Burgundy Impressions November 2016 – part 2

Domaine Georges Noëllat in Vosne-Romanee

Maxime Cheurlin is one of the most talented producers in Burgundy – and he has produced some beautiful and energetic 2015s. The lineup offered a few new wines – and they were just as the more reknown appellations very balanced and seductive. 

Maxime Cheurlin and his two lovely dogs in front of the Domaine Georges Noëllat

The wines are silky with a lovely balance and a nice fresh energy on the mid-palate …  they are juicy and offer great drinkability .. enjoyable and wines that call for a refill of the glass. 

The Hautes Cote de Nuits made from vineyards in the Curtil-Vergy area is a refreshing effort / offering lovely energy and the usual estate qualities. One of the other new wines for 2015 is Chambolle-Feusselottes (one of my favorite vineyards in Chambolle) is showing all one could hope for … a vineyard that did well in 2015.

All the usual cuvées were delightful … notes later … this domaine is rising rapidly towards the very top of the list of the best estates in Burgundy.

Domaine Fourrier in Gevrey-Chambertin

My first visit at Domaine Fourrier – great and interesting tasting with Jean-Marie Fourrier. The vintage is a big succes in the Gevrey appellation and the Fourrier wines are showing just beautifully. It’s a juicy vintage with a fine balance and freshness chez Fourrier. 

The wines are made with a light and refined hand – in my view a must in the rich and weighty 2015 vintage. The offer a fine expression of the pinot fruit and the individual terroirs. These are sensual Gevreys – very appealing and yet with a detailed and balanced expression. Adorable wines .. with a lovely delicacy .. one of my favorites in Gevrey-Chambertin.

Domaine Duroché in Gevrey Chambertin

Another new visit in 2015 – Domaine Duroché in Gevrey-Chambertin. Pierre Durocé has taken over from his father some 10 years back and has really improved the quality over the last years. The 2015s are very impressive indeed, and confirms the recommadations of his wines made by his good vigneron collegues throughout Burgundy.

Pierre Duroché in front of his lovely 2015s

The wines are made with quite a light hand, and with a large portfolio of fine vineyards in the Gevrey Appelation there are really some very interesting wines in this lineup. 

Pierre Duroché is a lucky guy as the has plots in four Grand Crus in the Gevrey appellation – Charmes Chambertin, Latrichere-Chambertin, Chambertin Clos de Bezé and last and smallest Grilotte Chambertin. 

In my view one of the overlooked estates in the appellation – there are some really magnificent wines in this collection – and the overall quality impressive.

Domaine Berthaut-Gerbet in Fixin

Amélie Berthaut has done very well indeed in the 2015 vintage – this is really a domaine to follow. The estate is now called Berthaut-Gerbet … thus the name is now representing both her fathers and mothers side as is the vineyards.

Amélie Berthaut with her favorite barrel – think he is called Obelix

The style is in my view even more refined in this vintage, and it’s offering a beutiful drinkability. The Gevreys are showing beutifully benefitting from the optimal conditions in this vintage, and the Fixin wines are showing themselves from the most charming and generous side. The wines from the Gerbet estate – Vosne-Romanee, Vosne Les Petits Monts, Echezeaux and Clos de Vougeot are showing beaufifully doing these vineyards full justice – some real beauties. 

Adore the 2015s here … perhaps not at classic as the 2014s .. but just so charming and elegant – very balanced for the vintage.

Domaine Hubert Lamy

I always enjoy to visit Olivier Lamy … great wines and always new interesting experiments and informations.

The 2015 whites from Lamy have a very fine freshness for the year, and show some of the best sides of the vintage. The big Saint-Aubins really seem to have found a lovely balance and a beautiful expression of this somewhat hot and difficult vintage for the whites. 

The fruit in the 2015s taste good and evaluated at this stage it offers a perhaps more charming and energetic fruit than the fruit found in the 2009 vintage. 

Among the favotites were the Saint-Aubin Chez Edouard, the Saint-Aubin Chantenaire, the En Remilly and the Dents de Chien – finally the Chez Edouard Haute Density is a real beauty. It was too early to evaluate the other Hautes Density wines at this stage … will try to catch those later.

Domaine Heitz-Lochardet

A pleasure to re-visit Armand Heitz in Chassagne-Montrachet. I really enjoyed the wines when I tasted them in June this year.

Armand Heitz in the tasting room – june 2016

The tasting of the bottles Heitz-Lochardet 2015s confirmed that the reds performed very well indeed in this vintage – high quality wines and the whole cluster style really suits this vintage. 
The whites showed significantly better than in June … has gained both focus and freshness. It has not changed the balance between the whites … but have moved the whites up into a very fine quality level for the vintage. All the whites offer fine freshness and they do taste tremendously well. This is really a producer to follow.

Domaine Tessier

To be honest I have been wanting to visi Domaine Arnaud Tessier for a tasting …. he is in my view the most prominent talents on the white wine side of Burgundy.

Arnaud Tessier in his cellar in Meursault

He caught my attention already in the 2008 vintage … and he has over the last years really optimized and refined the quality. In my view he is now top the top three producer in Meursault … regardless of who else you exclude from the top …

The wines offer great focus, freshness and value … these are not wines made in a high end cellar … this is the result of very hard work in the vineyards … 

All the levels here are top end … offering very high quality that is almost off the scale in 2015 …. the freshness in his 2015s almost defie the laws of physics … these are indeed great and remarkable wines. I hope other 2015s reach this level … as this confirms that it was indeed possible to produce very fine whites in this year.

…. a great pleasure – fantastic quality.

Domaine Trapet in Gevrey Chambertin

Jean-Louis Trapet is one of the pioneers of biodynamic viticulture .. and who is more obvious to harvest the fruits of the biodynamical principles .. 

The cellar at Domaine Trapet

In my view a organic or biodynamic approach has been a very fine stance for a succes in 2015. Normally this approach will reward the producer with a more fresh acidity and thus more balance … parameters that are important if not crusial in 2015.

The Trapet wines are fresh juicy and benefitting from the very fine opportunities in the appellation in 2015 … Impressive collection … tasting notes and recommadations will come soon .. stay tuned.

Domaine Grivot in Vosne-Romanee

My inital impression of the 2015 Grivots was correct … one the most balanced lineups of the 2015s. The qualities in this lineup is truly mezzmerizing offering the best sides of the 2015 vintage.

Mathilde Grivot of Domaine Jean Grivot

I will check my notes .. and find my picks among the fine wines made by Mathilde, her brother and Etienne Grivot …. it’s too easy just to say Richebourg, Echezeaux and Aux Reignots – although these are truly magnificent.

Domaine Clos des Tart in Morey-Saint-Denis… 

Clos de Tart is an institution among the Burgundy estates and with the now wine maker Jacques Devauges the potential is set for future glory.

Jacques Deveauges the now manager and winemaker of Clos de Tart

I tasted three of the cuvees that are a part of the future Clos des Tart but not a shot at the final cuvee. This is very understandable as this is stille early in the development .. so Jacques needs time to do the elevage .. to see if the young wine cuvee should be included in the final cuvee.

In my view the potential is fine … but too early to say something about the quality of the final wine.