Patrice Rion – 2013

3.1.2015billn

DSC05481Tasted in Premeaux with Patrice Rion, 14 November, 2014.

Domaine Michèle et Patrice Rion
1 Rue Maladière
21700, Premeaux
Tel: +33 3 80 62 32 63+33 3 80 62 32 63
www.patricerion.com

Patrice on 2013:
“It was rainy and cold at flowering, so it was a low yield – but the younger vines coped a little better. Actually, it was close to a normal yield in Chambolle – but definitely not in Nuits. I don’t think 2013 is a vintage for long aging like 2010 or 2012, but it will drink very well and I see really present minerality with clear differences between the terroirs.”

The wines…

The ‘small appellation’ wines (Bourgognes) were recently racked for bottling – the rest wait in their barrels. None of the barrels have been racked. There’s often plenty of oak shown to the wines here, but I’ve never given a moment’s thought to it from bottled wines at home, and today it’s not obvious from barrel. A very strong set of wines – they showed really well today…

2013 Bourgogne
A blend of fruit from Chambolle and Morey.
A depth of pretty fruit aroma. Plenty of tannin, but this is quite fine and has good width of flavour. A super finish too. Excellent Bourgogne.

2013 Bourgogne Bons Batons
Silkier wine, though still with an undertow of tannin. There is some reduction, but it lifts quite quickly to show a nice floral aspect. Very pretty wine – more elegant but less ‘oomph.’ I’ve a slight preference for the 1st wine today, but this is clearly finer.

2013 Chambolle-Musigny Les Cras
A fine, airy nose. Beautiful, transparent, pretty wine. The depth and concentration slowly creeps upon you. Lovely, delicate complexity. Beautiful…
2013 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Les Fuées
Very fine aromas – here is a weight of ripe fruit that slowly fill out with a high-toned floral dimension. Round, detailed and contemplative – yet concentrated and rewarding. Again, beautiful…

2013 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Les Gruenchers
This wine holds on a little tighter to its reductive note – it’s in the flavour too. Yet this is clearly more structured and a little more muscled – but not fat. A wine that takes a little time to charm. A long and wide finish with a hint of salinity. This will be very nice.

2013 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Les Charmes
“It’s just the road that separates this Charmes from Amoureuses”
Deep, full, round and ripe. There’s some tannin but it’s secondary to the width of flavour – lovely fruit in the finish. This wine is still structured but with good balance – it’s a baby, and one that focuses on aroma today.

2013 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Les Amoureuses
An open, ripe and inviting bouquet of fresh fruit with a lift of flowers. Actually there’s minerality here too – more than normal. Fine, holding a very discreet length. Very, very pretty wine.

2013 Bonnes-Mares
“100% new oak – because there’s only 1 barrel ;-)”
There is a depth that’s more suggested than delivered. Slowly the nose seems to become more cushioned. Direct, concentrated flavour with fine texture. Slowly the texture is all that remains in the finish. Fine, very contemplative but also balanced.

2013 Vougeot 1er Les Cras
Purchased grapes since 2008 but since 2014 the vines are under full control of the domaine.
The nose is wide and shows a faint spice – open and inviting. A nice edge of sweetness to the fruit – more structured than the Chambolles but very fine fruit counterbalances. This is absolutely super.

2013 Nuits St.Georges Vieilles-Vignes
This in tank for 1 week. From ‘Les Plateau’ behind the house of the Gouges, a plot bought through SAFER by Maxime (son of Patrice and Michelle) – they had already bought the grapes in 11+12 having done all the vineyard work, but in 13 and 14 it is now ‘domaine.’
Wide, muscly fruit on the nose – good depth too. The palate is narrower (after the 1ers) but shows fine fruit. There is plenty of tannin present but hardly a grain. Very good villages.

2013 Nuits St.Georges 1er Clos des Argillières
Normally they produce 26-27 barrels of this wine, but there was only 17 for 2013.
Deep fruit – very expressive – there’s no reduction and hints of flowers – very nice. Silky wine – until the tannin catches up and holds centre-stage. But like the villages there is almost no grain to this tannin. A good wine to wait for.

2013 Nuits St.Georges 1er Clos St.Marc
A much more floral aromatic. In the mouth there’s more muscle and fine texture – again the tannin slowly building across your tongue as in the Argillières, but this wine has cleaner lines and super concentration with fine length. Really excellent!

One Blanc…

2013 Nuits St.Georges 1er Les Terres Blanches
Harvested after the reds. Elevage was in 350 litre barrels, the wine now waiting in tank.
A high-toned, slightly spicy nose. Wide on the tongue with a fine dimension of flavour from mid-palate into the finish. Tasty enough…

A quick tour of 12s? Why not!

2012 Côte de Nuits Villages
A lovely Forward nose with plenty of floral notes. Round, with plenty of structure and a creamy fruit that slowly exerts itself over the tannin. The oak is a little obvious today. but tasty wine for all that.

2012 Nuits St.Georges Vieilles-Vignes
High tones, and again some florality. More mid-palate concentration, indeed lots of material here – the tannin is very-much relegated to the margins. A very good villages showing a nice extra dimension of flavour after swallowing. Super!

2012 Nuits St.Georges 1er Clos des Argillières
There’s a small note of reduction here but it quickly lifts, showing interesting and precise dark fruit. More depth and texture and (of-course!) more tannin too. Here the structure exerts a little more hold on the wine – but don’t worry, just leave it in the cellar…

2012 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Les Fuées
Lovely dark-red fruits, a nose of concentration and silk – super. Full and round with very good fruit in the mid-palate and a subordinate structure. Very fine wine, faintly dry in the finish. Excellent!

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