Georges Noellat – 2013

31.12.2014billn

DSC05552Tasted in Vosne with Joséphine Duffau-Lagarrosse (yes, from Bordeaux!) 26th November, 2014.

Domaine Georges Noëllat
1 Rue des Chaumes
21700 Vosne-Romanée
Tel: +33 3 80 61 11 03

Maxime Cheurlin was elsewhere so we were lucky enough to be hosted by Joséphine, who is working at Georges Noellat since 2013, with Maxime while also finishing her studies at the business school, École Supérieure de Commerce de Dijon. In the new year, Joséphine will head back to the Bordeaux Château that bears her family mane.

The name Georges Noëllat can be spotted on a lone, small building opposite the parking by the Marie in Vosne-Romanée. Georges was nephew to Charles Noëllat, the proprietor of a once great Vosne-Romanée domaine, a domaine which made large vineyard contributions to today’s domaines Leroy, Jean-Jacques Confuron and Hudelot-Noëllat – and of-course, today this domaine. After the 1989 purchase of much of the domaine by Lalou Bize-Leroy what remained of Domaine Georges Noëllat sold its production to the négoce – mainly Joseph Drouhin and Louis Jadot. Twenty years later Maxime Cheurlin, who grew up in Champagne, and after making stages at Domaines Gros Frère et Soeur and Emmanuel Rouget took on the domaine from his grandmother. His first vintage from what is now 5.5 hectares was 2010, and almost immediately everyone began talking…

You will know me for not following the latest fads and hype, but I have to say that every wine I had previously tasted was excellent – so it was time to do some real follow-up!

The ‘wines’…

One part was in tank and the rest still in barrel – those from tank had very tight aromatics, those from barrel definitely not. All the barrels here are from Cavin and hail from 2 forests

2013 Vosne-Romanée
The domaine has 5 vineyards, but one is currently sold – this the compendium of the four remaining. About 50% new oak here – tasted from tank.
A modest nose. Round in the mouth and with lovely complexity too. There’s a little tannin in the finish but this is a lovely, moreish, juicy wine.

2013 Nuits St.Georges
A single parcel in Bas de Combe – again tasted from tank.
Another rather tight aromatic. Very silky wine that is at once concentrated yet also very elegant – you would be very hard-pressed to guess it came from Nuits.

2013 Vosne-Romanée 1er les Chaumes
“Deep soil and cool here – so hard to make great wine.”
Here is a lovely vibrancy of aroma. In the mouth too, there is serious complexity for Chaumes! It seems they managed to make great wine in the context of Chaumes!

2013 Vosne-Romanée 1er Les Petits Monts
Here the nose is just a little more modest – but complex. Much more direct and intense if less obviously complex to start with – but the finish is really excellent!

2013 Nuits St.Georges 1er Aux Boudots
Very old vines here – about 100 years-old – that always produce Millerandes. 80% new oak.
A high-toned, faintly fizzy nose of quite some depth and an accent of reduction. A little reductive flavour too but also there’s really lovely intensity and concentration. A little more tannic texture here – but it is velvet. Super!

2013 Nuits St.Georges 1er Aux Cras
Also from very old vines. 80% new oak.
A silky nose, with faint oak references. Here is a little more tannic grip but no grain. Beautiful, lithe and intense. Fine mouth-watering flavour too. Yum!

2013 Vosne-Romanée 1er Les Beaumonts
A wide, faintly spiced nose that has wonderful depth. Insinuating intensity and a gorgeous, faintly salted mid-palate flavour. What length! – A wow wine!

2013 Echézeaux
From Les Cruots, made with 20% whole clusters and 100% new oak.
Complex aromas again – some high tones too, before settling into a very pretty high-toned width of aroma. Much fuller in the mouth, with more weight and form – but without fat. Excellent mouth-watering flavour. Lovely, lovely…

2013 Grands-Echézeaux
A little more discretion on the nose, but still very, very complex. Also less massive in the mouth but with more mouth-watering intensity. Super-complex wine – a beauty!

2012 Nuits St.Georegs 1er Aux Boudots
A beautiful depth of aroma – you would easily be fooled that is came from Vosne. Big, faintly oaked flavour with good weight and concentration. today less dynamic that the 13s we tasted. But very well-balanced and (of-course!) very good wine!

Agree? Disagree? Anything you'd like to add?

There is one response to “Georges Noellat – 2013”

  1. Bernie and Michele31st December 2014 at 2:30 pmPermalinkReply

    Hi Bill,
    Very interested in your comments, we have tasted a couple of different vintages from the Domaine and found some compelling wines but found the premier crus to be a little woody. Know you are sensitive to overly oaked wines, so from your comments the 2013’s have coped with the high new oak regime? Keep up the good work!

    • billn31st December 2014 at 6:45 pmPermalinkReply

      Hi Team
      I’ve tasted these and a couple of GC’s from 12 – only – none have been overly oaky for my taste, though I did make a couple of references to oak in these 13 notes, but nothing overbearing was on display. You’re right, I tend to dislike strong oak characteristics, the only one that I know shouldn’t be there but secretly find tasty is when there’s a bit of coconut – but I always note it. I like coconut more than vanilla and way more that burnt/toasty aromas…
      Cheers!

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