Visit to Domaine d’Eugénie – Tasting the 2022s

The Domaine d’Eugénie wines have improved tremendously over the years – especially the last five – reaching new levels of refinement and delicacy. These are very refined wines!

By giving the wines the proper time and respect, some truly lovely, joyful moments can be had from d’Eugénie. Vins d’emotion? Yes, we’re now there!

The premise of tasting top wines

When one does a tasting, it’s important to understand the context and premise in which the wines were made.

Domaine d’Eugénie is what one could call an iconic producer in more than one sense of the term. Firstly, the estate is made up of part of the great vineyards of the old Rene Engel estate in Vosne-Romanée. Secondly, d’Eugénie is the creation of Francois Pinault, who since 2006 has rounded out the domaine based on the former Engel vines by adding some important white vineyards in the Côte de Beaune.

The wines here are made with a dual purpose: to create great bottles that will deliver a fine expression of Burgundy character; and to be of the highest quality, regardless of where in the world you encounter them.

I rarely talk about this, but iconic estates – including Domaine de la Romanée-Conti – need to take a number of things into consideration to ensure that their wines travel well and produce a great experience wherever in the world the cork is popped.

This sets limits on how low it is possible to go with sulphur and still ensure the ultimate in stability and quality. Remember, some of these wines will keep for 30 years or more.

Furthermore, there is a limit to how wild and “natural” the wines can be and still suit an international palate. Don’t expect wild and crazy wines if you enter the world of these classics – they are almost never seen.

The wines at Domaine d’Eugénie

Michel Mallard is the winemaker at Domaine d’Eugénie, and has been so since the initial vintage in 2006. He comes from Ladoix-Serrigny, where he also runs his family domaine which produces some fine wines from Corton and the appellations around Ladoix.

I have followed Domaine d’Eugénie since that first vintage, and I have seen a gradual, yet continual, improvement. Since 2015 (or even a couple of years earlier) that improvement has become more marked. D’Eugénie is now challenging some of the top estates in Vosne-Romanée on the quality level.

Michel Mallard is constantly striving to improve quality, and has in recent years worked with sulphur-free vinification. He still uses some sulphur at bottling, as the d’Eugénie wines are sold all over the world and must be protected during transport.

It’s always difficult to pinpoint specifics, but my feeling is that this change of vinification has given the wines more definition and detail, making the fruit more energetic and giving the palate a more effortless feel – something regularly seen in wines vinified without sulphur.

So with all that as background, let’s go to the tasting notes of the fine, charming red 2022s from d’Eugenie. They were tasted on February 7, from cask and tank.

Domaine d’Eugénie Vosne-Romanée 2022

The d’Eugenie village comes from two terroirs – Les Vigneux and Les Communes – which total 2.36 hectares. This Vosne village is a delight, revealing the full beauty of the 2022 vintage. It’s a charming, lively wine with loads of energy. The generous fruit from the vintage is spiced with scents of violets, peonies, and roses, underpinned by a nice saline note. I really love this expression of Vosne.

(Drink From 2030) – Very Good – (89-90p) –

Domaine d’Eugénie Vosne-Romanée Clos d’Eugénie 2022

The village Clos d’Eugénie is from a 0.57-ha lieu-dit – and true clos – located just below La Tâche. This is a distinctive terroir, with an influence from the famous grand cru above as well as from the Clos Goilotte below. A bigger, silkier wine, it shows better ripeness, giving it a slightly more ample sweetness. This is a serious delight which used 40% new oak and 40% whole clusters. It is already unfolding beautifully, and is one of the charmers of 2022.

(Drink From 2032) – Fine – (91p) –

Related articles

• Visit to Domaine d’Eugénie – Tasting the 2022s
  The Domaine d’Eugénie wines have improved tremendously over the years – especially the last five – reaching new levels of refinement and delicacy. These are very refined wines! Michel Mallard By giving the wines the proper time and respect, some truly lovely, joyful moments can be had from d’Eugénie. Vins d’emotion? Yes, we’re now there! The premise of ...
• Maisons et Domaines Henriot Merges with Artemis Domaines
  Big news in the wine (and Burgundy) world, as Maisons et Domaines Henriot has merged with Artemis Domaines, the wine -business part of François Pinault’s empire. In a fusion of French wine notability, Pinault’s Artemis – owner of wineries such as Bordeaux’s Château Latour, and Clos de Tart and Domaine d’Eugenie in Burgundy – is buying ...
• The Clos Vougeot Tasting 2022
  During the Grand Jours de Bourgogne there is usually a Clos Vougeot tasting for the press; and so it was this year. It’s a good initiative, although some of the wines perhaps lacked the standard that one expects from a modern-day Clos Vougeot. The prices of grand cru Burgundy today somehow raise the consumer’s expectations ...
• Terroir Insight: Domaine d’Eugenie Clos de Vougeot
  The Clos de Vougeot (the vineyard) and Clos Vougeot (the wine) is one of the most prominent grand crus, despite ranking below the very top of the tree. Few would compare it with Romanee-Conti, La Romanée, La Tâche, Richebourg, Romanée Saint-Vivant, Richebourg, Musigny Clos Saint-Denis, Chambertin, or Chambertin Clos de Beze. The Clos de Vougeot is, ...
• Domaine d’Eugenie 2019s tasted in bottle
  The Domaine d’Eugenie wines have improved tremendously over the years – especially during the last five – reaching new levels of refinement and delicacy. Michel Mallard Giving the wines the proper time and respect, some truly lovely and joyful moments can be had with the d’Eugenie wines. Vins d’emotion? Yes, we are getting there! The premise of tasting ...