Wine Cellar

Wine:  Beaune 1er Champs Pimont Blanc

Discreet but not invisible wood sets off the fresh and bright nose of sliced lemon, white flower and subtle wet stone notes that are also picked up by the vibrant middle weight flavors that possess good mid-palate fat, all wrapped in a dry and mildly saline-influenced finish. Lovely and fashioned in an understated style.

Wine:  Beaune 1er Champs Pimont Blanc

Tasting note: Here the nose is quite similar to that of the villages except that it's more overtly spiced. The medium-bodied flavors are very rich, indeed almost tender with a dusty and sappy mouth feel, all wrapped in a mildly oaked finish that is quite sweet. This is declassified Echézeaux from vines located in Loächausses

Drinking period: 2014+

Wine:  Beaune Clos De La Feguine

Wine:  Clos Des Santenotes Volnay

Wine:  Corton Bressandes

Tasting note: The natural elevated ripeness of Bressandes is on display here as it's noticeably riper than the Chambertin with its kirsch and blue pinot fruit liqueur nose that is spiked with soft mineral and earth hints. There is a rich, round and very fleshy feel to the medium-bodied flavors that possess fine concentration and admirably ripe supporting structure before terminating in a powerful, focused, balanced and solidly deep finish. This is good stuff and textbook Bressandes.

Wine:  Corton Charlemagne

In contrast to the expressiveness of many of the prior wines, this is closed to the point of being aromatically mute and even aggressive swirling coaxes very little from the nose. There is however simply superb power, detail, energy and complexity to the almost painfully intense flavors that culminate in a strikingly explosive and lengthy finish. This is most impressive and should also age extremely well.

Drinking period: 2021+

Wine:  Corton Charlemagne

Tasting note: This is also beautifully complex though the composition of the aromas is different as here there is much more in the way of fresh green apple, white flower and mineral reduction scents. And while this is not quite as big or dramatic as the Montrachet, the broad-shouldered flavors don't lack for muscularity, power or intensity, particularly on the driving and explosive finish that is bone dry and exhibits the classic austerity of a very young and backward Corton-Charlemagne. Impressive and unapologetically built to age.

Wine:  Echezeaux Grand Cru

A very ripe and highly expressive nose offers up a beguiling array of spice elements that include soy, hoisin and anise that add breadth to the violet and plum liqueur aromas. There is excellent volume to the rich, concentrated and velvet-textured big-bodied flavors that brim with dry extract on the balanced, deep and seriously persistent finish. This is an excellent Ech with plenty of aging potential.

Drinking period: 2024+

Wine:  Echezeaux Grand Cru

Tasting note: A background note of wood toast doesn't materially detract from the overall sense of purity to the floral and mineral reduction aromas that telegraph the presence of a firm stoniness on the highly energetic and equally pure medium weight flavors that evidence plenty of citrus influence on the explosive and bone dry finish. Similar to several other wines in the Prieur range in 2010 there is an almost Chablis-like salinity to the finale that displays genuinely remarkable persistence. This understated wine is a classic Perrières of real class and grace.

Drinking period: 2024+

Wine:  Gevrey Chambertin 1er Cru

Note: from Chambertin vines planted in 1995. Tasting note: An ultra-pure and exceptionally cool nose exhibits essence of red pinot fruit, stone, humus, underbrush and earth scents. There is the same wonderful purity on the gorgeously transparent, detailed and vibrant flavors that exude a fine minerality on the dry, clean, long and refreshing finish. This is really quite impressive for such young vines and less austere than its older sibling.

Wine:  Meursault 1er Perrieres

Tasting note: A background note of wood toast doesn't materially detract from the overall sense of purity to the floral and mineral reduction aromas that telegraph the presence of a firm stoniness on the highly energetic and equally pure medium weight flavors that evidence plenty of citrus influence on the explosive and bone dry finish. Similar to several other wines in the Prieur range in 2010 there is an almost Chablis-like salinity to the finale that displays genuinely remarkable persistence. This understated wine is a classic Perrières of real class and grace.

Wine:  Meursault Clos de Mazeray

A gentle touch of wood toast frames a fresh nose that is Meursault in character with its hazelnut, floral and spiced pear aromas that lead to extremely rich and full flavors that possess excellent volume if somewhat limited complexity on the tension and grapefruit filled finish.

Wine:  Meursault Clos de Mazeray

Tasting note: A typical Meursault nose features notes of hazelnut, citrus, pear and a hint of earth. There is good richness and volume to the relatively full-bodied flavors that thanks to the nicely prominent acidity retain a fine sense of cut and delineation on the focused and lingering finish. This offers better quality than it usually does as there is more energy.

Drinking period: 2014+

Wine:  Montrachet Grand Cru

Tasting note: This is ever-so-slightly riper than the Chevalier and a bit more aromatically complex as well if not more elegant. There is outstanding richness, volume, muscle and unconcealed power to the large-scaled heavy-weight flavors that somehow manage to avoid any sense of undue ponderousness before culminating in a massively long finish that is almost chewy and tannic. This will require plenty of bottle age but it should be great in time.

Wine:  Musigny Grand Cru

from a .77 ha parcel in the sub-climat Combe d'Orveau. Tasting note: The spicy and densely fruited nose is stunningly elegant with breathtaking purity and is followed by rich, intense and powerful broad-scaled flavors that are naturally sweet and precise, all culminating in an explosive and highly persistent finish. This is by no means a really big Musigny yet it is impeccably well-balanced, fresh and complete. In sum, this is a seriously fine effort.

Wine:  Musigny Grand Cru

Very mild reduction reduces the expressiveness of the nose yet it is still relatively easy to discern that the dark berry fruit is ripe and nuanced by plenty of spice notes that can also be found on the rich and palate staining velvety flavors that possess imposing size and weight as well as a seemingly endless reserve of dry extract that buffers the firm tannic spine on the wonderfully long finish. This is a big yet balanced wine that possesses excellent energy with plenty of underlying tension and about the only nit is a hint of warmth on the powerful and driving finish. This should be most impressive in time if you have the patience to wait.

Drinking period: 2026+

Wine:  Musigny Grand Cru

Tasting note: The most complex nose in the range features a panoply of spice elements along with exceptionally fresh and dense black fruit, violet and plum aromas. There is excellent power to the focused, intense and attractively vibrant broad-shouldered flavors that possess a firm yet silky mouth feel before terminating in an explosively long and incredibly seductive finish. This built-to-age beauty is structured but not forbidding and should be approachable after 10 years or so though it will require 15 to 18 years for it to fully resolve all the underlying tannin.

Wine:  Puligny Montrachet 1er Combettes

Tasting note: Here the nose is slightly riper with its elegant and pure mélange of yellow orchard fruit and pear liqueur aromas that precede the palate staining medium-bodied flavors that possess a really lovely vibrancy due to the ample underlying tension. Somewhat unusually for Combettes, this is very, very dry though again not strict or unduly austere on the delicious and sappy finish.

Wine:  Volnay 1er Champans

Tasting note: This is also noticeably cool and restrained with an essence of red pinot fruit, earth and wet stone infused nose serving as an elegant introduction to the detailed and intensely mineral-driven flavors that possess a sleek muscularity as well as plenty of underlying tension on the mouth coating finish. This is quite firm yet the supporting structure is quite fine-grained and this should richly reward 10 to 15 years of cellar time.

Wine:  Volnay 1er Clos des Santenots

Tasting note: Not surprisingly this is aromatically similar to the Santenots save for the fact that here the nose is ever-so-slightly riper and a bit more complex as well. This additional depth also shows up on the rich, round and velvety flavors that coat the mouth with sap that also buffers the firm but ripe tannins on the balanced finish that delivers outstanding depth and length. Lovely.