Tim Atkin MW published his take on the 2010 Burgundies last week (while I was scooting about the Languedoc unearthing new jewels (of which more later) and attending the ViniSud wine fair in the not so romantic expo park next to Montpellier airport, so there’s been a small delay in passing on his recommendations. You can buy and download his full report from Tim Atkin.com – and have a look at some of his great photos while you are there.
There are a good number of wines from among the L&S offerings, for which our thanks to Tim. His notes can be found below. Chablis from Boudin and Moreau-Naudet, and three wines each from Lamy and Jobard are picked out as the bargains they are. In red the Cotes de Nuits Villages from Domaine de la Douaix gets another boost (we’d already mailed about Neal Martin’s take on this wine), and there are huge reviews for some of Yves Confuron’s wines, from both Domaine Confuron Cotetidot and Domaine de Courcel where he is also manager, as well as for a couple of the Drouhin reds where we still have some stock.
All the same do bear in mind that while we try to bring you all the critics’ views and recommendations, in the end it is we ourselves who put our money where our mouth is and actually buy these wines, and present them to the critics to taste, so it is worth reading what we have to say too – have another look at the offer!
2010 CHABLIS 1er Cru Homme Mort Domaine Adhémar et Francis Boudin
Despite the evocative name of this Premier Cru, there’s nothing remotely tired or even moribund about the wine, which is honeyed, complex and unoaked. On the ripe side for Chablis, but with a bright, focused finish. 2012-15 (91/100)
2010 CHABLIS 1er Cru Vaillons Domaine Moreau-Naudet
Incredible value at less than £150 in bond, this oozes sophistication and poise, combining concentration and focused minerality. Yeasty and fresh with a buttery mid-palate and a stony, dry finish. 2013-18 (93/100)
2010 CHABLIS 1er Cru Forêts Domaine Moreau-Naudet
Stéphane Moreau’s wines have a ripeness that is almost exotic in 2010, with notes of peach and white flowers. But the underlying minerality and freshness reflect the vintage, too, giving the wines great length. 2013-17 (91/100)
2010 CHABLIS Grand Cru Valmur Domaine Moreau-Naudet
This is a little more restrained than the Vaillons from the same producer, with an overlay of oak and oyster shell minerality. The wine should fatten out in bottle over the next year or two as the oak recedes. 2014-20 (93/100)
2010 POUILLY FUISSÉ Alliance-Vergisson Domaine Daniel Barraud
The Mâconnais is the source of some great bargains in 2010, with wines that have more vivacity than the 2009s. This is rich, peachy and honeyed, but with sprightly acidity and a fresh finish. 2012-16 (90/100)
2010 SAINT AUBIN 1er Cru Frionnes Domaine Hubert Lamy
Olivier Lamy crafts some of the best wines in the under-rated village of St Aubin. This south-east facing site produces rich, concentrated wines with chalky minerality and attractive peachy fruit. 2013-18 (92/100)
2010 SAINT AUBIN 1er Cru Clos de la Chatenière Domaine Hubert Lamy
Another value for money St Aubin from the talented Olivier Lamy: taut and focused with impressive palate length, well integrated oak and beguiling freshness. 2013-20 (92/100)
2010 PULIGNY MONTRACHET Tremblots Domaine Hubert Lamy
I’d happily fill my cellar with the 2010 whites from Olivier Lamy. Like his St Aubin wines, this is expressive but not clamorous, with subtle oak, elegant pear and cinnamon fruit and a fresh, chalky persistence. 2014-19 (93/100)
2010 BOURGOGNE BLANC Domaine Rémi Jobard
If you want to drink good generic white Burgundy, find a good producer of more elevated wines. This screwcapped example (actually it isn’t screwcapped – Tim saw a sample which had a special plastic cap closure. It will be under cork. Ed.) is focused and bright with citrus peel and pear flavours and palate-tingling acidity. 2012-15 (89/100)
2010 MEURSAULT Narvaux Domaine Rémi Jobard
A Meursault which doffs its cap to Puligny, this is rich and concentrated, with flavours of hazelnuts and stone fruits, polished oak and tangy, palate-tingling acidity. Great white Burgundy at an affordable price. 2014-20 (93/100)
2010 MEURSAULT Chevalières Domaine Rémi Jobard
Even more minerally than the Narvaux from the same producer, again showing notes of citrus rind and cashew nut. The concentration is understated, but it’s there all right, supported by the stony finish. 2016-22 (94/100)
2010 PULIGNY MONTRACHET 1er Cru Champ Canet Domaine Jean-Marc Boillot
Yields were even lower than normal in 2010 in this vineyard because of a spring frost. The result is a rich, powerful wine with opulent, almost exotic flavours of peach, quince and orange blossom. 2012-18 (94/100)
2010 POMMARD 1er Cru Charmots Domaine Fernand & Laurent Pillot
My favourite of the Pillot reds in 2010, this is a Pommard with some of the lightness of touch of a Volnay and none of the former’s growling tannins. Sweet, fine and well balanced with beguiling palate length. 2014-20 (92/100)
2010 POMMARD 1er Cru Arvelets Domaine J. Confuron Cotetidot
Sourced from very red soils – “the reddest I know in Burgundy”, says Yves Confuron – this is perfumed, yet almost austere, with focused, minerally fruit flavours of red cherry and raspberry and chiselled line and length. 2015-25 (94/100)
2010 BEAUNE Rouge 1er Cru Clos des Mouches Domaine Joseph Drouhin
It’s rare that I prefer the red Clos des Mouches to the white, but that’s the case in 2010, such is the quality of the Drouhin reds. Ten per cent of whole bunches adds a little extra structure to what is a smoky, finely textured wine. 2016-25 (94/100)
2010 POMMARD Vaumuriens Domaine de Courcel
This is a Pommard for purists, a wine that makes you want to beat your breast as you drink it. It’s a dense, sappy, even chunky wine with smoky blackberry and liquorice flavours and stemmy tannins. 2016-22. (93/100)
2010 POMMARD 1er Cru Grand Clos des Épenots Domaine de Courcel
Whether or not this vineyard is elevated to Grand Cru status in the future, it is producing some very complex wines, with more focus and depth than most Pommards. This is aromatic and well balanced, with blackberry and Morello cherries on the palate and a hint of stemmy concentration. 2015-22 (94/100)
2010 CÔTE DE NUITS VILLAGES Terres Nobles Domaine de la Douaix
Bargain time! This won’t last for a decade, but it’s delicious to drink now, showing the defining sweet fruit of the vintage, supported by a touch of oak. Puts a smile on your face. 2012-14 (89/100)
2010 VOSNE ROMANÉE Domaine Georges Mugneret-Gibourg
The feminine touch (in the form of sisters, Marie-Andrée and Christine) is always apparent in these wines, even at village level. Perfumed and gentle, with no rough edges, subtle oak and a sweet finish. 2013-18 (93/100)
2010 GEVREY CHAMBERTIN 1er Cru Craipillot Domaine J. Confuron Cotetidot
This isn’t the showiest of Yves Confuron’s 2010s, but it’s one of the most balanced and refined. The whole bunch stemminess is less marked here, allowing the sweetness of the red fruits to take wing. Balanced, seductively oaked and very long on the palate, this is a wine I’d love to cellar. 2015-25. (95/100)
2010 CLOS DES LAMBRAYS Grand Cru Domaine des Lambrays
The influence of whole bunch fermentation may be too much for some, but if you like the style, this is a very polished expression of it. Sappy and slightly stemmy, with good structure and notes of forest floor and fresh earth. 2014-25 (94/100)
2010 CHAMBOLLE MUSIGNY 1er Cru Domaine Joseph Drouhin
The Drouhins blend five different Premiers Crus into this wine and the result is definitely more than the sum of its parts. Hauntingly aromatic, with sappy black cherry and raspberry fruit, a touch of liquorice and a tapering finish. 2015-22 (94/100)