Domaine Thierry Richoux (Irancy)

16.9.2014billn

DSC04467Tasted in Irancy with Thierry Richoux, 11 June, 2014.

Domaine Thierry Richoux
73 rue Soufflot
89290 Irancy
Tel. +33 3 86 42 21 60
www.irancy.org

This is a domaine that is 90% red wine – the remaining 10% is still tinged with red – it is rosé. Thierry says “All around us is white wine, but here in Irancy we have very special conditions for pinot noir.”

The domaine was for a long time 18-19 hectares of vines, but today is 23 after taking on the some vines from a retiring grower. There is no cesar here, Thierry finding that its flowering and ripening times not fitting well with that of the pinot noir. The domaine has been bio since 2010 but Thierry notes that he had to treat 7 times in 7 weeks early in the 2012 season

Fermentations are in stainless-steel with temperature control and automatic pigeage. The 2012s won’t be bottled here until they have had 2 years of elevage – they are only just commercialising the 2009s, and may offer the 2008 after the 2011 – so most 12s will be bottled just before the 2014 harvest, some smaller cuvées will wait until March. Wines, depending on the cuvée may see elevage in standard barrels or wooden foudres of 5,000 litres – or a combination of the two.

There’s a little export from this domaine – Belgium, Japan and the US, mainly.

The wines…

A super address…

2012 Irancy les Cailles
From a 1.5ha plot, plus some grapes purchased from a neighbour. Overall 32 hl/ha in this vintage – Thierry’s benchmark is 2010 when he had a yield of 45 hl/ha. The wine had 1 year in barrel before being assembled in a tank
Very pretty dark-red fruit. Velvety texture and lovely bright red fruit – yum!

2012 Irancy Croix Rouge
There’s a hint of reduction here, but it lifts from the glass very quickly to reveal deep, dark fruit. Silkier and wider than the Cailles. There’s a slowly growing concentration and just a hint of salt flavour. Slowly, if modestly, fading into the finish.

2012 Irancy Le Rez Marteaux
Deep and dark cherry-fruit nose. Velvet texture and very lovely fruit. This is not super-energetic, rather long and contemplative. Fine!

2012 Irancy
What Thierry described as the domaine’s ‘classic blend.’
Some reduction quickly quits the glass to show pretty and individual dark fruits. Wide and round – a little softer textured but with a little more energy than the Marteaux. Plenty of mid-palate concentration too. Good!

2012 Irancy Veaupessiot
From next to Palotte.
Wide and deep – this is a very lovely nose – one that’s faintly spiced. Rounder and fuller, with more dimension too. Again a hint salty. Long finishing. Yum – a beauty!

2012 Irancy Cuvée Odette
Named to celebrate Thierry’s grandmother, who would have been 100 in 2012 if she’d made it. After alcoholic fermentation, the elevage was in 600 l barrels. Thierry notes that his grandmother tended these very vines for many years…
The nose has a little less depth, but there’s some spice. Round, with a slightly different tannin structure – a little more blocky oak-tannin – but that will quickly fade. Very nice mid-palate flavour that slowly lingers in the finish. A different style, but very tasty.

The following were all tasted from bottle:

2013 Bourgogne Rosé
Apparently there wasn’t much of this in 2012, and it sold out very quickly, so here is the 2013 which was bottled in April. This wine is made half saigné juice and half from the press. Although the source of the grapes is all Irancy, there’s no Irancy Rosé AOC, so it has to be labelled Bourgogne. Thierry notes “I like to drink this between 1 and 3 years of age – not just in my Summer holiday!”
This has a very pretty nose indeed with a floral dimesnion.There’s good width of flavour on this silky palate – good concentration too. The acidity is fine, adding to the intense finish. Lovely rosé.

2011 Irancy
“An early vintage, and one with some problems but it came in at 48-49 hl/ha” says Thierry.
Good colour though there’s a clear herby/pyrazine note on the nose – fortunately there’s fine red fruit underneath. Similar flavour profile and the tannin is a little jarring today. Not my favourite, though there’s a nice mineral note in the finish.

2010 Irancy
“A vintage that was neither early, nor late – a classic vintage from about 45 hl/ha. I see this as a 4 year-old that’s begining to show a little maturity. It’s a good vintage, like 2008.” notes Thierry.
Deeper, cleaner, dark-fruit on the nose – perfectly primary with a slowly growing floral note. Lovely width, energy and freshness. Mouth-watering, with a faint layer of tannin in the finish – very nice griotte-style fruit. Yum!

2009 Irancy Veaupessiot
Thierry’s notes: “09 is a good vintage – a little sunny, but not too bad – like 2006. They were ripe, clean grapes that had a cuvaison of about 18-19 days.”
The fruit is a little more developed here, showing strawberry and a little spice. Round, concentrated and mouth-filling. The acidity backs-up well helping the intensity. There’s not the depth of fresh fruit of some other vintages here, but it’s still a good wine.

2008 Irancy Veaupessiot
Thierry’s notes: “I’ll commercialise this in a few months. There’s not too much to say about the vintage – not a great flowering so we only had 36 hl/ha, but it was a good harvest with fine maturity. I harvested later than many in the village, but in nice weather.
This is a classically beautiful Irancy nose of dark, but fresh, very inviting fruit. Beautiful and lithe, intense with good width and even better length. This finishes rather discretely versus the fabulous first impressions, But it’s really a super wine!

1998 ‘Irancy’
No wines were actually labelled Irancy in 1998, because the AOC came in 2000 – but producers with long elevage like Thierry crossed the AOC dates so this was his first ‘Irancy.’
Here is a superb nose of strawberry and sous-bois – it is simply gorgeous. Round, with plenty of width and a slowly growing sweetness of fruit. There’s almost a hint of orange and some mineral notes too. A very long, fading, sweetness. An absolute treat! My favourite wine of the ‘tour’ – you can’t buy it though, hence, no recommendation…

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