Recent wines at home 24/01/2010 (TNB)

• Morey St Denis 1er cru Faconnieres 2004 (V. Lignier - same wines as Lignier-Michelot, I am told) Fruit tending to cooked, with a touch of leafy blackcutrrant. Quite mineral and still perhaps a touch hard. Pretty strong effort. Bare
• Monthlie blanc 2001 (Potinet-Ampeau) Rather fine village wine - quite stalky old-fashioned stuff with no easy fruit. Rather good I think and drinking nicely now.
• Puligny Montrachet 1995 (Potinet-Ampeau) Again that traditional, uncompromising, far from fruit-driven style. Even now this village wine is not clearly at peak, with a not unattractive green hardness. Proper wine, in a far better state than most recent white Burgundy. Bare

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New Year fizz at M.D's 05/01/2010 (TNB)

• Gosset Grand Millesime 1999 Big, meaty style as always. Plenty of strength, and I suspect while delicious now it will be more refined in a couple of years. Very good. and rising.
• Pol Roger 1999 This seemed Chardonnay dominated at first, but possibly that was the comparison with the pinot-styled Gosset. Quite lemony, a touch of minerality, more elegant than the Gosset and more removed from it than I expected. Still, a strong effort that again I think needs a year or two to round out. Similar overall quality to the Gosset. and rising
• Charles Heidsieck 1996 Stylistically between the last two wines (on this showing) - a very strong palate, quite silky with real intensity to the fruit that has more depth than the other two wines. Even despite the help this is getting from the superior vintage, it's a very strong showing for the house. I think this has a way to go: top - may reach five stars in time.

Also tasted a few weeks ago - note from memory.

• Pol Roger 1998 Very lovely bready nose, balanced fruit, quite forward in style like a lot of 98's, yet I feel again that like a lot of them it will probably last well. Lovely. Top

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