Charles van Canneyt said that harvesting began on 7 September. He said that yields were “corrects" — meaning adequate or decent. Except for the Bourgogne, there was “a little” whole cluster in all the wines. Malolactic fermentations were late.
The estate has been on the rise since the late 1990s, but since Charles has been here, the quality has really solidified. The scores, which I try to do on a more or less objective basis,* are high here, but thinking back on all my visits to taste 2015s, this was one of the estates where the wines had a special appeal to me personally. I urge you to try these wines, should you get the opportunity.
* All aesthetic judgments are contextual and subjective, but one can also introduce an an air of objectivity by judging according to consistent parameters.
2015 Bourgogne Pinot Noir
This wine has dark fruit, especially blackberry. It is medium-light and round with good freshness. 88/A
2015 Chambolle-Musigny
The Chambolle features crunchy dark berry fruit that is light on the palate, pure, and fresh, making for an excellent wine. (88-92)
2015 Vosne-Romanée
The nose features classic Vosne oriental spices. The mouth is pure with minerality and dark fruits plus a bit of licorice, but it is less berryish than the Chambolle. The wine has freshness and some sucrosity, but expressed as smoothness and not sweetness. (90-93)
2015 Nuits-Saint-Georges Bas de Combe
The Nuits is more chiseled in its dark fruit with earthiness and some spice. It is an outstanding result from this transitional vineyard between Nuits and Vosne. (90-93)
2015 Vougeot 1er Cru Les Petits Vougeot
The Petits Vougeot is dense and pure with violet and black raspberry aromas and flavors. The wine has good length and underlying structure. (90-94)
2015 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Murgers
The nose has earthy aromas one often finds in Murgers. The earthiness continues in the mouth, which is fresh and spicy. The tannins are well-rounded. (92-95)
2015 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Charmes
The Chambolle-Charmes is spicy, pure, deep, harmonious, and elegant with dark fruit and outstanding freshness. It is less tannic than the Murgers. (92-95)
2015 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaux Monts
The Vosne-Beaux Monts shows typical violets and minerality. The wine is pure, incisive, fresh, and energetic. (92-95)
2015 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Suchots
Hudelot’s Vosne-Suchots is more closed than the preceding wines, but pure, precise, and deep with hints of Suchots truffliness. It should be outstanding, if not great. (92-96)
2015 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Malconsorts
As I’ve indicated elsewhere, Malconsorts is one of the star appellations of the vintage, so the commanding quality of this wine is no surprise. The wine is light, sculpted, and incisive with dark fruit and orange peel. It is also supple, energetic, and fresh. (94-97)
2015 Clos Vougeot
The Clos Vougeot is deep and powerful, dense and brooding, but still quite closed. It seems to be a wine that will need considerable time, as is so often the case with Clos Vougeot. (92-96)
2015 Romanée-Saint-Vivant
The Romanée-Saint-Vivant is nothing short of phenomenal. The wine is dense, deep, and smooth, and although still quite closed, there is no doubt of its haunting greatness. (95-99)
2015 Richebourg
It’s so strange to say about a wine as great as this Richebourg that it suffers from having been shown after the Romanée-Saint-Vivant, but that in fact is the case. But as you can see, there’s a considerable overlap in my evaluations of the Richebourg and the RSV, and so on another day, it is possible that it will the the Richebourg that is the more astounding wine. As for the day I tasted, this wine is still quite closed, but shows great density and a combination of power with elegance. (94-98)
It’s so strange to say about a wine as great as this Richebourg that it suffers from having been shown after the Romanée-Saint-Vivant, but that in fact is the case. But as you can see, there’s a considerable overlap in my evaluations of the Richebourg and the RSV, and so on another day, it is possible that it will the the Richebourg that is the more astounding wine. As for the day I tasted, this wine is still quite closed, but shows great density and a combination of power with elegance. (94-98)