Visiting a vineyard
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Domaine Bruno Colin 2018
2018 was a fruitful vintage for Domaine Bruno Colin. Their whites are open-knit and charming, and their reds were better than I had expected. Harvest started on the 1st of September, they managed to make some rich and flashy wines in this vintage. Bruno Colin has a strong market in France, 50% of the production are sold within France and 50% exported, US is their biggest market. Winemaking Whites spends 12 months in oak and around 3 months in stainless steel tank. Some battonage on the whites. Reds were 100% destemmed with 1 week of cold maceration. Tasting Notes Bourgogne Blanc 2018 A blend of their Domaine grapes and purchased…
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Domaine Leflaive 2018
Overall 2018 whites were much better than anticipated from a warm and dry vintage. Domaine Leflaive made a superb portfolio of white wines in 2018. From Macon to Chevalier Montrachet, their wines showed good energy and generous body with crisp acidity. The generic village Puligny Montrachet is linear and delightful, and as usual the highlight was the 1er Cru Pucelles and mighty Chevalier Montrachet, crystalline purity and expansive minerals 2018 was the most generous yield for Domaine Leflaive since 1982, on average 50hl/ha. Harvest between 26th of August to 1st of September. Since 2014 Domaine Leflaive has been using DIAM corks and has reduced the dosage of sulphur at bottling…
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Domaine Pierre Damoy 2018
Pierre Damoy targets deep maturity in his wines, and he made some rich and heavy reds in 2018. Pierre started harvesting on the 11th of September and took 11 days for the harvest. 70% destemmed. Overall yield: 30-40hl/ha. Unusually this year I find most of his village and Premier Cru wines overripe and too alcoholic, fortunately some of his Grand Crus were rich but not too overripe. Buyers will need to be careful on picking his wines in 2018 to avoid overripe wines. Tasting Notes Bourgogne Blanc 2018 Grapes purchased from Fixin. Rich and expressive array of ripe tree fruits and pears. Sweet fruits with upfront oak spices. Big-boned Bourgogne…
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Domaine Faiveley 2018
In the picture is the newly renovated fermentation room at Faiveley, with the design reminiscent of historical train station in tribute to Faiveley’s transport business. In my opinion the room looks very much like a cathedral (my type of cathedral!) Faiveley has improved their quality significantly in the past decade since they changed their vinification methods from 2006 to 2009. Gone were the days of tannic and extracted wines, in 2018 their reds are transparent and fragrant with good ripeness. An impressive performance in the context of the size of this estate. (owns more than 120ha across Burgundy). Faiveley started harvesting on the 27th of August. Winemaking Style Most cuvees…
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Domaine Mugneret Gibourg 2018
Domaine Mugneret Gibourg produced a portfolio of rich and powerful wines in 2018, from the ripe and strapping Bourgogne Rouge to the seductive Ruchottes Chambertin, these masculine and robust wines will require extensive cellaring. Domaine Mugneret Gibourg started harvesting on the 4th of September, but some of their cuvees reached up to 14 – 14.5% alcohol under the warm and dry weather conditions in 2018. Winemaking Style 100% grapes were destemmed. New oak from 10% in the Bourgogne Rouge to 70% in the Grand Cru. Barrels from 4 coopers, Grand Cru wines have higher proportion of Francois Freres. Tasting Notes Bourgogne Rouge 2018 9 barrels produced in 2018, much more…
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Domaine Bachelet 2018
2018 was a hot and dry vintage, many vines suffered hydraulic stress and natural alcohol level reached up to 15% (rumoured some even higher!). In this tricky vintage, Denis and Nicolas Bachelet managed to retain freshness, acidity and alcohol balance superbly. They started harvesting one week earlier than anticipated, on the 5th of September. Their cuvee with the highest alcohol content was their Bourgogne Rouge, reaching a mere 13.4%, the rest including their flagship Charmes Chambertin was lower. One of the freshest and well-balanced 2018 red Burgundy I have tasted. Winemaking Style The winemaking style and techniques remained the same as 2017. 100% destemmed in all cuvees, aged in 20-50%…
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Domaine Arnoux Lachaux 2017
It’s always a pleasure to visit Charles Lachaux from Domaine Arnoux Lachaux. Charles has completely changed the estate for the better since he took over from his father in 2012. 2017 is another cracking vintage at this Domaine, I feel that his 2017 has taken purity and finesse to another level, a massive step up from the 2015 vintage, though I have a soft spot for their 2016 wines, which are utterly delicious. 2017 is approachable and collectors would be able to enjoy the 2017 before the 2016 and 2015. Charles had a yield of 42hl/ha on average. The wines were aged in barrels for 12 months. 62,000bts produced in…
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Domaine Perrot-Minot 2017
Christophe Perrot-Minot is one of the most noteworthy winemakers in Burgundy, he has been making one of the most sublime style of Pinot Noir after he changed style in 2010. Visiting Christophe last month and tasting his portfolio of 2017 was truly exhilarating. Vineyards Christophe owns 14.2 hectares of vineyards in Cote de Nuits from Nuits Saint Georges to Gevrey Chambertin. Winemaking Style Christophe Perrot-Minot said his style changed since 2010 vintage, especially with the introduction of high percentage of whole cluster. In 2017, Christophe got between 35-38hl/ha, considerably lower than many producers. Maximum 20% new oak from Francois Freres and 1 year old barrels from Domaine de la Romanee…
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Domaine Lamy-Caillat, the rising star in Chassagne Montrachet
Visiting Sebastien Caillat from Domaine Lamy-Caillat was one of my highlights of my trip to Burgundy last month. This micro-Domaine based in Chassagne Montrachet started producing wines in 2011 and are already getting some serious praise from many Burgundy lovers. Not only is Sebastien one of the most prominent winemakers in Burgundy, he is also a civil engineer by training. Sebastien created a machine that adds a thin layer of wax (0.2-0.5mm thick) on top of the cork to reduce the rate of oxygenation. Sebastien humbly told us how excited he was when he received a call from Aubert de Villaine (co-owner and co-director of Domaine de la Romanee Conti)…
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Domaine Anne Gros 2017
Domaine Anne Gros produces one of the most elegant and light-footed wines in Vosne Romanee, her wines are arguably the most feminine in style compared to the 3 other Gros estates (Anne’s cousins), as well as other female winemakers in Vosne Romanee, i.e. Leroy, Mugneret Gibourg and Cecile Tremblay. Anne Gros has been in charge of the estate since 1988 at the age of 22 after she took over her father’s entire estate. Domaine Anne Gros has c. 7 hectares of vines, mostly treated organically (though not certified). Winemaking Style Grapes are 100% destemmed and fermented without cold maceration. White wines are then aged for 12 months in oak barrels…
