Burgundy 2011 K-O

Biodynamic. Harmonious, gentle but the tannins just right. Fruit quite ripe and gentle. Friendly. (JH)

Biodynamic. Fruit a little darker than the Bourgogne and a layer of sweet oak spice. Gentle and welcoming. Dryish tannins provide just the right framework. (JH)

Biodynamic. Already harmonious and approachable, though there's a kick of tannin on the finish indicating a longer future than the first taste suggested. Relatively dense and compact. Very self-assured and good length. QGV (JH)

Biodynamic. Cherry and vanilla sweetness on the nose. Paper-fine tannins are dry but add finesse not astringency. Lively and finely balanced. (JH)

Half Gamay. Complantés as in the old style. Which means they sync ripening rather than Gamay ripening much earlier. Good frank mouthful of fruit and pretty rustic but a true expression of one of Burgundy’s specialities. A tad skinny on the end.

85-year-old vines on the border of Meursault; very gravelly and very suitable for complanté Gamay and Pinot. Hi grandfather started with Clos des Chênes and this vineyard which was then young. One hectare and still very healthy. The wine is in homage to Frédéric’s grandfather.
Very intense and bone dry but bursting with personality. More tannin and concentration than the regular bottling.

Round, glossy fruit that is dry on the finish but delightfully transparent now. Light weight and relatively simple but comes cloaked in Volnay character. Between the RN74 and Volnay vineyards – an especially good strip for Bourgogne. Sweeter than the Exception.

Parcel in Meursault near Santenots. Racy and lively. Real zip to this. Light to mid weight with very fine tannins and lots of acidity. But not skinny.

Mossy and quite light on the nose. Lightweight and pretty still with some dissolved gas. Definitely not the real Volnay weapon in their arsenal!

Terroir selection in the centre of the appellation just below the premiers crus.
Much more concentrated than the regular bottling. Great vivacity and lots more fruit gives this a longer drinking window. Very silky. Very Volnay.

Big, quite beefy, even a little cheesy! Certainly dramatic. Almost flashy for a Lafarge wine. Solid fruit with quite a firm impact. Relatively dense. Dry finish. Extremely appetising.

90-year-old vines – their oldest. Very subtle nose with real depth and – dare I say it? – minerality. Very far from straightforward sweet fruit. Still youthful but very convincing. Dry finish.

Very explosive nose – great panoply of fruits. Very alluring. Very bright fruited and fresh with real zing. A guided missile aimed at the palate. Lovely stuff! Sinewy, not heavy, but with great character, finely etched and no shortage of fruit.

White clays give rather firm tannins. Quite dark crimson. Concentrated almost animal notes with a firm corset. A bit reticent and very dry for the moment. Definitely one for the cellar!

Old calcaire soils and quite brown. Deep gravel on top of calcaire. Not that dark. Aromatic, fresh and gentle. Quite forward. Very charming. Maybe a bit less serious than the Mitans. Glorious already. Very long, suggests there’s a glorious future for this wine too.

Red soils for minerality above calcaire. Rich, round and charming red fruits and this only firms up on the end of the palate. Quite juicy! Sinewy. Lots of fun to be had.

Almost 1 ha (16 ha in total). Red and much shallower soils above the calcaire.
Much darker colour than most. Big and broad and welcoming. Very substantial with real breadth of fruit. Rich start and very subtle. Not an ounce of skinniness. Great race and persistence. You know it will last amazingly well but it has such depth and fruit you want to drink it already! Long and reverberant.

Vines in the middle of the vineyard – just 0.15 ha on Dolomite calcaire.
Very rich, opulent nose. Dark ruby. Then quite marked acidity and tannin – quite a different build to the Volnays! Much tougher. Struts rather than dances. Dry finish for the moment.

Pale ruby. Strange seaweed nose. Very firm and structured with real Côte de Nuits substance. A tad chewy. Wait!

Bit harsh. Bit dry, jewelly. Just a bit jagged. Clean and fresh.

Blueish crimson. Broad and rich and very winning. Long and so seductive. Seems to have ignored 2011's lack of ripeness completely!

Thick and sweet. Quite dramatic but not very subtle. Dry finish.

Quite a bit of gas dissolved in this. Rich and round but lacks just a little of the vital spark of the Vosne.

Bold, modern oak, lots of slick red fruit. Very rounded and polished – not without structure though, there is furry tannin on the finish. Grainy. (RH)

Nervy and dramatic with lovely balance between fruit and structure. Long and rich and the flavours just yo-yo over the palate. Lovely stuff but look at the price! Clean and long.

Reduced nose but some agreeable liquorice aromas. Tastes like blackcurrant throat lozenges. Distinctive!

Magic! The flavour is something like boiled sweets – or blackcurrant cough mixture – very Bordelais flavours, really, but the structure is defiantly Burgundian – so light on its feet. Bold, idiosyncratic. (RH)

Light but satisfying and friendly. Mulberries. Sweet start. Round and a suggestion of oak.

Pretty leafy overall, verging on 2004 pyrazines but has better depth to compensate and hide that characteristic. Not very good value for money. (JH)

Tight, tense, exciting on the nose. Rich and broad and ready to make a splash. Lots of riches. Very different wine from the madding crowd! As it should be for the price.

Bright ruby. A bit gamey on the nose. Quite powerful fruit – exuberant. Much less timid than the average for 2011 reds. A little severe on the finish. Drying for the moment. Striking wine.

Scented, powerful nose. Just a little brutal. Sincere but needs time.

Lightish crimson. Lightly peppery and spiced. On the lean side but lively and fresh. (JH)

Sweet red cherry and a delicate touch of chocolate/vanilla sweetness, presumably from the oak. Much drier than I expected. Not as approachable as many have been but should fill out. (JH)

Sweetness of red cherry and oak spice. Inviting. Harmonious and surprisingly soft at this stage though there's a kick of tannin in the finish. (JH)

Sweeter and richer on the nose than the Aloxe. Dry, gentle fruit, correct rather than exciting, though the balance is good. (JH)

Lightish crimson. Perfumed and bright on the nose but a little hard on the palate – the tannins and the acidity at war at the moment – though there's fruit again on the finish. (JH)

Charmingly restrained on the nose – lively fresh cherry fruit already expressive. Relatively slight for a grand cru but a harmony of fruit and tannins that lingers long and finishes nicely dry. (JH)

Red-fruited perfume, quite ripe, and tannins are firm and dense. It's all there, but I just can't get excited about this one. (JH)

Lots of cherry fruit. Dense, compact, firm. Promising, just enough freshness. Just a little bit heavy at the end. (JH)

A paradox of dry, tight tannins and overall succulence. Just a baby but worth waiting for. (JH)

Purplish crimson. Lots of fine crunchy Gamay fruit. Juicy and sweet and fresh. Delicious. (JH)

Hint of oak on the nose taking away slightly from the brightness of the Gamay fruit on the nose but it re-emerges on the palate. Deep fruit, generous and lightly but well structured. Moreish. (JH)

Property recently bought. Less expressive than the Reyssiers Regnié. A little more peppery. Light bodied, correct, fragrant and just fresh on the finish. (JH)

Intensely fruity on the nose, very expressive already. Pretty soft on the palate. Gently satisfying but not terribly long. (JH)

Vines on the Hautes Côtes apparently. Pale cherry red. Lively, vaguely earthy wine. Pure, a little lean for most tastes probably.

Quite challenging acidity. Chewy and a tad unfriendly.

Finely etched spicy fruit. Correct but a bit demanding.

Fair whack of ripe fruit but a little on the skinny side.

Soft, leathery tones and a fragrant violet character with crunchy black fruit. Slightest bitterness to the finish – not distracting, but not exactly pristine either. (RH)

Made from 2009 on. Just racked = the final blend. To be bottled in spring.
Pale cherry red. Very pretty nose. Light and fruity on the palate. Very juicy and fine. Balletic. A touch of earthiness – nicely.

NB vintage. Quite light for a 2010 and attractively scented. Bit of truffle on the nose and great freshness plus the broad, almost strawberry fruit on the palate. Juicy and with a bit more grip than the 2011. But very much in the same mould.

Made from 2009 on. 80% whole bunch. Mid cherry red. A lively rendition of this climat on the nose. Mid weight and even relatively light for a Charmes. Very sprightly – maybe too much so? Certainly not much gravitas! An entertainment rather than thoroughly satisfying.

NB vintage. Several parcels belonging to one proprietor, in conversion in 2010. Pale crimson. Lightly peppery top note. Truly charming with a attractively salty touch. Very refined and much easier to read than the 2011. Polished and accomplished. Not forced. Some whole bunch depending on vintage – 100% in 2010.

Mid cherry red. Ripe cherry, perhaps had a little too much air in this sample. Aside from that it is rounded and gentle and full of attractive fruit. Quite tight, very fresh on the finish. Good depth. (JH)

Relaxed and gentle when tasted straight after the Croix/Camille Giroud wines. A gentle hand – or hands-off may be the more appropriate expression. Correct and not forced. Real energy here. But only medium richness on the end.

Rich and dense on the nose. Very intense concentration – quite unusual for 2011. Extremely youthful. Very intense indeed!

Just a hint of stewed beetroot here. Rich and racy. Oak seems a bit obvious. Ungainly drying finish.

Good energy and life here. Quite fruity and dynamic compared to many. Lots of fruit. By no means mainstream but probably worth a punt. Quite long.

Rich and lively but vibrating and not really fully solid.

Quite rich and rewarding. Lots of tension and life. Bravo! Good balance.

Juicy and rich and full of fruit. Intense and quite exciting. Racy.

Light cherry red. Density but quite tough and tart. Very edgy.

Sweet start and then a bit uncompromising and dry. Finding it difficult to see the charm here. Very drying finish.

Attractively scented but awfully rigorous and chewy. Hard work!

This starts to have enough charm and fruit to overwhelm the structure.

Bright crimson. Very intense and almost painful acidity but precise and well meant. Fresh finish. Very clean. Max medium weight.

Quite rich fruit in a firm corset with something quite wild about it. But ungenerous on the finish. Very sudden!

Rich, liqueur-like nose and then a bit dry and brutal on the palate. No shortage of beef per penny!

Heady nose and a little severe in terms of acidity but definite over-delivery in terms of concentration! Dry finish. Very energetic. A very distinct style.

Bright crimson. Richness and layers on the nose even of this village wine. Lots going on here – very flattering and intriguing. Super appetising. Really very good for a village wine. GV

Luscious and polished and perfumed. Neat but a bit dryer and more restrained than the Morey.

Bright, sweet fruit. Very clean and pure and polished. Masses of fruit. Long. Pretty impressive! GV

Pale crimson. Quite a bit of acidity. Fresh but ripe fruit. Just a bit less emphatic than the Cheseaux.

Light cherry colour. Rather generous even if not concentrated fruity nose. Some lusciousness. Though still in light, flirtatious mode. Attractive, and a bit more complex than the village wine.

Burly aromas with chestnut and prunes. Very round and sweet. A real charmer. You could almost enjoy this already! Really very sumptuous and attractive.

Scented and sinewy. Not a knockout drop by any means. But solid and firm and excellent structure. Opens out on the end. Promising.

Very firm nose and but quite hard and demanding at the moment. Lack of fruit in the middle.

Bright, light, juicy and fresh. Light, dry tannins. Refreshing cherry fruit. (JH)

Lively fruit without great density – delicate and fresh and so drinkable. Moreish. (JH)

Very sweet ripe cherry fruit on the nose. Slight in the middle but well crafted for harmony, freshness and drinkability. Persistent. (JH)

Very youthful fruitiness and a slight volatile element. Over-keen tannins. A bit of a mouthful. Good, but formidably structured. (RH)

Vibrant, cherry fruit with great purity and smooth tannins. Rounded, balanced – but lacking goosebumps. (RH)

Bright red fruit, with a slightly confected character. Super-fine tannins. Neat and compact with a delicate fragrance to offset the bold fruit. (RH)

Earth, herbs, milk chocolate, sweet spice – very attractive and complex. The oak is confident but balanced. Very enjoyable. (RH)

Just the right level of stem content giving a herbal lilt but nothing underripe. Tannins have real force on the finish – needs plenty of time. (RH)

Organic. Aromatic and pretty though there is a slightly leafy note under the fruit. Light, dry, pleasant and juicy on the finish. (JH)

Quite dense cherry red. Very slightly raw fruit. Solid.

Lively and sweet. Easy peasy. Bit of oak in evidence.

Juicy. Racy. Ready to wallop quite soon. Good energy.

Rich, ripely scented fruit. Actually rather more perfumed and silky than the average Gevrey...

Rather broad on the nose and chewy finish. Lots to get your teeth into but no finesse. Honest stuff.

Dense but a bit foot dragging. Solid, almost there but just a bit stolid.

Bright purplish crimson. Slightly raw notes on the nose. Quite demanding with some oak in evidence. But some purity too. Some more like a tisane than a ferment – lots of maceration perhaps?

Transparent ruby. Round and flattering nose. Fresh and pure and flattering. Chewy finish. Lovely until the slightly sour finish.

Light and lively and energetic. Hint of walnut skins too.

Bright crimson. Very showy and edgy. Oak on the finish. Hard work at the moment. Very drying.

Mid crimson. Density but not much finesse. Solid, not tarted up but not much aromatic lift.

Oak a little dominant on the nose. Jagged but sweet. A tiny bit of a caricature.

Lots of violet scent, attractive crunchy redcurrant fruit. Firm tannins, but there’s lots of charm here. (RH)

Healthy crimson. Bit of boiled sweets on the nose. Rather simple sweet fruit – and light – on the palate. Then chewy.

In bottle already. Light cherry red. A little sour on the end but lots of easy fruit beforehand. Fair enough for the appellation. GV

Juicy start but something a bit metallic on the finish. Not the fruitiest nor purest. Hard work.

A tad underwhelming for the appellation. Awkward tannins. Not at all bad, just not stellar. (RH)

Big and beefy. Broad with – most unusually – a hint of coffee and chocolate. Could be quite rewarding even if not ethereal. GV for the appellation.

Heady, rich, jewelly fruit though tad spindly as though the sorting was not 100% perfect. Denser than the other two reds but a little fragile.

Very rich and sweet with an overlay of oak. Quite seductive. Lots of appealing qualities even if not absolutely top drawer.

Cuvée 1: 100% whole bunch. The high part, calcaire, very hard.
Very rich and gamey indeed. Sweet. Quite dramatic. Really rather flattering and lovely. 17.5 Drink 18-30
Cuvée 2: 50% whole bunch. From the middle high section of the vineyard, marnes.
Dense animal and much livelier than Cuvée 1. Lots of gas. Complete. 18 Drink 20-35
Cuvée 3: 100% whole bunch. Selection of typically sized Pinot bunches from all over the clos.
Broad, heady, sweet. But without much structure. 17 Drink 18-28
Cuvée 4: no whole bunch, middle low, calcaire huitres.
Very lively and fresh and racy but without as much depth as some. Sinewy – high or limestone? 17 Drink 17-25
Cuvée 5: no whole bunch, from the bottom of the clos, calcaire with small green fossils – little worms.
Intense, fine, complex though a little subdued. And angular. 17 Drink 17-25
Cuvée 6: vines 25 and 26 years old, 100% whole bunch.
A bit green and awkward. 17-
Cuvée 7: vines about 10 years old, zero whole bunch. 17
Cuvée 8: first press.
Great vivacity and life! Really spicy and fresh. 17+
Probable blend: Rather more serious than any of the components. Very mellow and rich with a gamey hint and dramatic with good structure but pretty accessible. Rewarding and spicy. Firm finish. Amiable. 

Enticing scent, lots of floral character, crunchy fruit and soft, juicy mouthfeel. A fine sense of control here – great balance and concentration. (RH) 12.5%

Strong oak scent, bitter cranberry and cherry fruit, firm tannins. Built to last. Succulent and pert. (RH) 13%

Delicate and restrained with a slight mixed peel scent. Not as forthcoming and delicious as their Narbantons Savigny. Much less oak too. (RH) 13%

Healthy crimson. Good brisk richness. Pretty racy and fresh. Good energy – showing well at the Loeb tasting where reds have become a tad too warm. Dry finish but crunchy fruit.

Great energy and some ballast. Crunchy finish. Not sweetened up.

Pointed and racy and chewy. Dry finish.

Sample pulled from tank last Thursday. Nervy. Lively. Finishes a bit suddenly. They had to move it to tank a bit soon after malo so it’s still full of CO2.

Quite dense and rich and real polish but a dry, sprightly build. This doesn't taste chaptalised. Correct and fresh. But it is overall light…

Rich and racy and a bit thick and liquoreux. Oak sticks out a little on the end.

Racy and flashy and with lots of fruit. Racy. Long. Fruitier than most. But with a metallic finish.

A little bit of oak obvious on the nose. Lots of substance. Embryonic. Dry finish. Hints of tea leaves. Interesting. Less grainy tannins than many a serious Pommard.

Really rather sumptuous on the nose. Lots of sweet fruit – very unusual for a 2011. Then structured underneath. Quite a standout.

This wine has been sitting in barrel and slowly degassing because it can handle being in barrel for 19 months.
Rich and round. Creditable.

Quite crimson. Lively, fresh and zippy but still quite chewy. Wait.

First vines owned by his grandfather. Rich fruit for a Santenay. Lots of effort here and very flattering if you like your burgundy concentrated. Slightly brutal but no shortage of impact.

A tad rustic but heartfelt. Very chewy finish. A wine for the medium to long term. Lots going on! But like Cuvée S, a bit brutal.

Quite rich fruit. Explosive. Wines that want to make their mark! But a bit jagged… and dry on the end.

Light, a touch leafy, fresh and refreshing with lingering red fruit. I just get a touch of 2004 pyrazines on the finish. (JH)

Much richer fruited than above. Firm, dry, a little bit stemmy. Dry and quite firm on the finish, especially for this vintage. Juicy fresh aftertaste. (JH)

A hint of oak on the nose. Lots of energy. Pruney fruit. Very sweet. Perhaps lacks a bit of drive.

Easy, liquorice perfumed, designed for early enjoyment. Lots of fruit.

Sweet and easy. Lots of charm. Mouth-filling fruit.

Quite heady fruit. Rich and sweet. Very charming with a hint of fleur d'orange. Well done!

Fruity and full of life. Yet more evidence of exciting life at the northern end of the Côte d'Or! Well done.

Quite a price for a village wine! Dense, concentrated, sweet and sort of biodynamic. (Wild and all that – but actually he is no more than lutte raisonnée). Dry finish but not painful.

This sample was tart and ungenerous. Very chewy. Almost a candidate for ladybird affliction!

Rich and concentrated and sweet. Thoroughly satisfying. Except for the price. Prunes though certainly not luscious.

Good fruity stuff. Absolutely not an ounce of complication or nuance but not encumbered by too much oak and a very charming introduction to red burgundy. GV

Rather tired sample on the nose and not much fruit on the palate. A tad dull to boot.

Quite resounding fruit on the nose. A good effort though still relatively simple. Very straightforward with fruit the dominant note. Relatively lightweight but pure and 2011ish.

Good fruit intensity with real polish. Much the best of the four of his wines I have tasted. Some structure here with different layers of pleasure.

Slim, fresh, mouthwatering. A little bit light in the middle but well made to make the most of the vintage. (JH)

Smells sweeter and richer than the Clos Jus. Still relatively light bodied but more firmly structured and a little fuller. (JH)

Lifted nose and very marked acidity. Bit like bone-dry raspberry juice. Demanding.

Intense fruit on the nose, and a very gentle construction on the palate. Seems much riper than their Vosne. Firm but not excessively tannic.

Pale bright crimson. Very pure and clean and direct. Sings straight at the eyeballs! Lovely purity. What more do you want? Enormous pleasure. Not enormous depth but lovely early maturing top-quality village burgundy. GV?

A little bit of reduction but great intensity. Almost rudely flamboyant. Full of fruit and allure although all on a very transparent scale. More intense than the Bonnes Mares. Racy and opulent within its own terms.

A fué may be a unit of area – maybe. Less perfumed than the village wine. The only wine to have been racked, which is why it may be less expressive. Lovely clarity of fruit and freshness but it’s pretty uncommunicative on the nose at the moment. Very refined. Fine undertow of ripe fruit. Only mid weight but beautiful balance.

130 pièces! 40,000 bottles. Assemblage of the eight cuvees. Probably no Forges in 2011.
Firm and fine – quite assertive. Racy and a little richer than the average Nuits but more like Nuits than some earlier vintages to me. Very dry on the end, real texture. Lifted.

Peppery and dark fruited. Rather leafy on the palate. Somehow Cabernet can do leafy better than Pinot. Dry, slightly dusty tannins. Refined nevertheless. (JH)

Light and gentle and easy and well balanced. All about restraint. Lots of juicy fruit but very subtle. Not cheap though!

Some vines planted in 1940s, and others between 1958-1963.
A little darker than the rest. Gamey nose (nothing to do with reduction). Juice and freshness and intensity and real life and savour. Quite firm fine tannins underneath but masses of mind-blowing elegant fruit. Sinewy. All in the same register as the village wine. A gold-standard wine. But some will find it tight at this stage.

In middle of the vineyard. Terres rouges and blanches. Small parcel so assembled from the start. Fred thinks that inside each climat the magic is to have big diversity which makes the wine complex, rich and well balanced. Separating the soils seems erroneous to him.
A more fragrant, feminine style of Bonnes Mares than say Roumier’s. Transparent and aerienne. Very distinctive! Pretty. But not solid. Very racy. Very refined. Very Chambolle.

From between Nuits and Vosne. Very pale. Quite light but jewelly and confident. Fresh and transparent. Dry finish. VGV

Sumptuous and crackling. Dry finish. Lots of confidence. GV

Pale ruby. Very fresh and lively. Sweet start. I suddenly had a flash of Pyramid Valley Pinot in Canterbury! Outside the Burgundy norms this but it knows what it's doing. Very delicate.

Bluer – pale crimson. Really rather sumptuous and, despite the pale colour, quite rich and dense. Classic and distinguished. Very healthy and lively. So crisp and fresh!

Solid with undertow but not ethereal. Lively – lots going on, but not enormous concentration.

Palish ruby. Not much on the nose. Dry tannins too firm for the fruit. Hard finish. (JH)

Pale ruby. Gentle hint of red fruit. Light, soft, dull. (JH)

Lacks fruit in the middle, giving a dry finish. Slightly better balance than the Beaune. (JH)