Tasted in Chambolle-Musigny with Michel Digioia, 20 July, 2017.
Domaine Digioia-Royer
Rue du Carré
21220 Chambolle-Musigny
Tel:+33 3 80 61 49 58
Michel on 2017:
“Regarding the frost, I think the burning of hay-bales really did make the difference in 2017 – mainly because the smoke helped to reduce the intensity of the early morning sun on the half-frozen vines, giving them some chance to recover.
“Some sectors will be earlier to harvest, but there’s plenty of fruit that needs to ripen, so we probably won’t be harvesting until somewhere around the 5-10th of September.”
Michel on 2016:
“Chambolle-Musigny? I lost 60% to the frost here. In Nuits St.Georges I was 30% down, though the vines that recovered the best were actually those in the Hautes Côtes in Concoeur – in the end I was only 5-10% lower than normal.”
The wines…
First a few 2016s – just to see!
2016 Bourgogne blanc
From above Chambolle, with barrel elevage but currently in tank waiting to be bottled. Will bottle after harvest.
A nice twist of reduction here. Hmm, this is delicious a sweet and very nice energy to this wine. Super.
2016 Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Nuits
Bottled at the start of the year. From Concoeur, 52 years old vines with a limestone soil. 12-14 month elevage in barrel. 15% new oak.
Not much malo done here. Also a delicious style to this wine though unsurprisingly just a little malic edge to the acidity – but yum!
2016 Nuits St.Georges
From Les Charmois – 40-year-old vines in a slightly colder area.
Hmm, intense, fresh, layered, joyous – despite only 40% of the malo done. More tannin for sure, but still modest.
2016 Chambolle-Musigny
From about 8 different parcels – malo done and this is sulfured. This represents about 1 hectare of vines.
A rounder more developed nose. A little more gas here, but like the last there’s a joyous combination of acidity and fruit. ‘We have really a high ripeness’ says Michel
2016 Chambolle-Musigny Vieilles Vignes
From Les Fremiers and 80-year-old vines. 0.70 hectares
Deeper – a super nose – inky depth. More lithe, more energy.
Gruenchers and Groseilles blended as yields were so low, though Michel says that it was the old vines that did better in 16 so have a higher % in the final wines than usual.
Beautiful floral fruit, but dark fruit and again of depth. A beauty, a little touch of finishing tannin – but buy this if you can find it!
Now the 2015s:
About 15% less overall due to less juice in the grapes.
Hmm, a nice weight of attractive fruit here. Hmm, layered wine with good enough freshness, layers of flavour, long, decent tannin, just a great bhcdn! Bravo!
2015 Savigny-lès-Beaune Dessus les Vermots
Second vintage.
Much higher toned – very floral here. Narrower in the mouth but juicy, an impression of faint volatility in the flavours but really delicious wine.
2015 Nuits St.Georges
‘Almost in the forest!’
The nose is a little developed – the bottle is already open. Fresh, a wine of line and freshness but this bottle not my favourite…
Averaging 55-60 year-old vines.
Pretty nose, high toned and of fine depth too. Beautiful in the mouth, lithe, playful, but lots of finishing complexity – superb!
2015 Chambolle-Musigny Vieilles Vignes
Deep colour. A tighter nose, deep and dark though. An extra depth, a little finer tannin, a little more of everything, less expressive than the last today, but more of everything – it should be excellent.
Younger vines – 31 years-old – and only 0.06 hectares.
A wine that needs a little time to unfurl its wings aromatically, but there are pretty points of dark complexity here. Rounder, beautifully textured, growing flavour profile. It’s a little tight but it makes the most eloquent statement in the mouth – a beauty! The nose only now starting to offer a few floral notes. Great finishing complexity.
Groseilles is all sold – so no bottles!
A fine freshness and purity of aroma here – super. Lithe, a little more direct, dark cherry fruit, that grows and radiates with flavour. ‘A vintage to slake your thirst in 3-4 more years says Michel…’ I agree – a beautiful wine.