Tasted with Aurelie & Guillaume Nudant in Ladoix, 17 March 2021.

Domaine Nudant
11 Route de Dijon
21550 Ladoix-Serrigny
Tel: +33 3 80 26 40 48
www.domaine-nudant.fr

There’s an impressive amount of space in the domaine’s building(s) on the main road in Ladoix – Aurelie & Guillaume Nudant’s grandfather had used the buildings here long before it became the home of the domaine in the 1990s. Talking of their grandfather; he had planned to be a priest but following the loss of his brother he, instead, chose to take on the family domaine. There are traces of Nudants in the area in the 15th century – but in Aloxe – “That’s 3km away!” says Aurelie.

The domaine has 17 hectares of vines – not just in and around the hill of Corton, the total also includes vines in Puligny and Flagey – though after 10 vintages of Puligny the owner will be taking their Folatières back. The heart of the domaine’s 24 appellations is still the hill of Corton and one-third of their production is white.

The team here use a machine to harvest their aligoté and the rest is all done by hand. Back in their respective cuveries you will note many large-format barrels – 500-litres in the white cellar. The reds have a newly constructed cellar adjoining the whites, here with a mix of new concrete and wooden open-top fermenters. 10-25% of whole clusters are generally used here, layered in the tanks.

France is the major market for this domaine but about 15 other countries get the wines too…

Aurelie & Guillaume on 2020:
“2020 whites, we’re content with volume. For the reds it depends on the sector – some places were 50% down in volume, others were better – but still, I think our average is 25-30% less. So far we see lots of material in the wines yet with a super balance – it should be a great vintage…”

Aurelie & Guillaume on 2019:
“This was a low volume vintage here in 2019 – in both colours – the wine that we have, we’re very happy with the balance. I’ve been making wine here since 2005 (Guillaume) I’d put it together with 2010, 2016, even 2012 as my style of vintage – I like a good acidity. We started 09 September in Puligny. The last of our 2019s were bottled last week, though we’re not yet selling this vintage.”

The wines…

A wide range of wines at this domaine but they are consistently well-made – wines that generally occupy that very good to excellent quality level.

2019 Bourgogne Pinot Noir Vieilles-Vignes
A mix of CdB and CdN fruit – the latter two parcels in the commune of Vosne. Very well priced ex-domaine for €10!
Here a round and very fruity nose – inviting – faintly creamy from oak. Some concentration, very lovely texture and a nice, again quite concentrated depth of flavour. Long. A very attractive Bourgogne.

2019 Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Nuits
Two parcels near Meuilley
An extra vibrancy to this darker-red fruit with an extra higher-toned note. Again a beautifully silky texture. More stone fruit finishing – cherry stones – long. Just a hint more energy here – I like it very much.

For the following wines the current commercial vintage is 2018:

2018 Ladoix
An assembly of village parcels.
Fine freshness and energy despite the change of vintage. Again a very silky texture – seemingly a hallmark of the wines here. The difference for this wine is an extra touch of tannin bitters in the finish. But faintly long – I’d keep this in the cellar for a couple of years…

2017 Ladoix Les Buis
This the villages cuvée with an impressive painting/graphic – from the image of brother and sister above…
Here a nose, with more complexity – fine fruit, and faintly spiced too. Fuller, again super-silky – very fruit-forward and with a nice base of minerality in the middle and finish – that’s a wine that is very easy to drink – delicious and with a little extra finishing burst to the flavour too.

2018 Ladoix 1er Les Buis
Here’s a place that only had its 1er cru upgrade in recent times – but if planted to white, then it remains a villages wine.
An extra depth of colour. More perfumed fruit here – extra flowers with darker fruit – more aromatic concentration too. In the mouth more direct – silky but with extra tannin too, very faintly drying but the intensity of the finish is also higher – wait 2 years but this is an excellent wine.

2018 Ladoix 1er Les Corvées
More expressively aromatic – here’s a very attractive nose – a beautiful invitation. In the mouth nicely structured but open-flavoured, no austerity – a faint fur from the tannin but no grain. That’s a beautiful wine – you can keep as long as you like but you can also enjoy it today.

2018 Aloxe-Corton Clos de la Boulotte Monopole
1.12 ha here
This nose has a beautiful clarity of fruit – a great invitation. Fresher, more direct wine, a supple style, faintly tannin but like all the wines without a grain. A vibration of finishing flavour. That’s a super wine again.

2018 Aloxe-Corton 1er Toppe au Vert
Another finely, vibrantly, fruited nose – love the purity of fruit on display here. Lots of mouth-filling energy – impressive finishing – I’d wait for the middle to fill out. But this is at least very good – and certainly excellent in parts.

2018 Aloxe-Corton 1er La Coutière
A little more weight and spice to this nose. Driving and fresh, framed with a little drying tannin. A wine of complexity and energy – it’s showing very well and is nicely vibrant in the more mineral finish. Super again and for keeping a while…

2017 Volnay 1er Santenots
Do all the work in the vines but buy the grapes at harvest time. Mainly Santenots du Milieu, with a little Santenots Blanc.
Less power than the previous 2018s – but with a nicely airy, partly floral-inflected perfume. Mouth-filling, less textured energy and suppler than the 18s too. Slowly fading with a tasty and contemplative finish.

2018 Nuits St.Georges
Vines next to Reas and Boudots
Aromatically I think I would be suspecting Vosne – but with a fine concentration of aroma. Open, beautifully lithe over the palate – a little structural in the middle – but widening and finishing with a floral extra to the fruit flavour. Nicely shaped and very delicious wine. Excellent!

2018 Vosne-Romanée
A little less colour. The nose has less impact a pretty complexity of aroma but is a little timid. In the mouth, it’s more direct with plenty of freshness. There’s energy here and a flavour profile that widens and widens over the palate – the finish is wide and a little drying. Very good but I prefer the Nuits…

2017 Nuits St.Georges 1er Aux Boudots
A depth of aroma, more floral, initially a little diffuse but comes together very well in the glass. Direct, freshly fruited, becoming more layered in the mouth. Narrow but tasty finishing

2018 Echézeaux
All the vines in Côte de Nuits are en fermage – this in En Ormeaux
There’s more aromatic sophistication here after the 17 Boudots – still not a very big nose but giving the impression of silk. Here in the mouth is more impact and freshness – a growing energy in the finish too – it’s super here – very faintly dry but with no tannic grain. Not the largest finish but impressively long all the same

2018 Corton Bressandes
A very different style of fruit – redder, with more herb complexity too – slowly deepening and adding a mineral side. Hmm, that’s a lovely impression in the mouth – mouth-filling, redder fruit, almost faintly menthol. Extra finishing power and super length. I would probably drink this wine in preference to the Echézeaux today – in another 5-10 years I reserve the right to change my mind.

Les Blancs
All cork for the domaine:

2018 Ladoix Chardonnay
Les Forets and Les Toppes Coiffes
A more compact nose but also more concentrated. Also a super wine on the palate – wide but concentrated – with an intensity to the flavour too. Stony finishing. That’s an excellent wine.

2019 Ladoix 1er Les Gréchons Chardonnay
A finely vibrant nose – there’s minerality here, suggesting a little reduction but not overtly. More flattering, mouth-filling, full of energy, with a certain strength of finishing flavour – that’s very good wine.

2019 Nudant Jean-René, Meursault
For these contract wines the label is J-R Nudant, from vines towards Monthélie
This nose brings a warm spice of Meursault-ness. It plays very well in the mouth. Delicious wine – easy but just so moreish – excellent villages!

2019 Nudant Jean-René, Puligny-Montrachet Les Charmes
Still a slightly spiced aroma that’s quite Meursault in style – but with a little lift of freshness. Airy in the mouth, faintly grained with tannin, lots of finishing flavour. Another excellent wine for its label…

2018 Nudant Jean-René, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Folatières
Vines very close to Clos des Caillerets and Clos des Pucelles – ‘not the first vines of Folatières, but close.’
There’s a little caramel from the barrels but a very fine, vibrant energy and dimension of aroma too. Mineral, concentrated, depth of citrus and sweeter barrel flavours. That’s another excellent wine – a concentrated yet balanced wine – wait 2 years for the oak to fade a little but there’s a super finish here.

2019 Corton-Charlemagne
A small parcel not much more than 0.12 ha, ‘our grandfather bought en-friche to plant but everyone told him he was mad because it was always a parcel at the extremity of En Charlemagne with a lot of shade – it’s still harvested much later than the other vines but we are happy.’
The nose first shows a little barrel caramel and below there’s a freshness but a nose that’s not fully expressive today. Wide over the palate, supple, very nicely textured, faintly phenolic. A beautiful wine, more discrete than the Folatières – except in the finish. Excellent wine…