Tasted in Meursault with Team Prieur, 25 October 2023.
Domaine Jacques Prieur
6 Rue des Santenots
21190 Meursault
Tel: +33 3 80 21 23 85
www.prieur.com
More reports with Domaine Jacques Prieur.
Nadine on 2023:
“I think we may have a great vintage for the whites – they were super – and for the reds we could make a good triage so we are confident.”
Nadine 2022:
“We are happy with 2022 – the quality is there – the volume is nice but the quality is excellent. Maybe better than 2020 for the reds – we didn’t expect such balance but there was enough rain in June that we ended up with something with a proper finesse plus freshness. There’s nothing bottled for now. We had a lot more juice than we had in 2020 for instance – we thought we would start early like in 2020 but we waited as the maturity was growing slowly and so waited until the end of of August finishing the 9th September. If there was one complication, it was that the reds and whites were ready at the same time in 22 – in 23 the whites were done before the reds were ready… You are really enjoying the flesh of the wines – they had plenty of tartaric acid so we see the juicy side of the red vintage – without the weight of ‘concentration’ in the grapes that we saw in 2020. We really only saw the character of the terroirs in the whites after about a year… It took time but finally, we now have the confidence in the wines.”
The wines…
If I could choose a ‘most improved’ domaine of the last years, it would be Jacques Prieur – gone are the monolithic wines – of course the vintages have helped – replaced by accessible concentration and gorgeous breadth of flavour – in both colours and also in both cases, the oak is so discrete. So many great wines in 22 – just like in 2021 !!
First, a selection of ‘maison’ Labruyère-Prieur wines:
2022 Santenay Clos Genet
What colour – this harvested 8 September and still only 13.2°. Hmm – but juicy and delicious – a hint sweet but with such energy you’ll just be enjoying your wine.
The previous was destemmed but this had a little wc in the fermentation.
Broad and silky with a suggestion of cocoa. Hmm – more structure and fluidity – that’s directly a great Santenay – bravo – so delicious!
2022 Santenay 1er Grand Clos Rousseau
All destemmed.
More direct and very pure dark-red fruit. Also cool and juicy – here with great texture and fine fluidity too. Slowly, slowly fading – a delicious fruit bomb…
A large parcel of almost 1 hectare quite central in parcel – 3 sub-terroirs blended – all destemmed
Hmm – a more graphite width and complexity – now we see more of the terroir and less of the fruit. Hmm, a wine that melts over the palate – looking at you longingly. That’s got a little depth to its minerality and in the flavour too – complex – texturally super – potentially a great Chassagne red!
In Santenots Blanc.
More direct, complex, fine even a little floral. Broad, fine, fluid, mouth-waterin – a texture of velour then a more serious, mineral finish – Top!
2022 Pommard 1er Platière
Vines above the ‘Clos Platière,’ 13.9° natural, harvested at the end of their campaign…
More airy, cool but still dark red berry fruit. Hmm – vibrant, complex – direct and very open in style – a faint note of barrel that will, likely, already be gone when you get the chance to taste. Very faintly framed with some fine grain tannin – but it’s almost grainless tannin. Then more chewy with a hint of bitters to finish. Very well dressed, delicious, Pommard!
Now the domaine wines:
2022 Beaune 1er Clos de la Feguine
The only wine that’s been racked – ‘we lacked empty barrels for the 23 harvest! Probably one of the first wines that will be bottled – in January’
A fine width but less overt fruit today. Fine form in the mouth – very fluid with a creamy (not obviously oak) depth to this flavour. The finish is an impressively strong one – simply excellent Beaune!
2022 Beaune 1er Champimonts
Some wc in this wine.
A broader nose – a hint savoury but also with admirable extra complexity. A subtle gas here – but not that disturbs the fluid and wide delivery of flavour. Extra intense, more structural and mineral finishing – the first wine for keeping longer – but a very fine.
Harvested 30 August and all destemmed – 13.6° natural. Just above Enfant Jesus on the slope
Airy but with subtle fine spice – like bouquet-garni. Top shape in the mouth – proper architecture – but not austere. Really a great wine! The finish faintly dry velour – top!
Half whole clusters used to make this.
Directly a small note of ginger like you may find in the whites of Meursault! Fine in the mouth – open, framed with a small dry tannin – but without grain. Completely delicious. This is a great RED village Meursault.
2022 Volnay 1er Champans
These are young vines…
A very silky depth of darker fruit – not so wide or talkative today. Less scale than the Meursault but with fine waves of flavour extending over the palate. The middle and finishing flavours do have a little extra but overall this wine – a little less structured but not better than the Meursault today.
2022 Volnay 1er Santenots
The destemmed young vines of the Clos Santenots – ‘young’ equals 27-years-old
More width and perfume vs the Champans. More depth and complexity too. Really plenty of wine here – and for keeping a while too. This is super.
2022 Volnay 1er Clos des Santenots
The first wine at 14°
Fine breadth and with a more complex panorama too. Seamless – starting silky then more velour as the tannin becomes visible – but without grain. Creamy finishing with obvious oak – long too – also for keeping but that’s very lovely!
One of the earliest harvests – 29 August with some wc in the fermentation – also 14°
Nicely airy – quite dark-red fruit. Very sophisticated texture, a little direct and very fluid – that’s a great, great wine!
None of the wines that follow were bottled:
2022 Clos de Vougeot
1.2 ha. 5th September harvest and nearly half made with whole clusters – only 13° in the Côte de Nuits but the wine that will have the longest elevage.
Hmm – that’s got a very fine width of complex, fine aroma – growing in floral tones in the glass. There’s a proper structure here – really CV architecture – slowly melting with fine, fading flavour. Certainly for keeping but a super wine.
2022 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
Still the ‘young vines’ of Chambertin but 27 years old now! All destemmed 2.4 g malic here in CdN but the usual 5g tartaric.
A fine and seemingly silky nose – less expressive than some. Large scale and very fine texture in the mouth – velour – a faint hint of dry but no grain. It’s the finish where I see the Chambertin in this wine – seamless and so long.
Same day of harvest – 13.1° – 70 year-old vines…
A different shape to this nose – deeper, more fluid with a white pepper complexity. Next level sophistication – complexity – fluidity and a texture of silk. An overt step up in sophistication. Proper Chambertin – bravo!
0.36 ha of roughly 50-year-old vines, planted north-south, in Champs-Traversins – Poulaillères nearby is all DRC, these vines in the domaine since 1996. A modest 3-4% slope and the current of air from the combe also keeps these vines cool in the recent hot summers. ‘I think the location here always exceeds the vintage variation.’ 6 September harvest for ‘only’ 12.5° – ‘the freshness of the Combe d’Orveaux’ never chaptalized in 2022 – ‘it was the same in 2023 too. We are very lucky here to be in this cool place – cool due to the Combe d’Orveaux’
Not so wide but what fine depth and complex, perfumed top notes. Beautiful, sinuous wine in the mouth, the texture showing the tannin just a hint more than the Chambertin – but fluid, delicious complex, involving finishing flavours. Always a cut above the average from this grand cru – and I think a great wine. The finish with an extra burst of complexity.
2022 Musigny
13° at harvest – 05 September.
Ooh – now here is an obvious extra complexity – it’s not a large nose but what a complex one! Ultra silky – seemingly mineral – rather intense too. The structure is completely hidden though it must be behind this beautiful veneer of flavour. Broad finishing, less overtly complex today vs the aromatics but holding, holding, holding – this will be a classic Musigny.
Les Whites
“DIAM for us, now all Origine. It’s not just about consistency – which we now have – but it more importantly allows us to reduce the amount of sulfur:”
2022 Labruyère-Prieur, Santenay 1er La Comme Blanc
Young vines in first year of production – on the hillside in the limestone. 12.2°
Nice freshness – here with ripe yellow. Supple, silky, nice shape in the mouth – perhaps a little simple but this is delicious tasty wine.
2022 Labruyère-Prieur, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Champsgains
Red earth but in a few centimetres you have the mother rock. 12.7°
A good width of aroma. More incisive, mineral at the base – structured and completely delicious. Finishing long and mineral. Properly Puligny…
2022 Labruyère-Prieur, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Morgeot
From Tete de and Petit Clos.
An airy and fine nose – less expressive this time. Fuller, more concentrated and energtic – the fruit much more evident despite the feeling of minerality below. Lovely finishing – a wine that generous but properly structured too.
Domaine wines:
Vines around the cuverie and domaine buildings, actually only the road and buildings separate it from Clos de la Barre. Concrete spheres (not an egg!) forms a large part of the elevage here, more than half. Bottled February – even here more than 12.5° natural
A rounder nose with more than a hint of Meursault aromatic character. I like the shape of this there’s structure with just enough cushion to this and a fine finishing vibration. Cloudy today but if the focus and precision improve with the limpidity, I think a great Bourgogne
2022 Beaune 1er Coucherias Blanc
One of the last harvested – 09 September – 13° – still very young vines – first vintage 2018.
A broad, fine, complex width of aroma – a great invitation. Cool, wide, supple even a little base of minerality. Fine zesty finishing – very satisfying.
2022 Beaune 1er Clos de la Feguine
Next to, but not allowed to call Coucherias… The chardonnay planted in the high part of the clos – around 30-year-old vines, 13° no phenomenon of concentration in the chardnnay grapes in 22.
A fine and lightly spiced nose. Extra width and extra concentration too – here is a super intensity but never hard. Not quite lush but deliciously balanced.
2022 Beaune 1er Les Grèves Blanc
0.53 hectares, 2009 was the first vintage after replanting from red, so these vines are more like 10 years old in the flatter base of Grèves where it’s a little more sandy. 30 Aug harvest.
A smaller, rounder nose but full of freshness. Energy and complexity here – the clarity of the base of minerality and lovely texture. I love this structure/shape and flavour combination. Simply excellent.
More airy though with good width – even some attractive florals. Much more direct, juicy, mineral at the base. Super intensity, finshing zesty with a faint citrus skin bitter. That’s a great Beane Blanc!
These previous whites mainly made with a combination of foudres and larger concrete containers, the following with more barrel elevage:
2022 Meursault Clos de Mazeray
Another airy, modest volume nose but still showing the energy of the vintage. Hmm – a fine and quite direct style, mouth-watering with plenty of intensity. Lovely accent of citrus skin zestiness agin. Very, very lovely wine.
2022 Meursault 1er Santenots
Another subdued nose but with a core that shows riper yellow citrus. Broad with much extra energy – faintly with CO2 – absolutely delicious flavour here – super Meursault. Simply excellent Meursault – just the nose will need to open out more for ‘great.’
2022 Meursault-Perrières 1er
More depth due to a faint reduction – showcasing the minerality more. Clarity but still volume – hmm – here is a completely different beast and classic for this place! The finish you can chew – great material – there’s so much potential here!
1.497 hectares.
A smaller nose again but inflected with fine notes – lovely! Vibrant, mineral – growing broad with flavours that was over the palate – almost a hint of mandarin in the agrumes – despite the modest volume of aroma that’s a great wine!
2022 Chevalier-Montrachet
0.14 ha but in 2 parcels
A vibration of energy in these aromas – but still a shy nose today. Concentration and even a mm or two of cushion but this remains a direct wine, of molten rock, more direct and intense vs Perrières at this address. Super finishing width and so sustained too…
From 2 parcels, one classic hillside and the other by Dents du Chien – forming 0.586 ha.
A smaller nose like most of these wines – but with a seamless, silky width of aroma – very faintly (white) floral. Ooh – that’s the best Montrachet I’ve, so far, tasted this year. Full but with a core of energetic complexity. Slightly honied but a completely different scale to the other wines. These 22s will take their time but I expect a properly grand wine!
A little larger nose – extra width the main beneficiary – slowly adding extra floral notes too. Vibrant, wonderfully structured wine. Complex citrus, then the zesty texture of the citrus bitters, then a slowly fading impression through the last chalky texture. A great one!