Tasted with Jerome Castagnier in Morey St.Denis, 31 January 2022.
Domaine Castagnier
20 Rue des Jardins
21220 Morey St.Denis
Tel: +33 3 80 34 31 62
More reports with Domaine Castagnier
The work on Jérôme’s new cuverie is finally over and we taste, for the first time in his new tasting room…
Jerome on 2020:
“no frost, no hail – so it was good. But also no rain – so not good. It’s good to be dry in the early season as you are underway without worry of disease – but a bit of rain can help flowering. The grapes, in the end, were beautiful but we had no juice though intense colours – a great vintage and for me, it’s better than 19 – I think of 2015 with an extra freshness. Eventually about half a harvest – unlike 19 which suffered from many things including poor flowering. One Thursday just before the end of August – 20th – 36°C but a strong wind too which dehydrated the grapes. Some grapes fell to the ground, but the remaining were fine if rather small. I think there’s great quality in the wines. Each wine is different music for me….”
The wines…
Top class wines, year after year, my hat is off to Jérôme!
30% gamay but a single co-plantation
Really perfumed and fresh. Sweet but incisive – I love the shape and drive here – Mouth-watering. A faint grain of tannin – vibrant, slightly mineral finishing. Bravo PTG…
All pinot, planted opposite the previous vines in MSD
A broad and at the same time deeper nose. Beautiful clarity, super energy, more saline accented flavour, almost a licorice in the finish. Another great wine for the label.
This all pinot – neighbouring the last parcel.
Also perfumed but a more silky impression to the nose – lovely. Supple, with depth of flavour, almost a hint saline but depth of flavour beyond many villages 20 years ago. Bravo!
These last too were made with only 20 hl/ha – “It’s not just me – it’s the weather too!”
In Gevrey also with some 20% villages wine from Morey included…
More incisive, finely structured nose – earthy, fine and again perfumed. Mouth-filling, layered, finely grained no dryness, really complex. I would say a great Villages!
2020 Gevrey-Chambertin
From Les Seuvrées – ‘It seems all the Morey domaines are in the same place in Gevrey – they are also the closest to Morey!’
Really perfumed and wide again – a lovely freshness of aroma. Extra silk, very sophisticated texture. Layers of flavour – I could do with a hint more energy – but the flavour is exquisite!
2020 Chambolle-Musigny
Vines from 1934 in Aux Echanges, but only the villages part. Grandfather also had vines in the 1er cru part of Aux Echanges but sold them as he thought this superior – next to Beau Bruns
Fresher, narrower, deeper, perfumed. Ultra-silky – eventually very faintly grained but no dryness. Slowly mouthwatering in concentrated fashion – long, slowly contemplative. Excellent villages…
2020 Charmes-Chambertin
A fine and earthy depth, dark but with beautiful flashes of aroma. Wide, seamless, layers of flavour but always with energy. That’s a simply excellent wine…
65-year-old vines…
Narrow, direct, mineral, the impression of silk – flashes of fresh interest. Extra broad, pure, growing with intensity – peppery, super-mouth-watering. Broad, muscled – but athletic not bulky – a wine built for speed as opposed to comfort but really a top CdlR…
2020 Clos St.Denis
Narrow at the top, broadening at the base of the aroma – almost a little sweet gooseberry fruit in the mix. Supple, more generous, full of mouth-watering balance. The CdlR is more direct and structural, this a wine to sink into.
In Grands Maupertuis
That’s a wonderful perfume, complex and complete. In the mouth, it fills all the space – subtly but properly structured – no hard edges – almost a little understated but with a gorgeous finish. Potentially great CV
Les Whites:
2020 Bourgogne Aligoté
From Morey – ‘I think it’s the best Côte de Nuits terroir for aligoté – with Monts Luisants.’ This lower in Morey but first planted in 1921…
Bright and vibrant – some yellow citrus fruit. Mouth-filling – fine texture. Mouth-watering – nearly juicy… Finishing with modest intensity but with a lovely long-lasting note…
2020 St.Romain
A contract
Vibrant with pineapple and grapefruit aromatic complexity. Extra in all directions – I love the mineral juiciness here. Simply a bottle of delicious and moreish wine.