Red Burgundy

Vintages:
1982 -	An enormous vintage, resulting in many dilute wines, which haven't aged well. Not a vintage to look out for.
1983 -	A vintage I emphatically do look out for - but only in the Côte de Beaune. There were all sorts of problems in the Côte de Nuits, including rot and hail. There probably are some good bottles about, but I'm not sure it's worth the risk. On the Côte de Beaune, however, there was a healthy crop of ripe, thick-skinned grapes. The wines have weight, structure, fruit and great charm.
1984 -	Not popular, but reputable domaines made good wines.
1985 -	Very popular, producing delicious wines the length of Burgundy.
1986 -	Uneven. Avoid the Côte de Beaune, where even reputable domaines made some peculiar tasting wines. Better on the Côte de Nuits.
1987 -	Perfectly satisfactory, although commentators have been rude about it - and conveniently well priced.
1988 -	This was a very slow maturing vintage, but just about all wines have now come round.
1989 -	Exceptionally hot, ripe vintage. The wines are maturing faster than both the 88s and the 90s.
1990 -	Brilliant, a great year. Another hot, ripe vintage, but with better structure than the 89s (viz. not only fruit and tannin, but also acidity).
1991 -	Good - all the wines I have tasted from this vintage have been fine.
1992 -	Lighter - a bit like 1987: early maturing but perfectly satisfactory.
1993 -	Terrific. The more I taste, the more I like this vintage. Lovely fruit supported by a firmness that gives the wines a wonderful texture.
1994 -	Be careful with this vintage: many one-dimensional, dilute wines were made, especially among the more lowly appellations on the Côte de Nuits. As always, there are exceptions. Better on the Côte de Beaune, with Savigny-les-Beaune doing particularly well.
1995 -	An excellent vintage. The tannins are beginning to soften, and the wines are turning out fine.
1996 -	My first impression was that this is a great vintage, for both reds and whites, which both display exceptional balance, with really beautiful, clearly defined fruit. My view hasn't changed, but some reds are going through a closed stage and need keeping before they open up again.
1997 -	Patchy. The best are brilliant, but the weather was hot at harvest time, causing problems in some growers' cellars. The whites seem to me to be uniformly delicious - a vintage for drinkers rather than commentators, who have criticised it for lack of acidity, structure, etc.
1998 -	The weather during the growing season was challenging, but the wines from the growers we deal with have turned out surprisingly well.
1999 -	Outstanding vintage. Despite a very large harvest, the wines are delicious across the board.
2000 -	A perfectly good, but early maturing vintage.
2001 -	The weather was very difficult. There was rain at harvest time, and there was rot, which attacks the colouring matter in wines, resulting in some very light colours indeed in some cases. As a generalisation, the further south you go in the Côte d'Or (and beyond) the more tricky the vintage. Uneven for whites.
2002 -	Lovely vintage (for both reds and whites) - exceptional ripeness with good balance.
2003 -	Many growers seemed worried about this vintage on my visit to France in 2004 - there was talk of baked flavours, of raisins and prunes in the wines, and anxiety over volatile acidity. Personally, I was impressed by the wines, which seemed to me to have not only excellent colour, but good, ripe structure as well.
2004 -	Mixed vintage - with some rather weedy examples about, but also some really excellent wines were made, with impressive colour and vivid, fresh flavours.
2005 -	Great vintage: benign weather conditions allowed a crop of healthy, perfectly ripe gapes to be harvested; both reds and whites are showing wonderful balance.
2006 -	Very attractive vintage of early-maturing wines. Most wines up to and including village level are drinking very well now, and some Premier Crus as well. Low tannins, lighter colour than 2005 (not surprisingly!), but lovely fresh fruit. Similar in character to 2000, but better quality.
2007 -	Difficult year, with a damp summer causing a lot of rot. Small quantities of very early-maturing wines, earlier than 2006. As always, it depends on the grower - for example, the Domaine Gachot-Monot used tables de trie for the first time, and has made some very appetising wines.
2008 -	Very promising - good colour, and lovely flavour in the wines I have tasted, combined with a firmness that bodes well for the future.
2009 -	Of course it is too early to say, but the growing season, and harvest, went swimmingly, and there are a lot of rather excited Burgundians about, some saying that it's better than 2005.

BOURGOGNE Pinot Noir 2007 Domaine Gachot-Monot This is made from 100% Pinot Noir, and is a fresh, easy drinking, delicious example of a grower's generic red burgundy.				£9.20
BOURGOGNE Pinot Noir 2009 Domaine Denis Pommier This is delicious Pinot Noir at a bargain price.				£9.95
CLOS TOULMIN Pinot Noir 2006 AC Bourgogne Ordinaire Fresh, lively, drinking well now..				£11.50
AUXEY-DURESSES 2003 Domaine Christophe Mary Christophe Mary makes very pale reds. So even in a hot vintage such as 2003, this wine does not have a lot of colour - but it does have plenty of ripe, sunny flavour.				£11.85
BOURGOGNE ÉPINEUIL 2009 Domaine Leger Bouncy, forward, easy-drinking vintage for this wine.				£11.95
BOURGOGNE HAUTES-CÔTES-DE-NUITS "Les Renardes" 2008 Domaine Thevenot-Le Brun I have bought this wine in this vintage, instead of the "Clos du Vignon" (which I usually buy), because it tasted richer, more concentrated and more interesting - on retasting here in Britain it does not disappoint - an outstanding vintage, with real vitality and energy.				£12.50
CÔTE DE NUITS VILLAGES 2007 Domaine Gachot-Monot In 2007 Damien Gachot bought a sorting table - which was a bit of luck, because there was a lot of rot in 2007. So this wine is bright, fresh, clean and healthy, with real energy and bounciness. Gold medal winner in Paris this year (deservedly!).				£12.95
AUXEY-DURESSES 2004 Domaine Jean-Pierre Diconne Quite pale, with a lovely fresh smell. Flavour of what the French call "petits fruits rouges", and nice persistent finish.				£12.95
MARANGES 2006 Domaine Claude Nouveau Delicious fresh, soft, lively fruit - flavours of cherries and strawberries.				£14.45
CÔTE DE NUITS VILLAGES "Les Chaillots" 2007 Domaine Gachot-Monot 2007 was rather a light vintage, but this has freshness, energy and lots of charm. Excellent with white meats such as chicken and turkey - and also pork.				£14.85
CÔTE DE NUITS VILLAGES "Les Chaillots" 2001 Domaine Gachot-Monot Still crisp and fresh, but also displaying flavours of leather, game and truffles, this is delicious, mature red burgundy - excellent with almost any food, but would go particularly well with pheasant, coq au vin, roast lamb or a juicy piece of steak.				£14.85
SANTENAY "Les Charmes Dessus" 2005 Domaine Claude Nouveau Another 2005 that I have kept back because it was tasting horrible. Like the St. Aubin above, it has come out of its rebarbative shell to reveal its true character: fresh, with lots of cherry fruit, and a touch of truffles.				£14.95
SAINT ROMAIN "Sous le Château" 2006 Domaine Pascal Prunier Light, spicy, ready for drinking. Excellent. 2005 also available				£14.95
BOURGOGNE HAUTES CÔTES DE NUITS "Clos des Dames Huguettes" 2007 Domaine Philippe Gavignet This is a reliably wonderful, reasonably priced burgundy that I have been buying for over ten years now - it also ages well. This vintage is light but lively, showing some flavours of truffles and autumn leaves as well as fresh cherry fruit.. Recommended.				£15.50
MARANGES 1er Cru La Fussière 2008 Domaine Claude Nouveau A brilliant success in this vintage, with bright fruit and a really lovely texture.				£16.50
SANTENAY 1er Cru Grand Clos Rousseau 2007 Domaine Claude Nouveau Lighter vintage, now maturing, displaying scents and flavours of truffle and undergrowth, in addition to fresh primary red cherry fruit.				£16.85
MONTHÉLIE 2006 Domaine Pascal Prunier A lighter vintage, but with delicious fresh red cherry fruit. 2005 also available				£16.95
MONTHÉLIE 1er Cru "Sur la Velle" 2005 Domaine Bruno Fèvre Bright, fresh cherry flavour, with a touch of pepper and spice, this is still firm on first opening and definitely benefits from decanting a few hours before drinking.				£18.45
SAVIGNY LES BEAUNE 1er Cru Les Hauts Jarrons 2009 Domaine Louis Chenu Père et Filles This estate is now run by the two daughters of Louis Chenu. The style of this wine is absolutely Savigny, with delicious, faintly peppery, cherry-ish flavour.				£18.50
GEVREY-CHAMBERTIN 2007 Domaine Alain Voegeli Exemplary earthy/spicy Gevrey-Chambertin.				£19.50
VOLNAY 1er Cru Les Mitans 2005 Domaine Bruno Fèvre For labelling purposes, this vineyard has changed name - it used to be known as "En l'Ormeau", but was so rarely seen that it has been subsumed under the name of the more famous "Mitans". Perfumed nose, delicious flavour: spice, cherries.				£22.50
NUITS SAINT GEORGES 2009 Domaine Philippe Gavignet 2009 is a vintage that suits Philippe Gavignet's style of winemaking - he personally thinks he made better wine in 2009 than in 2005. At the moment this wine is showing considerable oak influence, but also absolutely lashings of fruit. It is nevertheless delicious to drink now, and will quieten down over time.				£23.50
NUITS SAINT GEORGES "Aux Crots" 2006 Domaine Gachot-Monot Very pretty fruit, drinking nicely now.				£26.00
NUITS SAINT GEORGES 1er Cru "Les Poulettes" 2006 Domaine Gachot-Monot Vivid fresh fruit, but should be kept for a few years yet.				£29.95
CHAMBOLLE-MUSIGNY 2007 Juliette Chenu The second vintage of this lovely wine that I have bought. A bit lighter than the 2006 (reflecting the vintage), with beautiful delicate Chambolle scent, a touch of oak, and a hint of pepperiness.				£27.50
CLOS DE VOUGEOT 2000 Domaine Jean Raphet "Light colour, but dark hue. Deep, dense smell - plums, vanilla - rich - fascinating. Delicious, full, mouthfilling flavour, with terrific persistence. Silky texture, just a spot of tannin - and that finish ....!!!" This is my tasting note taken at the domaine in January 2007.				£46.95

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Red Burgundy

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