Red Burgundy
2001 Lucien Le Moine Echezeaux: Arguably a little soupy on the palate and could use some more acidity to tighten up the structure. Fruit has a dark red tone. Sensing maybe a hint of oaky toastiness, but otherwise the new oak seems integrated. Tannins are resolved at this point. Nose is quite nice and rather pure; dark cherries and no vanilla or woody aromas. Not bad.
2020 Domaine Roulot Monthélie: Dark cherry and cranberry on the nose. Ripe red fruit on the palate accompanied by nice, mouthwatering acidity. A touch of smokiness and tart citrus on the finish framed with silky tannins. Not super complex, but very tasty, delicate, and elegant.
2020 Domaine Roulot Auxey-Duresses 1er Cru Rouge: Forest floor and red cherry on the nose. The palate is quite giving and layered with flavors of dark red cherry and wet earth. Tart, mouthwatering acidity paired with just a hint of oak. This is surprisingly quite good and complex with a real intensity of flavors.
2022 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Aux Boudots: Dark red cherry on the nose, with maybe a hint of earthiness, but not especially complex. The dark red fruit on the palate is pretty, the tannins are approachable, and texturally this is quite silky and elegant, but the new oak gloss is fairly noticeable and a little distracting (although I would not say that it is over-the-top). The wine is refreshing and tasty, the acidity is brisk and sufficient, and it has a spicy peppery kick on the finish, but besides that there isn't a lot of complexity and the flavors are primarily defined by the fruit. Pretty good, but I can't help but feel something is missing.
2022 Domaine Antoine Lienhardt Côte de Nuits Villages Emphase: A beautifully expressive and complex nose of wild strawberries, flowers, and subtle green and earthy notes that's very evocative of whole clusters. The palate has a silky texture, seamless acidity, and elegant weight. Its incredibly sweet dark red fruit is layered with complex earthy and green notes of sous bois, bitter herbs, and a smoky minerality that crescendos on the finish. This is really superb for the first hour, before the wine nosedives with air and its clarity of flavors loses focus and becomes muddled. It is still drinkable, but it was quite surprising to have a wine start so superbly on pop and pour, and then to decline so rapidly with time in the glass. I still like it, but I'm skeptical about the ageability of this wine.
2021 Domaine Antoine Lienhardt Côte de Nuits Villages Les Plantes aux Bois: A little lean and austere on the palate, but bright and incisive with an ashy minerality, tart red fruit, hints of green, and an inviting grip from the fine tannins. There are pleasing aromas of unripe wild strawberries and stemmy florals on the nose. Very complex and layered. Pleasantly severe (in the best way).
2022 Domaine Antoine Lienhardt Côte de Nuits Villages Les Essards: Has a rather generous palate of ripe red fruit with slightly medicinal herbal notes. Rather round and silky on the palate, it was a little stodgy on opening, but deepens and unfurls in complexity with time in the glass. Quite a bit of grip from the tannins. Good acidity. Highly enjoyable; definitely not classic Burgundy, but really well made.
2020 Saisons Savigny-lès-Beaune: Perhaps a victim of the plumminess of the 2020 vintage, this is quite dark fruited. A bit angular, but also lifted and light on its feet. On the initial pour, a bit simple, but develops some herbal complexity with air. Definitely on the nattier side of Burgundy, but there isn't any excessive VA or natural wine faults. It is quite well made for the style.
2022 Domaine Cottenceau Bourgogne Les Chazelles: A bit monolithic, but has very pure dark red fruit, good acidity, and some grip from the tannins. Not the most complex wine, perhaps a bit too rich and fruity for some, but there is enough structure from the acidity and tannins to provide some shape and interest to the generous fruit.
White Burgundy
2022 Domaine Roulot Meursault Les Meix Chavaux: A lovely, elegant nose of lemon peel, white flowers, and just a hint of vanilla. The mouthwatering and refreshing acidity is counterbalanced against the rich, intense minerality and the subtle undertone of citrus and white fruit on the palate. The finish is quite tart and lingering, framed with just a touch of spice. Bright, beautiful, and moreish. Simultaneously serious and gluggable.
2021 Domaine Roulot Meursault Les Luchets: The nose has subtle lemon and crisp green apple notes. The palate is surprisingly fruit-forward, yet somehow lacking intensity and brightness. While the wine doesn't have the cut of the '22 Meix Chavaux I drank with it, the acidity is still sufficient to provide some sense of structure to the wine. However, the slenderness of the wine is probably why the oak is also more prominent here. While it is still well-framed, I can taste some noticeable toastiness. Certainly not bad, and on its own perhaps I could still appreciate the wine’s delicacy and elegance, but it paled in comparison next to the '22 Meix Chavaux.
2022 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Chassagne-Montrachet Les Ancegnières: There's an expressive nose of stone fruit and flowers with a hint of honey and a touch of vanilla. The weight is rather light and elegant, the acidity is crisp and tangy, and there's a nice sense of steeliness and minerality on the palate paired with a delicate yellow fruit. On the finish, there's a bit of creaminess and hint of struck match smokiness, but otherwise this wine is pure, mouthwatering, and elegant with an impressive depth of flavor. Very open and approachable right now.
2022 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Morgeot Les Fairendes: The nose is a little more closed and less expressive than the Anceignieres with a subtle hint of stone fruit. However, the palate is much more intense and linear, especially the acidity which is a bit aggressive and angular. The minerality is more pronounced than the greenish fruit, which flows into a long saline and spicy finish with a hit of bitter herbs. There's a bit of oak tannin and jagged acidity that lingers on the palate afterwards, but I can see both harmonizing with more time. Very coiled and intense right now, but promising.
2022 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Perrières: There's some citrus oil, lemon zest, and green apple on the nose. On the palate, the gloss from the new oak is apparent, though not over-the-top, and there's a bit of struck match smokiness. Acidity is not especially assertive, but there's still enough for the wine to be mouth-watering and balanced. Definitely feels heavier than the '22 PYCM Chassagne wines I had, though the fruit comes across as green. The wine is handling the oak, but it is present and needs time to integrate; I can definitely taste the drying oak tannins on the finish.
2022 Domaine Cottenceau Givry Champ Pourot Blanc: Lemon oil, herbs, and just a touch of texture on the palate. There's good acidity, nice minerality, and delicacy on the palate. A nicely expressive nose as well. But, you can taste the oak on the finish and the vanilla and creamy texture becomes more prominent with air. Needs time to integrate the oak.
2022 Domaine Cottenceau Montagny Les Dazés: More density than in the other two Cottenceau village wines I had. Pronounced white fruit that is layered with minerality and balanced with a sparkling acidity. However, there's a spiciness and bitterness on the finish that comes from the oak. Has quite a bit going on, so quite drinkable despite the oakiness, but probably needs time to integrate.
2022 Domaine Cottenceau Montagny Les Préaux: Lean and racy, and quite crisp, but a little simple on the palate. You can't taste any new oak here (which would stick out like a sore thumb if there was any).
2022 Domaine Cottenceau Montagny 1er Cru Les Bassets: The oak is quite prominent here. Fairly buttery, a bit flabby, with toasty notes. A pass for me.
2022 Domaine Cottenceau Montagny 1er Cru Montcuchot: Bright and lively with good cut, and while you can taste the spicy oak on the finish, it is not as intrusive as some of the other Cottenceau wines. A bit rounder, and perhaps more elegant than the Les Vignes Longue.
2022 Domaine Cottenceau Montagny 1er Cru Les Vignes Longues: Bright and cutting acidity that is borderline jagged, but I like that personally. Intense and mineral. An interesting nose that has herbal and anise notes. This is quite lovely and balanced. My favorite of the Cottenceau 1er Crus (apparently also the youngest vines and the least amount of new oak; 30% new).
2001 Lucien Le Moine Echezeaux: Arguably a little soupy on the palate and could use some more acidity to tighten up the structure. Fruit has a dark red tone. Sensing maybe a hint of oaky toastiness, but otherwise the new oak seems integrated. Tannins are resolved at this point. Nose is quite nice and rather pure; dark cherries and no vanilla or woody aromas. Not bad.
2020 Domaine Roulot Monthélie: Dark cherry and cranberry on the nose. Ripe red fruit on the palate accompanied by nice, mouthwatering acidity. A touch of smokiness and tart citrus on the finish framed with silky tannins. Not super complex, but very tasty, delicate, and elegant.
2020 Domaine Roulot Auxey-Duresses 1er Cru Rouge: Forest floor and red cherry on the nose. The palate is quite giving and layered with flavors of dark red cherry and wet earth. Tart, mouthwatering acidity paired with just a hint of oak. This is surprisingly quite good and complex with a real intensity of flavors.
2022 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Aux Boudots: Dark red cherry on the nose, with maybe a hint of earthiness, but not especially complex. The dark red fruit on the palate is pretty, the tannins are approachable, and texturally this is quite silky and elegant, but the new oak gloss is fairly noticeable and a little distracting (although I would not say that it is over-the-top). The wine is refreshing and tasty, the acidity is brisk and sufficient, and it has a spicy peppery kick on the finish, but besides that there isn't a lot of complexity and the flavors are primarily defined by the fruit. Pretty good, but I can't help but feel something is missing.
2022 Domaine Antoine Lienhardt Côte de Nuits Villages Emphase: A beautifully expressive and complex nose of wild strawberries, flowers, and subtle green and earthy notes that's very evocative of whole clusters. The palate has a silky texture, seamless acidity, and elegant weight. Its incredibly sweet dark red fruit is layered with complex earthy and green notes of sous bois, bitter herbs, and a smoky minerality that crescendos on the finish. This is really superb for the first hour, before the wine nosedives with air and its clarity of flavors loses focus and becomes muddled. It is still drinkable, but it was quite surprising to have a wine start so superbly on pop and pour, and then to decline so rapidly with time in the glass. I still like it, but I'm skeptical about the ageability of this wine.
2021 Domaine Antoine Lienhardt Côte de Nuits Villages Les Plantes aux Bois: A little lean and austere on the palate, but bright and incisive with an ashy minerality, tart red fruit, hints of green, and an inviting grip from the fine tannins. There are pleasing aromas of unripe wild strawberries and stemmy florals on the nose. Very complex and layered. Pleasantly severe (in the best way).
2022 Domaine Antoine Lienhardt Côte de Nuits Villages Les Essards: Has a rather generous palate of ripe red fruit with slightly medicinal herbal notes. Rather round and silky on the palate, it was a little stodgy on opening, but deepens and unfurls in complexity with time in the glass. Quite a bit of grip from the tannins. Good acidity. Highly enjoyable; definitely not classic Burgundy, but really well made.
2020 Saisons Savigny-lès-Beaune: Perhaps a victim of the plumminess of the 2020 vintage, this is quite dark fruited. A bit angular, but also lifted and light on its feet. On the initial pour, a bit simple, but develops some herbal complexity with air. Definitely on the nattier side of Burgundy, but there isn't any excessive VA or natural wine faults. It is quite well made for the style.
2022 Domaine Cottenceau Bourgogne Les Chazelles: A bit monolithic, but has very pure dark red fruit, good acidity, and some grip from the tannins. Not the most complex wine, perhaps a bit too rich and fruity for some, but there is enough structure from the acidity and tannins to provide some shape and interest to the generous fruit.
White Burgundy
2022 Domaine Roulot Meursault Les Meix Chavaux: A lovely, elegant nose of lemon peel, white flowers, and just a hint of vanilla. The mouthwatering and refreshing acidity is counterbalanced against the rich, intense minerality and the subtle undertone of citrus and white fruit on the palate. The finish is quite tart and lingering, framed with just a touch of spice. Bright, beautiful, and moreish. Simultaneously serious and gluggable.
2021 Domaine Roulot Meursault Les Luchets: The nose has subtle lemon and crisp green apple notes. The palate is surprisingly fruit-forward, yet somehow lacking intensity and brightness. While the wine doesn't have the cut of the '22 Meix Chavaux I drank with it, the acidity is still sufficient to provide some sense of structure to the wine. However, the slenderness of the wine is probably why the oak is also more prominent here. While it is still well-framed, I can taste some noticeable toastiness. Certainly not bad, and on its own perhaps I could still appreciate the wine’s delicacy and elegance, but it paled in comparison next to the '22 Meix Chavaux.
2022 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Chassagne-Montrachet Les Ancegnières: There's an expressive nose of stone fruit and flowers with a hint of honey and a touch of vanilla. The weight is rather light and elegant, the acidity is crisp and tangy, and there's a nice sense of steeliness and minerality on the palate paired with a delicate yellow fruit. On the finish, there's a bit of creaminess and hint of struck match smokiness, but otherwise this wine is pure, mouthwatering, and elegant with an impressive depth of flavor. Very open and approachable right now.
2022 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Morgeot Les Fairendes: The nose is a little more closed and less expressive than the Anceignieres with a subtle hint of stone fruit. However, the palate is much more intense and linear, especially the acidity which is a bit aggressive and angular. The minerality is more pronounced than the greenish fruit, which flows into a long saline and spicy finish with a hit of bitter herbs. There's a bit of oak tannin and jagged acidity that lingers on the palate afterwards, but I can see both harmonizing with more time. Very coiled and intense right now, but promising.
2022 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Perrières: There's some citrus oil, lemon zest, and green apple on the nose. On the palate, the gloss from the new oak is apparent, though not over-the-top, and there's a bit of struck match smokiness. Acidity is not especially assertive, but there's still enough for the wine to be mouth-watering and balanced. Definitely feels heavier than the '22 PYCM Chassagne wines I had, though the fruit comes across as green. The wine is handling the oak, but it is present and needs time to integrate; I can definitely taste the drying oak tannins on the finish.
2022 Domaine Cottenceau Givry Champ Pourot Blanc: Lemon oil, herbs, and just a touch of texture on the palate. There's good acidity, nice minerality, and delicacy on the palate. A nicely expressive nose as well. But, you can taste the oak on the finish and the vanilla and creamy texture becomes more prominent with air. Needs time to integrate the oak.
2022 Domaine Cottenceau Montagny Les Dazés: More density than in the other two Cottenceau village wines I had. Pronounced white fruit that is layered with minerality and balanced with a sparkling acidity. However, there's a spiciness and bitterness on the finish that comes from the oak. Has quite a bit going on, so quite drinkable despite the oakiness, but probably needs time to integrate.
2022 Domaine Cottenceau Montagny Les Préaux: Lean and racy, and quite crisp, but a little simple on the palate. You can't taste any new oak here (which would stick out like a sore thumb if there was any).
2022 Domaine Cottenceau Montagny 1er Cru Les Bassets: The oak is quite prominent here. Fairly buttery, a bit flabby, with toasty notes. A pass for me.
2022 Domaine Cottenceau Montagny 1er Cru Montcuchot: Bright and lively with good cut, and while you can taste the spicy oak on the finish, it is not as intrusive as some of the other Cottenceau wines. A bit rounder, and perhaps more elegant than the Les Vignes Longue.
2022 Domaine Cottenceau Montagny 1er Cru Les Vignes Longues: Bright and cutting acidity that is borderline jagged, but I like that personally. Intense and mineral. An interesting nose that has herbal and anise notes. This is quite lovely and balanced. My favorite of the Cottenceau 1er Crus (apparently also the youngest vines and the least amount of new oak; 30% new).
