Trilogy in Côtes de Nuits

About the conditions of the 2017 vintage in the sector, here are some generalities:

• After a real winter marked by periods of cold, a particularly hot March with a very early bud break.

• In mid-April, a significant refresh with frost risks around April 19 and 21, this episode having caused a stagnation of the shoot.

• From early May, a welcome period of rain and a return of mild temperatures triggering a strong growth. The full bloom occurred at the beginning of June which reflects the precocity of the 2017 vintage.

• End of June, near-heat wave but without water stress thanks to accumulated water reserves. The vine grows without suffering heat. Veraison begins around July 25 and continues for a fortnight. The months of July and August are accompanied by light rains that scarcely mark the soil ... and always with rather high temperatures.

• The pressures of the various diseases are low, and so are the pests of the vine.

• The final sugar content reaches good levels.

• The harvest begins at the end of August or early September.

The tasting itself.

This day, several cases presented themselves to the taster:

• The proposed wine was a sample taken from one or more barrels and prematurely bottled for the occasion without protection (sulphiting) particular.

• The wine was "en masse" that is to say in a container of assembly bringing together the juices of the different barrels of the vintage, and therefore, often, recently sulphited.

• The wine was bottled for a few months or weeks, the first bets dating in November for the earliest areas, and the last one or two weeks before the tasting, with, here too, a recent sulphiting.

Within the same domain, one could meet one, two or even the three aforementioned cases.

It was therefore necessary if possible to question the producers and to be proactive in tasting, this questioning was not always obvious considering the crowd.

Some areas, among others, have particularly caught our attention during this event, in different styles and in alphabetical order, including:

• Domaine Amiot-Servelle based in Chambolle-Musigny with mostly wines of this appellation presented including the first three crus Plants, Charms and Lovers, all well-defined in their terroir with a franchise "peasant".

• Domain Berthaut-Gerbet based in Fixin but covering most appellations of the Côte de Nuits except Nuits-Saint-Georges. Notably noticed in this house led by a representative of the younger generation, the Vosne-Romanée, whose entry-level village cuvée partially resulting from the climate Les Réas: freshness of the fruit and breeding already well "digested".

• Domaine Ghislaine Barthod in Chambolle-Musigny, whose rather rare wines on the market could be considered as archetypal of the appellation, including the elegant but earthy Beaux-Bruns and Les Cras with more elongation and tension.

• Château de la Tour in Clos de Vougeot, the most important area of ​​this appellation on the surface with a Clos de Vougeot old vines with controlled power, even coated by a beautiful breeding, and a beautiful evolution on the 2013 vintage.

• Domaine Bruno Clavelier in Vosne-Romanée. Pure and straight wines without any artifice and in direct contact with their terroir. Special mention to the climate Maizières Hautes Vosne, farm and authentic as well as the old vineyards of 1er Cru Les Beaux Monts Vosne finer and longer, and a pity that the Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru La Combe d'Orveaux has not been presented.

• Domaine des Lambrays, Clos des Lambrays Grand Cru Morey Saint-Denis, the last vintage made under the era of Thierry Brouin, the former director. A structured wine, austere to this day but with a very nice length that suggests a bright future.

• Domaine Stéphane Magnien also in Morey Saint-Denis. Here too, a very small estate with purity and tension allowing an interesting comparison between the 2017 and 2018 vintages on two emblematic cuvées of the domain: Morey Saint-Denis premier cru Les Faconnières and Clos Saint-Denis Grand Cru.

• Domaine Perrot-Minot in Morey Saint-Denis but with vineyards on 3 of the 4 villages concerned by this tasting. The wines of Christophe Perrot-Minot demonstrate the "style" of this skilled winemaker, that is to say that they are silky, ripe and with a refined wood but not heady. Mention at Morey village The Rue de Vergy located on the heights, above the Clos de Tart and Chambolle-Musigny 1er cru La Combe d'Orveau.