Pierre Henri Rougeot 2024s

The wines of Pierre Henri Rougeot always require some sort of reflection… and the extra layer of sulphur-free wines does make things a bit more complex.

In some vintages it is rather simple, while in others a bit more thought is required, as the sulpher/no sulphur pattern is disturbed by the quality of the grapes.

I have followed Pierre Henri Rougeot since the beginning of his sulphur-free endeavours at his family’s estate in Meursault.

Unsulphered wines have always been the main theme here, and while I comprehend and accept the unsulphered reds, my thoughts have been more problematic for the whites. However, I have embraced the whites, and I think that I’ve taken a step to better understand the nature of the unsulphered whites.

The ‘Hog view

I am still learning. Thanks to the excellent work of Pierre-Henri Rougeot. And I have, little by little, taken this a step further.

I often feel tempted by the sulphur-free wines of Pierre-Henri Rougeot in restaurants … as these wines often have a seamless and delicate integration with the food. You don’t have the kick of sulphur to tighten up the experience.

In a sense, unsulphured wines are building on the tendency to drink wines earlier and younger, a wave that started with the premox issues in the mid 1990’s.

Today, it has become normal to drink whites before they turn 10 years. Rarely do I see old whites consumed these days … sad, but this is the truth. It’s a strong development in the wine society, with fewer people building proper cellars and drinking more and more wines from the restaurant list … i.e. wines mainly from 2018 and onward. If you are lucky, the odd 2015 and 2017.

In reality, the perception of white Burgundy has changed. Currently, popular vintages are from the years 2018 to 2024. That is a fundamental change.

Drinking wines this young changes the role of the sulphur, as you are drinking recently sulphured wines … hence, also raising the issue of the risk of getting wines with a very prominent dose of sulphur. Please note that the premox problem has increased the use of sulphur again, and with drinking the wines earlier, poses a larger risk of getting some veritable sulphur bombs on the table.

I am still learning to taste and drink unsulphured white Burgundies, but I have to say that getting an unsulphured white from Pierre-Heri Rougeot is a blessing when sitting with a wine list populated with quite heavily sulphured 2022s or 2023s.

The integration with the food flavours is much better when you don’t have to overcome the sulphur barrier in some wines.

My feeling was – and to some degree still is – that chardonnays made and bottled without sulphur often lack an expression of minerality; a mineral edge, or whatever you want to call it. I am talking about wines with natural-cork stoppers and with normal elevage time.

And while I speak of the perception of minerality, this also means that unsulphured wines can sometimes lack terroir definition, or the spark of terroir expression. This is complex, but it is nonetheless my feeling.

Nothing, however, is black and white, and this perception could be changed by longer elevage times, the level of reduction, and last but not least, the use of Diam stoppers.

As always, in well-made wines, bigger terroirs will manifest themselves regardless, whereas village and 1ers Crus might need more emphatic techniques during their production.

Diam, however, changes the world for wine producers, and for bottles without sulphur!

All is good, and it seems that giving the non-sulphured wines a year or two can give these wines a bit of focus and edge, just like a longer elevate does help in the wines with low sulphur.

It’s still early times, but I feel the acceptance of unsulphered whites is growing as we speak.

Furthermore, more and more consumers experience difficulties like headaches when they drink heavily sulphured wines. Many need to pick the unsulphured version.

Pierre-Henry Rougeot’s favorites

Pierre-Henry Rougeot has been very generous with his drinking advice… wines from friends all around are on his list. Thx for the help and the inspiration … I do find these tips very interesting and useful.

Drinking very well currently

Domaine Rougeot Aligoté les Plumes 2021 SSA
Domaine Rougeot Clos des Roses 2021 SSA
Domaine Rougeot Santenots 2020 SSA

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Favourite Sparklings currently:

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