Six of us shared a few good White Burgs the other night. Top wines were 1989 Bernard Morey C-M Caillerets, 1996 Pernot BBM, and 1996 Raveneau Montee de Tonnerre. In no particular order for me. All three were glorious.
The Morey Caillerets was for drinking now - delicious and exotic, with aromas of butter rum, licorice, caraway, and a hint of smoked meat. It was more expressive in the finish first but the nose developed beautifully with air. This is the second fantastic Morey Caillerets I’ve had in the last 6 months, the other the 1996.
The BBM is for now and later. It unfurled slowly and kept getting better. Supremely elegant and light but very long and complex. It had waves of soft baking spice and citrus, particularly the long finish.
The Raveneau MdT was still remarkably young. It is for now and later and whenever, with very pure and linear lemon-citrus in nose and mouth and just a hint of Raveneau honey starting to develop on the nose. Good bottles should live a long time.
Also notable were 2011 Niellon Chevalier and 2006 Bonneau du Martray Corton Charlie. The former very powerful and intense but young; the latter drinking well with more power and less elegance than in a typical year, just a hint of botrytis, and no hint of premox.
2005 Fevre Clos was solid but drink up. Light on structure. Good but not a great Clos.
2010 Henri Boillot Corton Charlemagne should be drunk if this was typical. It has a decent reductive and citrus nose and a decent entry but then starts to fall off a cliff in the mouth and has almost no finish. Air did not help.
1993 Verget C-M Morgeots was only mostly dead. Some interest of old caramelly flavors that may have been fine 5-10 years ago.
2008 Henri Boillot P-M Mouchere was pox-DOA. Yeasty cider nose and cidery palate.