2003 Chassagne-Montrachet, Marc Morey, Burgundy, France

Appearance: medium gold-green.

Nose: very attractive French oak nose matched by ripe citrus fruit – mainly lemon – and possibly some melon fruit too. Also mineral and savoury qualities.

Palate: powerful lemon fruit, impressive acidity for the difficult 2003 vintage, lovely toasty oak and superb length.

Conclusion: this was a very high quality Chassagne and very impressive given the hardships of 2003. This is the first time we’ve tasted Marc Morey’s wines – having drunk much more of Michel Morey-Coffinet in the past (Chassagne is a minefield of Moreys, Coffinets and other relations) – and we were definitely convinced of the quality here (tasted at an event where several bottles were served showing great bottle-to-bottle consistency).

Rating: 18.5/20

Labels: 2003, Burgundy, Chardonnay, Chassagne-Montrachet, France, Marc Morey, white

We have to delcare an interest here in that Edward's brother, Michael Ragg, is co-partner of Mischief & Mayhem, the Burgundian negociant-eleveur based in Aloxe-Corton (which he runs with Michael Twelftree of Barossa-based Two Hands Wines).

But we are not alone in thinking the quality of the wines here is very high. Wine Spectator has awarded repeated high scores in their blind-tastings and quality is set to improve even further, as Bruce Sanderson reported on his recent visit.

In July 2007 we tasted a range of both the white and red 2005s at the property.

Here are our notes on the reds:

2005 Mischief & Mayhem Savigny-Les-Beaune 1er Cru Les Peuillets

Appearance: medium purple-red, clear rim.

Nose: bright strawberry and raspberry fruit, lovely oak, perfumed.

Palate: attractive red fruits, nice ripe grainy tannins with lovely acidity. Good length.

Conclusion: Very approachable and really good value all round.

Rating: 17.5/20

2005 Mischief & Mayhem Aloxe-Corton 1er Cru Les Fournières-Guérets

Appearance: deepish purple-red colour, clear rim.

Nose: red and black cherry nose with some smoke (a darker, even ‘tarry’ nose here). Complex, if a little tight at present.

Palate: strong cherry fruits, largeish chewy tannins on the palate with great acidity and a very good overall structure (fruit-alcohol-acid-tannin balance is very good).

Conclusion: A blend of two Aloxe-Corton Premier Crus, this wine needs time. Will be very good over the next ten years (should keep for even longer).

Rating: 18.5/20

2005 Mischief & Mayhem Volnay (Vieilles Vignes)

Appearance: bright red-purple colour, clear rim.

Nose: immediately attractive bright red cherry nose with some spice (cinnamon, clove, nutmeg) from the oak here. Very appealing.

Palate: bright, deep fruit from the old vines comes through on the palate which has fine acidity with the tannins arriving ‘later’: these are chunky but still more grainy in texture than chewy exactly. Lovely oak and superb structure.

Conclusion: approachable now, but also a wine that will benefit hugely from cellaring. Very good.

Rating: 18.5/20

2005 Mischief & Mayhem Gevrey-Chambertin

Appearance: medium purple-red, clear rim.

Nose: pronounced oak but backed by strong fruit (principally red and black cherry, even some plum); fruit becomes more generous as the wine opens out.

Palate: palate is angular with strong red and black fruits, fine acidity and chunky ripe tannins. Good length.

Conclusion: Young and very good. Will get better and better.

Rating: 18/20 [likely to improve]

2005 Mischief & Mayhem Pommard 1er Cru Clos Blanc

Appearance: medium to deep purple-red, clear rim.

Nose: generous fruit and ‘power’: a strong nose of red and black cherry, some plum, nice oak which also contributes some spice.

Palate: more powerful red and black fruits on the palate with increased spice, good acidity and a big Pommard-like structure.

Conclusion: Needs time. Very promising Pommard.

Rating : 17.5/20 [for the moment]

2005 Mischief & Mayhem Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Petits Monts

Appearance: more purple than red, clear rim.

Nose: very perfumed first nose with dark red and black fruits, some spice and considerable complexity as the oak marries with the fruit.

Palate: hugely perfumed, lovely fruit; the palate has great acidity with silky elegant tannins and fantastic concentration.

Conclusion: Very, very good.

Rating: 19/20

2005 Mischief & Mayhem Grand Cru Clos Vougeot

Appearance: basically purple, clear rim.

Nose: very much berry fruit on the first nose (redcurrants, blackcurrant leaf). This bright first nose then reveals darker fruits (black cherry). The nose is almost a cross between the Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Petits Monts and the Aloxe-Corton 1er Cru blend combining that irresistible perfume of the Vosne (violets and something else I can’t put my finger on) with the tarry, smoky and spicier qualities of the Aloxe.

Palate: the palate has complex fruit, excellent acidity, fine chewy tannins and great length.

Conclusion: Superb, but needs time. This wine is still very young indeed.

Rating: 19/20

2005 Mischief & Mayhem Grand Cru Corton Bressandes

Appearance: predominately purple, clear rim.

Nose: lovely oak coming through with very ripe, bright, sweet and creamy fruits (mix of red and black fruits again).

Palate: strong fruit, with chewy medium tannins, excellent acidity and very good length.

Conclusion: approachable now, but clearly still a young wine. This bottle was even better than the one tasted the previous day. Very, very good.

Rating: 18.5/20

Labels: 2005, Aloxe-Corton, Burgundy, Corton, Featured Tastings, France, Gevrey-Chambertin, Mischief and Mayhem, Pinot Noir, Pommard, red, Savigny-Les-Beaune, Volnay, Vosne-Romanee, Vougeot

Featured Tasting: Mischief & Mayhem 2005 White Burgundies

We have to delcare an interest here in that Edward's brother, Michael Ragg, is co-partner of Mischief & Mayhem, the Burgundian negociant-eleveur based in Aloxe-Corton (which he runs with Michael Twelftree of Barossa-based Two Hands Wines).

But we are not alone in thinking the quality of the wines here is very high. Wine Spectator has awarded repeated high scores in their blind-tastings and quality is set to improve even further, as Bruce Sanderson reported on his recent visit.

In July 2007 we tasted a range of both the white and red 2005s at the property. Here are our notes on the whites:

2005 Mischief & Mayhem Chablis

Appearance: lightish green gold.

Nose: beautiful mineral nose, light lemon and even green apple fruit here too.

Palate: lovely citrus fruit with more mineral notes (wet stones), excellent acidity and impressive length.

Conclusion: this wine is actually 1er Cru Côte de Léchet, but the decision was to deliver a really good Chablis at a decent price in order to establish something reliable as a new addition to the range (rather than price it at Chablis 1er Cru level). This is very good and should improve in bottle very well.

Rating: 17.5/20 [but will improve]

2005 Mischief & Mayhem Chardonnay

Appearance: medium yellow colour.

Nose: lemon fruit with mineral notes, slight oak, fresh, slightly nutty.

Palate: lovely lemon fruit with some well-balanced acidity (even for Chardonnay). Good length.

Conclusion: A very good Bourgogne Blanc.

Rating: 17/20

2005 Mischief & Mayhem Chablis Grand Cru Les Preuses

Appearance: medium green gold.

Nose: intense green apple and lemon fruit, mineral, savoury, concentrated nose.

Palate: marked but integrated high acid, lovely fruit, more mineral flavours, but with a rounded feel too. Intense and full-flavoured.

Conclusion: very promising Grand Cru Chablis with a considerable life ahead of it, if highly drinkable now.

Rating: 18.5/20

2005 Mischief & Mayhem Meursault

Appearance: deepish yellow.

Nose: very attractive lemon and melon fruit (not too lush) with nicely balanced toasty oak.

Palate: good acidity and soft citrus fruits with a creamy note. Excellent length.

Conclusion: Very good Meursault and should develop very well in bottle.

Rating: 17.5/20 [although another bottle warrants 18/20]

2005 Mischief & Mayhem Puligny-Montrachet

Appearance: pleasant medium gold-green colour.

Nose: strong lemon fruit, hazelnut, minerality (stones). Very attractive integrated nose.

Palate: palate has good concentration and a bit more zip than the Meursault – Puligny’s trademark acidity and minerality coming through – although the fruit is bigger here than in Pulignys from other vintages (2005’s plushness to the fore). Good length and very good all around.

Conclusion: Lovely village Puligny. Will improve well in bottle.

Rating: 18/20

2005 Mischief & Mayhem Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Champs Gains

Appearance: attractive medium gold-green colour.

Nose: toasty oak first nose, also featuring lemon and hazlenuts (as on the village Puligny). Young, complex.

Palate: fruit has soft feel at first on palate, but then the acidity comes through so the mouth-feel is supple, simultaneously lean and rich. Very long.

Conclusion: This is possibly more complex than the village Puligny, but I love the blend of the latter. At this stage, I would rate both wines similarly in qualitative terms, but it will be really interesting to see how they develop. Very good.

Rating: 18/20 [could be 18.5/20 or higher]

Labels: Burgundy, Chablis, Chardonnay, Featured Tastings, France, Meursault, Mischief and Mayhem, Puligny-Montrachet, Two Hands Wines, white, Wine Spectator

2005 Beaujolais-Villages, Joseph Drouhin, Burgundy, France

Appearance: medium purple-red

Nose: strawberry and raspberry fruit, not too much carbonic maceration going on here so there is not that that bubble-gum, confected flavour. Bright fruit from the 2005 vintage.

Palate: a pleasant palate with low tannins, medium acidity and decent fruit. Quite good length.

Conclusion: representative and solid Beaujolais Villages in an excellent vintage. Not bad value for the Chinese market at 138RMB either from Torres China.

Rating: 16/20

2003 Trentham Estate Ruby Sparkling Shiraz, Murray Darling, New South Wales, Australia

Appearance: deepish purple.

Nose: lovely Shiraz fruit with blackberry, black cherry and even slight pepper (which doesn’t usually come from Aussie Shirazes).

Palate: lovely mousse, great fruit, even some tannin although it seems like every effort has been made to keep these low. Good length.

Conclusion: impressive sparkling Shiraz, a category we need to taste more of! Available from Gelipu for RMB 228.

Rating: 17.5/20

Labels: 2003, 2005, Australia, Beaujolais, Burgundy, Drouhin, France, Gamay, Gelipu, New South Wales, OCCB, red, Shiraz, sparkling, Torres China, Trentham Estate

2001 Chablis 1er Cru Montmains, Louis Etienne et Fils

Appearance: medium green.

Nose: Classic developed Chablis on the nose with mellow green apple fruit, minerality and even slight nuttiness here from the relative age.

Palate: more mellow apple fruit although with slightly sour acidity. Okay length.

Conclusion: This bottle was possible slightly tired, but was pretty good though. Made in a traditional style.

Rating: 16.5/20

Labels: 2001, Burgundy, Chablis, Chardonnay, France, Louis Etienne, Montmains, white

2002 Chablis 1er Cru Vaillons (Vieilles Vignes), Dauvissat

Appearance: pale straw-green colour.

Nose: very young nose at present showing some citrus fruit and mineral notes, but perhaps a little closed right now.

Palate: more fruit on the palate than on the nose, good highish acidity, balanced alcohol, very good length.

Conclusion: This wine has a considerable way to go and there's some concentration there from the old vines that has yet to express itself fully. Drink from 2007-2012. Dauvissat is clearly a strong producer. Very good.

Rating: 18/20 [possibly higher with age]

Labels: 2002, Burgundy, Chablis, Chardonnay, Dauvissat, France, white

1996 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Les Cazetiers, Dominique Laurent

Appearance: faded purple-red colour with orange rim.

Nose: very pleasant secondary nose (i.e. with mushroomy and other savoury characteristics), good oak, lingering Pinot fruit though as well.

Palate: savoury flavours and lingering red fruits, excellent acidity and superb structure (integrated mellowed silky tannins here). Great length.

Conclusion: A gorgeous wine. Some 1996 Red Burgundies are closed up at present, but this was showing very attractive development. Brilliant.

Rating: 18.5/20

Labels: 1996, Burgundy, Dominique Laurent, France, Gevrey-Chambertin, Pinot Noir, red

2002 Pernand-Vergelesses (Blanc) 1er Cru Sous Frétille, Antonin Guyon

Appearance: medium gold.

Nose: immediate lemon fruits with classic buttery aromas from the malolactic fermentation and subtle French oak.

Palate: lovely fruit which is leaner than you'd typically get on Meursault, for example, helped by fine acidity and good length. Oak is non-intrusive.

Conclusion: Pernand-Vergelesses is something of an overlooked Burgundian village, no doubt because it is tucked around the corner of the famous hill of Corton and Corton-Charlemagne. Guyon is a reliable, experienced producer and this wine was drinking beautifully. Might benefit from modest ageing, however.

Rating: 17.5/20

Labels: 2002, Antonin Guyon, Burgundy, Chardonnay, France, Pernand Vergelesses, white

1998 Savigny-Les-Beaune (Vieilles Vignes/Old Vines), Domaine C. Maréchal, Burgundy

Appearance: light red purple, slight tinge of age.

Nose: beautiful Pinot nose featuring red cherry and strawberries (rather than raspberries), French oak, slight oxidation but not very vegetal just yet.

Palate: good fruit, excellent medium-high acid and balanced alcohol, soft and silky tannins although with enough structure for further ageing.

Conclusion: Maréchal is a decent producer situated in Bligny-Les-Beaune, only a few minutes south of Beaune itself in the heart of the Côte de Beaune. This was a lovely example of Burgundian Pinot Noir at this level. Very good.

Rating: 17.5/20

Labels: 1998, Burgundy, Cote de Beaune, Domaine C. Marechal, France, Pinot Noir, red, Savigny-Les-Beaune

2002 Chablis, William Fevre

Appearance: light green gold.

Nose: rich, ripe lemon fruit, minerals, and (often not mentioned on Chablis) very grapey, no oak.

Palate: both rich and lean, high integrated acidity, medium cool alcohol, more lemons but also minerality, good length.

Conclusion: 2002 was a great year in Chablis (better even than 2001) and William Fevre’s village Chablis shows this in abundance (and is capable of ageing for a little while). However, it is certainly drinking now. Fantastic unoaked Chardonnay.

Rating: 17.5/20 [could be higher]

Labels: 2002, Burgundy, Chablis, Chardonnay, France, white, William Fevre

1995 Savigny-Les-Beaune, Joseph Drouhin

Appearance: medium purple red, slightly orange to the rim.

Nose: strawberry and red cherry fruit, but also loads of mushrooms, cheese, some subdued, mellowing oak. Fully developed.

Palate: clear Pinot fruit mellowed out with some savoury and vegetals flavours, medium-high acidity, medium alcohol and quite good length.

Conclusion: well-made, reliable Savigny-Les-Beaune, still a village worth looking at for better value wines. Joseph Drouhin invariably does a good job and is more reliable than many other negociants.

Rating: 17/20

Labels: 1995, Burgundy, Cote de Beaune, France, Joseph Drouhin, Pinot Noir, red, Savigny-Les-Beaune

1997 Volnay 1er Cru Fremiet, Domaine Marquis d’Angerville

Appearance: medium red, slightly orange rim.

Nose: loads of strawberries, red cherry and some raspberry. Restrained French oak. Smelt very Pinot but without the secondary vegetal or mushroomy smells that come with age.

Palate: elegant medium-high acidity, balanced highish alcohol. Very long in the mouth delivering all of the above red fruits. Silky, great finesse, fantastic length.

Conclusion: this is a brilliant wine made by a winemaker – Jacques d’Angerville – who died only the week before we bought this bottle in a shop in Beaune. We take our hats off to him. This is Volnay of the kind you read about but rarely get to drink. Inspirational.

Rating: 18.5/20

Labels: 1997, Burgundy, Cote de Beaune, France, Marquis d'Angerville, Pinot Noir, Premier Cru, red, Volnay