Domaine FAIVELEY -- 2022 Part II: Grand Cru Reds from Barrel

 

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Given the very high quality of the premiers crus that I tasted from Faiveley, you’d expect very high quality for the grands crus, right?  Right. (Continue reading here.)

Maison MARCHAND-TAWSE and Domaine TAWSE (Nuits-Saint-Georges) Part III -- 2022 Domaine Tawse Wines Tasted from Barrel

 

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The following are all Domaine Tawse wines. Those from Gevrey came from the former B. Maume estate. (Continue reading here.)

Domaines Philippe CHARLOPIN (Gevrey-Chambertin), HARMAND-GEOFFROY (Gevrey-Chambertin), and Cécile TREMBLAY (Morey-Saint-Denis) -- 2018 Tasted from Barrel Samples

The first two estates are moving to a style that is less extracted and (to my palate) more balanced. The third one has always been there.

(Continue reading here.)

Domaines Pierre BOURÉE Fils (Gevrey-Chambertin) and Philippe NADDEF (Fixin) -- 2018 Tasted from Barrel Samples

Two less well-known producers that may be of interest.

(Continue reading here.)

Domaine Denis MORTET (Gevrey-Chambertin) -- 2018 Tasted from Barrel

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

Arnaud Mortet said that he began harvesting on 3 September and it went very fast. Alcohols did not exceed 13.6-13.7º. He performed a big green harvest, the largest since 1999, and would up with 45 hl/ha for the village wines, 40-45 hl/ha for the premier and grand cru wines. Whole clusters in some wines, not in others this vintage. Some wines finished malolactic fermentation in January and February, others were later at the usual time. Arnaud has shortened vinifications compared to the past.

The three relatively new grands crus, Echézeaux, Mazis-Chambertin, and Bonnes Mares, are included.

(Continue reading here.)

Domaine TAWSE (Nuits-Saint-Georges) -- 2018 Tasted from Barrel

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

Harvesting for estate red wines began on 3 September in Beaune (some of the whites, which I did not have time to taste, were picked the preceding weekend). Harvest lasted to 13 September for domaine wines, selected negociant wines picked after that.

Malo-lactic fermentations were variable, none started before the alcoholic fermentations had finished. 

Malo-lactic fermentations were variable, none started before the alcoholic fermentations had finished. There are some very ripe wines here that will not please lovers of classic Burgundies, but the wines from the former Domaine Maume have turned out very well.(Continue reading here.)

Domaine Armand ROUSSEAU Père & Fils (Gevrey-Chambertin) -- 2018 Tasted from Barrel

(Please see my overview of the vintage here.)

Is there ever a vintage where Rousseau doesn’t get it right? Not that I can recall, and I’ve been visiting at this estate annually for nearly three decades. Ho-hum, another year of great wines for those lucky enough to obtain bottles. 

Harvesting began on 1 September. Malo-lactic fermentations finished in February, and alcohols are in the normal range. (Continue reading here.)

Domaine Armand ROUSSEAU Père & Fils (Gevrey-Chambertin) -- 2016 Tasted from Barrel

(Originally published December 2017)

Harvesting began on 23 September. A little triage was necessary and all the wines were chaptalized a slight bit, allowing an extension of fermentation. 

The freeze caused at 60% loss for the Chambertin and 30% loss for the Clos Saint-Jacques, but otherwise the vineyards weren’t hit. Malolactic fermentations finished in spring and the wines were racked in June and early July. (Continue reading here.)

Domaine FAIVELEY (Nuits-Saint-Georges) -- 2016 Part III: Red Grands Crus Tasted from Barrel Samples

(Originally published December 2017)

Vintage conditions at Faiveley in 2016 are described here. (Continue reading here.)

Domaine TAWSE (Nuits-Saint-Georges) -- 2016 Part I: Reds Tasted from Barrel

(Originally published December 2017)

These are Tawse’s own vineyards and treated biodynamically. There’s plenty to like here in quality, but quantities, as with so much of Burgundy in 2016, are often distressingly low. (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): 2015 Tasted from Barrel

(Originally published 25 May 2017)

Arnaud Mortet said that he began harvesting on 3 September. He was one of the lucky ones, with overall yield of about 40 hl/ha. (2016 will be much lower because Mortet has significant holdings in areas that were hit by the 27 April 2016.) Arnaud said that he had no problem with the drought over the summer, a prime cause of low yields at other estates, because he works the soil very deep, encouraging the wines to go down, and then stopped working the soil early. Maturities were the highest ever for the estate with potential alcohols in the range of 12.5-13.6/7º. He used a fair amount of whole clusters in the vinification. Malolactic fermentations finished between March and June, which is not late for this estate.

The trend here to less use of whole clusters and less new oak continues, adding freshness and elegance to the wines.

Mortet fans will be happy that the number of offerings has increased in significant ways with new premiers and grands crus in recent years, but those mindful of price will still find good village wines at lower prices.

I found these wines less easy to judge than usual, and it is possible that they are underrated here. (Continue reading here.)

DROUHIN-LAROSE, Pierre GELIN, HARMAND-GEOFFROY, Philippe NADDEF, Pierre NAIGEON, TORTOCHOT -- 2017s Tasted from Barrel Samples

More examples here of plenty of good wines in Gevrey in 2017, and occasional great ones. (Continue reading here.)

Domaine CONFURON-COTÉTIDOT (Vosne-Romanée) -- 2017 Tasted from Barrel

As usual, Yves Confuron began his harvest after most other producers had finished theirs; in 2017 the start date was 15 September. Yields were 27 hl/ha, which he described as normal. Some malo-lactic fermentations were early, others late.

As usual, these are outstanding to great wines from beginning to end. (Continue reading here.)

Armand ROUSSEAU Père & Fils (Gevrey-Chambertin) -- 2017 Tasted from Barrel

Harvesting at Rousseau began on 5 September. Yields were “good”, said Cyrielle Rousseau. Excess was contained by taking grapes off the vines in July and August.

As usual, grapes were destemmed, but a small amount of stems was added back to the fermentation tank to aid drainage. Malolactic fermentations finished at the end of January. Alcohols are normal. (Continue reading here.)

Arnaud MORTET (Gevrey-Chambertin -- 2017 Tasted from Barrel

These are wines Arnaud Mortet is now commercializing under his own name. They are from purchased fruit or land owned with an investor. (Continue reading here.)

Domaine FAIVELEY (Nuits-Saint-Georges) -- 2017 Part II: Grand Cru Red Wines Tasted from Barrel and Tank Samples

All the grands crus are exclusively in new barrels and one year-old barrels. (Continue reading here.)

Domaine CONFURON-COTÉTIDOT (Vosne-Romanée) -- 2016 Tasted from Barrel

(Originally published 25 April 2018.)

Yves Confuron said that harvesting began on 5 October and he had no problem with the rains that came some days later (presumably all the grapes were in — the small yields made for very rapid harvesting). Overall yield for the estate in 2016 was but 11 hl/ha. As always, the grapes were vinified without destemming.

Year after year, this estate produces, at all appellation levels, some of the most compelling wines in Burgundy to my taste.  The village wines are at premier cru level, the premiers crus at grand cru level, and the grands crus at the top of their respective appellations.

The wines may not be as easy to understand as those from other estates and may need more time than many, but the quality here is magnificent. (Continue reading here.)

Louis JADOT (Beaune) 2015 from Barrel Part III -- Côte de Nuits Grands Crus

(Originally published 13 February 2017.)

Jadot’s grands crus that I tasted are successful across the board, and some belong in the very elite category of top wines of the vintage. (Continue reading here.)