Visit to Domaine Michel Noëllat – Tasting the 2021s

This was my second visit to Domaine Michel Noëllat, and it was again hosted by the charming Sophie Noëllat, assisted by her wine-making cousin Sébastien Noëllat.

These are very nice people, and quality here is improving year by year.

The Noëllats in Vosne

The family diagram below is complex as well as comprehensive. Let’s just use it as an illustrative tool in this article; we’ll walk through the details another time.

Michel Noëllat is a big estate – 20 hectares in total – with some very prominent vineyards. One parcel in Echezeaux de Dessus is in the very core of this vineyard, and its Clos de Vougeot is another prominent vineyard, with two different plots in the big clos.

Then there are two plots of Vosne-Romanée Les Suchots (1.7 ha in total), making Michel Noëllat a major owner of this vineyard. Previously (2021 was the last vintage) the domaine also had 1.7 ha of Vosne-Romanée Beaux Monts, but this was transferred to Cecile Tremblay last year.

Add to this other plots in Vosne, Chambolle, Fixin, and Savigny-les-Beaune, and one begins to understand the scale of the Noëllat holdings.

Style and feel

The wines are well made; the extraction is relatively moderate, and one can feel the Vosne intensity style-wise. The cold pre-soak (three to five days) lifts the bouquet into the interesting. The wines are not flamboyant and flashy, but the strong terroirs shine through the extraction, although the less-dominant terroirs are held back somewhat. This is exacerbated by the addition of 30 mg/l of SO2 at bottling.

So: These are good and enjoyable wines, with the best among them giving a true hedonistic thrill.

---

Michel Noëllat Fixin 2021

The Fixin is showing well, with a silky, seductive note. It’s not every day that we see this from a completely destemmed Fixin. Borderline hedonistic, and definitely enjoyable.

(Drink from 2026) – Good+ – (87p) – Tasted 13/04/2023

---

Michel Noëllat Chambolle-Musigny 2021

Classic, fine Chambolle with good acidity and mineral notes. It uses 30% new oak from two coopers (François Freres, Cavin), which produces a nice balance thanks to the Cavin restraint and the acidity of the ’21 vintage. Old vines (70-80 years) give good tension, depth, and liveliness to the wine.

(Drink from 2030) – Very Good – (89p) – Tasted 13/04/2023 –

---

Michel Noëllat Nuits-Saint-Georges Aux Allots 2021

The Nuits Aux Allots is a classic, with a slight hint of iron and good, harmonious fruit. I love this vineyard. It is one of the most effortless and harmonious of the Nuits-Saint-Georges villages, and this always shows in the wine’s airiness and openness.

(Drink from 2030) – Very Good – (89p) – Tasted 13/04/2023

---

You need to login as a Premium subscriber to read the rest of this article. If you are not a Premium Subscriber, use the subscribe function and sign-up.