Harvesting began on 4 September in order to avoid overripeness in the grapes. Yields were “good" — that is, "normal" quantity (which hasn’t been seen in many recent vintages), but not at the limits; 2018 will have higher yields than 2017.
All grapes were destemmed. Malo-lactic fermentations finished in late 2017 and early 2018, and the wines were racked in July 2018.
The estate continues to take back property that had been under sharecropping agreements (métayage). In particular, it will take back Bourgogne Pinot Noir, Vosne-Romanée, and Echézeaux vines, putting the estate up to 8 ha in size, with a little sharecropping still left of village Vosne and Echézeaux left under Pascal Mugneret.
Unsurprisingly, beautiful, pure wines here for those lucky enough to obtain them.
2017 Bourgogne Pinot Noir
This wine has a floral, powdered nose with good concentration in the mouth for its pure, dark fruits. The texture is silky. (89-91)
2017 Vosne-Romanée
This is the assemblage of wine from all the parcels. In 2018, there will be a separate old vine bottling from the La Colombière lieu-dit in addition to the regular village bottling. The wine has spiced red fruit aromas. The mouth is pure with dark fruits that are focused and show good minerality and concentration. The texture is smooth and there’s some salinity here. 25% new oak. (91-93)
2017 Nuits-Saint-Georges Bas de Combe
The Nuits, Bas de Combe is from a lieu-dit below the great Boudots and Cras vineyards and bordered to the north by the Vosne-Chaumes vineyard. The wine is more structured and shows more tannin than the village Vosne, but there is creaminess of texture here. The wine has salinity, dark fruits, and finesse. You get premier cru quality here in a village appellation. The vines are very old, and so current production is only 3-4 barrels per year. 40% new oak. (92-94)
2017 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Vignes Rondes
The Nuits-Vignes Rondes is medium-weight with a bit more tannin and minerality than the Bas de Combe, but it is less open for now. The wine has dark fruits and salinity. 40% new oak. (92-95)
2017 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Chaignots
The Nuits-Chaignots, too, is from old vines. There’s more concentration, but also more finesse here than in the Vignes Rondes, and the fruit is darker and spicier, almost crystalline. 50% new oak, but not especially showing. (93-95)
2017 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Feusselottes
From a vineyard with a completely different profile from the Nuits, the Chambolle-Feusselottes is all lightness and finesse, almost laciness here, with some salinity to go with the dark and red fruits. The wine has a smooth texture and shows good concentration. (93-95)
2017 Echézeaux
As outstanding as the premiers crus are, we’re a clear step up with the Echézeaux. The wine shows red fruit, sensuality, purity, depth, length, and completeness. In 2017, the estate took back its parcel of Rouges du Bas that had previously been sharecropped and vinified all the Echézeaux grapes togethers. About 55-60% new oak here. (95-98)
2017 Ruchottes-Chambertin
The nose of the Ruchottes-Chambertin is typically stony and mineral. The mouth is smooth and layered with red fruits, minerality, a medium-weight body, and very good length. About 70-80% new oak here, but it doesn’t show. (95-97)
2017 Clos-Vougeot
Last, the Clos-Vougeot has great complexity in the nose with constantly changing combinations of red and black raspberries. The mouth is harder and less round than the previous wines, but the hardness is not aggressive. There’s a good expression of fruit, and as usual, here, this is the wine that will probably take longest to come around. (94-96)