Tasted in Gevrey-Chambertin, 15 November, 2018.
This was the eighth presentation by the Syndicat of Gevrey-Chambertin for new vintage – the first tasting was done for the 2010s – you will find notes from all of those previous tastings in the back-pages of Burgundy-Report (here). The format was the same as each year, with a long line of wines disappearing off into the horizon – there were 100 wines listed in tasting, of which I managed to bag 77 before the time was up.
Because experience tells me that a number of the grand crus are gone by the time I have finished the ‘junior Gevreys,’ like most of the previous years, I started with the grand crus, this year followed by the villages, then the 1er crus – some of which were cleared away a little early – so there are less of those…
What of the wines?
- Unsurprisingly, not the extracted impression I felt for many 2016s last year – just properly put together wines.
- The grand crus – except where there was too much oak or reduction (Charlopin both…) – were homogenous, usually with a cooler style fruit than most of the Côte d’Or, lovely shape with an off-dry but generally very fine tannin. Relatively approachable but ‘proper’ wines.
- The new updated domaines really cemented the quality of their wines – Heresztyn-Mazini, Berthaut-Gerbet, Pierre Gelin and Galeyrand are continuing to make great things now – it’s also high time that I (again!) try to visit Henri Magnien.
- Some of the old guard nailed it yet again this year – Bruno Clair and Pierre Damoy in the vanguard, but Harmand-Geoffray and Henri Richard were consistently great too.
- Gevrey-Chambertin in 2017 largely has proper wines – as accessible as they are, they are often too good to be called ‘Restaurant Wines!’
Part 1 – 30x Grand Crus…
Only one Chambertin this year!
René Leclerc, Griotte-Chambertin
Hmm, red, good depth of aroma, pretty fruit on display. Bright in the mouth, good depth, actually good concentration too. Nice.
Henri Richard, Mazoyères-Chambertin
This nose is a little more diffuse with some whole-cluster spice. Deep, intense, not quite ready, but lots of fine flavour intensity here – this will be very good as there’s a lovely energy too.
Taupenot-Merme, Mazoyères-Chambertin
Nice depth to the aromas but mainly because of some subtle reduction. Full, lots of energy, but lots of reduction too. Texture, energy, concentration and a great finish – this should be excellent when it’s settled down.
Camille Giroud, Charmes-Chambertin
Good colour. Wide, open a hint of spice – very nice depth of fruit. Layered, very fine texture – composed wine with a very lovely width. Great finishing too – some wc lurking in here – unless it was just extra strong from the last wine! Excellent.
Philippe Charlopin, Charmes-Chambertin
Deep, oaky reduction – a turn-off nose. Full, very nicely textured depth of fruit, more mildly reduced here. Great line and texture – but I really don’t like the oak.
Rene Bouvier, Charmes-Chambertin
Nice, floral, very pretty aromas – a super invitation. Quite big, deep, complex, fine energy just a little less depth of texture but nice drive. Simply excellent wine.
Hmm, lithe, wide – a silky nose – very nice – less depth than many. Good volume, lots of fine complexity, plenty of off-dry but very fine tannin. Bravo – super wine.
Taupenot-Merme, Charmes-Chambertin
Nice depth of aroma – good and attractive width too. Nice shape and freshness in the mouth, hmm this has an easy to appreciate but complex flavour profile. Excellent wine.
Hmm, lovely depth to this very attractive dark-fruited nose. Sleek, good drive to the shape of the wine, mouth-watering, leaching more complexity. This is excellent – no it’s better than that – bravo!
Domaine des Varoilles, Charmes-Chambertin
Deep colour. A wide, intensely high-toned fruit nose – silky at the same time. Good entry, there’s volume and a growing intensity here – rounder, with nice detail. Very good with a lovely fruit.
The usual smoky oak on the nose – for this domaine – but also a very silky impression. Lots of volume and great energy here – complex, quite exciting. Bravo!
Hmm – this has a lovely nose, with a depth of darker fruit – it’s quite the invitation. Wide, lovely slowly increasing concentration, layers of flavour. Long. Bravo!
A density and at the same time purity to this nose – beautiful. Great shape in the mouth, a touch, a base, of structure but everything hangs beautifully from that – great fruit, cool fruit, and super length. Bravo!
Philippe Livera, Chapelle-Chambertin
A little graphite width on the dark fruit aroma. Smooth entry, layers of flavour, a little astringence but fine intensity of mid-palate flavour. For patient purchasers, but excellent.
Rossignol-Trapet, Chapelle-Chambertin
Hmm, a smaller nose but of poise and purity – very nice. Great volume in the mouth – rather transparent – good energy, less overt delivery of concentration vs previous wines but a great finish nonetheless..
Lovely nose, round, deep, complex and very involving. Fresh, cool fruit, layers – great line, saline in the finish. Bravo!
Chantal Remy, Latricères-Chambertin
A rather quieter, tighter nose. Good entry, freshness of flavour and quite lovely energy that vibrates through the fruit. Delicious and very good – the finish is best part and it’s clearly excellent.
Rossignol-Trapet, Latricières-Chabertin
Not a big nose – like their Chapelle. Fresh, great line through the wine – ooh this is very good – despite a faint reduction – long, wide, complex and satisfying – excellent.
Very red fruited with some attractive wc accents. Very good volume in the mouth – great flavour of complexity, cool fruit and lots of interest. Bravo!
Philippe Naddef, Mazis-Chambertin
Wide a little higher toned notes with some oak. Good density and freshness – nice attack here. Lovely wine. Wide finishing. Yum – don’t like the nose much though
Domaine Tawse, Mazis-Chambertin
Nice volume a faint oaky reduction. Sweet fruit, lots of volume, layers of concentrated flavour – just a little austere – which bodes well. Excellent.
Philippe Charlopin, Mazis-Chambertin
Ooh – an unready, intense, not nice nose. DNPIM…
Hmm, composed, wide, a super invitation of a nose. Supple, silky, fine depth of texture, concentration and flavour. Ooh great – bravo!
Tortochot, Mazis-Chambertin
A hint of reduction, but good volume. Fresh, mouth-filling, very good depth of flavour. This is one of the best shows I’ve seen from this domaine at such a stage of elevage. Very nice…
Ooh – this was one of the very best in 2016, it’s also rather great in 2017! Not a full volume nose but elegant and complex – inviting too. Great in the mouth – cool fruit, layers of flavour – super elegant, complex, flavour of beautifully fine texture. Bravo!
Hmm, nice volume, good width of aroma this is quite an invitation too. Lots of impact, volume – energy, great flavour – a long way from the elegant style of the Clair, but a very fine wine all the same – bravo!
Domaine Faiveley, Clos de Bèze
Decent depth but not a particularly attractive nose today. Lovely in the mouth, composed, cool, tasty and of-course complex. A little oak pokes through in the finish. But assuming the nose comes round, this will be excellent.
A deep nose, faintly oaked. Full, plenty of energy and scale in combination. Open, great cool flavour, very fine complexity. Wide and fresh in the finish – and it’s a great finish – bravo!
Drouhin-Laroze, Chambertin Clos de Bèze
A hint greener hint but complex and interesting nose. Good volume, complex, family resemblance to all the previous wines. Just a little less amplitude.
Rossignol-Trapet, Chambertin
Not a big nose, but a lovely pure floral element. Extra volume, good freshness. Depth and a roundness. Less open than all the Bèze but with more inner density – a different shape and really excellent.
Part 2 – 35x Village Wines…
Berthaut-Gerbet
Deep colour, fine, ripe fruit on the nose. Intense, good attack, great shape. Lovely villages.
Jean-Luc & Eric Burguet, Mes Favourites Vieilles-Vignes
Good colour gain. Intense, a bit young and raw. Bright open a bit herbal but good energy.
Airy, wide, open if lite nose. Super intensity that belies both the colour and the nose. Ooh that’s great wine – bravo!
Nicolas Burguet
Hmm, a nicely vibrant nose – yes! Great width, nice energy, Layers of great, melting flavour. Excellent wine.
Camille Giroud, Les Crais
A high-toned and quite floral nose – attractive. Silky, wide, nicely detailed with great flavour – really excellent
Philippe Charlopin, Vieilles-Vignes
Deep, seemingly forced young nose. Wide, good volume. Plenty of finishing flavour interest, despite starting uninteresting!
A tighter nose. Fresh attack with intensity and great, super-fine tannin. If the nose freshens and opens in a good way, this will be great!
A nice nose of fine complexity – better than villages should be but still quite tight below. Fresh, lots of volume, more density than I remember from this cuvée, lots of tannin but very fine. Bravo!
Drouhin-Laroze
A rather modest nose. The palate lacks some sweetness vs other wines but with good concentration, density and plenty of fine tannin.
Sylvie Esmonin
A bit of herb and wc, nice dark fruit behind. Fresh, like the Drouhin-Laroze, less sweet than most but with nice shape and length. Not special
Sylvie Esmonin, Vieilles Vignes
A deeper nose, faintly reductive. Hmm, more depth of texture and concentration, really plenty of tannin. Super finish. Both these wines require patience. This is excellent.
A sweetness of aroma. Supple, concentrated, structured but delicious fruit – bravo!
Higher toned – very attractive. More volume and freshness. The sweetness is further behind the structure but this is great villages again!
Jerôme Galeyrand, La Croisettes
A little more intense again, borderline raw at this stage. Nice volume, less fruit again, more depth of fine texture – a great finish. Let’s see what more elevage brings.
Dominique Gallois
Hmm concentrated, high-toned but this nose is on the good side of high-toned. Good in the mouth, not too dry. Nice flavour – very good.
Nice high tones, fresh, good depth more limited width growing a gret fruit. Ooh, that’s nice, round, layered a gret villages of concentration. Bravo.
Francois Leclerc
Deep. A concentrated nose but not super inviting. Good volume, sweetness, the palate is rather good, much more interesting than the nose…
Jean-Michel Guillon, Vieilles-Vignes
A fresh, high-toned fruit. Good in the mouth, volume, energy, some sweetness, fine tannin, hardly astringent. Lovely.
Harmand-Geoffroy Vieilles-Vignes
Deep, a suggestion of oaky reduction. Sweet, good volume, wide, tastes really great – but wait for the nose – excellent.
Nice high-toned, not a big nose. Easy, silky, but concentrated and already delicious. Ooh well done – bravo!
Hmm – a delicious aromatic invitation, the nose of rose petal touched fruit. Sweet, round, covered tannin, layers of flavour less open than some, more delicious than most. Bravo!
Philippe Leclerc, En Champs
A reductive nose but with decent width. Actually nicer in the mouth with fine depth, open, less concentrated but quite tasty. A lovely finish.
René Leclerc, Clos Prieur
Intense, a bit raw on the nose. Intense in the mouth too, quite good on the palate – uncouth but lots of interesting flavour. Needs to be more together.
Philippe Livera, Clos Village
Narrow but great and pure top notes – a super nose. Energy, volume, concentration this is excellent in its intense style
Fresh but rather tight nose. Wide, vibrant, concentrated but without fat. This is great but very, very young. Bravo!
Higher toned, good red fruit – modest but an invitation. Round, a little reduction, but waves of great flavour – bravo!
Marchand-Grillot, Le Creot
A little high-toned tighter below, still attractive. Round, lots of complexity and depth of flavour – this is very good and true to the domaine style. Excellent…
Philippe Naddef, En Songe
A tight but pretty fruit. Ooh that’s pretty good, complex, fine tannin a hint of reduction but very fine depth of flavour. Excellent if the nose perks up.
Pierre Naigeon, En Sylvie
A tight nose but with good fruit. Bright, lithe, good energy and great in the mouth – the nose needs to improve but this is pretty much excellent.
Pierre Naigeon, Meix Bas
Also a little tight but going deeper. More volume, lovely shape and with very fine tannin. To wait longer for but its a delightful wc inflected finish.
Open, a nicely fruited nose. Round, very silky, hardly any astringency. Super shape and concentration – less impact than some but super sophisticated texture – bravo. – a great finish too.
Hmm – a really great nose. Supple, wide, super scale, brilliant texture – bravo!
Marc Roy, Vieilles-Vignes
A touch pf reduction. But good aromatic volume. Lovely volume in the mouth, sweet fruit great stricture with fine tannin – delicious.
Now that’s in great shape – pure attractive great nose. A bit more tannin, good freshness – wait for this one, but also its in a great shape this year.
Hmm nice freshness here – a nose of fruit and flowers. Big volume, fine tannin, super. Wait for it – it will be worth it.
Part 3 – A Dozen Premier Crus…
Hmm, round, layered, great fruit, density, fine great texture – such an obvious step up from the villages – bravo.
Burguet, Champaux
Red fruit, some reduction. Big, vibrant, some structure, finishes quite fast but it’s very tasty wine…
Berthaut-Gerbet, Cazetiers
Pretty nose. Hmm, full, pretty, lovely depth, energy – ooh yes. Excellent.
Bruno Clair, Cazetiers
Elegant nose. A bit more power and structure. Lovely, wow flavour. Slightly inferior texture to Berthaut-Gerbet – Excellent.
Serafin, Cazetiers
Deep, suggesting reduction. Big, concentrated depth of flavour, the fruit is dark, inflected with the faint reduction.
Taupenot-Merme, Bel Air
Hint of herb but good volume on the nose. Depth, taste, ooh a great mid palate and finishing flavour. Excellent!
Berthaut-Gerbet, Lavaux St.Jacques
Hmm, a more direct nose, narrower and perhaps tighter too. Supple, layered, fine concentration, really good depth of flavour. Long. Tasty. At a distance perhaps I prefer the Cazetiers to the Lavaux.
Camille Giroud, Lavaux St.Jacques
Pretty but a nose that’s a little diffuse, yet is slowly adding fine flowers. Hmm, depth, nice texture, plenty of vibrant energy. Excellent wine and again with super texture…
Duroché, Lavaux St.Jacques
High toned, a pretty and very attractive nose. Plenty of super-fine tannin but with mouth-watering fruit too. Lovely dimensions of excellent finishing flavour…
Bruno Clair, Clos St.Jacques
Ooh not a big nose, but lovely complexity. Silky, great energy, very fine texture. Quite a structural wine but no edges. Delicious…
A little reduction, but a growing wc perfume – very well done. Scale, freshness, lots of interesting and complex flavour energy, beautiful last notes after you swallow – really beautiful wine. Bravo!
Deep colour. A little spiced but with fine, pure dark fruit. Open airy, depth to the concentration – a very different style after the CSJs, vibrant finishing. Great!
There is one response to “2017 Roi Chambertin”
Really appreciate the comprehensive coverage of this event/tasting, Bill!