Haegelen, just a little bit

Haegelen-Jayer 1999 Nuits-St-Georges “1er Cru” Les Damodes (Burgundy) – Starts a little tentatively, then grows into its maturity. Soft, lavender-hued fruit and rich, tilled soil abound; the wine’s gentle, but there’s a strength behind it as well, though the muscles might not flex as they once did. Fully mature, but note the caveat: this bottle is a recent acquisition from closeout and so I cannot verify its provenance. (10/10)

But sometimes, I don't Bousse so much

Chevillon 1999 Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Bousselots (Burgundy) – Graphite-dominated. Closed and difficult. From a very cold cellar, and it’s sometimes hard to muster up sufficient patience for these wines from more typical conditions, but this is as closed as a wine can get. (6/10)

Gouges airs

Gouges 1998 Nuits-St-Georges Les Chênes Carteaux “1er Cru” (Burgundy) – Great galloping thunderstorms of sludgy tannin greet the unwary explorer, but after an hour – or three – there’s actually a slowly-maturing Burgundy in here somewhere. Gritty reddish-black aromatics are layered with grayish-black earth, but always there’s that dense tannin. (1/10)