Tasted with Justine, daughter of Isabelle and Christian Clerget in Vougeot, 15 November 2019.

Domaine Christian Clerget
10, Ancienne-Route-Nationale
21640 Vougeot
Tel: +33 3 80 62 87 37
www.christianclerget-vins.fr

My first tasting with Justine, but she’s already been working with her parents for 7 years.

Justine on 2018:
“It was a hot and dry vintage – different to normal as it’s usually wet! The vines got through okay but the grapes ripened very quickly – which we could have anticipated better because we couldn’t get pickers earlier. It’s a shame as we had such a great season and had great grapes – they were still good, but in the end had a little higher degrees than we wanted – 14° – so we included some whole clusters. The fermentations were long so we didn’t get to barrel the wines until November – normally we need only 3 weeks. No punch-downs at all, only pump-overs and because of that there were whole berries when we pressed so there was more sugar again!”

The wines…

These wines will need all of their time in elevage, but there is a perfumed elegance within today’s bulk of fruit. A number of excellent wines in waiting.

Justine is planning 18 months in barrel for the 2018s – so will be bottling in the Spring.

2018 Bourgogne Pinot Noir
From one parcel on the other side of road from the Clos de Vougeot, and one in commune of Vosne-Romanée. 30% whole bunch.
Lots of colour. Hmm – a wide, cassis nose, but inviting. This has depth, and lots of ripeness, a little licorice finishing, big and punchy. I think it will need time to settle but there is a lot of wine here.

2018 Mores St.Denis Les Crais
The other side of the road from Magnien’s cuverie. The same parcel as the white. No wc as was less ripe here.
A fresher nose with good perfume. Hmm, that has a nice line of flavour, driving, fine-textured, long finishing fruit, tasty wine here – excellent.

2018 Chambolle-Musigny
The biggest cuvée of the domaine – 2 hectares of vines, a mix of over 10 small parcels in 2018.
Density of fruit but the aromatic freshness is quite good. Sleek, fine texture, driving, faintly reductive flavour but with good layers. Nicely perfumed mid-palate. Very tasty finishing.

2018 Vosne-Romanée Les Violettes
Next to the Clos de Vougeot and Echézeaux – planted in 1946, with only a few replacements in here.
Hmm a subtle but fresh spice, tighter overall. Fresh, nice drive and energy here, a big mid-palate punch of concentrated flavour. Before slowly fading. Great texture with just a suggestion of drying. Long and mineral finshing.

2018 Vougeot 1er Les Petits Vougeots
Vines that sit just under the Clos de la Perrière, about 40% whole bunch here.
An almost textured width of aroma, perfumed too. A little more structure, wide, mouth-watering, baby Clos de Vougeot style. Sparkling complexity to finish. Lovely to wait for a little but lots of finesse here. Excellent wine!

2018 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Les Charmes
One part of this cuvée is just across from Les Amoureusses, plus 3 other small parcels.
A little more volume of aroma. Fine top notes – lovely. Hmm, wide, complex, a little almond, good texture the tannin is so fine – super complexity in the finish – this will make a delicious wine.

2018 Echézeaux
From Combe d’Orveau, just behind the Clos de Vougeot – planted in 1946 by Justine’s grandfather.
A deep nose but with a tighter width. Structural but driving, great depth to the tannic texture but hardly much dryness – so fine too. The finish is a beauty – really delicious.

Les blancs…

2018 Mores St.Denis Les Crais Blanc
Planted in 2003
A little peppery herb. Nice drive, rather mineral, the texture is fine – really fine. The flavour needs more time to shine except in the finish, here it’s already good. And it’s really long too!

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