannic beast. This is pretty good, if not great, Bandol; much better than the 2001 I had eighteen months ago.

There is a bit more to this than simply oak, but not that much more.

Chardonnay Santa Rita Hills "Sanford and Benedict Vineyard" 2004, Au Bon Climat
The nose is hellishly oaky, with hints of off milk, which isn't terribly attractive. The ripe lemon fruit is nice, though. A lot of toasty, vanilla oak on the palate, with reasonable acidity and just hints of fruit showing past the wood. This is quite a simple wine, and it doesn't have much in the way of a finish. Vinous wallpaper.

I am sure everyone who wants to know already knows this, but Oxford won this year's blind tasting competition against Cambridge. Cheers, cheers Oxford! Moreover, an Oxford chap (Piers Barclay) won the mag of Winston 96 for getting the highest individual score. I am sure there will be wonderful pictures in next month's Decanter. Pol are great sponsors of the competition, long may their generosity continue.

This smells really lovely, an excellent vintage from this excellent producer.

Crozes-Hermitage "La Guiraude" 2005, Alain Graillot
What a nose! Luxurious ripe fruit, real earthy complexity and flashes of Crozes cheap cologne. This is a totally attractive and utterly lovely nose, and this is 'mere' Crozes, triple-tmesis-A. The palate has really nice fruit, a lovely spicy/pepper character and a refined tannic structure. It has a nice Croze-y greenness on the finish, which is really satisfying. This might be ripe, but it is perfectly balanced and very refined. And very, very stylish. Alain Graillot is a cool geezer, alright.

Recommendations are a day early this month as tomorrow I am off to l'Arnsbourg. This will be my third trip and the previous two have both been freaking amazing. It is a great restaurant.

Pommard Premier Cru Grand Clos des Epenots 2005, Domaine de Courcel: Wonderful Pommard that is a bit less heroic than the 2003 I tried recently. Excellent balance and real refinement. £41.50 from Lea and Sandeman.

2003 by Bollinger: Champagne for heros! Well, I like it. £38.30 from Berry Brothers and Rudd.

Riesling Spatlese Brauneberger-Juffer Sonnenuhr 1999, Fritz Haag: A bottle of this was popped last night, but too close to bedtime for me to have the energy to write it up. Lovely fruit, great minerality and screaming acidity all inter-twined in a beautiful whole. £13.07 from Justerini and Brooks.

The Fergus 2005, Tim Adams: I had a bottle of this a few nights ago. I admit it is reasonably heroic, but it has a lovely balance between fruit and tannin. For a Grenache dominated wine it ages very well; I've had ten year old Fergus which has been most enjoyable. £9.49 from Tesco.

Semillon 2006, Tim Adams: Yes, I have a bit of a thing for Tim Adams' wines, one of my favourite Australian producers; he sold me wine when I was under-age which marks him out as a top chap. This is a lively, reasonably oaky Semillon with a degree of complexity that makes it most pleasing. It'll hang around for a few years, too. £8.54 from Tesco.

A couple of friends came around last night to drink some wine and watch the rugby. I was really amazed we managed to over-come the evil French. Not that it was a terribly convincing performance...

2003 by Bollinger
A very ripe, fruity nose with plenty of density and Bollinger cold cocoa. The nose does smell really rather ripe and more than a little heroic. The palate had great depth of flavour, weight, plenty of fruit and real style. This was a big, corpulent Champagne, but not lacking class. It was suggested this would be a good Champagne to have with food.

Riesling Grand Cru Schlossberg "Cuvee St. Catherine" 2004, Domaine Weinbach
A lovely, charming nose of ripe citrus fruit, baked apples, minerality and, let us be honest, quite high alcohol levels. Even though it was reasonably boozy it seemed quite complex and stylish. The palate had good fruit, reasonable acid, plenty of minerality and a nice, long finish. It was terribly young, but bursting with life and energy.

Richebourg Grand Cru 1972, Domaine de la Romanee-Conti
The nose had plenty of soft, mature fruit, earth and a slightly savoury character which was vaguely reminiscent of celery salt. Incredibly complex, stylish and simply oozing class from every pore. The palate had soft tannins, a good earthy character and plenty of fruit. It also displayed the celery salt savoury character, but this was quite pleasing in this wine. It was very long and very complex. A really lovely bottle of properly mature Burgundy, top bunny!

Pommard Premier Cru les Rugiens 2003, Domaine de Courcel
A huge nose of luxuriant, sun-ripened fruit and earth with the merest seasoning of oak. There is booze there, too. A fighting wine, to be sure, but not lacking in class or style. The palate is a monster, with loads of fruit, big tannins and a very long, if slightly warm, finish, but it is really sexy, svelte and smooth. Great earthy complexity is also present. This is a bottle of undoubtedly heroic, but really classy Burgundy.

Cornas 1999, Noel Verset
Lovely fruit on the nose, a hint of stemminess too. This smells really complex and refined. I was served it blind and I thought it was Chave Hermitage. The palate was very silky and refined, with good tannins and nice, ripe fruit. Very long, with only hints of rusticity. This was a proper bottle of Cornas, alright.

Cornas 1999, Clape
Ripe and bold on the nose, with nice, refined fruit. Very classy, very complex. The palate had good tannins, worthy of Cornas but very ripe and silky. Plenty of fruit there, too. Very long, with a great earthy complexity on the finish. This was a really great bottle of Cornas, which I preferred to the Verset, but everyone else preferred that. Top kit, worthy of many more years in the cellar, even though it provided a lot of pleasure now.

I hosted a small wine tasting for the neighbours last night. My aim was to demonstrate how easy blind tasting is, and I was pleased that everybody got everything right. OK, I provided a little prompting, but not everyone has my epic experience of wine.

Chavignol "Les Culs de Beaujeu" 2004, Francois Cotat
Very mineral on the nose, with a hint of dirtiness; does he ferment in old barrels? Fresh grassiness, too. The palate was very light with good minerality and high acidity which hurt my poor, knackered stomach a bit, ouch! It was reasonably long and the minerality provided a pleasing degree of complexity. I think this would age reasonably well and make an interesting middle-aged wine. Sauvignon Blanc for ageing, who'd have thought it?

Riesling "Clos Hauserer" 2004, Domaine Zind-Humbrecht
This was also very mineral on the nose, and displayed some characters of slightly oxidative wine-making. Good baked-apple and some citrus fruit. Sweet with alcohol, but not up to the normally excessive standards of Z-H. The palate was rich with ripe fruit, had some alcohol warmth on the finish and was reasonably long. Not amazingly complex, though. It was pretty dry, but there was obviously a bit of sugar knocking about in it. A reasonable wine, but nothing spectacular.

Pinot Noir "Stermer Vineyard" 2003, Lemelson
A hot, heady nose of alcohol and ripe fruit, which was moving slightly into jamminess. There was plenty of oak present, but in a wine of this scale it didn't seem unbalanced. The palate had moderate tannin, some acidity and plenty of fruit, a veritable fruit-bomb, indeed. The general impression I got of it was of a big, smooth mouthful of fruit and alcohol. It was quite nice, but not for ageing.

Corton-Bressandes Grand Cru 2002, Domaine Chandon de Briailles
Very pale colour. A nose bursting with fresh strawberry fruit and minerality. It smelled lovely, but the palate was missing this loveliness. It had fruit and one hell of a lot of minerality, but lacked charm. The minerality was quite like white Corton and, whilst I like minerality, it dominated the palate and made it quite hard; the high acidity levels didn't help with the overall impression of toughness. Maybe this would age into something nicer, but I suspect it would always be a linear and direct wine, strong on acidity and minerality but lacking a bit of fat and charm that it would really need to give it the dimension to make it a great wine. It was also quite short, which is not a good sign for a supposedly fine wine.

If I may digress momentarily into a general rant about red Corton: I feel they are always marked by strong minerality, acid and often tough tannins. They may have complexity, but I want more than that from Burgundy, I want to be charmed. Even the venerable bottles of great vintages I have tried are generally a bit angular, spiky and lacking essential niceness. Intellectual pleasures are all very well and good, but Pinot is a lovely grape and making wines stripped of that loveliness seems to miss the point. If I want hard red wines (and I usually don't) I'll drink Claret, but making Pinot into a mineral, rapier-like weapon of austerity seems just plain bonkers to me. I love Burgundy, but I might not be buying that much Corton in the future.