Tasted in Meursault with Romain Pertuzot, Nadine Gublin & Martin Prieur, 23 October, 2020.
Domaine Jacques Prieur
6 Rue des Santenots
21190 Meursault
Tel: +33 3 80 21 23 85
www.prieur.com
More reports on Domaine Jacques Prieur.
Nadine & Martin on 2020:
“We’ve never seen earlier and that was right from the start. The vines began growing in March after a very easy winter so the flowering was already done 25-26 May. Veraison already finished before the end of July, the first colour changes around the 14 July. We expected the lack of rain to cause some blocking of the maturity, but we really saw no cases though clearly many vines were in stress. There were lots of millerandes in the pinot, the shape of the clusters a little more regular in the chardonnay. We already expected a very small pinot vintage, but we still managed to overestimate the volume as the warm wind of the south removed even more. We always have small yields but we were at least 40% lower. Our harvest began 20 August, more in the pinot, the maturity of the chardonnay came a little later – classic yields for us in the chardonnay where the pips were quite ripe by the 20th but not the skins. No afternoon harvesting and a refrigerated container for the grapes worked well for us. We finished 2nd September. Despite there not being a lot, the pinots look special with very fine acidity and super aromatics, even the ‘vin de presse’ was super, without hard tannins.”
Nadine on 2019:
“Some contrasts in the weather; a year that started like in 2020 but the spring brought much cooler weather – we didn’t think we’d been frosted but looking at the later development I think we did lose a little. Flowering was long – practically 3 weeks in not great weather, finishing around 20 June – a month later than in 2020. We anticipated a harvest around 15 September, almost classic, but that was without the warmth of the summer. Veraison was very fast from the middle of August – in the end we had to bring the harvest forward one week to the 9th. This year the chardonnay was ahead and we harvested most of the whites before the pinot – Corton-Bressandes, Volnay-Santenots were in the first wave around the 13th September – we took a little longer harvesting the pinot. Ripe, clean – a very easy vintage to vinify and we don’t add yeast. Both colours had a relatively small harvest – more than in 2020 but still not a lot more. For the Labruyère-Prieur label, nothing is racked yet, and this is now the equivalent of about 10 hectares of vines. ”
The wines…
What a great start with these reds – showing much more overt class than at the same stage for the 2018s. Textural, tactile whites, some cuvées not tasted as the wines are still in malo and many suggesting greatness but not quite enough for me to shout it from the rooftops at this stage their elevage. It’s very strong year in this cellar!
First, a selection of ‘maison’ Labruyère-Prieur wines:
One of the latest harvested areas, with quite high vines and all destemmed.
Such a deep colour. Wide, herbed, textured, full – there’s a lot of wine here. Round, beautifully fresh, that’s a super-silky starting texture, becoming a little more velvet with a modest growth of tannin. Great finishing – framed with mouth-watering dark fruit and a subtle dryness of tannin. A fine finish too – great first wine – great villages wine.
2019 Santenay 1er La Comme
Super-deep colour, again all destemmed. A little higher-toned. Here more depth to the structure, the fruit-flavour leaching out is secondary – not a hint oppressive though. Finer finishing, long, layered – that’s a great finish once more.
A large parcel of almost 1 hectare quite central in parcel, Grand Glos and Brussones.
Deep colour again. Here there’s a little more graphite-style minerality in the fresh, dark-fruited, aroma. Hmm, super energy here. Texturally appealing, mouth-watering with delicious flavour. That’s just gloriously delicious. Bravo!
2019 Santenay 1er Grand Clos Rousseau
More than 1/3-hectare, old vines, all destemmed, first vintage. Harvested 19 September.
A much higher-toned nose, almost saline aroma. Hmm, that’s wide, fresh, beautifully textured – the tannin just showing a hint more than for the Morgeot. Juiciness of finishing flavour that’s more open and accessible vs the Morgeot today. Delicious wine again…
In Santenots Blanc, harvested 13 September – 20 August harvest in 2020. Like all this series so far, destemmed.
Plenty of colour but less deep than most. Nicely high-toned again, almost a little extra, and attractive, spice before a pure and utterly captivating fruit starts to show. Great texture – like the Morgeot – a cool fruit, so very classy this wine. Bravo – so classy!
2019 Pommard 1er Platière
All destemmed. Vines above the ‘clos platière’
A little less colour, merely medium-plus colour. Very silky again, cool-fruited like the last, a different style and depth of flavour to the fruit, mouth-watering. The structure is present but modest in a Pommard context.
Now the domaine wines:
2019 Meursault Clos de Mazeray Rouge
Harvested 18 September – about half whole-cluster.
Plenty of colour again. Higher-toned aromas, very faintly smoky from the stems. Extra volume of freshness vs the previous wines. More depth of tannin in the line of finishing flavour too. Hardly any grain but still a lick of finishing tannin on the tongue.
2019 Beaune 1er Clos de la Feguine
14 September harvest and all destemmed.
High-toned, but more vibrant, becoming a little floral too. Fresh, driving, plenty of well-covered tannin – practically no dryness. But a palate of flavour that grows wider and wider. A touch of sweet oak to this one. Strong finishing – give it 3 years… Lovely…
All destemmed following a 17 Sept harvest.
A little less colour. A more composed width of classy aroma here. Much classier structure too – a fineness of tannin, a sleek, fine-textured fruit. Radiating out in a great finish. Not just a great wine this year, also one that you can drink earlier.
2019 Pommard 1er Charmots
All whole-cluster, harvested 18 September.
Just a little less colour. Much more whole-cluster perfume of roses. More open, structural in shape but nothing hard, mouth-watering again with floral, sometimes rose, perfume. Contemplative finishing, faintly spiced. The tannin lasts a little longer on the tongue than the flavour, hyper-floral Pommard.
2019 Volnay 1er Santenots
Young vines, but now over 25 – from Clos de Santenots. Harvested 13 Sept.
Depth of fine, darker-red berry fruit. Volume of mouth-filling flavour, creamy-oak-framed, starting silky but clearly with a little growing drag to the texture from the tannin – but no grain. Finishing rather wide – a panorama of slow diminuendo flavour. Very fine finishing!
All destemmed like the last, harvested the 18 September.
Medium-plus colour. A nose that starts as a width but grows higher perfumes in the glass. A nice cool-fruited attack here, a little more direct and open, also melting with flavour. The oak shows a little towards the finish. Very sophisticated, complete wine, this vintage. The difference between the younger vines and this is much higher than normal in 2019. Bravo!
Almost 50% whole-cluster, harvested 16 September – 20 August in 2020 – the main reason they started the harvest so early in 2020.
Not the deepest colour here. You feel the underlying power but the nose starts very calmly, finely high-toned, just a little floral – practically elegant. Also in the mouth, this is a wine with direction, gorgeous texture, another with a slightly cool delivery of fruit. Another wine of hyper-sophistication. Brilliant Corton.
2019 Clos de Vougeot
We start the cote de Nuits with this! 1.2 ha with a 19 September harvest, 30% wc used in vinification, but actually blend of fermentations in barrel, some 100% whole cluster, others zero. Usually the wine with the longest elevage – the 18 was only bottled in June.
Lots of colour here. This nose is practically the most discrete of all, very faintly dark fruited with an accent of fine herbs. Mouth-filling, complex, today not so open in terms of its structure. Long, long, here is the class, fading so slowly – this will need plenty of time to show its potential, but all seems to be here.
2019 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
The young vines of Chambertin, like the Clos Santenots, a little more than 25 years old. 19 Sept harvesting, all destemmed.
A width of aroma, although supported by plenty of creamy oak, there’s a fine fruit here – of power too – faintly suggesting extra florals. Perfectly textured – wide, cool-fruited again, the creamy oak is on a higher level but you probably should be waiting at least 10 years for this anyway – 20 would be perfect. Bright, finishing.
2019 Chambertin
All destemmed, harvested the same date.
Deeper colour. A more compact nose, this requiring a little aeration to divulge some of its secrets. More mouth-filling, equally great texture but in this case the oak is not visible. Power, but nothing remotely aggressive. A wine of composure and promise despite being rather delicious already… Great promise…
0.36 ha of roughly 50-year-old vines, planted north-south, in Champs-Traversins – Poulaillères nearby is all DRC, these vines in the domaine since 1996. A modest 3-4% slope and the current of air from the combe also keeps these vines cool in the recent hot summers. ‘I think the location here always exceeds the vintage variation.’ 20 September harvest, all destemmed.
Lots of colour. Aromatically guarded to start. Super, mouth-filling, shape. A very small bead of tannin – more a faint astringence than a grain. Growing in flavour, like the Chambertin more about promise today, but it’s quite obviously still a great, great wine.
20 September harvest, all destemmed.
Deep colour. The logical continuation of this selection of Côte de Nuits with a slightly tight nose – but of deep, faintly spiced promise. Wow texture and volume in the mouth. A flavour that slowly expands. Another wine guarding its qualities but the combination of mouth-filling volume and silky texture, the velour, is next level – even after the previous wines. Bravo!
Les blancs:
“DIAM for us, now all Origine. It’s not just about consistency – which we now have – but it more importantly allows us to reduce the amount of sulfur. ”
2019 Bourgogne Chardonnay
This label will change to Bourgogne Côte d’Or in the next vintages. Vines around the cuverie and domaine buildings, actually only the road and buildings separate it from Clos de la Barre. Harvested 11 September.
Really open, nice energy, here a little ripe pineapple aroma. Volume, a faint gas, very well balanced wine but with plenty of concentration – just modestly reductive in the finish today.
2019 Beaune 1er Les Grèves Blanc
0.53 hectares, 2009 was first vintage after replanting from red, so these vines more like 10 years old in the flatter base of Grèves where it’s a little more sandy. On lees, not yet racked.
More open, extra freshness – a finer nose. Large-scaled in the mouth, layered but delicious, I’d like to see a touch more energy at the start but that could come with the last of the elevage.
2019 Beaune 1er Champs-Pimont
13 September harvest
A little narrower, more vertical, nose here but still with a nice depth of ripe fruit. A little gas but also more energy anyway. This is really good in the mouth, showing both energy and tasty complexity, touched by the finishing tannin of the vintage.
2019 Meursault Clos de Mazeray
11 September harvest, one of the first vines harvested. A mix of foudres and barrel, the former racked before harvest, the barrels not yet touched.
Yellower colour. This nose is very open, round – aromas in all directions – that’s a great invitation. Bright, energetic, only faintly with gas. Super energy – lightly spiced finishing – long and textural finishing. Very successful indeed for this wine.
2019 Meursault 1er Perrières
0.279 ha. 9 September – the first vines harvested as we didn’t have a lot of grapes so they were maturing very quickly – never started here before. The low volume could be related to frost.
Still in barrel, not racked.
A very fine width of fresher citrus complexity, almost a suggestion of wax too. Presence, cool fruit, really wide in perspective. A very fine, slightly discrete but very long, textural, finish. The freshness is more mineral than acid-led.
1.497 hectares. A very sunny a vineyard, also 9 September harvested and also not yet racked in barrel.
There is weight and intent to this nose but at the same time a glorious fresh perfume too. Wide, mouth-watering, layered flavour – super complex. Bright, slightly growing flavour, again with a texturally tannic finish. Really super – two years in a row – bravo!
2019 Labruyère-Prieur, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Champs Gains
Plenty of colour. Here a little more depth, almost richness of aroma, slowly adding a growing florality. Nicely mouth-filling, here with a shimmer of freshness, of mouth-watering acidity. Extra intensity and brilliant finishing flavour – simply great here. The texture of the vintage to finish.
2019 Chevailier-Montrachet
Here 0.1365 hectares. Most south and high section of Chevalier – close to Dents du Chien (of Chassagne) Harvested 9 September – first harvested at the top of the hill, normally it’s one of the last harvested.
More impact of aroma here – width and freshness. More direct, more mineral almost a rigour to the minerality and the combination with ripe citrus – actually pear fruit here. Big wine at this stage of elevage but everything is here.
2019 Montrachet
From 2 parcels, one classic hillside and the other by Dents du Chien – forming 0.586 ha. 12 September harvest.
That’s a big nose, of energy, but not too much and full of welcome complexity both floral and mineral. Shame – there’s plenty of gas here – patience! Slowly filling the mouth, slowly relaxing over the palate, ingraining flavour into the palate. The finish is texturally classic for the vintage but clearly with a different level of finishing strength. Fulfilling its elevated status in 2019!