Tasted in Pommard cellar with Thibaud Clerget, 09 November 2018.
Domaine Clerget
12 Rue de la Combe
21190 Volnay
Tel: +33 3 80 21 61 56
www.domaine-clerget.com
Thibaud on 2018:
“It’s a good vintage. Growth was very fast at the start of the year, and I’d say in the end extraordinary. Probably the wines will show the warmth and date of harvest will have some effect. I first thought 04 September, in the end I started 28th August!”
Thibaud on 2017:
“In 2017 we started harvesting 02 September. Another good vintage and clearly generous. We have elegant wines with finesse. I did a green harvest in some of the young vines, so kept 40-45 hl/ha – I’m very happy to have done that! I might call this a viticulteurs vintage. We were also lucky to avoid frost this year.”
The wines…
Thibaud has plenty of oak in some of these wines, so for that reason I would counsel a little patience – but he has fine depth of flavour and concentration. A good address for the patient…
These 2017s were racked one month ago and are waiting in tank. Bottling is planned for between December and January.
2017 Meursault Les Chevaliers
29% new barrels.
A deep nose, a little tight though. Hmm – wide, ingraining, concentrated, balanced and delicious yellow fruit – yes! Super finishing, really weighty and persistent.
Les Rouges:
2017 Volnay
From Petit Gamay plus Echats in the bottom of Champans, no new oak
Hmm, a nice round aroma, accented with pretty fruit. Supple, with depth of flavour, a lovely blend of concentration but energy, crunchy fruit and floral. But sufficiently serious to age.
2017 Volnay 1er Carelles sous la Chapelle
Deep, concentrated – a very comforting nose. Weighted, but with drive and direction, a trace of tannin but lingering, mouth-watering complexity. Lovely…
Young vines with a green harvest to make sure no more than 6 bunches per vine.
Ooh that’s a beautiful nose, floral perfumed – great! Good volume, structure, melting great flavour, touched by minerality, faint tannin and simply delicious fruit – bravo!
2017 Volnay 1er Champans
Only 1 barrel so all new oak, all in magnum – will bottle a bit later due to the oak.
Yes a vibrant nose but also vibrantly oaked – a sort of reductive spice. Silky, a line of drive and a line like the Chapelle but with more concentration and of course more oak flavour – fortunately not vanilla though. This will be excellent, there’s super length.
Over the wall from Taillepieds and below the Clos d’Audignac – The only vine of the domaine not touched by frost in 16!
Nice depth, floral accents, pretty but precise red fruit. Lots of volume – ooh this is big – with energy, complexity – really a wine to have some patience with. Powerful, long – bravo!
2017 Volnay 1er Caillerets
75 yo vines, oldest of the domaine, always tiny grapes.
Some density of aroma, but still elegant. A little touch of tannin, fresh, transparent, lots of tiny complexities, long. More structural, but long. Another wine to be patient with, but you will be rewarded – great quality here.
2 parcels also 75 yo and 25 yo vines, the younger vines need more time before harvesting so are elevaged separately, blending at racking time. ‘One is massive the other is finer – they are at best when assembled.’
An accent of oak, but then beautiful fruit touched with flowers. Big, but freshly concentrated too – hmm, there is great wine in preparation here – also to be patient with. But be happy if you have some – bravo! Such persistence, the tannin showing more in the finish than on the palate.
2017 Clos de Vougeot
7 ouvrées in Grands Maupertuis, here 50% wc, the only wine with wc – ‘I decided after seeing how great the grapes looked. Happy to have done it. 50 yo vines – I couldn’t have been happier with the grapes.’
A slightly less fumé oaked nose, fine floral fruit width developing. Volume, ooh, yes there is shape and concentration here, initially silkier and less tannic than Rugiens but growing with a fine grain. A big and impressive wine. LiKe a number here delicious but obviously to wait for but is really excellent.