Domaine Francois Bertheau, Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru, Les Amoureuses

Very pretty nose with floral elements, red cherries, spices, strawberries, and a bit of sous bois. Good balance on the palate with plush mouthfeel, flavors of red berries and cherries. Long finish. Excellent wine with good complexity and depth that should be fantastic in 10 years.

Super young. Very aromatic. Beautful palate. Needs time to flesh out complexity. This will be a good one.

Zachys La Paulée "Warm-up" Dinner (Lafayette - New York NY) : Small glass, brief note. Lots here in a very Old School style with lots of density and powerful red fruit, supported by earth and spice background hints. Sneaky power, very good length. Good now, 92-93 point potential.

Pure nose, with sweet spice and Asian spice. Blackberry on the palate and a long dark fruit finish. 90-91

Drinking surprising well and absolutely delightful. That signature dainty light touch of strawberries, cherries and Hawthorne berries all stewed with violets and small red flowers. Sweet yummy and effortless wine on the palate. Always a delight. Don't hope that it will shut down but drinking now.

(CNY 'horse' w PaulS et al @AlexH's) Ash and dark chalky fruit, lifted with soft spice, rose petals, and peppery perfume. Seductive. Beautifully concentrated, mid-bodied savoury earth, with sweet dark fruits, dark and pure, showing some muscle. Some blue fruits lifting, clean and transparent. Late summer bramble and florals, black cherries, sweet earth, with some menthol on the finish. Beautifully complete and transparent, tight balance, yet effortlessly open. Evocative. What a beauty!

Ledbury Chassagne/Chambolle lunch (Ledbury) : Colour fading slightly. The most advanced of the flight, with secondary flavours starting to show. Harmonious, with a nice balance and finish. Initially I passed over it in favour of the prettiness of the Fourriers, but I think I mis-read the wine. Returning to it later, it had filled out in the glass to show as a very enjoyable pinot, and one in its prime. dg

Second time in seven months for this wine and this bottle was better than a very good bottle in March- the fruit on this has moved into the decadent stage- absolutely delicious- lovely perfume in the mouth and a crystalline frame. I wouldn't call this power without weight, but intensity without weight is a good description.

popped and poured. pale limpid ruby- lovely nose of black cherries, saline and violets. Palate has the steely laciness that I love in Chambolle along with a lovely inner-mouth perfume. Finishes a touch short (vintage characteristic?)- lovely wine.

Tasted this wine on board the Silver Shadow from Morocco en route to Madeira. Dark but somewhat transparent ruby colour, the wine had a robust nose of red and black fruits that was very inviting. On the palate, balanced and bright flavours of macerated cheeries and plums with the black fruits dominant. Over time, the wine took on a reductive character and the palate became more and more concentrated and almost unappealingly sweet. After about an hour and a half, …