De Vogüé: the surprise of 2018

I have tasted the de Vogüé wines many times over the past 30 years. from bottle, from cask, before malo, and when finished.

It has always been an intriguing treat, and so it was with the 2018s presented by the venerable Jean-Luc Pepin in Copenhagen on September 25 at the stunningly beautiful Admiralsgade 26 restaurant.

Been there before

A prelude to this event was the tasting I had at the domaine in July last year of the ’18s – a quick pre-malo look that left some doubts and many unanswered questions. It was a tasting I did not comment upon at the time, as it was clearly not the time to taste the wines.

I believe wines should have a fair chance to develop and shine, and even when tasting just after bottling, one should exercise caution and try to understand the wine rather than imposing one’s judgment on it.

The de Vogüé tradition

Jean-Luc Pepin of Domaine de Vogüé has visited Copenhagen annually for the last 20 years or so to present the most recent finished vintage. This is a beautiful tradition, and even in these difficult times it was a special vinous treat, reminding us – me – why we drink Burgundy.

Great and heatfelt thanks to Jean-Luc Pepin. To traditions and friendship!

The wines

As the pre-malo tasting at de Vogüé in July 2019 revealed, the 2018 vintage was not all smooth sailing for Burgundy. Neither was it for de Vogüé.

The ripeness levels were challenging, and although Vogüé has made some delightful wines, a few of them show a bit of the more troublesome side of the 2018 vintage.

De Vogüé extracted quite lightly, but still, the wines are intense both on the palate and in their colour.

And although de Vogüé is a solid rock in stormy seas, a few of the wines – especially the Chambolle 1er Cru – are merely “very good”, and somewhat challenged by the vintage.

The key here is phenolic ripeness. The Bonnes-Mares is spot on, whereas the Chambolle 1er Cru struggles a bit, like so many other 2018s.

The 2018s from Comte Georges de Vogüé

As always, Jean-Luc Pepin explained the details of the vintage. Traditions must and should be upheld at this the premier tasting of the bottled Vogüé wines.

To the notes…

Domaine Comte Georges de Vogüé Chambolle-Musigny 2018

The Chambolle village is quite charming for the vintage with an energetic appeal. The fruit is darkish – red cherries, coulis-style. It is quite potent, but with nice – adequate – acidity. A bit on the floral side with a slight structural hint that provides good balance to the rich 2018 character.

(Drink from 2032) – Very Good – (89-90p) – Tasted 25/09/2020

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