Tasted in Premeaux-Prissey with Morgan Truchetet, 27 November, 2018.
Domaine Truchetet
5 rue des Masers
21700 Premeaux-Prissey
Tel: +33 3 80 23 67 92
www.domainetruchetet.fr
What a difference a sign can make!
The house of Morgan’s father, Jean-Pierre, is on main road through Premeaux-Prissey. It’s an old family domaine with a consistent clientelle, until Jean-Pierre renovated his house and decided to add a big sign, pointing down the hill to the domaine. Now, sited just a few dozen metres from Domaine de la Vougeraie, they have more visitors than ever before! The domaine’s current main market is France – individuals, cafés, hotels, and since 2016 some export to the UK and Japan – they sell their wines in some salons too – Belgium for instance.
Morgan will take on the domaine with his sister next year, 2019. Morgan and his sister are the 6th generation of the family, Jean-Pierre being the first generation to develop the commercialisation in bottle. The ‘old domaine’ produced potatoes and cassis too but the domaine has always been in Premeaux.
Jean-Pierre was raisonée in the vines, the next generation are starting with organic viticulture and now plough the soils, and since 2018 use cover-crops between the vines. They are fortunate to have vines that are quite old, averaging 60 years. There were also vines with Nuits AOC in the domaine over the years but they were sold as the vines were ‘too far from the domaine!’ Because of that, the domaine is mainly producing generic appellations.
Morgan on 2018:
“Hailed twice here in July, but it was less bad than we first thought as they still managed to make a good rendement. In the end lost ‘only’ 15-20% as it was a dry hail – there was no rain at all the second time.”
Morgan on 2017:
“A good vintage, no climate problems, easy to drink young vs 2015 and 2016. We see very well the difference in the parcels in 2017 with decent acidity and good tannin. We were worried that they might be quite light at the start but they found their style during the elevage.”
The wines…
Some interesting and very well-made wines at this domaine. Worth keeping an eye on for sure.
2017 Aligote
Clay soil at the bottom of Premeaux. Two parcels assembled – just under 0.5 ha.
A big, bright, perfumed nose. Supple, depth of flavour – fine acidity. I like the texture very much. Holds well, I’d like a little more sucrosity perhaps. But this is very good.
2017 Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Nuits Chardonnay La Montagne
On the plateau above Premeaux after the forest, very little soil, mainly on limestone, bottled at the end of August. Barrels that have a mix of oak and acacia – the new ones.
Fresh, clean aromas of inviting depth and yellow-shaded fruit. Supple, good depth, a touch of reduction, saline. Lovely finish, vibrant, clean though with some barrel spice too…
There’s a little auxey red and white in 17 too.
Bottled end of august. 70% Gamay – last year all gamay because was frosted. All on cordon royat the old gamay, older than 60.
Deep and perfumed – a lovely nose and quite floral. Super silky, growing in volume, growing slowly in freshness – a contemplative but very delicious style. Floral in the finish too. Really a great wine for the price – bravo!
2017 Bourgogne Pinot Noir Vieilles-Vignes
This just bottled a couple of weeks.
A little deeper colour. This a more savoury nose, faintly with licorice. Also in the mouth, a savoury style, but growing in volume and a little sweetness. Very much a flavour of licorice – wide and well textured with fine but ripe tannin. Good length but not really my personal flavour profile…
The next wines are not yet bottled – planning February:
2017 Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Nuits La Montagne
Same terroir as the white
Lots of colour. Just a little reductive today. Hmm – more relaxed over the palate – wide, darker fruited though part of that would be the reduction. Nice depth of texture – a round, quite complete ensemble. A step forward in quality from the Bourgogne. Very good with a modest but attractive finishing perfume too.
2017 Côte de Nuits Villages
In Comblanchien. About 30% new oak but with a long slow heating of the staves of the barrels.
A much more open and vibrant nose – slowy adding some floral elements too. Wide, growing more mouth-filling, some oak spice, but a tasty ensemble. Sweetly finishing – I’d wait a little for this – it’s round and pretty. I would wait
2017 Nuits St.Georges Vieille-Vignes
Charbonniers plus Taupons – together 0.45 ha – one part of Charbonniers almost 100 years old, the Taupons about 70… Bottled in August.
Plenty of colour. A wider, silkier nose, less oak toast. More airy and perfume, but growing in weight, plenty of fine, not astringent, tannin. A contemplative depth of flavour – elegant, more classy – not the weight nor the overt intensity of the last. Classy, tasty wine where the oak shows much less.