NV Ulysse Collin Champagne Extra Brut Blanc de Blancs Les Pierrières
Disgorged October 2012. This was insanely youthful. Pure raw dough notes on the nose with green almonds and hints of green apple after some time in the glass. Precise and focused on the palate but young and not giving much. Lively acids. I’d give this 3-5 years at least. Very good.
2005 Vincent Dauvissat Chablis 1er Cru La Forest
Classic Chablis. Airy nose of shellfish, lime and minerals with a touch of salted butter. I was expecting some exotic or riper fruits given other notes I’ve seen on this wine but this was all citrus, saline and minerals. Energetic acidity gives added verve to the already lively entry and mid palate but the acidity is slightly softer on the finish. Great Chablis typicity here, although it seems to defy the vintage characteristic for the most part. Drink or hold. Excellent.
2008 Domaine Ramonet Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Vergers
Loads of lime on the nose with oak spice and white flowers. In the mouth this was beautiful and offered tension from entry to finish with white fruit and lime flavours. There’s great acidity, which along with the tension, balances perfectly with the polished and graceful mouthfeel. As this sat in the glass the lightest note of vanilla added more complexity to the nose. This showed more like a 2010 than a 2008. If you are worried about premox there’s no shame in drinking this now, but I would imagine this will develop into something even better 3-5 years from now. Excellent.
2008 Etienne Sauzet Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Champ-Canet
This showed more ’08 typicity with riper fruits, but not exotic, along with soft lemon and a hint of spice. Fuller in the mouth but has plenty of acidity and energy to keep the riper profile in check. There was half a bottle left that I recorked and put into the fridge. Five days later I finished it and it hadn’t changed very much. A touch more exotic on the nose but other than that there wasn’t much else to report. It coats the entire palate yet there’s a beautiful level of refinement and liveliness that the best 08s seem to have. Like the Ramonet, there is nothing wrong with enjoying this now but a few more years should be rewarded. Excellent.