The Auswine Forum

1998 Pol Roger Champagne
Forward and flowery. Very expressive. Gorgeous to drink now with excellent length. Acid id there but not prominent. The level of dosage is very obvious. Very “fluffy” style. Touch of smokiness apparent. Top drinking…not for long term.
91/100

2002 Domaine Gérard Chavy & Fils Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatières
Badly corked.
NR

2002 Domaine Bouchard Pere & Fils Meursault "Le Goutte d'Or" 1er cru
Stunning nose of hazelnuts, cashews, underlying tropical fruit. Seamless. Power without weight. Stunning balance. Fabulous acidity. Extreme elegance and glorious wine. I really, really liked this wine. Lightness of touch yet dazzling. Note to self: must buy some of this in future! My WOTN.
93/100

2000 Domaine Bouchard Pere & Fils Corton-Charlemagne
Badly corked. Oh dear.
NR

2002 Domaine Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne
Hints of botrytis, matchstick, esters, rubber. Great complexity. Showed well despite not being cold enough (opened at last minute after the two corked wines). Lacier acidity than the Meursault and oak more evident. Better length. Needs time. Top wine.
92/100

2001 Domaine Henri Germain Beaune 1er Cru Bressandes
Gorgeous perfumed plums, lanolin and spicy oak. Linear. Tart and youthful. Lots of acid. Touch one-dimensional at present. Easy to drink though with soft finish. Kills any Aussie pee-not at this price. I’m not a big fan of Beaune reds but I liked it!
87/100

2002 Domaine Patrick Landanger La Pousse d'Or Volnay 1er Cru Clos d'Audignac Monopole
Sweeter perfume and florals with jasmine tea and ginger beer here. Palate is very plummy and delicate, with lovely flow. Softer tannins. Near excellent wine.
89/100

2000 Domaine J. Confuron-Cotetidot Nuits-St.-Georges 1er Cru
Tomato leaf galore here on bouquet with added thyme and basil. Palate is deeper and spicier than preceding reds. Very full and extracted, loaded with acid and tannin. Very good but hard to drink. Not my cup of tea.
87/100

1999 Domaine Bruno Clavelier Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaux Monts Vielles Vignes
Absolutely fragrant nose – redolent of sweet cherries, florals and liquorice. Lovely. Powerful. Fine tannins. Needs 5+ years. Classy and stylish. Better than the 2000 Leroy version had last week. Glad I bought some 99 Claveliers from auction recently - Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru La Combe d'Orveaux Vieilles Vignes. I’ll keep a look out for this domaine.
90/100

1999 Domaine Bart Gevrey-Chambertin Clos-de Bèze
Another step up in quality – amazing ethereal nose with a galaxy of nuances. Possesses softness and tactility. Balanced. Really fine tannins. Generous and delicious with time up its sleeve. Allen Meadows doesn’t rate this highly but I think its outstanding wine.
92/100

1995 Domaine Faiveley Corton Clos des Cortons Monopole
Powerful and tannic. Absolutely massive still. Typical Faiveley. Very oaky and modernist style. Mouth puckering acid and tannin. Food appeased the wine somewhat. But this wine remains ferocious and tannic and attacks your palate. I can’t drink much of this. Will tannins ever resolve? History tells me otherwise – I sold off all my bottles of Faiveley from 1980s vintages. Not my style.
85/100

1999 Domaine Jean Grivot Clos de Vougeot
Another massive wine but unlike the Faiveley, this one had better balance and superior structure, with lots of black, spicy fruit hiding below the surface. Head-ache inducing tannins. Better wine to be sure but needs plenty of time.
88/100

1988 Chateau Climens (Sauternes-Barsac)
Light gold. Stunning elegance – candied apples and pears, spice, ginger. Lovely balance and length. Tight acid brings up the rear. Beautiful wine full of subtlety that sings rather than screams. Interesting to see those who hadn’t tasted a lot of Climens – it was though they were expecting a massively unctuous wine a la d’Yquem and Riuessec in typical Sauternes fashion! Still very young.
91/100

1998 Pol Roger Champagne Brut
Vigorous bead. A really nice nose showing lemon, yeast, smoke and a lifted floral character. The palate is nicely balanced - smooth and creamy with delicate flavour and a lingering sweetness. Open and really enjoyable now, I don't think it is one to hold onto.
91/100


2002 Gérard Chavy & Fils Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Folatières
Corked
NR/100

2000 Bouchard Père et Fils Corton-Charlemagne
Corked ... two in a row :\
NR/100

2002 Bouchard Père et Fils Meursault 1er Cru Gouttes d'Or
A tight nose with fleeting aromas of peach, light caramel, florals and cashew. The palate is the highlight of this wine, with the oak, acid and fruit working together seamlessly to create something special. Subtle and light on its feet, finishing long and delicious.
94/100

2002 Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne
Matchsticks are the dominant character on the nose as well as sesame, melon, honey and sea spray. Very approachable on the palate, despite the obvious youth and potential to improve. There is a richness of flavour that nicely balances the woven acid structure. Very classy and impeccable length.
93/100


2001 Henri Germain Beaune 1er Cru Les Bressandes
Nose of dark cherry, smoke and a touch of spicy oak. Palate is very soft and straightforward. Finishes a little bit short and bitter. Nice enough to drink, but nothing really grabbed me about this wine.
86/100

2002 La Pousse d'Or Volnay 1er Cru Clos d'Audignac
An expressive, pure nose wafts out of the glass with musk, spice, candied florals and cherry. Palate lives up to the promise of the nose, with good flavour from restrained sweet fruit and balanced with soft tannins lending structure. Medium length and very hard to not enjoy greatly.
91/100

2000 J. Confuron-Cotetidot Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru
A very herbal and rustic nose that I have to say didn't really appeal to me with tomato leaf, basil, broccoli and tobacco. The palate is better than the nose and is loaded with white pepper and savory spice. The tannins are looking for attention, but are of good quality. Was looking a bit awkward overall.
87/100

1999 Domaine Bruno Clavelier Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaux Monts
A bit of rubber/reductive character at the forefront of the nose, but if you could look past that, it was really lovely with rhubarb, raspberry, chocolate, iodine and a slate like note to it. Palate is really superbly structured with fine tannins and very good length. Could use another 5 years to develop at least.
90/100

1999 Domaine Bart Chambertin-Clos de Bèze Grand Cru
Deeply coloured. Powerful, brooding nose of violet, smoked meat and cherry. Palate also shows power and depth but it is well balanced with the delicate texture not overwhelmed. Tannins are very fine and don't get in the way of the line and great length of the wine at all. Totally delicious to drink, with plenty of room to improve and gain extra complexity.
92/100

1995 Faiveley Corton-Clos des Cortons Grand Cru
Even denser in colour. Nose shows anise, fennel and plenty of spicy oak. One person compared the puckering tannins to Barolo, another to sucking on a teabag - both were apt descriptions. Massive, chewy and dense. Cries out for food, but even the food struggled to tame this wine. Has potential if the tannins soften, but I have to wonder if they will. Check back in 5 years.
87/100

1999 Domaine Jean Grivot Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru
Very closed and reticent on the nose with some cherry and spices peeking through. The tannins were also at the forefront of the huge palate on this wine, but the underlying fruit seemed deeper and the structure as a whole better as well. Very good length. More approachable than the Faiveley, but still needs another 10 years to show its potential I think.
90/100


1988 Château Climens
Nose is light but lovely with honey, quince, spice and ginger. An elegant sweetness, with a long core of acid cleansing and elevating the palate. Good texture and complexity, long and focused. This is excellent now and should improve for the next 10 years and continue to drink very well for many years afterward.
93/100