Louis Bouillot, Cremant de Bourgogne, Perle de Vigne, Grande Reserve, Brut nv There’s a moderate level of concentration and a good deal of complexity for the price which I swear was about $15 but alas the price tag has vanished. The concentration is rather moderate though and not The grapes behind this methode traditionnelle are [...]

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Domaine de Montille, Corton, Clos du Roi, Grand Cru 2005 The nose is a bit closed yet but you can see the concentration in the mouth. There’s plenty of structure and a core of red fruit and an underlying note of oak to add complexity. This is from the famous family of Volnay. 13% $114.99 [...]

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Deux Montille, Chambolle-Musigny, “Les Babilleres” 2006 This is a very refined Burgundy, showing the charm associated with the appellation and the skillful winemaking of Alix. The acidity is a hallmark, encasing the cherry fruit along with an elegant mouthfeel. The grapes for this wine were sourced from Les Babilleres, situated between Les Charmes and the [...]

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Domaine Charles Audoin, Marsannay, Au Champ Salomon 2005 In the nose this wine expresses minerality and toasty oak along with a little volatility. In the mouth, the acidity is quite electric, with a follow-through of minerality, a very dry Chardonnay. The vines that gave us the grapes for this wine are an average of 30 [...]

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Paul Pernot, Bourgogne, Chardonnay 2007 This wine shows lots of green apples throughout with some added buttery richness on the palate. Mis in Puligny by Paul Pernot et ses fils Michel and Paul 13.5% $18.99 at Bottle Barn

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Louis Latour, Marsannay, Rouge 2006 There’s a mix of cherries and a light greenish character in the nose. In the mouth the acidity is quite sharp and the red fruits are overlayed with astringency. While the fruit must not have been fully ripe, it does come through enough for the price. Mis en bouteille a [...]

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Foley, Sta. Rita Hills, Rancho Santa Rosa, Pinot Noir 2007 There is ripe candied fruit in the nose while the mouth is supple and elegant with oak working in a supportive role in the backgound. P&B in Lompoc 14.3% $35.99 at the Wine Merchant Foley
Jayer-Gilles, Bourgogne Hautes-Cotes de Nuits 2005 The nose is quite reductive [...]

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Frederic Magnien, Vosne-Romanee, Vielle Vigne 2005 The nose of this wine features earth and rubber, some Band-Aid as well as reductive notes. In the mouth, the wine is tight and tannic, with obvious brett. I’ve had some other Magnien wines that showed nicely with age and I’ve had others that were tough wines like this [...]

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Domaine Anne Gros, Chambolle-Musigny, La Combe d’Orveau 2006
The nose is sweet and toasty. The mouth features concentrated cherry fruit with a bit of earthiness, a supple texture and lots of acidity to carry this wine a long, long way. This domaine is a personal favorite of mine. Mis a Vosne-Romanee par Anne Gros, Proprietaire-viticulteur 13% [...]

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Domaine de Montille, Bourgogne 2005 Mint combines with vibrant red fruits in the nose. The mouth is quite concentrated, full of acidity and a tannic veneer. Lay this down for a few years. This is from the famous De Montille family. Mis en bouteille a Volnay. 13% $34.99 at the Wine Club
Domaine Robert Arnoux, Nuits-Saint-Georges, [...]

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Maison Ambroise, Corton, Le Rognet Grand Cru 1997
Quite youthful at this point, with nuttiness and cedar, earthiness and fruit on the ground. In the mouth this wine is still packed with flavor and the structure is still vivid. There’s great length and I expect some years of enjoyment to come. Vinified and mis en bouteille [...]

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Domaine des Croix, Beaune, Les Bressandes 1er Cru 2005 There’s earthiness, cinnamon and cloves in the nose, maybe a note of licorice as well. The mouth is quite structured, framing great concentration of flavor in a very young Burgundy. Mis en bouteille in Beaune 13% $?? a gift from one of the class
Bouchard Pere et [...]

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Paul Pernot, Puligny-Montrachet, Les Folatieres 1er Cru 2006
The nose features minerals and a bit of fruit. The mouth is rich, buttery and oaky yet the acidity and green sense of green apples balances the picture - very nice. Mis in Puligny by Paul Pernot et ses fils Michel and Paul 14% $62.99 at Bottle Barn [...]

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Domaine Bernard Dugat-Py, Bourgogne 2005 I’m afraid that there are some bound-up sulfur issues making this wine reek of H2S.  After 2 hours the wine has cleaned up but how many people will wait that long hoping that this wine will shine. In the mouth it is aggressively astringent. This wine is not in keeping [...]

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Domaine Perrot-Minot, Cuvee Martine, Pinot Noir, Red Table Wine 2005 There are brambles and green herbs intertwined with the cherries in the nose of this wine. The palate is tight and acidic, tasting of tart cherries while being shrouded in astringency.  12% $19.99 at the Wine Club Domaine Perrot-Minot

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Domaine Anne Gros, Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2006 Give it a bit of time to blow off a little stink and then the red fruits come alive with a sense of earthiness and a little stemmy character. This certainly a chewy Pinot and a little on the green side of flavor development. Mis a Vosne-Romanee par [...]

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Domaine Sylvie Esmonin, Bourgogne, Cuvee Sylvie 2005 This wine is quite toasty with notes of rubber and caramel. The acidity is turbocharged making this electric in the mouth, amplifying the black candied fruit flavors. The fruit is sourced from vineyards outside Gevrey. This regional wine is mis au domaine in Gevrey-Chambertin 12.5% $31.99 at the [...]

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Deux Montille, Puligny-Montrachet Premier Cru, “La Garenne” 2005 As in the Montagny tasted previously, Burgundy’s minerality comes through and this time with a shower of oak. This wine is rich with nuttiness and doughiness but has a razor of acidity behind it. Winemaker Alix of the famous De Montille family. 13% $59.99 at Bottle Barn

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Joseph Drouhin, Beaujolais, Nouveau 2008 This is a very clean Nouveau with traditional bubble gum in the nose. The mouth is an explosion of the fruity style you expect, with tart acidity and a bit of tannic grab - nice. Mis by Drouhin, negociant eleveur a Beaune 12.5% $18.95 at Traverso’s Drouhin

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Domaine Jean Tardy & Fils, Bourgogne Passetoutgrain, Vieilles Vignes 2006 The nose features lively black fruit, black licorice and a little volatility. The mouth is quite fruity, with a fresh juicy character, vitamin C like sharp acidity and a little bit of green grippiness. The grapes are 50/50 Pinot and Gamay, grown in Vosne. Mis [...]

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Domaine Anne Gros, Bourgogne, Chardonnay 2001 The last time I poured this it wasn’t a big hit but it really showed nicely. Today it’s pushing a little further over the hill with more nuttiness and volatility that will put off some. Yet I love the complexity of flavors in the mouth and the way that [...]

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Domaine Bart, Marsannay, Rose 2007 The nose combines strawberries and minerality. The red fruits carry through in the mouth with a creamy texture and acidity for freshness. This is a nice example of the appellation and a fair price as rose wines keep going up in price and popularity. The wine is all Pinot Noir [...]

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Domaine Ghislaine et Jean-Hugues Goisot, Saint-Bris 2007 Of course all of the wines in this northern outpost of Burgundy do not go by the name of Chablis. We had an opportunity to visit the cellar in Saint-Bris-le-Vineux during our visit in March and the wines proved to be great values. This bottle of the ‘07 [...]

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Domaine Robert Arnoux, Vosne-Romanee, Les Hautes Maizieres 2005 This wine combines minerality, earth and sweet oak in a very dense, concentrated package. This wine shows again that tannin can be a player rather than the dominant feature in a concentrated Burgundy. Pascal Lachaux, proprietaire et viticulteur a Vosne-Romanee 13% $79.99 at The Wine Club

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Meo-Camuzet, Bourgogne 2005 At Les Grands Jours in the spring we were treated to a few of the domaine wines which were everything the reputation leads one to expect. With this wine we taste another bottle from the negociant line. Notes on the Morey from ‘04 were posted just last month.
In the nose of this [...]

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Domaine Anne Gros, Bourgogne Hautes-Cotes de Nuits, Cuvee Marine 2006 The nose sports a nice combo of minerality and toastiness. The mouth is thick, rich and buttery yet balanced by a sense of green apples and their acidity, which keeps this wine from being cloying - very nice. Mis a Vosne-Romanee par Anne Gros, Proprietaire-viticulteur [...]

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Joseph Drouhin, Volnay 2005 The nose is dominated by brambles, stemminess and leaves. The fruit picks up in the mouth with ample acidity. There are ripe tannins which contribute firmness while being fairly supple by Burgundy standards. Mis by Drouhin, negociant eleveur a Beaune 13% $37.49 at Bottle Barn Drouhin
Nicolas Potel, Savigny-les-Beaune 1er Cru, Les [...]

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Deux Montille, Montagny Premier Cru, “Les Coeres” 2005 The nose displays a perfect mix of Burgundy’s minerality balanced by fruit, in this case a sense of citrus. The wine is full-on concentration with lots of acidity and some silky butteriness that is integrated into the wine rather than overwhelming it - superb!
Winemaker Alix of the [...]

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Domaine A. et P. de Villaine, Bouzeron 2006 Unfortunately this wine is showing quite a bit of VA in the form of nail polish. When I uncorked this bottle, it did appear that the seal was not complete so this obviously went off prematurely. This is too bad given the great Aligote we had from [...]

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Give this wine some time to blow off the stink. Then you can see the cherries, cola and earthy forest floor notes in the nose. There are gamey flavors in the mouth, with the acidity you’d expect and a rather light-body and light to moderate concentration. This is an old vine selection of Pinot Noir, [...]

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Verget, Macon Villages, “Grand Elevage” 2006 There’s a mix of minerality and doughy notes in the nose while the mouth is steely with a bit of slipperiness coating the tongue, adding richness to the austerity. From Jean-Marie Guffen, whose Chardonnays have been a consistent spot-on value in notes back to the 2003 vintage. Vinifie et [...]

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Meo-Camuzet, Morey-Saint-Denis 2004 At Les Grands Jours in the spring we were treated to a few of the domaine wines which were everything the reputation leads one to expect. With this wine we taste a bottle from the negociant line from a difficult vintage. Nonetheless, there’s more than a pittance of cherries and brown spices [...]

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