Tasted in Morey St.Denis with Christophe Perrot-Minot, 29 June 2017.
Domaine Perrot-Minot
54, Route des Grands Crus
21220 Morey-Saint-Denis
Tel: +33 3 80 34 32 51
www.perrot-minot.com
For years and years I’ve tasted the wines of this domaine, either in annual tastings in France or the same in Switzerland – usually with Christophe doing the pouring – to an extent where I’ve hardly felt the need to actually visit. But it really was time to make amends.
Christophe explains that he is the 4th generation here in Morey St.Denis – only the location of some of his cuverie(s) has changed (in 2008) due to space limitations in 54 Route des Grands Crus. The domaine came into being after a Sigaut from Chambolle-Musigny married a Morizot from Morey St.Denis. It was their daughter who married a Merme and the name of the state became Merme-Morizot – their son, Armand, further expanded the domaine. Armand was productive – 4 children – though all daughters, so the name of the domaine would, once again, change when one of the daughters, Marie-France, became married, in 1963, to Henri Perrot-Minot. Christophe is the son of Marie-France and Henri, though worked as a wine-broker for a number of years before joining the estate in 1993.
Christophe slowly made a name for himself and the domaine, producing dark, concentrated renditions of their vineyards – they were perfectly suited to the market at that time, but they were not exactly what Christophe himself was looking for – with that in mind, from the 2006 vintage, Christophe decided to walk away from the über-concentrated wines of his previous vintages: “Since 2006 I’ve done almost no extraction – we already made wine from low yields, and I wanted wines that are more digestible, more balanced and with more finesse – what I now think to be the real wines of Burgundy.”
Today the domaine has 20% of its sales in France. The 80% is exported to 42 different countries.
The wines…
Simply a very high-class of wine at this domaine. Not all of the domaine’s 2015s exude energy – at least not at this stage post-bottling. But from the perspective of texture and weight of flavour whilst retaining a semblance of elegance – yes even in 2015 – there are some great wines here.
2015 Gevrey-Chambertin
20% new oak, the rest of the barrels 1-2 years old – no fining or filtration. 80% of the fruit is from La Justice plus grapes from Les Seuvrées – so a blend of north and extreme south fruit.
This needs a time to open in the glass, but it’s still a large-scaled nose with some nice impressions of texture and whole-cluster perfume. Supple, layered, wide, with a saline complexity to add to the rest of the complexity. Long, layered, attractive bitterness in the finish. It lacks a little energy today but there is bravo complexity and length.
From just above the Clos de Tart, with fine, poor soil and lots of rock.
Less aromatic volume but I find a more interesting and attractive aromatic freshness. Fresher in the mouth too – layered like the last, but with more vivacity and very fine width and texture. Super long with a little bitter extract – this is love! Bravo!
2015 Vosne-Romanée Champs Perdrix
From just above the grand crus
The nose starts a little reticent, but slowly there is a purity of faintly spiced Vosne fruit. Here is also a very fine freshness, some minerality and really fine layers of flavour. Like the others there is a weight of finishing flavour that’s highly impressive and also, with a similar bitter chocolate ‘bitters’ in the end – it clings so tenaciously – super!
This is a cuvée name, rather than a real lieu-dit. Sold as villages, but it’s actually an assembly of 3 1ers; Richemone, Cras and Murgers. Christophe has 2 ha of Richemone – the name originated when there were just 2 1ers used for this wine, but Christophe later decided to also include Richemone, keeping just the plantation of 1902 vines for the ‘real Richemone’ – Christophe notes that all the 3 parcels are nearly touching.
A little floral whole cluster and a well of aromatic depth – less wide today. Ooh – fresh, mineral, ultra complex, there’s a little oak padding but really this is wine that you can hold such a conversation with. Bravo!
2015 Chambolle-Musigny Combe d’Orveaux
From just above Prieur’s Musigny
Floral, deep, not so wide – beautiful all the same. Some brightness of flavour, some florality. This has volume, complexity and very fine interest. It could certainly be more energetic, but its delicious all the same – the house style in this vintage with the long, slightly bitter finishing flavours… Here is simply excellent wine.
1902 vines, and like all the rest of the wines in this cellar, just 20% new oak used for elevage and without fining or filtration. ‘This and the last cuvée bring virtually only millerandes so only 18 hl/ha. The potential for over extraction is massive here’ says Christophe… So only remontage…
Here is a small note of reduction, slightly toasty, wide, more subtly aromatic than the Chambolle. Here is certainly a little extra muscle, a lithe body, super-impressive and growing intensity – there is a base of micro-grained tannin here but you only remember the waves and waves of finishing flavour…
‘From right at the top – you won’t find higher – and directly across the road from Rousseau’s Chambertin’
Ooh – ooh – it was worth 2! This has such a large and nose-encompassing aromatic – super! Large in scale, really a super, bubbling complexity – it is the energy here that is the most impressive thing. That is until you hit the finish – good as the Richemone was, I just might like this even more. Really a more floral Chambertin in style/shape. Bravo!
Here a much more focused nose of pure fruit and faint floral whole-cluster notes – with a saline character too. Ooh – even fresher, a more considered complexity but also a more accessible complexity. Super texture and plenty of weight but never too much. Bravo! Simply a great finish – bravo!
2014 Mazoyères-Chambertin
They managed to make a little more of this in 2014 – roughly 10hl/ha more.
Here is much more overt aromatic complexity and a more open expression too. Not the punch in the stomach that the 2015 offers, but maybe an elbow in the back! There is complexity, lots of complexity – more deliberate and less exciting than the 2015 but frankly I’m splitting hairs – this is really super wine! Super finishing – super fine…. Christophe says there’s a little less acidity in 14 than 15!
‘The biggest attention in 2013 was not to extract the green elements from the seeds.’
Ooh – this is lovely – super depth, ultra-attractive. Fresher, super complex, fine texture as normal. More direct a wine with more line versus the volume of the last two – fabulous finishing flavour, long and layered. A point of finishing tannin – here is Clive Coates’ grip – bravo!