2006 Catherine et Claude Maréchal Bourgogne Cuvée Antoine 13.5%
While still cold, pleasant lime and mineral aromas. Good density, lush mouth feel, light bitter finish, but honey sweet and acid deficient. Nice background of anis. As it warms, it becomes unbearably sweet and acid deficient. Like the Mâcons of Jean Thévenet, with whom Maréchal learned his craft, these wines use a portion of botrytized grapes. Glad this is my last bottle. Not a testament to chardonnay, or to the (dim?) idea of using botrytized grapes, though I've liked some such wines in the past. Perhaps I've changed and become and acid freak. Strike the perhaps.
2005 Jacques Prieur Beaune Champs-Pimont 1er Cru 13.0%
First whiff from the bottle neck is leather; first whiffs from the glass are oak and cherry. Thankfully, the oak is less prominent on the palate, where herbs and leather join the fray. Acidity is just right, acid/sweet balance is fine, the finish is lightly bitter, and the alcohol totally civilized. The only thing that got in the way of pleasure was the oak. Made it taste modern, yuck (Luddite is the new avant-garde). Perhaps I've changed and become quercophobic. Too soon to strike the perhaps because it could be said that, this young, there was no way so much (obviously new) oak could have been integrated. Any young DRC would suffer from the same malaise, and they can't possibly be bad wines because they cost so much.