Mark invited me to fill in with a wine tasting group with a long history as he hosted this month. Nice group, we tasted blind (but not for long)
First flight: I was pretty sure #1 and #2 were Pinot Noir, but #3 threw me for a bit.
Wine #1 Red fruit, good acids, floral, nice length. 2010 Pavelot “ Narbontons” Savigny-les-Beaune 1er B+/A-
Wine #2 Lightest, red currant and cherry fruit, quite pleasant. 2009 Pavelot Savigny-les-Beaune B
Wine #3 Easily the funkiest of the bunch. Ripe, big, meat, leather and a bit o’ b arnyard. Perplexing, I was thinking more Rhonish, but as it got some air Bu rgundy became a better bet. Really developed nicely in glass.
2009 Pavelot “Serpentieres “ Savigny-les-Beaune 1er B+/A-After flight, Mark revealed that entire tasting would be Savigny (he wanted to point out the value)
Flight 2 Bottles still covered, thought we knew now was Savigny, I thought #5 was fr om a much riper vintage than other 2, but apparently Mark had already said all 2009 while I was daydreaming.
Wine #4 Delicate, lacy, the most feminine wine of the night.
2009 Drouhin “Clos des Godeaux” Savigny-les-Beaune A-/B+Wine #5 A touch bretty, some oak notes, quite soft and flat compared to other wines of the evening, needs acids;
2009 Bouchard “Lavieres” Savigny-les-Beaune 1er B-/C+ Wine # 6 Full, ripe, a bit tannic, clearly needs time. 2009 Jadot “Dominode” Savigny-les-Beaune 1er B+Last flight was fully revealed
1995 Ecard “ Narbontons” Savigny-les-Beaune 1er Just a touch of brett, meaty, lots of floral notes, I liked more than the t able. A-/B+1995 Ecard “Serpentieres “ Savigny-les-Beaune 1er Served a little cold as it was a replacement for a corked bottle. Nice bala nce, pretty fruit, good length. A-/B+
1990 Ecard “Serpentieres “ Savigny-les-Beaune 1er Wow, this was beautiful. Round and ripe but with no hint of roasted notes, earth and mushroom, an unusual little iodine note that was faint enough to add complexity but not detract at all. Mark said best Savigny he’s ever h ad, who am I to argue? A/A-Fun night. Mark finished by passing a 2008 Niepoort single quinta port, whi ch I neglected to note details on but thought quite good.
Grade disclaimer: I'm a very easy grader, basically A is an excellent wine, B a good wine, C mediocre. Anything below C means I wouldn't drink at a party where it was only choice. Furthermore, I offer no promises of objectivity, accuracy, and certainly not of consistency.