Mainly bad, mainly ugly - after a being on a roll with the 2010 Rollin Pernand-Vergelesses Sous Fretille and the 1997 Poujeaux, I have experienced a run of mediocrity in the last week or so, with one exception.
2022/23 Reign of Terror Chenin Blanc. I was wrong about this wine. I bought a case partly because it was so cheap at ~£10 a bottle (no formula one driver rhyming slang today), and at that price you have to say it offers reasonable value for money. But it doesn’t really cut it anymore. For me it does not have enough balancing acidity, reflected in it becoming tedious to drink after 1-2 glasses. I would not choose to drink this even at a wedding or funeral. I will keep a couple back for nosey neighbours but gave the rest to my daughter. A supermarket wine.
2017 Samuel Billaud Chablis Butteaux. What sealed the Saffa’s fate was a direct comparison to this beauty, I would say near the pinnacle of Chablis with style and perfectly pitched racy acidity. Down to my last few of these, an outstanding wine, and an aberration in this motley line up of miserable sinners.
2015 Taupenot-Merme Gevrey Chambertin. This was the second best (least bad) bottle in the line up. I over-estimated this producer, who is nonetheless such a charming chap. This 2015 is youthful, bright, with crisp red fruit, but a bit simple. Really entry level stuff. But it drank well over a few days.
2011 Glatenay Volnay Clos Des Chenes. Strange one this. It was so muted on day one I thought it could be corked. But it is just a very shy wine, which seems to improve at the margin with each day in the fridge as it peeps its head out a bit further. But it is not what you really want or expect from a red burgundy of such putative calibre.
1995 Calon Segur. Similar in style to the 1996. Old library, dusty library books and mousy church pew, green olives and brine, some fuzzy red fruit in the background but faint, green notes of leafy tobacco and some asparagus, fresh feel but juxtaposed to 1970s pub ashtray. Medieval with a lean, mean, misanthropic demeanour - which some people like - but at the same time remarkably drinkable on day one and two. (But not on day three despite being assiduously vacu-vined.) While this wine may appeal to masochists and luddites, put it next to one of its contemporaries (pick a chateau) and it falls short. It’s ironic that these days Calon Segur is full on to the dark side with big alcoholic wines, the polar opposite to this. As always the middle ground would be the best way.
2010 Hermitage, The Wine Society Exhibition release. I was really looking forward to this because I read somewhere that this a second wine of Chave in drag, and having tasted the real deal Grand Vin from this vintage in Vienne in 2020, there was a lot to get excited about. But this fell short of high expectations. It had an alluring bonfire entry but was surprisingly lean and acerbic on the palate. Maybe it needs more time, but I somehow doubt it. Maybe just not a great bottle, but I am pretty sure it wasn’t flawed.
2016 Newton Johnson Granium Syrah. Another one that just doesn’t cut it. I can’t put my finger on why - it has some mourvedre added to the blend and a relatively sweet fruity attack, but it doesn’t work, and I much preferred TWS Hermitage (which itself wasn’t great), and I found it boring to drink. Not sure what to do with the rest of it. I am sure it will last at least a week but it would be using up valuable space in my fridge.
2006 Batailley. Quintessential Pauillac signature but it soon became apparent that this was corked. I bought quite a few of these at TWS and look forward to trying another one soon. It clearly has good raw materials and seems now to be in its drinking window - 2006 clarets have been slow to come round but I have had generally good experiences with them this year.
