Had some friends over for an evening of Burgundies & cheese. Started with a white, went on to three reds (a bourgogne, a premier cru, and a grand cru), and ended with another white (not a good an idea - see below). All reds were opened three hours prior to serving, but not decanted.
2004 Domaine Comtes Lafon Meursault "Clos de la Barre"
Subtle and elegant nose of toasted oak and butter, confirmed by the palate, with additional citrus and mineral notes. Delicious, well-integrated, very classy. Score: 94
2005 Michel Magnien Bourgogne
Aroma of wet dishrag (in a good way!) with some truffle and funky animal notes. Strong cherry palate with good acid/fruit balance. Serious body for this level. Score: 89
2005 Faiveley Mercurey Clos de Myglands Premier Cru
Cherry nose, tinged with oak vanilla. Confirmed by taste, plus some mint notes. Acidic and astringent at this excessively premature point, so unbalanced. Has the tannins and structure to age well, so appears to have a bright future. Score: 91 (prospective)
2001 Tollot-Beaune Corton Bressandes Grand Cru
Fabulous nose of eucalyptus and leather. Strong, but not off-putting, oak on the palate, mouth-puckering tannins, cherry fruit, and good acid/sugar balance. Tastes and feels very multi-layered. A touch premature to drink now, but already delicious, with many years still to go. Score: 93
2002 Domaine de la Bongran Mâcon-Villages Cuvée Tradition
Nose of butter and oak, with spices reminiscent of Lillet. Slight carbonation on the palate, good acid/sugar balance, but much drier than expected. Score: 90
Domaine de la Bongran makes a spectacular and rare botrytised Chardonnay. I had read (http://www.bongran.com) that the Cuvée Tradition is made from over-ripe grapes, while my knowledgeable supplier told me that it is made from late harvested Chardonnay with some residual sugar and from very low yielding organic old vines. So I decided to gamble that this would have enough sweetness to serve as a dessert wine, but it turned out, alas, to be dry. A semi-sweet white (e.g., a Muscat or an Auslese) is usually refreshing after a bunch of serious reds, but a dry white falls (or at least this one fell) flat, despite the pedigree and excellent wine-making skill. You live and you learn.