Visit to Domaine les Astrelles – Tasting the 2022 Reds

Domaine les Astrelles is a relatively new, exciting estate located in Gevrey-Chambertin, on the industrial side of town east of the railway line.

The estate is in fact a new iteration of the old Pierre Naigeon domaine. Les Astrelles is the name give to it by Isabelle and Jean-Marie Chapier, who purchased Naigeon in 2019. They are now creating its future.

Jean-Marie, a biologist, and Isabelle, a pharmacist, are doing everything possible to relaunch and reposition Les Astrelles. A new production team is in place, and among its members is the oenologist Julien Millet, son of François Millet, the former cellar master of the Comte Georges de Vogüé estate in Chambolle-Musigny.

Today, Les Astrelles consists of 14 hectares of vineyards located in numerous climats of Gevrey-Chambertin, Marsannay, and Fixin. Around 30 wines (white and red) are produced, ranging from Bourgogne Aligoté to grands crus Bonnes-Mares and Mazys-Chambertin .

The ‘Hog’s view

Les Astrelles is a big mouthful to digest, as it produces a lot of wines. In itself, this is not a problem, as the winemaking basics are good and the wines are very well made, thanks to the talented Julien Millet.

That said, producing a large number of wines holds an inherent risk, as it is difficult to develop any single wine into a truly emotional one. A wine needs the personality, soul, and tension that give it a life of its own.

This is a difficult topic, as my tasting situation is very different from the enjoyment of the single consumer who has only one bottle, without the blur of 20-30 other wines.

Perhaps I am looking for an expression, or a feeling, that was not to be found here. I came away with the impression of a house style, rather than of individual wines of meat and blood. That is the inherent risk I referred to when production increases to a certain level.

This is a philosophical issue. Tasting 30, 40, 50, or even 100 wines is difficult, although conceptually doable. But making 100 emotional wines? This I have not seen accomplished.

Here is a simple analogy: Haute couture is hand-made and hand-stitched with almost a personal link between the buyer and the designer and craftspeople, while prêt-a-porter (ready-to-wear) has many of the features of the higher end, but in reality, is only a simplified copy.

It seems to me difficult, nigh impossible, for any winemaker to create 50 different cuvees without losing some level of individual character and tension in the wines.

Now I’m babbling. But more will come on this topic, I think. This is surely not only a question that is related to this estate.

The wines

The house style is what I would characterize as flawless, with lively, vivid energy. The wines are in general enjoyable and well made. The style is consistently executed, with light extraction and a balanced oak treatment.

These are wines where you will rarely find high volatility or other challenges. To reiterate, they are flawless, and for some consumers, or even most purposes, this is very good indeed.

So: very agreeable wines helped by the nature of the 2022 vintage. I have made a selection of the wines that I feel could or is in reach of the vin d’emotion scale. These are very good and enjoyable wines.

Les Astrelles Bourgogne Passe-Tout-Grains La Riotte 2022

The Passe-Tout-Grains is a nice entry to the vast line-up. With half and half pinot and gamay, it is delicately open, having been bottled in January. This shows good liveliness despite the relatively high sulphur level (by modern standards). Nice concentration.

(Drink From 2024) – Good – (86p)

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Les Astrelles Bourgogne Les Combes 2022

Les Combes offers delicate fruit that is open and vivid. It has silky tannins and nice richness, along with good phenolic ripeness.

(Drink From 2025) – Good – (86-87p) –

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Les Astrelles Gevrey-Chambertin Croix des Champs 2022

Delicate and elegant, this shows deep fruit on the mid-palate, and despite the elegance, a bit more tannin than the other Gevrey villages. It’s quite intense and deep for a Gevrey village.

(Drink From 2032) – Very Good – (89p) –

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