Maison Roche de Bellene Chassagne-Montrachet Vieilles Vignes

Lithe, graceful, just enough richness, fruit still young, mouthfilling... opens in the glass after about 20 minutes. Focused, rich, lifted aromatics. Beautiful Chardonnay.

Popped and poured. Medium straw colour. Citrus, smoke, moist gravel and butterscotch on the nose and palate. Good concentration, balance and length. Very enjoyable, but competing with an ever increasing range of New World alternatives that can be had for quite a bit less.

Golden crytal clear color. Muted nose, but palate opens up nicely after 10-15 minutes in the glass. Lots of power and concentration in here. This is a serious wine. I could perhaps have wanted a bit more complexity and extravaganze, and I could have wanted some more from the nose. But all in all a really nice, balanced and impressive village. It’s still very young though. I would not open a new bottle of this wine for at least 2-3 …

Mye samme som forrige, men her var det mer fylde og kompleksitet. Denne flasken var medium+ fyldig . Aroma med preg av sitron, lime, allehånde, fat også litt krydder som hvit pepper. Frisk og pent fyldig også i munn. Flott lengde. Fungerte utmerket til grillet breiflabb. Flott vin. 92 + p.

Strågul farge. Aroma med fin intensitet og preg av sitrus, litt fat og litt gule epler. Bra intensitet også i munn. Glatt munnfølelse,medium-fylde og bra syrenivå. Br lengde. Kunne vært mer kompleks, men er en bra standard Puligny. Fungerte ok til grillet sjøkreps, ville vært bedre med en vin med noe mer kraft. 90+ p

Short note - clean, open, popcorn, butter, lemon, greene apples, hint tropical fruit, delicat, well structured, concentrated and very good quality, 91p

Short note - clean, salty, sea, lemon, greene apples, quite different from the chassgne, very structured and intense acidity, well concentrated, needs time and air, very good quality, 91p

This was a high point during a Maison / Dom. Roche de Bellene tasting in terms of quality vs price. The overall quality of the wines were undeniable from Village to 1er Cru all the way up to their Charmes Chambertin '12 - but this wine somehow stood out for me. Although a "mere" Village-level wine it has great nerve and acidity, lovely minerality. Lots of fruit, lime, stones on the nose. Some saltiness. And it developed very nicely in …