Burgundy 2018 – G

Bottled, in a screwcapped bottle.
Cool and fresh on the nose. Very nicely put together and already a pleasure to drink. The screwcap is presumably preserving its undoubted qualities. The only drawback is the price. Quite long. (JR)

Bottled. Not a particularly expressive nose. But cleanly cut on the palate. Even if not that long. (JR)

Again, rather a dumb nose and then chiselling on the palate more than any fruity substance. It will probably do the biz eventually, but at a price. (JR)

Light nose. Some richness and then acidity but they are not integrated yet. Slightly hot end. Wait? (JR)

Cask sample. Much paler than Bachelet-Monnot’s. Medium weight and quite moderate in its impact. A little severe and hollow and drying on the end with a hint of oak. (JR)

Cask sample. Big, bold and a bit brutal in construction. Tannins are a bit too obvious at the moment but perhaps it will all settle down? (JR)

In Vosne. Vinified without SO2, like all his whites. Crushed then vertical press. Brown juice, into barrel, no settling. Topped, no stirring, no SO2 until bottling. 60–65 mg/l total and 20–25 mg/l free. Makes the wines more direct in the mouth without SO2 until bottling but he says ‘it is not a religion’ with him. Old barrels only.
Intense lime and ripe citrus. Deep and rich in the mouth, full bodied and generous but fresh. A powerful and direct, long wine. Oily/mineral, chewy. Lightly spicy finish. (JH)

Bought grapes this year mainly from Puligny.
Intense, deeply herbal nose. Spicy, full in the mouth, intense and intensely fresh at the same time. Depth, length and freshness. There’s power but no fat or excess weight. Terrific Aligoté with good ageing potential. (JH)

Granite soils in Bissey-sous-Cruchaud – from a friend. At a big Aligoté tasting at the BIVB, Jérôme found that Aligoté did not vary that much between Chablis and Mâcon and the biggest differences were in the soil, with Aligoté on granite particularly distinctive, which is why he wanted to make this.
Pale greeny gold. Amazing richness on the nose, deep in citrus and green fruits with herbs and spices and a creamy mealy note without being at all oaky. On the palate, mouth-watering and rich in those herby green fruits. Such depth on the palate but allied to great freshness. Impressive length, with a mineral savour at the end in the spice notes. Lots of tension. The contrast between spice and freshness more marked than in his Bouzeron. (JH)

Aligoté. Bought grapes from Xavier Moissonet (former magistrate who met Aubert de Villaine and bought a domaine on de Villaine’s recommendation), a friend in the Aligoteurs group. Organic, certified 2019, and working towards biodynamic. Vines 60 years old. Clay limestone.
More brightness and lightness of citrus here compared with Le Cran. There’s spice at the core but less dense than in the Le Cran. Slightly sour finish. Softer and more rounded on the palate but no lack of precision or freshness. Gentle but fresh, creamy rather than spicy. Less mineral, more fruity. But with air those stony spice notes come back to a more stony minerality. Juicy and mouth-watering. (JH)

Replanted 2016 and this is the first vintage. 400 bottles. Mass selection from Roulot and his own vines in Marsannay.
Lovely creamy nose with a hint of orange. Ripe fruited, generous and fresh. Quite a bit of oak spice, it seems, but only old oak. Lightly chewy texture adds length. (JH)

One year in barrel. Remontage at the start of fermentation and pigeage when the ferment has warmed up. Tank sample. To be bottled mid December 2019.
Both savoury and scented with fruit at the same time. Spice and fine tannins are entwined. Fresh but not jumping out of the glass. Gentle, supple and fresh. (JH)

Four parcels in Brochon – the oldest planted before 1960 and the youngest in the 1980s, more clay and rich soils. ‘Fixin-like’ soils. One year in barrel. Remontage at the start of fermentation and pigeage when the ferment has warmed up. Tank sample. To be bottled mid December 2019.
Sweet red fruits on the nose, inviting, seductive yet tangy too. Quite light on the mid palate, super-smooth. with a dark-chocolate-like clean finish. Really refined and surprisingly long for such delicacy. (JH)

In Comblanchien and right next to Clos de la Maréchale. Plenty of clay and deep soil. Vines planted 1925 and 1932 but having to replace some vines each year (using mass selection). 30% whole bunch. One year in barrel. Tank sample.
Pretty aroma. Even with the pretty dark and peppery floral character there’s depth and length on the palate, extremely fine-grained tannins, structured, but you almost miss the framework because the tannins are so refined. Succulent and pure, benchmark burgundy finesse. Succulent at the heart even though it is shaped by those compact tannins. (JH)

Next to Les Echezots, coldest lieu-dit in Marsannay. Picked a week later than Gevrey. One year in barrel. Remontage at the start of fermentation and pigeage when the ferment has warmed up. Tank sample. To be bottled mid December 2019.
Fragrant with dusty raspberry fruit. Attractive stony freshness. A touch of wood on the palate (one new barrel out of seven) but it will go. Silky fine tannins, so fresh. Quite delicate and cool. (JH)

This vineyard, which does not have much clay, provides the cuttings for all his mass-selection Pinot though he is also working on a selection from Comblanchien, possibly ‘Pinto Magnien’ (also used by Rousseau and Trapet). One year in barrel. Remontage at the start of fermentation and pigeage when the ferment has warmed up.
Riper and sweeter than La Justice. Darker fruited, elegant, refined and has a smoky touch. The tannins are super-fine and a little chalky. Refinement, elegance. A real beauty with notable persistence. (JH)

Lower down in a little valley (combe), stony, sandy clay-limestone. Vines aged 60 years. Plant material that seems to produce fruit with a strong aroma. Tank sample. To be bottled mid December 2019.
Prettily scented, peony not strawberry. Lithe and very, very delicate tannins, almost paper-like, open and yet long. A really delicate Gevrey. (JH)

Planted 1982 on very sandy soil. 30% whole bunch. One year in barrel. Tank sample.
Deepish cherry red. Much more peppery on the nose than Les Retraits. Fragrant and scented. Slight stemmy herbal freshness, darker on the palate, floral too but with peonies not perfumed roses. Dark and delicate. Powder-fine yet definite structure. Chalky and firm. Long and scented in a dark floral and peppery way. (JH)

Mid smudgy crimson. Sweet and ripe and perfumed with red cherry. Chewy, thick but smooth tannins. Just on the right side of ripeness, generous and full of fruit. (JH)

Mid crimson. Ripe and sweetly spicy, dark-red fruit and what smells like oak spice. Firm, dense, chewy, opulent and finishes with sweetness of oak and fruit. Just enough freshness. (JH)

Mid cherry red. Seductively ripe red fruit, open and perfumed, very inviting. Rich and full in the mouth but well balanced by the freshness here. Some oak sweetness but all in balance. (JH)

Mid crimson. Smells a little darker and riper than the En Champs and less open. Dark and almost savoury on the palate and still has freshness on the finish. Full and ripe but not overripe. Quite oaky at the moment. (JH)

Mid to deep crimson. Open and scented with bright and pure red fruits. A light herbal freshness that might be some whole bunch? This has much more finesse than the Poissenot, more delicate tannins, more freshness, more energy and is tighter in the mouth. (JH)

Bottled. Mid crimson. Rich with a hint of dried cherry revealing the vintage but it is dominated by fresh red fruits. Sweet fruited on the palate, the freshness more from the finely textured tannins than from acidity. (JH)

Mid crimson. Riper and sweeter fruited than the Baudes. Open and scented. On the palate there's a lovely cool freshness to balance the bright fruit. Remarkably open and so harmonious, the tannins fine, definite and polished. (JH)

Cask sample. Light, lightly sulphury nose. Lots of acidity but not that much flesh. Was this picked slightly too early? Or at too high a yield? Could do with a bit more juice. (JR)

Cask sample. Light suggestion of hazelnuts on the nose and pretty drying on the end – though no-one could accuse this wine of being overweight. Tightly wound. (JR)

Cask sample. Light but correct, tight nose. Inexpressive for the moment, this curled spring. Though it may well bloom eventually. For the moment it’s a little painful to taste, and certainly painful on the pocket. (JR)

Cask sample. Pale crimson. Racy, energetic nose. Pure and fresh with some pretty crackling fine tannins. Far from heavy but very pretty and should satisfy those looking for a particularly fresh, precocious 2018 red burgundy. (JR)

Cask sample. Pale with a light nose and quite firm tannins. But freshness is the keynote. May be too light for some Pommard enthusiasts. Raspberry fruit is quite seductive though. (JR)

Monopole. Stone dust and citrus on the nose. Deliciously fragrant. Light and zesty on the palate but with a long stony/mineral finish. Tight, cool and persistent. QGV (JH)

More creamy and mealy on the nose than the Bourgogne Combe d’Orange. The sulphites a little intrusive at this early stage but they should disappear soon. Lovely ripe lemon and apricot fruit underneath. Rich, fresh and long; mouth-watering finish. (JH)

Spiced mealy citrus with a touch of lime as well as lemon. Pure and bright on the palate, the fruit to the fore and the oak just rounding out the texture. Firm and long. (JH)

The aroma here is more pear than citrus, with a hint of spice. Mealy lees texture enriches the palate but the acidity is very crisp, almost too much so but just on the right side of balance. Intense and persistent. Really long. (JH)

Mid crimson. Super-inviting red-fruit fragrance with a slight stemmy freshness (though there may not be any whole bunch). Juicy, lively, simple but delicious with the fruit highlighted. (JH)

Lovely vibrant and sappy fruit on the nose, cherry fruit and delicious. Soft and fleshy in style and will give lots of pleasure, tannins are soft already and resolved – an early drinker. (AC)

Showing great purity of fruit on the nose, deep fruit and with an iron touch and minerality. The tannins are wonderfully smooth and silky and the fruit is generous and rich. Purists may want more acidity, but this is really fun to drink. (AC)

Blend of red and dark fruits on the nose, the palate is firm and with textured tannins. Again the fruit is sweet and generous and has a lovely ferrous finish. (AC)

A touch shy on the nose, tannins are a little chewy yet there is lovely ripe dark fruit and generosity here. Well knit together and looking good, will give early drinking pleasure. (AC)