2006 Simon Bize Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Aux Guettes (France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru)

Had this with sushi at Tomo on Saturday night. Just a wonderful bottle of wine. Intense, yet very elegant, precise, and well defined. Sappy and full of bright cherry, earth, leather, smoky and meaty flavors and spice. Finishes magnificently. In my opinion, Bize is the best affordable Burgundy anyone can buy these days. Highly recommended.

2003 Domaine de Montille Beaune 1er Cru Les Siziés (France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Beaune 1er Cru)

Very enjoyable wine. It's not as complex as one would hope and the fruit is maybe a little too much indicative of the hot 2003 vintage, but with the right food, this is still a very good wine. The texture is velvety rather than silky (silky being what I associate with great red burgundy), but there's depth, flavor, and length enough to make me happy. Cherry, blackberry, earth, and peat moss. Good, but not great. 

2006 Simon Bize Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Les Marconnets (France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru)

Truly great wine. I pulled this to be served with dinner. When first poured (without decant), the wine was ferociously tannic. With some air, the wine came into balance and showed incredible complexity, sappiness, freshness, and silky fruit. Long finish. On the following nights, the wine just got better and better. The last sips from this bottle gave a hint at just how good this is likely to be when it's fully mature many years in the future. Truffles, earth, wet leaves, autumn in the air. Tremendous wine with amazing potential. This is one that every value conscious buyer of Burg should have in his/her cellar. Highly recommended.

2005 Nicolas Potel Volnay 1er Cru Santenots (France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru)

Exactly what I was looking for tonight. Served with Cornish Game Hens marinated in garlic and herbs. Pretty dark red color. Completely translucent. Nice structure and acidity, but the fresh, crushed berry flavors and aromas along with nice minerality are what makes this wine special. Sappy. Nice elegance in the wine, but it also shows just a hint rustic. A nice contradiction here. I opened it early, and it's got a way to go, but this wasn't infanticide and it wasn't a waste. Lovely wine that can be consumed with very high enjoyment right now.

2001 Domaine Pavelot Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Aux Gravains (France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru)

Translucent garnet red. Fantastic nose of crushed red berries, earth, eucalyptus and pine bark. Quite structured on the palate, but raspberry, plum, and cherry make for a sappy red fruit spectrum. Earth, herbs, and a touch of anise in the finish alongside the fruit. Lovely wine with beautiful elegance and power at the same time. Looks like it's not available in the US at retail, but if one can find it for less than $40, it's a definite buy.

2006 Simon Bize Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Aux Vergelesses (France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru)

• 2006 Simon Bize Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru Aux Vergelesses - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru (6/20/2009)
  This was infanticide for sure. Nevertheless, I loved this wine and it's obvious it's got a lot of promise. Bright cranberry, raspberry, and earth on the nose. Fresh, bright crushed berry flavors on the palate. All red fruit and no black or dark fruit. Spice and black forest ham play on the palate as well. Amazing fruit purity and precision that sails right into and through the remarkable, silky textured finish. Very tannic and structured, still, and it's not giving up everything right now, but I can only imagine what this will be like in 10+ years.

2004 Vincent Girardin Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Champs-Gain Vieilles Vignes (France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru)

• 2004 Vincent Girardin Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Champs-Gain Vieilles Vignes - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru (6/8/2009)
  Slightly smokey reductive nose. Gardenia, cotton flower, and mirabelles. Wet rock, apricot, apple, mirabelle, and a hint of melon. Very dry and long finish with a slightly saline feel to it. Needed some time in the glass to unfurl. I would give it 30 minutes to 1 hour decant next time around. Great wine with a number of different cheeses tonight.

2005 Bitouzet-Prieur Volnay 1er Cru Pitures (France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru)

Maybe the craziest wine I've ever tasted. I followed it over the course of three nights and it's really a Jeckyll & Hyde kind of wine. On night one, this was thin, watery, acidic, oaky and it reeked of dill pickle and brine. Nearly undrinkable that night. On night two, the fruit had plushed up, the acid retreated and the oak was gone. The dill pickle was still there though, and it's really difficult for me to get beyond this. On night three, this wine had morphed into what I thought it would start out like. Nice fruit, silky texture, good balance, some earth and minerality, as well as some smoke and leather. And the tannins and structure finally showed me that this has serious aging potential. Unfortunately, Only a third of this bottle was had when it was in a place that it was drinking well in. If you must open this now, aim to decant for many hours.

Posted from CellarTracker

2005 Nicolas Potel Beaune 1er Cru Teurons (France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Beaune 1er Cru)

Followed over the course of 5 hours tonight. I must admit that I am caught off guard by this wine. Surprisingly soft, fruit forward, devoid of the tannins that I have come to associate with the 2005 vintage. Drinks great right now, wide open for business. Dark plum and cherry with a little raspberry. Focused fruit with only little earth. I can't see how this will make old bones. I have two more and I'll consume them over the course of the next year or two. A little too simple to be considered very good. I would drink this on a weeknight with some standard dinner fare.

1993 Robert Ampeau & Fils Volnay 1er Cru Santenots (France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru)

Best bottle yet. Amazingly fresh and vigorous wine with great balance and an intriguingly dark fruit profile. Really nice tertiary aromas and flavors. Autumnal leaves, tree bark, earth, blackberry and plum with good tobacco and a nice dose of acid. Great stuff.

2003 Vincent Girardin Volnay 1er Cru Santenots (France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru)

Drank this side by side with the 1993 Ampeau Volnay Santenots, and the wines could not have been more different. This was clearly marked by a hot vintage by its sweet and luscious fruit. Almost could have passed for some cool climate California Pinot. Very good wine though as long as one doesn't expect finesse and high acidity. Chosen to pair with Filet and grilled vegetables, and it was a great match. Velvety texture and should hold for a few more years, although it doesn't seem like it'll age for decades.

1993 Robert Ampeau & Fils Volnay 1er Cru Santenots (France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru)

Third time I've had this wine and it's been consistently good. Tertiary smells and flavors. Leafy tobacco and tree bark with some very elegant yet rustic red fruits. Finishes strong and long. Should have another few years left in the tank without a doubt.

2004 Vincent Girardin Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru La Romanée (France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru)

This is good. Nose shows minerals, pear, and toasty oak. On the palate, the wine comes through with more pear, some apple, and toasted hazel nut flavors. Very long finish with great zing and minerality. Probably will do well with more age, especially given that the oak will integrate even better.

2002 Louis Jadot Volnay 1er Cru Clos de la Barre (France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay 1er Cru)

Opened last night and popped and poured, and it was very primary. Once again, I assume my 55 degree cellar keeps them nicely young and vibrant. Tonight, the wine shows a little less primary, with a hint of secondary aromas and flavors. Clearly a dark fruited example of Burgundy, which, based on my limited experience with Volnay is fairly typical. A little tight still on the nose, but a lot going on the palate. Just great blackberry and plum fruit that is focused and precise. Long, dry finish (not to be confused with drying) with some hoisin sauce in the back of the palate. This has quite a bit of tannin to resolve, I believe. This was a gigantic QPR in my opinion when I purchased the wine (around $30 per bottle). For me, this is just now entering its drinking window, but I believe it'll drink much better in 3-5 years. With that said, I like my wines with quite a bit of age, so your mileage may vary.