(Please read my vintage summary here.)
After having heard Jean-Marie Fourrier’s case for waiting for the traditional 100 days to pick in order to get phenolic maturity, I encountered my first challenge to that theory at Vougeraie. Harvesting began on 23 August with reds, specifically young Volnay vines. The harvest on the Côte de Beaune finished on 15 September, and on the Côte de Nuits on 18 September, with the last of the Hautes-Côtes de Nuits grapes coming in.
Neither here, nor anywhere else where picking began early, did I encounter problems that I could ascribe to lack of phenolic maturity. Indeed, as you can see below, the vintage is quite a success here.
Some wines have whole clusters, with the grands crus having 100% whole clusters.
Macerations were about 21 days, which is normal for Vougeraie. Malolactic fermentations were quick. There was no acidification. The highest alcohol is 13,4º. New oak in village and premier cru wines is a maximum of 20%, 30% for the grand cru wines.
2018 Bourgogne Pinot Noir Terre de Famille
The vines here are located in Chaux, above Nuits-Saint-Georges, and in Vougeot, along with a little bit young vines from the Evocelles vineyard in Gevrey-Chambertin. The wine is smooth with strawberry jam fruit. It is easy to drink. Bottled in July. 86/B
2018 Côte de Beaune Les Pierres Blanches
Mineral, strawberry fruit. Medium-light smooth strawberry. (86-88)
2018 Pommard Les Petits Noizons
Pommard earthiness. Structure here. Some sweetness from the fruit. (87-89)
2018 Volnay
From vines planted in 2013. Lovely pure red cherry fruit, smooth tannins, good length, finesse. A sweetie. (89-91)
2018 Vougeot Clos du Prieuré
75% whole cluster. Dense with dark, smoky fruit, structure here, some spice. Needs time because of tannins. (86-89)
2018 Chambolle-Musigny
From seven different parcels including premier cru Gruenchers and Baudes. Dark fruit, quite ripe but there is calm and finesse here. 40% whole cluster. (87-89)
2018 Gevrey-Chambertin
From five different parcels. Ripe dark fruits in nose and mouth with some Gevrey wild character. Finesse for Gevrey but also some grip here. (89-91)
2018 Gevrey-Chambertin La Justice
Intense, penetrating dark fruits, lots of ripeness here. Some tannin to provide structure. Good density here. Gevrey rusticity (88-90)
2018 Gevrey-Chambertin Les Evocelles
Dark fruit, good freshness, spicy, not as ripe as some others, as one would expect because this vineyard is high on the slope and at the northern end of the Gevrey-Chambertin appellation. Very good density of texture. (90-92)
2018 Vosne-Romanée Aux Champs Perdrix
Will be bottled only in magnum. 100% whole clusters. Spicy dark plum fruit, good density, freshness. Good tannic structure. 50-55 year-old vines. (90-93)
2018 Savigny-les-Beaune 1er Cru Les Marconnets
Lovely finesse, especially for Marconnets, light on palate, dark fruits, still some body despite the finesse. (91-93)
2018 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Clos de Thorey
Dark plum fruits, clear, medium-weight, quite powerful. Good penetration. The vines were purchased from from Domaine Dujac (which had purchased them from Moillard) more than a decade ago. There was some replanting of vines in 2013. (91-94)
2018 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Damodes
Expressive dark plum nose and mouth, lightness on palate, good intensity. Finesse for a Nuits (Damodes is high on the slope and abuts Vosne-Romanée). The wine doesn’t show the spiciness I often see in Damodes. Good clarity. Some tannins and structure — should age well. (92-94)
2018 Vougeot 1er Cru Les Cras
Replanted in 2013. Black raspberry fruit, very good finesse, but with structure, some allspice. The young vines here did not suffer from the dryness. (91-94)
2018 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Bel-Air
Plums, maybe a touch overripe (one of the last vineyard that Vougeraie harvested); good structure. Just a touch too ripe for my taste. (89-91)
2018 Corton-Clos du Roi
Finesse of Clos du Roi, with aromatic dark fruit, lightness on palate, but very good stuffing here, some tannins. Should make a very good bottle, perhaps even more. (92-95)
2018 Clos de Vougeot
One part by château, one part at bottom, only assembled when the wine goes into stainless steel to await bottling. More complexity than the Vougeot-Cras, good depth, balance, substance, length. (93-95)
2018 Charmes-Chambertin Les Mazoyères
Oldest vines in estate — more than 102 years. Dark, slightly gamy Mazoyères fruit, clarity, depth. Not the gaminess, rusticity, or power of usual Mazoyères, but very good purity. (93-95)
2018 Bonnes-Mares
Vougeraie’s vines do not have a good location in Bonnes-Mares — they are on relatively flat land in an old quarry by the road just as one passes from Morey-Saint-Denis to Chambolle-Musigny. Nevertheless, the vineyard character comes through beautifully with plenty of finesse in power and lots of complexity to clear dark fruits. Good freshness and enough structure to provide several decades of life. (94-96)
2018 Musigny
More closed than than the Bonnes-Mares in nose, but amazing concentration and very strong intensity of dark berry aromas. Intense, velvety, deep, crushed blueberry and other berry fruit. Long. Much less open today than the Bonnes-Mares, but great potential. Very sensual texture. (95-98)
In white: All whites went through malo-lactic fermentation.
2018 Bourgogne Chardonnay Terre de Famille
Round, a touch of sucrosity. Adequate acidity, toasty, round, enjoyable. (85-87)
2018 Côte de Beaune Les Pierres Blanches
Lovely ripe but not overripe expression of Chardonnay apple fruit, smooth texture, good length. (89-90)
2018 Savigny-les-Beaune
Two parcels. White Savigny minerality, medium-weight. Very good for its appellation level. (89-91)
2018 Beaune
From the Montée Rouge lieu-dit with a little part of Montée Rouge 1er Cru included. Some sucrosity, medium-light, minerality, some penetration, spiced apple Wait a few years for sucrosity to burn off. More body than the Côte de Beaune, perhaps less complex. (88-90)
2018 Vougeot Clos du Prieuré
Small harvest because ducks ate a lot of the fruit(!). Round with structure, apple fruit. Not terribly complex at this time, but satisfying. (88-90)
2018 Puligny-Montrachet
From the Noyer Bret and La Rue aux Vaches lieu-dits. High yields here. Spiced apple fruit, Puligny sensuality and finesse, but a bit of dilution. (86-88)
2018 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Le Champ-Gain
Good freshness and smoothness, nice complexity to the apply fruit. To drink young. (88-90)
2018 Vougeot 1er Cru Le Clos Blanc
Beautiful stony nose. Good freshness, balance, depth, nice structure. No overripeness. Unique wine (91-94)
2018 Charlemagne
Made from Le Charlemagne and En Charlemagne on the Pernand (west-facing) side. Finesse, length. No tension here, but lovely extension in the mouth. Almost a powdered aspect to the fruit. Good complexity with some peach. (93-95)
2018 Bâtard-Montrachet
Some toastiness in nose. Medium-weight with finesse, length, apple fruit. (90-93)
2018 Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet
Finer and more delicate than the Bâtard, but without sacrificing the concentration. Very long, pure, smooth, (93-96)
2018 Chevalier-Montrachet
Finesse but also richness, lightness on palate, the nobility of Chevalier, long, deep. (94-96)