Tasted in Vosne-Romanée with the growing team of Domaine Michel Noellat, 04 July 2023.

Domaine Michel Noëllat & Fils
5, rue de la Fontaine
Vosne-Romanée 21700
Tel: +33 3 80 61 36 87
www.domaine-michel-noellat.com
More reports with Domaine Michel Noellat

A domaine exploiting 27 hectares with 22 different appellations.

Sophie on this year, so far:
“We’ve had a little hail already – in Fixin last weekend – but the obvious problems were with the frost this year. For now, there still seems to be plenty of grapes though.”

Sophie on 2021:
“21 was chaotic. Frost in the Côte de beaune and Savigny – we lost all the chardonnay in Savigny. In the Côte de Nuits, we had some good surprises with correct volumes but we were very selective with triage – about 10% was rejected back at the cuverie, so that we had nice grapes in the tanks. Across the domaine, we saw 50 to 60% losses in volume. So from 21 we don’t have half a harvest. But behind is 22 with fine quality and quantity and we keep our fingers crossed for the 2023 season. I’ve been here since 2013 but 2022 was been the most impressive harvest that I’ve seen.”

The wines…

A quick tour of a portion of the domaine’s production. MOre than very good attainment here – and their Echézeaux is a special wine!

There were 3 different bottlings; regionals after harvesting the 2022s – the villages in Dec-Jan – and 1er and Grand Crus in March & April:

2021 Vosne-Romanée
3 lieu-dits assembled; Les Communes and two more parcels closer to the cemetery and the Clos de Vougeot
Hmm – very aromatic – a lovely, slightly smoky perfume – this all destemmed. Hmm – energy and plenty of structural elements, some bitters from the barrel – 30% new. But a nicely fading impression. A wine to wait for but one with lots of peps.

2021 Nuits St.Georges
2 parcels – Lavières and Allots – on the Vosne side of Nuits
A less forward aromatic but still with much breadth. I love this more incisive start and structural shape. There are bitters in the finish but also a more suave and pretty length. A smaller but more accessible wine today – not necessarily in 10 years.

2021 Vosne-Romanée 1er Les Suchots
2 parcels, one on the top part near RSV, the other right in the middle of the lower part.
The spice of the first wine is extended wider here – this has a super aromatic. Hmm, this has width and a melting style – very fine texture too. A certain calm to this wine – for keeping to bring some extra complexity – give it 5-8 years – but this is a lovely thing…

2021 Vosne-Romanée 1er Beaux Monts
This is a lovely nose – open, more high tones – there’s much more interest here, not just the spice but also from the fruit and flowers. Again some finishing bitters but only a modest part of a lovely fluid width of finishing flavour.

2021 Nuits St.Georges 1er Boudots
Vines next to Malconsorts
Extra freshness – a more direct nose too – that’s my favourite so far. Hmm – this is more structural, faintly grained in the width, fine intensity – bitters again but still juicy in the finish. This is actually my favourite of these – not the easiest, or most suave, of the 5 so far but it’s a wine that resonates … it’s simply excellent.