Tasted in Vosne-Romanée with Sophie Noëllat, 29 September 2018.
Domaine Michel Noëllat & Fils
5, rue de la Fontaine
Vosne-Romanée 21700
Tel: +33 3 80 61 36 87
www.domaine-michel-noellat.com
As previously noted, a domaine exploiting 27 hectares for 22 different appellations – so quite an important domaine, even by Vosne standards.
Sophie on 2017:
“The 2017 vintage was definitely a little warm dry during the summer. Early in the year we worried a lot about frost, of-course, but lots of people in Vosne got together to light the straw, in the end we avoided it here.
“For the wines it’s a very fruity vintage, one with silky tannins. There’s not the same concentration that we saw with the 2015s and 2016s but they are wines that will drink very well. This vintage we have three barrel makers on the go; Taransaud, Cavin and Francois…”
The wines…
Wines to drink for sure, from this reasonably priced source, though occasionally great wines can be found at the far end of their wine list – I often find their Clos de Vougeot a great one! Most of the early cuvées are showing plenty of oak flavour, so I would personally wait for that to fade – 1-2 years would usually be enough.
2017 Savigny-lès-Beaune
A nose that’s very red fruited and accessible. There’s plenty of oak on the palate at this stage though the flavour on the end of palate – the tip of my tongue – is delicious – for all that an elegant Savigny.
2017 Fixin
From 4 different parcels. 30% oak.
Less aromatic depth but there’s more width and more complexity of aroma. More brightness on the palate and a little more structure – more, more, more it seems. With fine finishing flavour.
2017 Morey St.Denis
Fuller – here is more weight of aroma – so inviting too. A little tannin showing around the edges of the palate but here is a really beautiful fruit. I see tons of potential for this wine.
2017 Pommard
There’s only 600 bottles – despite no hail this year!
Ooh – that’s a nice floral nose. Some structure. With fine melting flavour again – all it needs some time. This is excellent!
2017 Chambolle-Musigny
4 parcels again. 80% was lost to frost in 2016 and it was still not a full harvest in 2017 – but they are much happier!
Such an attractive blend of wood and fine fruit aromas. Finer tannin – beautiful wine over the palate – such a very fine fruit and floral blend with a sneaky length of flavour – but wait 2 years for the oak to fade.
2017 Vosne-Romanée
3 lieu-dits assembled.
The nose is so clearly spiced but also with quite a forward oak accent. A little more rasp to the tannin but there’s also extra flavour complexity. A wine that’s more to wait for than those that have gone before – there’s plenty here to be hopeful of.
2017 Nuits St.Georges
3 parcels on the Vosne side of Nuits
There’s less aromatic oak here, more a rounder and redder-fruited nose, growing impressive fruit – ooh that’s good! On the palate too there’s more line and more lithe, and muscled, less oaked wine. Super.
2017 Vosne-Romanée 1er Beaumonts
70-80 yo vines here. About 1 ha, similar to in Suchots – it seems to depend on the vintage as to whether this is shown before, or after, their Suchots.
Plenty of oak on the nose again, but it’s a super depth of aroma – all black fruit and spice. In the mouth it’s wide, becoming rounder, supple wine. Actually rather accessible with a good depth of flavour.
2017 Vosne-Romanée 1er Les Suchots
2 parcels, one on the top part near RSV, the other right in the middle of the lower part.
Such a big nose! Though it’s mainly oak and reduction on first swirl. Versus the Beaumonts, here is extra concentration and sweetness. Really a more concentrated wine and certainly more to wait for. This is more serious, and indeed better than the Beaumonts in 2017 it seems.
2017 Nuits St.Georges 1er Boudots
Vines next to Malconsorts
Hmm, tighter, more compact, but this nose is also concentrated and spiced like a Vosne. Hmm, altogether more comforting texture and complex flavour over the palate – it’s very open. This is simply excellent wine, finishing with a little dark bitter-chocolate.
2017 Echézeaux du Dessous
Hmm, here is a grand cru nose – more power, more complex and floral. Also in the mouth this is a wine of line plus a mouth-watering width. Beautiful finesse, a hint of bitter-chocolate in the finish, like the last… Excellent again.
2, parcels one at bottom the other next to the Château – almost half a hectare.
A more open nose, floral, with great volume. More open and structured on the palate, layered and complex – so much here to find – far from the easiest wine today as there is plenty of structure here, but this is great stuff.
2009 Clos de Vougeot
Much lighter in colour. A really nice depth and freshness despite a clear ripe fruit character. Like the 2015 there is a lovely first texture – super silky – the tannin here is almost a little more serious than the 2015 but the flavour is melting and slightly bitter chocolate finishing. I would actually drink the 15 ahead of this – for now…
2016 Nuits St.Georges 1er Boudots
Deeper colour. Spiced, almost mulled. Mouth-filling, full of concentration but spiced energy too. Weight of finishing flavour, of extract, – so impressive…