An excellent bottle from the much-missed Philippe Engel. He made extremely good wines and didn't charge the earth for them.

Echezeaux Grand Cru 1999, Domaine Rene Engel
By arse this has a very perfumed nose; it smells a lot. Really stylish exotic fruit, spice and a rich earthiness. This has serious class and serious complexity on the nose, and it is very attractive too. This is a serious bottle of wine, alright. The palate is very refined, with ripe tannins, lovely, lovely exotic fruit and a rich minerality. You cannot help but be compelled by the style and charm this has in abundance. This is drinking very well now, but will easily last another decade. A really top bottle that delivers in so many ways.

This may not be the most grand of the Dujac wines I've been lucky enough to try over the past 15 or so years, but by arse we are finding one hell of a lot pleasure in this. This is a tits offering at a basic level; Alec Seysess' recommendation was spot on.

Chambolle-Musigny 2005, Dujac Fils et Pere
What a lovely nose, plenty of charming fruit and a quite attractive aroma of oak. I suppose this has not seen that much new oak, but that which it has seen has improved it greatly. I think the fruit and style are very Chambolle. I try to avoid buying Burgundy in the UK, but my mood would be lifted if I saw this on a winemerchant's shelf.

I've never really thought that Leitz wine age so well, but this is reasonably attractive. Better when it was just released, though.

Riesling Spatlese Rudesheimer Magdalenenkreuz 2002, Weingut Leitz
The nose is a tad dirty, but there is a reasonable amount of grapefruit fruit present. It smells nice enough, but is lacking dimension. Nice fruit on the palate, but again it is quite one dimensional. It is just about interesting enough to be above sub-interest, but ageing it was a waste of time. Drink them young, boys and girls.

Gentaz-Dervieux was the great old man of the Cote-Rotie. I feel privileged to have had many vintages from the 70s and 80s whilst at Oxford (many thanks to Paul Day who seemed to have an inexhaustible supply of serious vintages), and tasting this brings back all of those happy memories. 1991 is a top Cote-Rotie vintage and with a producer of this caliber one can legitimately expect style, class and vivacity. It does not disappoint.

Cote-Rotie "Cote Brune" 1991, Gentaz-Dervieux
By arse this smells good! Mature, soft fruit, pepper and rich earthiness are very strongly present on the nose which is about as beautiful and elegant as one could possibly ask of Cote-Rotie. Really complex as well. The elegance is assisted by the low relatively low alcohol, this is not one of those over-blown Cote-Roties some people make, but it is a true vision of restrained loveliness. The palate has some Cote Brune manliness to the tannins, but the main impression one gets from this is that it is a subtle, deeply refined wine that sucks you in to enjoy its manifold pleasures. And how I am enjoying them. This is a wonderful wine that is up for drinking now, it is mature yet still lively. I'm smitten.

Lawks, it has been a while since I last popped a bottle and wrote it up. I hope you forgive the hiatus.

Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru les Caillerets 2006, Marc Colin et Fils
The nose has a strong Chassagne flat-Champagne character which is most pleasing. There is some oak on the nose, but it is by no means over-whelming. Nice lemony fruit here as well. It smells really quite satisfying; a fresh, fruity, fun concoction. The palate has a nice depth of flavour, with plenty of lemony fruit and creamy minerality. The acidity is nicely balanced and lively. This is showing really well for such a young wine. OK, I admit it may be lacking a hint of complexity, but it is quite typical and for general drinking you cannot go far wrong with this.

I was looking through my cellar list and was pleased to see that I've got quite a few bottles of Hermitage. I love Hermitage. I recently got a bottle of 2005 Jean-Louis Chave for the partner; I was very pleased to have snaffled it given its 'hen's teeth' status and generally obscene pricing. Given that I have about a case of mid- and late-nineties Chave I thought I'd see by what obscene amounts these cost now. I was surprised that old Chave is generally cheaper than the most recent vintage. For example, the 1997 is now £97 a bottle. The 1996 is £76, the 1995 is £152 and the 1994 is £87. Only the 1995 is more expensive (by a mere nose) and not only is a vintage at least as good as the 2005 but also it has had ten extra years to mature and reach its peak. You can see by my notes these are serious wines, and with the extra maturity it does raise the question of why one should be buying young Chave.

I should add that even at these prices Hermitage, especially Chave, is a special treat for your humble reporter. I have mentioned before that Domaine Du Colombier 2005 is the cost-aware choice for Hermitage from this top vintage. Not quite the fireworks of Chave, I admit, but a serious performer.

I  am drinking this with Peter Palmer, another ex-captain of the Oxford blind tasting team, and what a good time we are having drinking it.

Gevrey-Chambertin  Premier Cru Combe aux Moines "Vieille Vigne" 1999, Domaine Fourrier
Where to start? The fruit, perhaps, which is utterly charming and bursting with character. There is a great earthy richness and a real spark of style to the outfit. As Peter said, "My god, what a nose!", which god is obviously left for us to imagine. The palate is svelte, silky and smooth, with loads of that lovely fruit and a real twist of complexity on the finish. This is at least a freaking double-A wine. I am really enjoying it now, bursting with life and dissolute pleasure.

Lovely wines from Jean Boxler, especially his Rieslings. This is my last report from my holiday; I hope you have found them to be instructive.

Pinot Blanc "A" 2006
This is Boxler's basic Pinot Blanc rather than the one from the Brand Grand Cru. Nice gooseberry fruit with hints of pear. It is rather tasty with spiciness and weight. More than a degree of interest here.

Riesling Grand Cru Sommerberg JV 2006
This is the Sommerberg young vines cuvee. Nice elegant nose of fruit and creaminess. Some density of flavour on the palate, but it is the fruit and complexity that lift this into being a good experience.

Riesling Grand Cru Sommerberg L31E 2006
There is real intensity to the nose with powerful creamy minerality. Smells lovely. Quite dry with real complexity driven by the powerful minerality. Really lovely.

Riesling Grand Cru Sommerberg L31D 2006
A profound nose of rich minerality and great citrus fruit. This is the cat's rude bits. Tastes pretty dry with present acidity and a lot of mineral complexity. Tits++.

Riesling Grand Cru Brand 2006
Ripe, peachy nose. Buxom palate, quite long, but the flavours seem a touch confused and lacking harmony. Nice, but no Cuban to suck on.

Riesling Grand Cru Sommerberg Vendanges Tardives 2004
Real late harvest character of preserved fruit. Has lots of minerality, too. The palate is quite weighty and dense, but the fine acidity coupled with the sophisticated minerality make this seriously top bunny.

Pinot Gris 2006
Good white fruit and spice on the nose. Rich, weighty, spicy palate. This is reasonably complex and quite pleasing.

Muscat Grand Cru Brand 2006
Floral nose, with a hint of mint. Also a hint of drain cleaner which is not so attractive. Bit lean and dirty on the palate. Simple too. No thanks.

Pinot Gris Grand Cru Brand 2006
A subtle, perfumed nose on peach, spice and minerality. The palate has good scale, but the acidity and minerality keep this in great form. Really tasty, I am impressed.

Pinot Gris Grand Cru Sommerberg Vendanges Tardives 2005
An expressive nose of deep character. Great fruit, great minerality. Lovely depth and harmony on the palate. Real class, real style. Kick-arse good.

Pinot Gris Grand Cru Brand Selection des Grains Nobles 2005
Botrytis on the nose which is in perfect harmony with the white fruit and spice of the grape. The palate is perfectly balanced and as far as the finish goes: whoa, steroid boy!

A couple of bottles squeezed in between tastings.

Riesling Grand Cru Altenberg de Bergbieten 2002, Frederic Mochel
A reasonable pleasing nose of fruit which, together with its creaminess, suggest this should be reasonably attractive. The palate, alas, is not so pleasing. It is quite one-dimensional. A passable drink, but don't expect any fireworks.

Gewurztraminer Vendanges Tardives 2002, Andre Kientzler
Lots and lots of botrytis on the nose, very apricot. But is there is Gewurztraminer spice and banana finesse to it. The palate is quite dry, with a powerful, weighty structure. Not much minerality, I have to say, but nice enough.

Riesling de chez Riesling. Pierre Trimbach delivers the good if you like your wines to be dry.

Pinot Blanc 2005
Soft white fruit on the nose and palate with reasonable acidity. A nice enough drink.

Riesling 2006
A pleasing citrus nose, some creaminess. Nice fruit and good acidity on the palate. Should be a nice enough drink now with food.

Riesling Reserve 2006
Pretty, fine aromas. A good creaminess to it. Very pleasing fruit and a nice body. This seems fleshier than this wine usually is; making it, for such a basic wine at least, reasonably tits.

Riesling Cuvee M 2003
From the Mandelberg Grand Cru. Ripe, buxom pineapple fruit that expresses itself very clearly. It is mineral, too. This exists a lot on the palate as well which, along with the good acidity, keeps this lively.

Risling Cuvee Frederic Emile 2002
Nice spiced ripe apple fruit. There is a hint of petrol but it leans more toward ripe citrus. The palate has a concentrated depth of flavour and great acidity. Perfectly harmonious.

Riesling Clos Saint Hune 2003
Really ripe exotic flavours to inhale and enjoy. The palate is a touch fat, with merely passable acidity. It just manages to be nicely balanced and I love its complexity. Yum.

Riesling Cuvee Frederic Emile 2000
Nice limy green fruit, with a lovely mineral tang. The palate has serious stuffing, lots of weight and plenty of acidity. An excellent wine that is completely Trimbach in style.

Riesling Cuvee Frederic Emile 1997
A really complex nose. There is a lot going on there: honey, limes, melon, apple, creaminess. The palate is open and lovely. Great fragrance. Great fun now but with a lot of life ahead.

Riesling Cuvee Frederic Emile 1995
Very mineral nose that has a strange ginger bread character to it, this is not off-putting, though. Real elegance and finesse on the palate with a lovely developed finish. Nice age to drink it.

Riesling Cuvee Frederic Emile 2001 375th anniversary cuvee
An expressive, vivacious nose of compelling ripe fruit and a lot of stony fruit. The palate really draws you in, with lots of ripe fruit and really sophisticated minerality. Great finish.

Riesling Cuvee Frederic Emile 1990
Lovely nose that explodes with petrol action. Real complexity here. It is complex on the palate, too, with refined fruit and great acid. Seriously up for drinking with a lot of pleasure.

Riesling Clos Saint Hune 1983
Super ripe fruit on the nose and real creamy minerality too. This smells utterly wonderful. The palate sings a song of refined beauty which really fuels my passion for this wine.

A top place to visit when you are in the area; he may not always hit the spot, especially with the more minor wines, but when he does there is complexity and style-a-go-go. Morever, there is a great tarte flambee place just around the corner.

Pinot Blanc 2007
Nice, charming fruit. Some creaminess. Very good acidity makes this lively.

Sylvaner Vieille Vigne 2007
Quite fresh and grassy on the nose, but rather understated. Piss boring palate with bugger all fruit and bugger all of anything else, if we are honest.

Cremant d'Alsace
This is more than a bit dirty on the nose. No. No way. The palate is a god-awful melange of really dire flavours that are completely repulsive.

Muscat 2005
Honeysuckle nose with the perfume of freshly-cut grass. Smells reasonably appealing. The palate is very light and it appears as far as drinking this goes the train left the station a couple of years ago.

Riesling 2006
Fresh, light nose of lime fruit. Creamy palate with sharp, bright acidity which make this a lot of fun.

Riesling Grand Cru Florimont 2003
Baked apple on the nose, with a really compelling edge of minerality. The palate is charmingly fat, with a very voluptuous body. It does have enough acidity to keep the balance top bunny, though.

Riesling Grand Cru Pfersigberg 2003
Nice concentration of rich, ripe citrus fruit. It is also quite peachy. Serious complexity on the nose. The palate has a lot of weight and a lot of groovy style. Very good indeed.

Riesling Grand Cru Pfersigberg Vieille Vigne 2003
Serious density and fat. Weight and power on the palate, rather than much in the way of acidity. Impressive, but not so well balanced. This is not fitting in with Sorg's house style.

Riesling Grand Cru Florimont 2005
Now this has a nose: expressive, livid and lively. A lovely froal character to the nose. The palate is bursting with lovely, lovely fruit, with crisp acidity and great body. Classy tits, man.

Riesling Grand Cru Pfersigberg 2004
The nose is a little closed, but the Grand Cru character pokes its head out. The palate has good density, but the lightness given by the strong acid and powerful minerality make this lovely.

Riesling Grand Cru Pfersigberg 2005
A pronouced stone character on the nose, with good lime fruit. This has a pleasing harmony between dense favours and elegant acidity. This is a pretty lush bottle.

Pinot Gris 2007
Lychee, rambutan and peaches on the nose. Smells lovely. The palate is quite lively, but there is a good desnity to it. This is really good for a basic Pinot Gris.

Pinot Gris Vieille Vigne 2005
Toasted sesame seed on the nose that bursts with white fruit. Lots of depth here. The palate has plenty of fruity charm and a very pleasing old vines depth of concentration. Lovely++

Pinot Gris Grand Cru Florimont 2005
Ha ha! This smells lovely. Peachy, grapey  fruit that expresses itself in a complex whole. It has a tad of residual sugar, but that is no problem. We are talking top balance with great acidity and creamy minerality.

Pinot Gris Grand Cru Pfersigberg 2005
Lovely nose that is pretty complex. The palate has density of character and a fleshy finish of sweet fruit. This is another deeply pleasing wine.

Gewurztraminer 2006
Liquorice, banana, spice are all present on the nose. Smells quite pleasing for a basic wine. The palate, however, is less of a hit; thin and light with not much of the body you'd expect from a Gewurztraminer.

Gewurztraminer Vieille Vigne 2005
An intense nose of banana action. The palate has better concentration than the last wine, but it is still a bit simple.

Gewurztraminer Grand Cru Pfersigberg 2006
Nice lychee fruit on the nose that suggests you are up for a louche time when you plunge in. The palate has lots of spiciness and lovely fruit that really persists on the finish. Undeniable complexity here. Lovely stuff.

Gewurztraminer Vendange Tardive 2005
An incredibly expressive nose, wonderful, wonderful fruit with some pronounced botrytis character. Bags of style to the nose. The palate bursts with fruit and minerality, with a perfectly balanced sweetness, Great elegance and class, too. Yeah!

Excellent wines from Cyprien, a serious address in Morey.

Morey Saint Denis 2007
Lovely Morey fruit on the nose. A fresh, easy palate of nice fruit with good tannins.

Gevrey-Chambertin 2007
Nice refinement of fruit. Good elegance. Not bad at all but missing a touch of depth.

Chambolle-Musigny 2007
Lots of good cherry and strawberry fruit. Reasonably complex, too. Nice tannic structure.

Morey Saint Denis Premier Cru aux Cheseaux 2007
Very good fruit with a pleasing earthiness. Smells lovely. The palate has good fruit and nice tannins. Quite tasty.

Morey Saint Denis Premier Cru Millandes 2007
Brooding and dark on the nose, with lots of fruit and a creamy earthiness. The palate has a degree of power which is quite pleasing.

Clos de la Roche Grand Cru 2007
This nose is talking to me and telling me how good a time I am going to have. Great complexity on the palate. Perhaps lacking a touch of body, but this is basically a very pleasing wine.

Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru 2007
Ripe. floral, perfumed nose. It is really charming, as is the palate which has quite sexy tannins. Jolly good effort.

Clos Saint Denis Grand Cru 2007
A beautiful nose that is scented with fruit and flowers with a great earthy character. The palate is a relative fruit bomb with real style. This is a top Clos Saint Denis.

Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru 2007
A nice, dense, complex nose. The palate is... well... that is out where the big dogs eat! Wehay!

I had a bottle yesterday whilst in Andrew Edmunds with Peter Sidebotham of Hand Picked Burgundy. It is excellent to see such good wine priced so reasonably.

Clos des Lambrays Grand Cru 2002, Domaine des Lambrays
A lovely scented nose of ripe Pinot fruit, that welcomes you into the good times it has on offer. Some earthiness there as well, but this is largely expressing itself in terms of its ravishing fruit. The palate has a good tannic structure and loads more of that lovely fruit. It seems reasonably complex to me. I was enjoying this so much Peter asked if I had changed my mind about this being less good than the 2001, of which I am a big fan. Both are excellent wines, but I feel the 2001 has a shade more elegance and a smidgen more of a sense of place.

Domaine des Lambrays are finding it easier to sell all of their wine these days. Good for them, they make delicious wine. I must try and charm the winemaker, Thierry Brouin, into giving me an allocation.

Puligny-Montrachet Premier Cru les Folatieres 2007
Lovely, lovely fruit and minerality. There is something floral about it, too. Real depth of flavour on the palate but it remains light and stylish.

Puligny-Montrachet Premier Cru Clos du Cailleret 2007
Large scale nose but it has a degree of elegance that really pleases. Dense and weighty but with lovely, lovely minerality. Class, old stick, class.

Morey Saint Denis 2007
A charm-ridden fruit bomb. Lovely tannins. Quite classy.

Clos des Lambrays Grand Cru 2007
This seems a bit closed, but there is a great depth to the nose. The palate has good balance between fruit, tannins and acidity. Very complex. Perhaps not a long life ahead of it but it will provide a lot of pleasure.

Clos des Lambrays Grand Cru 2006
Nice ripe fruit on the nose which really titillates. Lovely ripe tannins that frame the fruit very nicely. This is quite delicious.

Clos des Lambrays Grand Cru 1999
A very young, closed nose, but you can smell the lovely fruit and stunning complexity. The palate has fruit, spice and lovely tannin. Serious, serious kit.

Clos des Lambrays Grand Cru 1993
An earthy, meaty character to it. It has quite a lot of power. The palate is really powerful too, with good minerality there as well. This is really rather good.

Some good and some truly shocking wines.

La Bota de Manzanilla, Equipo Navazos
Really powerfully nutty on the nose. It has a good minerality to it as well. The palate is light and refined with good acidity to balance its depth of flavour.

Champagne La Grande Dame 1996, Verve Cliquot
Quite fruity and biscuitty on the nose. Smells quite lively and fresh. Very nice mousse with a good lemony fruit. Reasonably complex. A surprisingly good bottle of La Grande Dame that suggests it has more fireworks in reserve for the future.

Riesling Spatlese Monzinger Fruhlingsplatzchen 2006, Emrich-Schonleber
A nice nose of Bergamont with a creamy minerality. The palate is light with reasonable acidity and some fruit; not too much there in the way of minerality or complexity. A perfectly good drink, but there is better German Riesling out there.

Grand Vin De Altenberg 1999, Domaine Marcel Deiss
A horrible, horrible melange of incompatible aromas that leave you in a state of abject horror. The flavours on the palate repel and insult me; vastly unbalanced, unharmonious, offensive crap. I feel he made this wine just to offend enlightened people. I'm personally offended.

Riesling Grand Cru Altenberg de Bergheim 1999, Domaine Marcel Deiss
This isn't that much better. I suppose it has clearer fruit and a more distinct minerality, but not much of a personality. The palate is heavy and ponderous; it slogs rather than dances. Piss boring.

Pinot Noir "Kiser En Haut" 2006, Copain
Quite ripe, spicy and chocolaty on the nose. Bit one dimensional. The palate has lots of fruit but not much else. Nice but a bit dull.