Tasted in Vosne-Romanée with Sophie Noëllat, 20 July 2017.
Domaine Michel Noëllat & Fils
5, rue de la Fontaine
Vosne-Romanée 21700
Tel: +33 3 80 61 36 87
www.domaine-michel-noellat.com
Sophie together with her cousin Sebastian won the trophy for best young wine-makers two years ago – though her father is always on hand too. The domaine exploiting 27 hectares for 22 different appellations.
Sophie on 2016:
“2016 was really quite bad; we lost in Fixin, Echézeaux, and Chambolle – and also in Savigny – our Savigny white saw 60% average losses, it was also 50% less in 2015 due only to lack of juice. Normally we make about 90,000 bottles and offer a few older vintages, but we’ve virtually nothing in the cellar to sell just now. Sometimes the adversities can bring us together though – this year about 50 vignerons came together, lighting the bails of hay, it was really a nice thing…”
The domaine is currently looking at 8-10 September for harvesting.
The wines…
The 2016 wines haven’t all finished their malos in this cellar, so it’s a great opportunity, instead, to look at their 2015s which have been roughly 4 months in bottle…
An unheralded domaine, but the wines and the recent wine-making trophies speak for themselves. A fine, if overlooked address.
2015 Fixin
From 4 different parcels. 30% oak.
A nice width and an ample middle of red fruit – some freshness too. Lovely sweetness and a bright freshness of energy, faintly saline complexity with a modest oak too.
2015 Chambolle-Musigny
4 parcels again.
A more compact nose. There is a bright energy a good line, more rigour and structure. But then you are left with a lovely melting flavour – that’s a great finish – yum! Super wine but for waiting a little while.
2015 Nuits St.Georges
3 parcels on the Vosne side of Nuits
A more open nose, spice dark red fruit yet not particularly Vosne in style. Bright, juicy, slightly sweet fruit but plenty of structure and growing intensity. A little finishing barrel texture, but not overt. Lots of wine here – give it a little time, it’s a good one.
2015 Vosne-Romanée 1er Les Suchots
2 parcels, one on the top part near RSV, the other right in the middle of the lower part.
A tight-sh nose but some freshness of aroma. Supple and concentrated in the mouth. A little oak and a growing intensity of flavour. Super texture, spiced finishing flavour and long. Really for waiting again…
70-80 yo vines here. About 1 ha, similar to in Suchots
A lovely width of open and inviting aroma – yes! A little fat, beautiful silky a slowly growing grain of tannin. The volume in the mouth grows too as the wine opens on the palate. Excellent also a hint of oak in the finish – but have patience. Really excellent! And long, long, long…
2, parcels one at bottom the other next to the Château – almost half a hectare.
An open nose of quite some volume – high-toned and interesting. Hmm, this is really super in the mouth, great texture, almost no impact from the oak. Fresh not too compact flavour. This is very lovely – indeed excellent. bravo!
2009 Clos de Vougeot
Much lighter in colour. A really nice depth and freshness despite a clear ripe fruit character. Like the 2015 there is a lovely first texture – super silky – the tannin here is almost a little more serious than the 2015 but the flavour is melting and slightly bitter chocolate finishing. I would actually drink the 15 ahead of this – for now…