Domaine de la VOUGERAIE (Prémeaux) Part I -- 2022 Reds Tasted from Barrel Samples

 

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Vougeraie began production with the 1999 vintage, and in 2001 began its conversion to biodynamics. In addition to being biodynamic, all wines are certified organic. 

The 2022s are a great success, especially at the upper appellations.

Maximum new oak for both reds and whites is 20%. Alcohols are around 13%, with the maximum being 13.5% for the Charmes-Chambertin (not tasted here).

(Continue reading here.)

Domaine Jacques-Frédéric MUGNIER (Chambolle-Musigny) -- 2022 Tasted from Barrel

 

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Harvesting in 2022 began on the first of September, said Fred Mugnier. It was a hot dry year, and he was very pessimistic at the beginning of August. A little rain around 20 August helped. The wines came in around 13.5 to 14% alcohol. Malolactic fermentations finished in December. 

The style is not the same as that of the great 2021s here, but it is another fabulous vintage — lucky those who will be able to drink and appreciate these wines. (Continue reading here.)

Domaine Jacques-Frédéric MUGNIER (Chambolle-Musigny) -- 2021 Reds Tasted from Tank, 2021 White Tasted from Bottle

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Frédéric Mugnier said that 2021 was cold and rainy with a late harvest, yielding wines that are more classic in style than either 2020 or 2022. 

Currently, there is greater variability among vintage dates than in the past. In 2021, the harvest began around 16 September, for 2022 it was more than two weeks earlier, and so the dates continue to vary from one vintage to another. For 2019, 2020, and 2021, yields are all about 25 hl/ha. Not much sorting was necessary, and as usual, all grapes were destemmed. Some malolactic fermentations were early, others were a bit later. Alcohols are 13 to 13.5%. The reds were tasted from tank while awaiting bottling.

The vintage is a great success here, and the further up the hierarchy, the greater the wines become, finishing with the amazing Musingy. (Continue reading here.) 

Joseph DROUHIN (Beaune) 2018 Part II -- Red Wines from the Côte de Nuits Tasted from Barrel Samples

Harvesting on the Côte de Nuits began on 5 September with the grand cru vineyards. Other information about the 2018 harvest at Drouhin is here.

(Continue reading here.)

Domaine de la POUSSE D' OR (Volnay) -- 2018 Part I: Côte de Nuits Tasted from Samples

(Please see my overview of the 2018 vintage in the Côte d’ Or here.)

The usual policy at the domaine is to harvest quite late, but in 2018, the harvest was early, beginning on 27 August. Quantities in 2018 were larger than 2017, but not by a large amount. All grapes were destemmed. Malolactic fermentations finished in mid-winter. Alcohols are in the area of 13.2-13.3º.

Usually, we start with the Côte de Beaune wines, but for some unknown reason, the Côte de Nuits wines have been very slow to develop and so we start with them first. I taste from Coravined sample bottles, something I dislike because I think it is unflattering to the wines.

(Continue reading here.)

Domaine G./Christophe* ROUMIER (Chambolle-Musigny) -- 2018 Tasted from Barrel

(Please see my overall comments on the 2018 Côte d’ Or vintage here.)

Christophe Roumier said that he began harvesting on 5 September. Harvesting lasted six days and he characterized it as “easy” and “quick.” Yields were normal and less than in 2017. Alcohols were relatively high -- up to 14.2º, although most were in the 13.2-14.0º range. Whole clusters are 35% for the village wine, about 50% in the premier cru wines and 55% in the grand cru wines. Christophe performed very little punchdown (pigeage) in 2018. Malolactic fermentations began in April and finished in July.

Wines marked with an asterisk (*) are labelled as Christophe Roumier; the other wines are labelled Domaine G. Roumier.

(Continue reading here.)

Comte Georges de VOGÜÉ (Chambolle-Musigny) -- 2017 Tasted from Bottle

My review of the 2017 de Vogüé wines tasted a year earlier from barrel is here.

The village wine was bottled in January 2019, the others in late March and early April 2019. 

François Millet said that the key to 2017 is to control the yields. Chambolle-Musigny had very low yields in 2016 due to frost, and vines that have suffered from frost one year typically overproduce the following year. De Vogüé did a green harvest in 2017 to contain the yields; no saigné (bleeding of the vats). As marvelous as the 2018s are, the 2017s will give them a good run for the money.

(Continue reading here.)

Domaine Comte Georges de VOGÜÉ (Chambolle-Musigny) -- 2018 Tasted from Barrel

(Please see my overview of 2018 in the Côte d’ Or here.)

François Millet said that harvesting began on 30 August. Out of caution not to over extract, only the Bonnes-Mares received punch downs (pigeage), and yet these wines are notable for their dark opaque colors. Alcohols range from 13.5º to 14º. Yields were about 20% less than in 2017, roughly 30 hl/ha vs. 35 hl/ha. In order to delay malolactic fermentation, the cellars were air conditioned, but it was necessary to go down to 5º C (41º F) to accomplish the delay.

Millet says that 2018 is a vintage that is out of time, and as such it must not become a benchmark for judging other vintages.

This is one of the most memorable cellars that I visited while tasting 2018s.

(Continue reading here.)

Domaine DUJAC (Morey-Saint-Denis) -- 2018 Part II: Red Premier and Grand Cru Wines Tasted from Barrel

My introduction to the 2018 vintage at Dujac is here.

(Continue reading here.)

Domaine Jacques-Frédéric MUGNIER (Chambolle-Musigny) -- 2018 Tasted from Barrel

(Please see my overview of the 2018 vintage in the Côte d’ Or here.)

Frédéric Mugnier said that harvesting began with the Bonnes-Mares on 28 August -- the parcel had suffered from drought, receiving no rain from July until October. The harvesting for the other Chambolle vineyards began on 1 September, and the Nuits were harvested on 8 September. He said that quantities were good. Alcohols for the Chambolle wines were between 13º and 13.5º; for the Clos de la Maréchale (which had suffered from the hail over the summer, with half the crop lost in red, a little less in white), they are 14º to 14.5º. Some malo-lactic fermentations went quickly, others not.

He noted that over the last five years, acidities have been good despite high sugar levels (which correspond to high alcohols). This is the effect of global warming, and it will be necessary to rethink standard rules in dealing with this changed environment. 

(Continue reading here.)

Robert GROFFIER Père & Fils (Morey-Saint-Denis) -- 2018 Tasted from Barrel Samples

(Please see my overview of the 2018 vintage here.)

Nicolas Groffier said that harvesting began on 29 August. The first three wines below are 13.3º natural alcohol, the rest are about 13.0º natural alcohol. Yields were 38-39 hl/ha.

Malolactic fermentations were late — Nicolas used CO₂ to delay them.

Nicolas started at Groffier in 2004; 2006-7 were first vintages he did on his own. (Continue reading here.)

Louis JADOT (Beaune) -- 2018 Part III: Côte de Nuits Reds from Barrel Samples

(Please see my overall vintage review here.)

Like the Côte de Beaune reds, this selection from the Côte de Nuits is most successful.

All wines from Domaine Louis Jadot, Domaine Gagey, or Domaine des Héritiers Jadot, as indicated, are estate wines; other wines are negociant wines. (Continue reading here.)

Domaine de la VOUGERAIE (Premeaux-Prissey) -- 2018 Tasted from Bottle and

(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. (Continue reading here.)

Robert GROFFIER Père & Fils (Morey-Saint-Denis) -- 2016 Tasted from Barrel Samples

(Originally published November 2017)

This estate has important holdings in Chambolle-Musigny (as well as Gevrey-Chambertin), and yet amazingly, there was a good size crop here in 2016. Nicolas Groffier attributes this fact to the estate’s old vines and use of the Cordon Royat pruning system which, he says, means that the vines are late budding, and so they were not in such a vulnerable state when the frost hit. It’s an interesting explanation, but other vignerons I visited can point to old vines and use of the Cordon Royat system in some of their vineyards that were completely destroyed. In short, there is no consistent rhyme or reason to which vines escaped the frost and which ones didn’t.

Nicolas thinks that 2016 is a great vintage (hard to disagree with that, at least for the better estates such as here). In style, he compares it to 2006, where the weather was roughly the same and the wines in a classic style. One can also add that each came after a vintage of different style that had received much attention. 

Harvesting began on 28 or 29 September (in the cellar, without the records, Nicolas did not remember exactly) and lasted for five days. Nicolas prefers to harvest at about 12º natural alcohol and then chaptalize up to about 12.8-13.2º. Whole cluster fermentations were used in many of the wines, as I indicate below. 

The wines had been racked and transferred to tank two weeks prior to my visit.

In recent years, the estate has been holding back 1/3 of the crop for later release when the wines are mature or closer to maturity. A few other estates have done this in the past (I’m not sure in such large quantities) and some others are starting to do so now or are intending to do so once they achieve more normal-size crops again. (Continue reading here.)

Domaine de la POUSSE D'OR (Volnay) -- 2016 Part II: Côte de Nuits Tasted from Tank

(Originally published November 2017)

See here for introductory material about the 2016 vintage at Pousse d’Or. (Continue reading here.)

Domaine de la VOUGERAIE (Prémeaux-Prissey) -- 2016 Part II: Premier and Grand Cru Reds Tasted from Barrel Samples

(Originally published December 2017)

See here for an introduction to the vintage at Domaine de la Vougeraie. (Continue reading here.)

Domaine DUJAC (Morey-St-Denis) -- 2016 Part III: Grands Crus Tasted from Barrel

(Originally published January 2018)

I’ve mentioned previously that in 2015, one sees the vintage’s strength in the quality of the lesser appellations; the wines from the grands crus can be truly outstanding, but with a small number of exceptions, the grands crus hit ceilings that are below their maximum potential. In 2016, although there are very good wines from top producers from lesser appellations, it is with the top appellations that one sees the vintage at its most impressive. And that is certainly the case with Dujac, where the vintage has been most successful. These wines are all in the top group for their respective appellations, and the more one continues through the list, the greater the wines get and the fewer the challengers for top wine of the appellation. (Continue reading here.)

G. ROUMIER and Christophe ROUMIER (Chambolle-Musigny) -- 2016 Tasted from Barrel

(Originally published November 2017)

Christophe Roumier said that production was the lowest for the estate since 1971, down about 55% from a normal yield. No Bourgogne, Chambolle-Combottes, or Corton-Charlemagne was produced in 2016. He says that he never saw as strong a freeze as in 2016, not even in 1981.

Christophe said that where the vines froze, he feels more concentration in the wine. There was less new wood than usual, but whole clusters were employed, as indicated below. Where the vines froze, there was a smaller proportion of whole clusters than normal because of the very small grapes. In general, whole clusters comprised 30-35% for the village and premier cru wines, 55-60% for the grands crus. 

As I’ve previously mentioned, Christophe has an investor who has purchased about half an hectare of Bonnes-Mares (mostly white soils), bringing the total exploited up to 1.89ha. Additionally, there is is some Échézeaux (0.1311ha) that in the En Orveaux lieu-dit that will begin to be commercialized in 2017 (production in 2016 was too small to permit commercial distribution), and, finally, the sharecropper agreement that had underlain the Charmes-Chambertin has been superseded beginning with 2018, with Christophe getting the full production of the vineyard. The total surface area now exploited is 12.43 hectares. (Continue reading here.)

Domaine Denis MORTET/Arnaud MORTET (Gevrey-Chambertin) -- 2016 Tasted from Barrel Part II: Grand Crus

(Originally published 1 April 2016)

There has been an amazing expansion of grand cru offerings here — no longer just the Chambertin and the Clos de Vougeot, there are now at least seen different wines (although the Echézeaux won’t be commercialized in 2016 because production was so low; it is from the same parcel that Christophe Roumier now is making wine from). (Continue reading here.)

Domaine Denis MORTET/Arnaud MORTET (Gevrey-Chambertin) -- 2015s Tasted from Bottle

(Originally posted 1 April 2018)

These and other 2015s from Mortet are reviewed from cask here. The quality of the wines is uniformly excellent. (Continue reading here.)