2010 White Burgundy

Almost all were in good condition, except a slightly tired, bruised-fruit Pernot Belicard Puligny that may have just been a bad bottle and a Terre de Velle Puligny that was just about holding on. The regional wines, at the lowest end of the quality pyramid, were tiring a little but nothing more than you would have expected and still showed rather well considering.  Certain wines displayed  more unctuosity alcohol and exotic fruit, recalling the botrytis that affected some of the crop, these were fine and still very much alive now but did not necessarily offer excitement or suggest further ageing potential.

For me the greatest wines in the vintage are clearly still very youthful indeed, they have a drive and energy, a clarity of flavour, all of which combined with great finesse. I was thrilled by how many of these wines there were. High acidity was a common feature across the tasting but where it melded into ripe but not excessively ripe fruit, you have a beautiful and seamless marriage. The wines that embodied these qualities most in this tasting were from Puligny, which for me was the most consistent commune. Chassagne was a notch down but still good and above the less consistent Meursaults but I think this was more to do with the selection of producers rather than commune traits. Corton was the least well performing but this to me feels like a question of commune and not producer. Then again, it was a small sample to judge on.

Overall this was an excellent tasting, the encouraging conclusion of which was that the best wines still have plenty more to give – and there were far more examples of these than either 2009 or 2008 displayed at the same stage in their life, back in 2018 and 2017 respectively.

Comte Lafon Meursault Clos de la Barre – Complex and full. Classic, well-executed Meursault, big framed but not fat. Lovely flint, nut and butter mix. Delicious now

Michel Bouzereau Meursault Genevrieres – The shrinking violet of the Meursaults. Pretty and elegant, floral. Very much a Genevrieres. Great expression, again another drinking beautifully now

Bernard Moreau Chassagne Morgeot – Full and weighty but with some flinty restraint. Characterful, deep but very youthful and energetic. Still on an upward curve. Most impressive.

Jean-Claude Bachelet Puligny Sous le Puits – Vivacious and charming now, open knit but with the energy to suggest there is further ageing potential. Limey fruit cuts through the honey and nutty oak

Jacques Carillon Puligny Perrieres – Lime and greengage nose, focused and pure. Classy rather than extrovert. Racy persistent and mineral. Textbook Puligny. Enjoyable but tightly-coiled enough to age further

Domaine Leflaive Puligny Folatieres – An aristocrat. Silky-textured, honeyed fruit glides seamlessly across the palate with a fine line of acidity giving this focus. A beauty. Brilliant now and no sign of peaking yet. Preferred this to their Combettes.

Jean-Philippe Fichet Puligny Referts – Toasty oak reduction on the nose is atypical for this producer but it works well. Great balance, lively long citrusy fruit to balance the sweet smoke. Coiled. Impressive

Etienne Sauzet Puligny Combettes – A sleeper. Bodied and unctuous as ever but clearly fresh and youthful. Holding much in reserve, quiet but really assured and powerful. Patience needed but promising.

Jean-Noel Gagnard Batard Montrachet – Deeper colour than many others and more golden fruit but this was always the case straight out of barrel. Slightly more exotic in style but it works incredibly well. Lots of sumptuous honeyed fruit with an excellent citrus kick. Perhaps a more divisive style but no doubting its freshness.

Remi Rollin Pernand Vergelesses Les Clous – Tasted well straight after the Batard and better than any of the Cortons in the flight. An appellation clearly able to punch well above its weight. Not the complexity or power of some of the wines in this tasting but deep enough and beautifully pure, incisive ripe fruit. Really racy without being astringent. Probably near peak, delicious now, but there is no need to rush this either.

Regional

Domaine Chevrot, Hautes-Côte de Beaune, Chardonnay

Domaine Chevrot, Bourgogne, Aligoté

Saint-Aubin

Domaine Hubert Lamy, Saint-Aubin, 1er Cru, Murgers des dents de Chien

Domaine Jean-Claude Bachelet et Fils, 1er Cru, Murgers des dents de Chien

Meursault

Domaine Patrick Javillier, Meursault, Clousots (magnum)

Domaine Latour-Giraud, Meursault, 1er Cru, Les Genevrières

Domaine Michel Bouzereau, Meursault, 1er Cru, Les Genevrières

Domaine Remi Jobard, Meursault, 1er Cru, Les Genevrières

Domaine Buisson-Charles, 1er Cru Meursault, Gouttes d'Or

Chassagne-Montrachet

Domaine Marc Morey, Chassagne-Montrachet, 1er Cru, Les Vergers

Domaine Blain-Gagnard, Chassagne-Montrachet, 1er Cru Clos St Jean

Domaine Bernard Moreau et Fils, Chassagne-Montrachet, 1er Cru Morgeot

Domaine Bruno Colin, Chassagne-Montrachet, 1er Cru, En Remilly

Domaine Fontaine-Gagnard, Chassagne-Montrachet, 1er Cru, La Romanée

Puligny-Montrachet

Domaine Terre de Velles, Puligny-Montrachet

Domaine Jean-Claude Bachelet et Fils, Puligny-Montrachet, Sous Le Puits

Domaine Jacques Carillon, Puligny-Montrachet

Domaine Pernot-Belicard, 1er Cru, Puligny-Montrachet, Champ-Canet

Domaine Jacques Carillon, 1er Cru, Puligny-Montrachet, Les Perrières

Maison Oliver Leflaive, 1er Cru, Puligny-Montrachet, Les Folatières

Domaine Jean-Louis Chavy, 1er cru Puligny-Montrachet, Les Folatières

Domaine Leflaive, Puligny-Montrachet, 1er Cru, Les Folatières

Domaine Jean-Philippe Fichet, 1er Cru, Les Referts

Domaine Leflaive, Puligny-Montrachet, 1er Cru Les Combettes

Bouchard Père et Fils, Chevalier-Montrachet

Pernand-Vergelesses & Hill of Corton

Domaine Remi Rollin, Pernand-Vergelesses, Les Clous

Maison Olivier Leflaive, Corton-Charlemagne

Domaine Vincent Rapet, Corton-Charlemagne

Domaine Chanson, Corton-Vergennes