Much has been written about the dynamic Madame Lalou Bize-Leroy. Some of it has been malicious and motivated strictly by insidious jealousy. From time to time I have complained of her pricing structure. Yet there should never be any criticism of her philosophy of what burgundy should be. Her wines are among the noblest and purest expressions of Pinot Noir in Burgundy. They are treated with the care of a pampered child, never filtered, and bottled barrel by barrel. Given the size of her wines and their power and structure, in a cool damp cellar they will last 20 to 25 years. Bize-Leroy thinks 1985 is one of the two best burgundy vintages in the last twenty years, the other being 1978. Given the range of wines I tasted, 44 in all, 16 were exceptional, 21 very good to excellent. Thirty-seven very good to exceptional wines out of 44 is an amazingly high percentage, and I would be proud to own any of them.

Tasted at the 60th anniversary tasting at Domaine d’Auvenay. The 1955 Monthélie was throwing a lot of sediment in my glass. There is a slight compost-like/peaty scent on the nose, copper piping and dried orange rind. Rustic, but full of character, a Monthélie sporting a discolored smock and chewing a straw. The palate is simple with tart red fruit on the entry, quite high acidity but still fresh. The finish attenuates slightly, with a little rawness and oxidation creeping in.