Tasted with Pauline Passot in Chiroubles, 27 February 2024.

Domaine de la Grosse Pierre
Pauline Passot
409 Route de la Grosse Pierre
69115 Chiroubles
Tel: +33 4 74 69 12 17
Domaine Instagram
www.domainedelagrossepierre.fr/
More reports with Domaine Pauline Passot

Pauline on 2023:
“In 23 we had a bit of hail, 9 July – 3 of the 4 cuvées were touched – then it came again 13 August on the higher part – Au Craz – we maybe lost a quarter but there was already a good volume promised and we did a big triage – vibrating table and destemming. I decided that there was no choice other than to destem – but the vinifications went very well – and we don’t add yeast. ”

Pauline on 2022:
“Not much water – but no hail either. We had the dryness and the vines certainly suffered – we definitely run more in a wet vintage than a dry one! We bottled almost all the wines 7 July 2023. Some of the fermentations actually stopped but restarted after the winter”

The wines…

A lovely range – as I’ve come to expect – but the Grille Midi is next level !!

2022 Chiroubles La Grosse Pierre
The major cuvée here, 3.5 ha of vines around the domaine – the bottom of the hills of Chiroubles – rose granite but very decomposed. All cement elevage for this
That’s a wide nose, faintly spiced too – fresh spice, not warm spice. Supple but with a little serious support from tannin – hardly any grain or drying. Really wide finishing with darker fruit that’s persistent and mouth-filling – lots of material – I’d wait another year or so – but it’s practically ready.

2022 Chiroubles Claudius
Always the oldest vines of the domaine – 80-90 year-old wines. This fermented for 1 year – so was bottled in October!
Volume but less aromatic impact – airy but attractive too. More supple, finer texture, growing in intensity and a faint salinity – that’s a very lovely wine – I love the extra width of finishing flavour here. A great, almost faintly chocolate accent. Love it!

2022 Chiroubles Au Cras
At 460 m – another lieu-dit. 1.2 hectares from the high part of Chiroubles over 150m higher than the Grosse Pierre vines but directly south-facing. Much closer to the mother rock here – meagre solis.
A concentrated but still fresh aromatic impression – hinting at flowers but delivering an airy spice. Wide, more incisive – certainly an extra fluidity to this flavour – juicy in the finish. Intense in the finish too – more direct than the width of the Claudius – I love this maybe even more than the Claudius.