Domaine des LAMBRAYS -- 2013s from Cask and Bottle and a 2012 from Bottle

Domaine des LAMBRAYS (Morey-Saint-Denis)

When this estate changed ownership in 1979, the new owners hired Thierry Brouhin to manage this property. Thierry continued on through subsequent owners, and with the means that the Freund family of Cologne provided him, has done a brilliant job over the last decades of restoring this estate to prominence. But approaching age 65, Thierry told me on my visit in November 2013 that 2014 would be his last harvest and then he would retire.

Then, this spring came the bombshell that LVMH had purchased Domaine des Lambrays. To provide continuity in the transition, Thierry has agreed to stay on an additional three years. He says nothing has changed with respect to the making of the wines.  The domaine has rented bit of Morey-Saint-Denis in the Rue de Vergy lieu-dit for 2014 to provide more of the basic Morey.

2013s  from Cask and Bottle

 Harvesting here began on October 3. Thierry said that there was lots of triage, resulting in 20 hl of rosé being made from grapes that had not reached full maturity. Malolactic fermentations were normal, finishing at the end of January. As always, whole clusters were used here. Thierry expects to bottle the wines in February or March 2015.

Thierry also said that he prefers 2013 to 2012 because the more recent vintage is more expressive of terroir.

2013 Morey-Saint-Denis

This wine is smooth, medium-weight, and shows good concentration and length. It is high quality for a village wine. Unfortunately, there are only 12 barrels, or about 300 cases of the wine. (87-91)

2013 Clos des Lambrays

The 2013 Clos des Lambrays has sweetness from the fruit and is medium-weight, smooth, long, and mineral. It should be a classic. There are 95 barrels of this wine, or about 2375 cases of 12 bottles. (93-96)

2013 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru  -- Les Folatières

The Folatières is dense, mineral, broad, and a touch fat. It is enjoyable, but not up to the top wines that can come from here. 92/A

2013 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru – Le Cailleret

The Cailleret is finer, pure, penetrating, and mineral with quite a bit of density. 93(+)/A

2012 from Bottle

2012 Clos des Lambrays

This wine shows the structure of 2012, salinity, minerality, finesse, nervosity, and red fruits. 95+/A

Domaine Anne GROS -- 2013s from Cask

Domaine Anne GROS (Vosne-Romanée)

2013s  from Cask

Quantities here are about the same as in 2012. Harvesting began on October 7 with the Echézeaux and the Clos-Vougeot; it did not finish until October 22 on the Hautes-Côtes-de-Nuits. Malolactic fermentations started in December and most finished March. There were problems in the Hautes Côtes with birds eating the grapes and there was quite a bit of sorting to do. The view at the domaine is that this is not a long-keeping vintage, and I have no reason to disagree.

2013 Bourgogne-Hautes-Côtes-de-Nuits blanc  cuvée Marine

This wine is pure and precise, but a bit fat and simple. (84-87)

2013 Bourgogne-Hautes-Côtes-de-Nuits rouge

The red is notable for its pretty, pure, fresh red fruits. Nothing profound here, but it is what you’d hope for and expect from the appellation. (85-88)

2013 Bourgogne  Pinot Noir

The Bourgogne shows more breadth and smoothness than the Hautes-Côtes-de-Nuits, and I imagine it will be more immediately appealing. This wine comes from vines that are more than fifty years old. (85-89)

2013 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru – Les Damodes

This is a negociant wine made from bought-in grapes. Damodes is on the border with Vosne-Romanée, up slope from Boudots. The nose and mouth are pure with mineral red fruits, and the wine is light, precise, and spicy – a good product here. (90-93)

2013 Echézeaux, Les Loachaussées

This was the first plot that the estate harvested – on October 7. The wine is denser and a bit darker than the Damodes, it shows some spiciness, and good structure for the vintage. The vines here are about 40 years old. (90-94)

2013 Clos-Vougeot, Le Grand Maupertui

The grapes here were also harvested on October 7. The wine is tender and smooth with good depth and length for its mostly-dark fruit. (91-94)

2013 Richebourg

The Richebourg is full and rich with red fruits, especially cranberries, and some spiciness. The wine is smooth and long and should make a very good Richebourg. (93-96)

Domaine FAIVELEY/Joseph FAIVELEY -- 2013 Côte de Nuits Wines from Cask

Domaine FAIVELEY/Joseph FAIVELEY* (Nuits-Saint-Georges)

2013s  from Cask and Bottle

As I stated in the review of the Côte de Beaune wines from Faiveley, the reds began to be harvested on October 7. Yields overall on the Côte de Nuits are about 35-40 hl/ha for Faiveley. Grapes were entirely destemmed except for the Amoureuses and Musigny.

Domaine Faiveley is the name used for wines from vineyards Faiveley owns or leases, and Jospeh Faiveley is the name used for negociant wines. Wines marked with an asterisk (*) are Joseph Faiveley, the rest are Domaine Faiveley.

2013 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru – Aux Chaignots

The Chaignots shows some reduction (not a problem at this stage) along with spice in the nose. The mouth displays some oak and is medium-weight with some tannins. The wine is still unformed, though, and may ultimately prove to be better than I have evaluated it here. (86-90)

2013 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru – Les Damodes

Damodes lies just above Boudots on the border with Vosne-Romanée at an altitude of 280 to 340 meters. Until recently, the vineyard was too high up to regularly make topflight wine, but global warming is having its effect. Additionally, Faiveley has recently been making changes in the vineyard and the vines (planted in 1983 and 1989) are achieving mature status. The nose here is deep with dark fruit and floral aromas. The wine is round in the mouth with sensual black cherry fruit, good depth, and good length. (91-94)

2013 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru – Les Porêts-Saint-Georges

The nose was reduced when I tasted the wine (not a problem at this stage). The mouth is smooth, round, and long with dark fruit and quite a bit of finesse for this sector of Nuits. (90-94)

2013 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru – Les Saint-Georges

Here, too, reduction in the nose. The mouth is rich and sensual with dark fruit that spreads throughout the mouth. This is a very faithful expression of Les Saint-Georges. (91-95)

2013 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru – Les Beaux Bruns*

This is a negociant wine where Faiveley does the harvesting and then makes the wine itself. The wine is dense, smooth, and long with dark fruit and lightness. It’s note terribly expressive today, but still shows quite decently. (89-92)

2013 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru – Les Charmes*

As with the previous wine, Faiveley harvests the grapes and then makes the wine itself. The vines are located by the cross in Charmes, across the road from Les Amoureuses. This wine is complex with some leather in the nose. The mouth is smooth, round, light and very fine. (91-94)

2013 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru – La Combe d’Orveau

The wine has reduction in the nose and mouth, but good concentration, a velvet texture, length, and great finesse. It should be superb. (91-95)

2013 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru – Les Fuées

The Fuées has dark fruit with a silky texture, good firmness and overall structure, yet also the finesse of the vintage. (91-94)

2013 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru – Les Amoureuses*

The Amoureuses comes from very old vines with very small berries, and only two barrels (600 bottles) were made. The fruit is dark, but the wine is still unformed, although it is long, light, ethereal, and haunting. There is a little bit of whole cluster fruit in this wine. It should be outstanding. (93-96)

2013 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru – La Combe aux Moînes

 The Combe aux Moînes shows dark berry fruit and is round with power, depth, complexity, roundness, and the finesse of the vintage. It is a fine example of the terroir of Combe aux Moînes. (91-94)

2013 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru – Clos des Issarts

The vineyard here, a monopole of Faiveley, is just across the road from Rousseau’s Ruchottes-Chambertin “Clos des Ruchottes,” and the similarity is always on display with this wine. The nose is stony. The mouth has dark fruit and is fairly rich for a Clos des Issarts. It shows stoniness and minerality plus good length. (92-95)

2013 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru – Les Cazetiers

Faiveley owns 2 ha of Cazetiers; the youngest vines date to 2005, the oldest to 1945-47. The nose has dark fruits and a bit of animality – it is very typical of a Cazetiers nose. The mouth has structure and length to the dark fruits, especially blackberries, but the sensuality of Cazetiers comes through, too. It is a good example of the terroir of Cazetiers. (92-95)

2013 Echézeaux

Faiveley’s Echézeaux comes from the Combe d’Orveaux climat, and above it are the Vosne premier cru En Orveaux (probably Vosne’s most delicate premier cru) and the village portion of the Combe d’Orveau climat in Chambolle-Musigny. Jérôme Flous says that because of the finesse of wines that come from its location, the wine is practically a Chambolle-Musigny, and that it is best to regard it as such. It’s an interesting thought, and one that I’ve not heard before. The nose is spiced and dark. The mouth has finesse and is light and pure in its dark fruit with a little spice and excellent length. (92-96)

2013 Clos-de-Vougeot

This wine is a mixture from three parcels – two low in the vineyard, one at the top. As with Clos-Vougeots elsewhere, the finesse of the vintage trumps what is often the rusticity of Clos-Vougeot. This wine does have structure and has black raspberry fruit typical of Clos-Vougeot with good purity, nice acidic support, and good length. (92-95)

2013 Latricières-Chambertin

The Latricières is very energetic in both nose and mouth – a classic Latricières characteristic. The wine has dark fruit and minerality – one can taste the effect of the limestone here. This is a potentially great wine. (94-98)

2013 Mazis-Chambertin

This wine is dense with exotic dark fruit typical of Mazis-Chambertin but the finesse of the vintage overpowers the inherent wildness of Mazis. The vines here date partly to 1988 and partly to the 1940s. (93-96)

2013 Chambertin-Clos-de-Bèze

The “regular” Clos-de-Bèze is very dense, powerful, and harmonious with dark fruit and a touch of earth. It is lively, nervy and more powerful than the previous wines and potentially is a great wine. (95-98)

2013 Chambertin-Clos-de-Bèze  “Les Ouvrées Rodin”

In recent years, Faiveley has made this special cuvée of Chambertin-Clos-de-Bèze. It is from a plot that has belonged to Faiveley since the 1920s, with vines dating from the 1920s. This wine is dark, round, and pure with less structure and power and more finesse than the other Clos-de-Bèze, and indeed than I expect from Clos-de-Bèze in general. The wine is long and pure. This wine, too, is potentially great, but I found it no greater than the other Clos-de-Bèze, just slightly different in style. (95-98)

2013 Musigny

I don’t have written down how many bottles of this wine there are in 2013. Faiveley owns but 0.03 ha, meaning that in a “normal” year (i.e., 35 hl/ha) only 140 bottles are produced, and I would guess that the figure is less for 2013. The vines here are more than sixty years old, and this wine is made entirely with whole clusters. It is deep, dense, and pure with dark fruit, but still very young. It is a haunting wine for its purity. (93-97)

Domaine FAIVELEY/Jospeh FAIVELEY -- 2013 Côte de Beaune and Côte Chalonnaise from Cask and Bottle

Domaine FAIVELEY/Joseph FAIVELEY* (Nuits-Saint-Georges)

2013s  from Cask and Bottle

Jérôme Flous, who is in charge of making the wines here, said that harvesting began on September 25 – on the Côte de Beaune. The whites were not badly hit by hail, but the reds on the Côte de Beaune were. The early harvest for the whites meant that the botrytis that later developed was not an issue here. The harvest for the reds began on October 7, meaning that there was some rain. All grapes were entirely destemmed. For some wines, malolactic fermentations were late, for some the were not.

Jérôme said that in general, the Côte Chalonnaise wines would be bottled in December, the Côte d’Or wines in February and March.

Domaine Faiveley is the name used for wines from vineyards Faiveley owns or leases, and Jospeh Faiveley is the name used for negociant wines. Wines marked with an asterisk (*) are Joseph Faiveley, the rest are Domaine Faiveley.

We start with the reds:

2013 Mercurey 1er Cru – Clos des Myglands

This wine was bottled a week prior to my visit on November 17. It has raspberries in the nose and mouth. It is medium-weight, round, and sensual, even though there are tannins present. It should make for good drinking young, but also with some aging potential. 90/A

2013 Mercurey 1er Cru – Clos du Roy

The floral nose is followed by a palate that is light, elegant, and long with raspberry fruit. The wine is harmonious and shows finesse and energy. Both this wine and the Clos de Myglands present potential values in a market of escalating prices. (89-93)

2013 Volnay 1er Cru – Frémiets*

This wine shows dark fruit, density, purity, and intensity, but with finesse, lightness, and some tannin on the finish. Faiveley does not own this vineyard but does do the work in the vineyard. (89-92)

2013 Pommard 1er Cru – Les Rugiens

This wine was still quite unformed when I tasted it and showed quite a bit of oak along with lightness on the palate; it was not easy to judge on this visit. Yield here was but 15 hl/ha. (86-90)

2013 Corton Clos des Cortons Faiveley

In 2013, no hail on these vines. The wine has dark fruits and is round, long, and pure. It shows less structure and power and more finesse than one usually expects – the finesse of the vintage showing. (92-96)

The whites:

2013 Meursault 1er Cru – Blagny*

The wine shows some pear aromas. The mouth displays good minerality and richness for Blagny, which is high on the hill. The wine has very good length and an overall ethereal quality. (90-93)

2013 Meursault 1er Cru – Charmes*

This wine comes from the upper, or dessus portion of the Charmes, which is considered the superior part. The nose is opulent with ripe quince aromas. The mouth shows good acidity and minerality, and overall the wine is long and nervy. (90-94)

2013 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru – Morgeot*

The vigneron from whom the grapes were purchased harvested later than Faiveley and the grapes had turned by the time they were brought in. Still, the wine is surprisingly good (at least for now), if atypical, and I would drink it young. The wine shows licorice aromas. It is medium-weight and quite ripe, and seems more Riesling-like than Chardonnay. It will require a careful selection of foods – perhaps a creamy cheese or a rich fish stew. (89-93)

2013 Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet

The nose here is clear and pure with lime blossoms. The mouth has clear, pure lime fruit and the wine is nervy, medium-weight, and precise with minerality and saltiness. It is very fine BBM. (92-96)

2013 Bâtard-Montrachet

The Bâtard-Montrachet is richer than the Bienvenues but still remains light and ethereal with penetrating minerality. The wine is energetic and shows a bit more creaminess than the Bienvenues. This is excellent Bâtard-Montrachet. (93-96)

2013 Corton-Charlemagne

As good as the previous two were, the Corton-Charlemagne is still better. The nose is quite stony. The mouth is medium-light, mineral, and deep, and the wine is very tightly-wound. This is classic young Corton-Charlemagne. (94-97)

Domaine Robert GROFFIER Père et Fils -- 2013s from Cask

Domaine Robert GROFFIER (Morey-Saint-Denis)

2013s  from Cask

Nicolas Groffier received me on this visit; he is now the third generation in charge here since I began visiting. (He has actually been in charge for some years, but I have not visited the domaine for several years.)

He said that he began harvesting on October 6, and he did not find it necessary to do a triage. He said that he had very good maturity of the grapes and used quite a bit of whole clusters in the wines. He characterized the vintage as an excellent one for vin de garde (wines that will age). He chaptalized between 0.7 and 1.0º and said that 12.8-9º is what he was looking for. He characterized the wines as having lots of acidity, and the malolactic fermentations were very long, with some still going when I visited on November 17. The amount of new oak depends on the appellation – for example, the Chambertin-Clos-de-Bèze received 100% new oak, but the Bonnes-Mares only 30%.

Nicolas compared the vintage to 2005 for its purity and 1996 for its energy, although clearly in other ways, the vintages are different. Overall, he said, he produced a little more in 2013 than 2012 – 40-45 hl/ha for the village wine and 30-38 hl/ha for the premiers crus and grands crus.

2013 Bourgogne-Passetoutgrains

The nose here is floral. The mouth shows dense cassis fruit, a smooth texture, and good acidity with a touch of bitterness on the finish. This is good BPTG. (83-86)

2013 Bourgogne   Pinot Noir

The Bourgogne is smooth, round, and very dense with dark fruit. It is quite primary, but there is good material here. (84-88)

2013 Gevrey-Chambertin

The village Gevrey is from a single parcel in the Seuvrées climat – just below Mazoyères-Chambertin and the route nationale and just north of Morey-Saint-Denis. 70% whole clusters in this wine. It has spiciness in the nose that I attribute to the stems. The mouth is spicy, medium-weight, with dark fruits. It is mouth-coating and dense, with tannins present, but they are round. On the whole, though, this wine needs more time in cask to develop. (85-89)

2013 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru – Les Hauts Doix

Les Hauts-Doix is a vineyard down slope from Les Amoureuses. Nicolas used no new wood and no whole clusters here – his intent is to make a simpler style of wine here – easier to drink and reaching maturity sooner. Vines average about 35 years old. The wine is dense and more forward in its dark fruit than the Gevrey. It is round and shows less tannin than the Gevrey and features good acidity. (85-89)

2013 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru – Les Sentiers

Sentiers is a vineyard down slope from Bonnes-Mares and on the border with Morey-Saint-Denis. This wine is made with 40% new oak and 70% whole clusters. The nose is floral with some oak hints. The mouth is medium-weight and seems more elegant and less extracted than the preceding wines. There is good length here and the fruit is redder (although dark fruits are also present). Some tannin on the finish. (88-92)

2013 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru – Les Amoureuses

Groffier owns more Amoureuses than anyone else. The nose is floral and deep with dark fruit. The mouth is medium-weight and elegant with some roses to go with red and dark fruits. 20% whole clusters here, 40% new oak. (92-95)

2013 Bonnes-Mares

The nose here is relatively closed, but what shows is complex with floral and blueberry elements. The mouth is smooth with complex dark (blueberries, especially) fruits mixed with spice, vanilla, and earth, and also with finesse, density, and length. 70% whole clusters for this wine and 30% new oak. The holding is next to that of Roumier and runs the entire way from bottom to top. (92-96)

2013 Chambertin-Clos-de-Bèze

The nose here is perfume. The mouth shows dark plums, and it is rich, intense, long, and round with tannins. I hold a little judgment in reserve simply because I don’t find much of the terroir of Clos-de-Bèze here at this time, but it is undoubtedly a most impressive and enjoyable wine. 70% whole clusters here, 100% new oak. (92-95)

Domaine Henri GOUGES -- 2013s from Cask and a 2012 from Bottle

Domaine Henri GOUGES (Nuits-Saint-Georges)

2013s  from Cask

Gregory Gouges said that botrytis began appearing in the vineyards on August 15 with an expected harvest start date of October 1 -- an ominous sign. Fortunately, the botrytis for the most part stopped, permitting Gouges to wait until October 5 to begin the harvest. Triage eliminated about 15-20% of the harvest. He said that without this level of triage, he would not have been able to make wines of the quality that he did. The overall quantity is about like 2012 (a year in which no triage was necessary here), that is, quite small.

Gregory said that there was some chaptalization, with some cuvées chaptalized as much as 0.5º -- very modest compared to other producers I visited. All grapes were destemmed. Unlike the majority of the estates that I visited, malolactic fermentations here were not late. Gregory expects to bottle in late winter or early spring 2015.

2013 Nuits-Saint-Georges

This wine features an attractive, spicy nose. The mouth is medium-weight and pure with precision, lightness, and freshness. (88-91)

2013 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru – Aux Chaignots

The Chaignots is medium-weight with dark fruit and some spice and balsamic qualities and a smooth texture that is cool, and indeed almost steely. (88-91)

2013 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru – Les Chênes Carteaux

At one time, this wine was an exclusivity of the United States, but now, the U.S. takes only about half the production. The wine is salty with dark fruit, medium-length, and a smooth texture. Some reduction may well be causing me to underestimate it here. (88-92)

2013 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru – Clos des Porêts Saint-Georges

This wine is light with dark fruits and some tar. The wine shows more tannin than the foregoing wines, but they are well-integrated. (88-92)

2013 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru – Les Pruliers

The Pruliers is salty and has dark fruits with plenty of structure and more body than the Clos des Porêts. The tannins are notable, but round. (89-93)

2013 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru – Les Vaucrains

The nose here is balsamic. The mouth shows structure and density, but this is not a full expression of the minerality of Vaucrains at this time. 18 hl/ha here. (89-92)

2013 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru – Les Saint-Georges

The Saint-Georges has smoky dark fruit aromas, making for a most complex nose. The mouth is full, round, smooth, and deep with dark fruits and some spiciness. The wine coats the mouth, the tannins here are round, and the wine has a voluptuous texture. On this day, the wine shows clearly above all the others in the cellar. (92-96)

A 2012  from Bottle

2012 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru – Les Pruliers

Unsurprisingly, the tannins are more evident here than in the 2013 version of this wine, but they are not overwhelming. The wine is clear and pure with dark fruit. It needs 10-12 years in the bottle, but should make a very typical and good Pruliers. 92+/A

Domaine DUJAC/DUJAC Père & Fils -- 2012s from Bottle

Domaine DUJAC/DUJAC Fils & Père* (Morey-Saint-Denis)

2012s  from Bottle

On the whole, these wines are showing very true to the evaluations I published based on cask tastings from a year before. Interestingly, though, from cask, I thought that the Clos de la Roche was one of Dujac’s finer efforts from that vineyard and that the Clos Saint-Denis, while very good, was just a bit below other top vintages from that vineyard. But from bottle, those opinions have been reversed. It is interesting that from bottle, Jeremy Seysses chose to present the Clos de la Roche before the Clos Saint-Denis, while from cask, that order was reversed.

2012 Morey-Saint-Denis blanc

The nose is fresh and mineral. The mouth is light with minerality, smoothness, a hint of sucrosity (not bothersome), and good finesse. 91/A

2012 Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru – Les Monts Luisants blanc

The Monts Luisants is richer than the village wine but similar in profile. It shows lemon fruit and a bit of fat. 91/A-

2012 Gevrey-Chambertin*

The negociant Gevrey is juicy with red and dark fruit, especially pomegranate; it is tender, not hard. 89/A-

2012 Morey-Saint-Denis

The estate Morey has dark fruit with good depth and density, and it is a fairly powerful wine. 92/A

2012 Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru

This wine is dense with long dark fruits and more finesse than the village wine. 93/A

2012 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru – Aux Combottes

The Combottes as usual is of very high quality. It features pure red fruits, sensuality, length, and some richness. 93/A

2012 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru – Les Beaux Monts

The Beaux Monts is dense, rich, intense, deep, smooth, and powerful with dark fruits. Cellar this wine for fifteen years, and you should have an exceptional bottle. 94+/A

2012 Echézeaux

The Echézeaux shows oriental spices in the nose. The mouth has dark fruits with some gaminess. The wine is medium-weight, smooth, long, and airy – it is loaded with finesse. 94(+)/A

2012 Clos de la Roche

This wine is dense and deep with dark fruits and finesse for a Clos de la Roche. As with the 2013 version, I don’t find as much tension as usual. 94/A

2012 Clos Saint-Denis

The Clos Saint-Denis is light and pure with dark fruits. The wine is light on the tongue, providing a great texture. Those who cellar this wine for fifteen years or so will have a classic. 96/A

Domaine DUJAC/DUJAC Fils & Père -- 2013s from Cask

Domaine DUJAC/DUJAC Fils & Père* (Morey-Saint-Denis)

2013s  from Cask

Jeremy Seysses said that harvesting took place between October 7 and 13. Overall, production is down at least 1/3 from normal and smaller than 2012 (but there was more variation from one vineyard in the next in 2012 (15 to 40 hl/ha) than in 2013 (20 to 30 hl/ha). Most wines are 70-75% whole cluster, and chaptalization was on the order of about 1º. Malolactic fermentations were very late here, as in so many other cellars.

2013 Gevrey-Chambertin*

This wine has red fruit aromas and flavors and a smooth texture. It should be very good for early drinking. (87-90)

2013 Morey-Saint-Denis*

This wine shows minerality in both the nose and mouth. The mouth also features red fruits, and is light and quite elegant. (88-91)

2013 Chambolle-Musigny*

Here, the nose is darker than for the two preceding wines, and the mouth follows with dark plum flavors and some minerality, making for a pretty and typical Chambolle village. (88-91)

2013 Chambolle-Musigny

The estate’s own Chambolle is smooth, light, pure, and airy, making for an outstanding village Chambolle. (89-92)

2013 Morey-Saint-Denis

The estate’s Morey is dark and slightly earthy in the nose. The mouth is dark, concentrated, and mineral – outstanding quality here, too. (90-93)

2013 Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru

The premier cru from Morey is light and shows plenty of finesse along with some tannins that underlie the dark and red mineral fruit. (90-94)

2013 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru – Aux Combottes

The Combottes is round and dense with dark fruit and finesse. There is good power here and some tannins showing. (91-94)

2013 Charmes-Chambertin

Precise red fruits, especially strawberries, fill the nose of the Charmes-Chambertin. The mouth is light with strawberry fruit, good density, and medium length. (91-94)

2013 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru – Les Gruenchers

This wine is perfumed in the nose, followed by a dense, dark, pure mouth. 100% whole cluster here. (92-95)

2013 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru – Les Beaux Monts

This wine features some violets, which I find typical of Beaux Monts. The wine is racy and nervy with good length. (91-94)

2013 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru – Aux Malconsorts

The Malconsorts’s nose is dark, spicy, and animal – quite typical of Malconsorts. The mouth shows the finesse of the vintage and is smooth with good substance, depth, and dark fruits, plus some tannins underneath. (92-95)

2013 Echézeaux

The Echézeaux has floral aromas, followed by dark fruits in the mouth, a smooth texture, and some spicy overtones. It is quite forward. (92-95)

2013 Clos de la Roche

Dark berry fruit that is pure and juicy mark this wine, but I don’t find quite as much tension as usual. (92-95)

2013 Clos Saint-Denis

The Clos Saint-Denis shows typical spicy red fruits and it is dense and tannic. Surprisingly, the density here seems greater than for the Clos de la Roche. (92-96)

2013 Bonnes-Mares

The Bonnes-Mares displays the finesse of the vintage with red and dark fruits that have a citric quality. It is long with plenty of tannins and should age well. (92-96)

2013 Chambertin

The Chambertin has lovely smoothness and is light and airy with red fruit typical of Chambertin. (93-97)

2013 Romanée-Saint-Vivant

Last of the reds, the RSV is spicy dark, and dense with sensuality and power. It is the classic iron fist in a velvet glove. (94-98)

2013 Morey-Saint-Denis blanc

The nose here is fresh and mineral with lime fruit. The lime continues in the mouth with medium weight, good freshness, and good length. (89-92)

2013 Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru – Les Monts Luisants blanc

This wine is richer than the village Morey, but I did not find it in a state that enabled me to judge it the day that I tasted it.

Domaine Robert CHEVILLON -- 2013s from Cask and a 2012 from Bottle

Domaine Robert CHEVILLON (Nuits-Saint-Georges)

2013s  from Cask

Bertrand Chevillon said that he began harvesting on October 3 and finished on October 10 or 11. The warm nights during the harvest caused rapid degradation of the health of the grapes, and so, of course, sorting was necessary. Overall, production is down about 30-40% from a normal harvest. As always here, grapes were entirely destemmed. Malolactic fermentations were later than usual.

From one of the most consistent domaines I know in Burgundy, this is an excellent series of wines from start to finish.

2013 Nuits-Saint-Georges   vieilles vignes

The nose here features strawberry fruit that is notable for its purity. The mouth is light, pure, and long with charming red cherry fruit. (89-92)

2013 Nuits-Saint-Georges  1er Cru – Aux Chaignots

The Chaignots has darker fruit in the nose along with some spice and smokiness – the nose marks the wine as from the Vosne slope of Nuits. The mouth is denser than that of the village Nuits with dark, spicy fruit, good structure, and good length. (91-94)

2013 Nuits-Saint-Georges  1er Cru – Aux Bousselots

The nose here is a bit stonier than that of the Chaignots and also shows some minerality. The mouth features blackberries and has good length to go with lightness, airiness, and overall finesse. (91-94)

2013 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru – Les Roncières

The Roncières features dark berry fruit with more density but still retains the finesse of the vintage. The wine has good minerality, acidity, and the structure of the vineyards on the slope south of Nuits, to which our location has now shifted. (91-94)

2013 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru – Les Perrières

The nose here is stonier than that of the Roncières, as is typical, and shows red fruits. The mouth shows mineral strawberry flavors and is light, smooth, and long. (91-94)

2013 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru – Les Pruliers

The Pruliers has minerality in the nose. The mouth is denser and more powerful than the Perrières with dark fruit. The wine still has the finesse of the vintage, though. This is a textbook example of Pruliers. (92-95)

2013 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru – Les Cailles

The Cailles is perfumed and floral in the nose with greater complexity and depth than the previous wines. The mouth shows old vine density and is long with dark fruit and some licorice. (92-96)

2013 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru – Les Saint-Georges

The Les Saint-Georges is more four-square in the nose than the Cailles, but shows enormous depth. The mouth has long dark fruit flavors with some spiciness. The wine has density, depth, and structure. (93-96)

2013 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru – Les Vaucrains

The Vaucrains features as classic, stony, mineral nose. The mouth is dense, pure, and mineral with stoniness and super length. Despite the Vaucrains structure, the finesse of the vintages still comes through. (93-97)

A 2012  from Bottle

2012 Nuits Saint-Georges 1er Cru – Les Vaucrains

The 2012 Vaucrains shows minerality in the nose and mouth with red fruits and more structure than its 2013 counterpart, as is typical when comparing the two vintages. The wine has outstanding length. But as with many 2012s, it seems already to be closing up. 94+/A