2021 Garaudet Monthelie Sous Cellier Blanc, 2012 Taupenot-Merme Clos des Lambrays, 2019 Egly-Ouriet Ambonnay Champenois, 2012 Follin-Arlebet Romanée-Saint-Vivant, 2012 Forey Vosne-Romanée Les Gaudichots, 2004 Domaine Romanée-Conti Échezeaux, 2016 Emmanuel Rouget Échezeaux

The theme was “unusual burgs and pinot” for this gathering on 23 April 2026 at Imperial Treasure Great World, whatever that means. Some of us managed to dig up wines from less commonly tasted communes that were showing very well and which should feature more in any serious collection. As usual, all wines were tasted blind, proving that even lesser-known producers deserve enormous respect, for they were all drinking well. Many thanks, gentlemen, for your generous contributions!

2018 Champagne Leclerc Briant Cuvée Abyss Brut, courtesy of LF. Clear golden luminosity, exuding a classic yeasty pungency. Imbued with pomelo and citrus within a sheen of soft refined bubbles, boasting crystalline clarity and precision. Aged in bottle in the deep sea.

2021 Domaine Florent Garaudet Monthelie Sous le Cellier Blanc. Keen bouquet of intense clear citrus with a hint of orchard fruit. Fullish with a rounded gleam, its sleek acidity and ripe warmth conveying a distinct feminine intensity with a trace of lemon bitters. Highly integral. Moderate length. A real gem, tucked between Meursault and Volnay.

2016 Domaine François Raveneau Chablis 1er Montée de Tonnerre, courtesy of Kieron. Pale golden. Cool icing and glacial tones dominate. Very subtly layered with refined acidity and a bit of oily density, exuding a delicate feminine presence.

2012 Joseph Drouhin Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Morgeot Marquis de Laguiche, courtesy of Vic. Displaying a heavier tint of gold, this wine has taken on an autumnal glaze, perhaps a little more developed than expected for its fourteen years and ex-domaine provenance, the fruit just a tad backwards in favour of dominant acidity.

2019 Egly-Ouriet Ambonnay Rouge Coteaux Champenois ‘Cuvée des Grandes Cotes’ V.V. Darkish tint of pinot. Forward bouquet of haw and red plums with good density of fruit on the medium palate, tinged with a bit of herbal tone. Wonderfully agile and slick, more perfumed and exuberant over time as it developed overtones of exotic spice along with a fleeting salinity. Moderate length. Difficult to place when blinded.

2017 Domaine Armand Rousseau Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru, courtesy of Kieron. Good colour. Rather restrained with a controlled rosy fragrance amid deeper swathes of red fruits and darkish flavours, framed by smooth supple tannins that exert elegant restraint with medium presence though there isn’t much inner detail.

2012 Domaine Taupenot-Merme Clos des Lambrays Grand Cru, courtesy of LF. A most uncommon bottle from the domaine’s meagre holdings of 400 square metres (0.04 ha) within that plot of grand cru. Displaying a deeper tint of pinot, this wine is quite pronounced in pochai and wild berries on the nose, while the medium-full palate is ample in ripe red fruits, generously proportioned with a bit of stemmy undertow that adds a bit of austere rusticity.

2012 Domaine Forey Père et Fils Vosne-Romanée 1er Les Gaudichots, courtesy of LF. Classic pinot tint. Ample layers of fleshy darkish fruit, showing some secondary development with overtones of spice, cedar and capsicum, dressed in supple tannins with lively acidity that impart fine tension. Modest finish. From tiny holdings directly abutting La Tache Grand Cru yet sufficiently differentiated. Amazing how those medieval monks already knew back then.

2012 Domaine Follin-Arlebet Romanée-Saint-Vivant Grand Cru, courtesy of Vic. Heavier tint of pinot, delivering darkish fruit on the nose and palate with considerable power and intensity. Still seemingly youthful with supple tannins, displaying fine length and linearity with a bit of exotic spice towards its finish.

2016 Domaine Emmanuel Rouget Échezeaux Grand Cru, courtesy of Sir Bob. Deeper tint of pinot. Forward balance of darkish fruit tinged with varnish, replete with a subtle undertow of iron filings and vegetal tones on the generous palate, structured with well-managed tannins

2004 Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Échezeaux Grand Cru, courtesy of Sir Bob. Classic pinot tint. Considerable age is evident, exuding a delicious rosy fragrance with delicate intensity, matched by a highly integral medium palate that is still wonderfully fresh with a deeper core of mandarins imbued with precise tannins and subtle complexity. Excellent.