Tasted with Fred’s father, André, in Gevery-Chambertin, 29 August 2016.
Domaine Frédéric Esmonin
Les Estournelles
12 Rue du Chêne
21220, Gevrey Chambertin
Tel. +33 (0)9 79 66 20 27
It’s really too long since I last visited this producer – home of itinerant cats and basset-hounds – but of-course the Esmonins and their great wines too!
The sales from this domaine are export focused, and for some time, the USA market alone accounts for 50% of the domaine’s sales.
André on 2015:
“Our yields were about 30% lower in this vintage – really that was due to the small size of the grapes – very small due to the summer heat. Honestly, I would place the 2015 vintage in the context of one of the great vintages for Burgundy. Bottling will be at the end of this year”
The wines
And what a great set of wines too – there were some occasional malo aromas, André noting that the malos were not fast here like many cellars in this vintage – “It’s our cold cellar that is responsible for that, and we prefer not to intervene.”
2015 Côte de Nuits Villages
From Comblanchien, on a sandy soil.
Here is a hint of reduction, some small malo impression too. Lovely in the mouth. Transparent, fresh and alive. This is simply lovely stuff. Yum!
2015 Gevrey-Chambertin
This is a blend of 6 parcels.
Bright aromas, there’s a nice freshness to the aromas here. In the mouth, there’s more body than the Côte de Nuits, an impression that the flavour is delivered in layers, lovely, lovely wine – transparency again!
From the ‘Villages’ rated section of the vineyard, rather than the premier cru part. This wine eloquently underlines that villages/1er cru hierarchies are relative in each village, rather than a constant benchmark across villages. This wine easily bettering any of the proposed Marsannay 1ers…
A faint reduction, then the nose adds flowers. A really nice texture here, with a palpable extra dimension of flavour. This is really super!
Also from the villages section of this climat.
Again a faint malo residue on the nose, blacker fruit on display. A little more tannin here but this is wonderful stuff – tasting 2015s is tough!
A single vineyard near the bottom of Ile des Vergellesses. This is the 3rd vintage for this wine chez Esmonin, but there will be nothing in 2016 due to the frost.
Ooh – that’s a lovely deep nose – wow! A wine that opens and opens, this is even better. Total class – a wow wine!
2015 Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes Les Jousie
From the grapes of 62-year-old vines.
Here is more aromatic depth, indeed vibrant aromas – super. Less transparent, but versus the Pernand, clearly more rich with a hint more texture from the tannin. Excellent.
2015 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Estournelles St.Jacques
A fresh and complex nose, though faintly reduced too. A little more weight, and depth of flavour. Good texture here, though today, perhaps a little less energy than the Jousie.
A little more reduction. Hmm, in the mouth (and in any other vintage) this has a grand cru texture, a grand cru weight of flavour too. There’s a faint, barrel-inflected caramel in the length of this. Quite a wine!
I have always been a big fan of this wine chez Esmonin – which reminds me that I should open a few older ones!
Big aroma, big in the mouth, layered flavour delivery. Gorgeous!
I haven’t tasted this wine chez Esmonin before – it’s made from purchased grapes – same as the Mazis.
A width and fine top note to this nose, less depth. More complex and more energy – than the Mazis even! – Simply wow!
2015 Ruchottes-Chambertin
From below the Clos de Ruchottes of Rousseau and near the Mazis of Faiveley.
The nose has a lovely floral aspect coming through. Lovely floral flavour aspects too. At this stage, more discreet and demure showing than most of the other wines in the cellar.