Tasted at the Château Mimande with Armand Heitz, 20 November 2023.
Domaine Armand Heitz
(Pre vintage 2019: Formally known as Domaine Heitz-Lochardet)
24 Rue Charles Paquelin
21190 Chassagne-Montrachet
Tel: +33 3 80 21 33 19
armandheitz.com
Domaine’s Instagram
More reports with Domaine Armand Heitz
Armand on 2023:
“We now have 31 hectares at the domaine – including Beaujolais – plus around another 8 hectares equivalent from the maison side. For all that we have in 2023 it’s hard not to be happy. Mother nature was generous, a small amount of hail in some places but we still had enough.”
Armand on 2022:
“For 2022, most of the whites – since end of July – are bottled but not many of the reds yet. We have less volume than 2023 of course but the balance of the wines is good. Sometimes I felt the vintage was a bit warm – I think we have more freshness in 23 – but we adapt!”
The wines…
On this day, the oak was still broadly visible in many cuvées. The whites showed very well but it was the reds that sang the loudest and cleanest tunes – many wines worth a special search in this selection – bravo Armand.
DIAM for all wines, both colours – “I appreciate the regularity. It’s hard to say that the wines will be emotional in 30-50 years time – but I hope so…” In the Côte d’Or the split is about 50:50 red:white – though overall, taking into account their 8 hectares of Julienas, there’s more red than white produced here:
2022 Chardonnay VdF
Grapes from a friend with vines in the south of France.
Hmm – that’s quite a nice lemon fruit nose. The palate is a little generous but with a nice spine of acidity. Good finishing – nice wine.
From Beaujolais – Juliénas – but next to Saint-Véran.
Also a little citrus richness here – but with energy. Much more mouth-filling and energetic than the VdF – this is super! Bravo Coteaux!
2022 Bourgogne
2/3rds estate wine this year. Principally from vines at the bottom of Pommard and Meursault – sometimes a little pinot blanc and/or pinot gris in the mix – so simply labelled Bourgogne…
Fresh, perhaps a little pineapple energy here. Wide, silky, juicy. Tasty wine – well-done!
2022 Santenay
More direct and saline. Incisive, still silky – more structured too. Broad and saline finishing. A very good finish. Yum!
2022 St.Aubin Travers de Chez Eduard
Estate wine since 2018.
Hmm – now we are getting more interesting – a width of complex citrus here – very inviting. Broad, good attack, a faint oaky richness but mineral too – wait 12 months and this will be in a great spot with hardly any oak to see – simply classy and elegant.
2022 St.Aubin 1er Castets
Old vines here
More weight and generosity of aroma, framed with some creamy oak – but not heavily done. More depth too but also a silky texture to this pretty and ripe citrus. Broad and holding well – still plenty of oak in this finish – but it will fade. Yum!
2022 Meursault Vireuils
Also some similar oak but this is a broader nose and amply fresh. Rounder in the mouth – seamless and silky – fading beautifully – this is so very elegant again but not short of concentration – a shy finish but still long!
2022 Meursault La Barre
Yes – really extra complexity here – a great aromatic invitation. Perhaps less incisive – but this slightly softer wine melts over the palate with much more complexity and the finish more powerfully impressive.
2022 Meursault Gruyaches
More clay and more water than the rest of Charmes.
Less width but much more depth to this nose – slightly floral too. Ultra-classy villages – with some Meursault generosity but a cool width of fine, slightly mineral complexity – the merest accent of oak – this will be ready very soon. Simply excellent villages.
2022 Meursault-Blagny 1er
That’s wider and more minerally vibrant – that’s really super! A subtle reduction but also such vibrant depth of flavour and great energy, slightly saline in this strong finish. Super wine!
2022 Meursault 1er Les Perrières
At the base there’s more oak but the top notes are wide, complex and fresh. Beautifully direct, silky, sinuous wine – intense but never hard. Sweet oak in this impressively long finish but it’s not dominating – this is still a wine to wait for – 2-3 years.
2022 Chassagne 1er Chenevottes
A more airy, almost granular width of complexity. Hmm – that’s more mineral, less obvious oak – and juicy, mineral finishing. That’s simply an excellent wine!
2022 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Maltroie
The bottom of the domine’s garden! Another very different terroir in Chassagne here with more clay. Three different ages of vines from 4 to 65.
Hmm, slightly more golden citrus but a vertical, fresh nose of impressive depth. Hmm – extra impact – more incisive style yet still with more richness too – that’s very impressive and very long too – but I’d be waiting, perhaps, 5 years for this – today I’d rather drink the more ready Chenevottes…
2022 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Morgeot
Petit Clos and Tete de Clos blended in this vintage – like in 2021 – so higher in the vineyard. The former are young vines but need to be replaced – the 161-49 rootstock has largely failed here.
Wider, nicely fresh with a core of aromatic concentration. Mouth-filling – lots of tiny complexities – slowly a little richer towards the end – but not as much as the Maltroie – stronger finishing though.
2022 Chevalier-Montrachet
‘I’m really happy with this as the vine health didn’t look great when I got the vines back – they are old vines and there’s not a lot of soil – but I used some wood chips on the soil – a little less each year and they have made a big difference – I used to harvest this almost first – it’s not now the last but closer – and with great yields for the vine age.’ Original vine plantation from 1955 – about 1/3rd of those remain
More vibrant nose with some reductive accents. Direct, cool, also a hint reductive. There’s concentration here and really great fruit – of generosity too – but, of course, great finishing too – starting broad then narrowing – lovely wine – wait 5 years…
2022 Sauvignon Parcelle Interdit
5-year-old vines between Puligny and Chassagne – 3rd vintage – they are already no-longer allowed to plant this variety here!
Hmm – that’s quite herby and textured – but in an attractive aromatic anyway. Nicely textured and balanced in the mouth with the herbs of the nose visible in the flavours too.
Les Reds:
“It’s more a question of what doesn’t have 100% whole-clusters in 2022 😊”
Gamay and pinot.
Not a large nose but it’s a very appealing and showcases frank red fruit – lovely. Great attack, juicy wine – top for the label – bravo!
Vines on the hill – some altitude here – 450m so often harvested 3 weeks after the harvest in Burgundy. Wines made with whole clusters. Vinified in Juliénas but elevage in Chassagne. ‘8ha – but not enough wine – the yields are low, only 25 hl/ha…’
Nicely vibrant and aromatic – inky depth to this fruit. Direct, inky, concentrated fruit here – lots of density – but brilliantly balanced with energetic fresh ness – Yes!
2022 Pinot Noir VdF
Same idea as the VdF Chardonnay – friends in the south of France in the Languedoc.
Faintly spiced, good breadth – not so deep aroma. Nicely incisive and fresh entry – not a warm fruit impression – slightly herbed style but good wine.
2022 Bourgogne Rouge
More airy and perfumed nose. In the mouth broader, with a super shape – the flavours framed with a tiny, tiny tannin – but almost grainless. Fresh and delicious wine.
The previous wines were bottled, from now, tank samples:
2022 Mercurey
Not a good year in 2023 as we are in the top part where there was hail.
A softer depth of darker-red fruit – appealing. But more incisive than the nose suggests – juicy wine with graphite accents. Very tasty wine – and excellent villages!
Again, bottled.
Wow – that’s a great nose – so complex, so floral too – that’s really great! Some gas today. Mouth-filling, sinuous wine, becoming juicier and juicier – certainly excellent, perhaps a great wine – tons of interesting finishing bitters here but finishing with a calm concentration of fruit. Bravo!
2022 Beaune 1er Montrevenots
This from tank
Hmm – more direct but also with plenty of perfumed interest – yes! Complex, more generous but only a little – really complex – wonderful Beaune – yes a beauty!
2022 Beaune 1er Boucherottes
Much more high-toned and direct perfume – almost cordial but with such energy. Really fine in the mouth, complex, faint bitters. Lovely wine, just a hint sweet for my palate…
2022 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Morgeot
Hmm – this has a little mint complexity to the concentrated red fruit. Fuller, mouth-filling but not with density – this is lovely, open, delicious wine.
2022 Pommard Vaumuriens
Tried to buy the estate of this retiring producer but Safer said no, but now can still buy the produce of the domaine(!)
Airy, fresh and complex. Good attack, almost a little medicinal intensity to this wine today – lots of herb – cooking herbs – ultra-complex. Wait at least 5 years – better 10 – but this is full of tasty flavour.
2022 Pommard 1er Les Poitures
The domaine’s monopole, next to the village.
A smaller, redder fruit, still very perfumed. More fluid, mobile flavour – this has concentration but melts so easily over the palate. Really broad and tasty finishing. Hmm – that’s a super finish!
2022 Pommard 1er Les Charmots
Hmm – that’s a captivating nose – just beautifully perfumed. There’s still a little oak sweetness here today, but this is beautifully shaped clean and deliciously complex wine with a lasting finish. It’s simply excellent!
A wonderful vibration of perfumed energy here – great! So direct, mobile and fluid in style of flavour – chiselled. Some might be troubled by lack of finishing width – but not length – but I find this style tremendous. Bravo!
A less forward nose, but still with pretty floral notes. Extra depth and width – just less direct than the Pézerolles. Wonderfully involving width of flavour – all the ‘missings’ of the last but keeping all the great stuff too – just a complete wine, bravo!
2022 Volnay 1er Taillepieds
‘This plot ripens very fast.’
Faintly herbed complexity in this case. Direct, full of textured complexity – there are tannins here but hardly drying – more like velvet. Full finishing – impressively full. This you can drink this beautiful wine in 4-5 years – and for the next 30 !!
2022 Morey St.Denis 1er Monts Luisants
Really broad and complex with plenty of attractive herb. Super texture and fluidity. The oak is present but will hardly be visible in 2-3 years – the Stockinger barrel brings differences but still clear. Absolutely delicious, once more.
2022 Nuits St.Georges 1er Les Boudots
More direct with delicate red fruit – still a base in oak today. Like the nose, direct, starting silky, but growing a more velvet texture as the tannin comes into focus – but almost without grain. Really broad in the middle and finishing flavours, very lightly spiced. Another winner – a great set of wines from Armand in 2022.