Tasted with Christophe Diconne in Auxey-Duresses 07 November 2019.
Domaine Diconne
5 Rue de la Velle
21190 Auxey-Duresses
Tel: +33 3 80 21 25 60
Christophe on 2019:
“We were quite strongly frosted in Auxey – 75% losses were not uncommon – similar to 2016 it was mainly the whites, a little in Macabrée, but the bottom of the hill too. The reds mainly avoided frost but still delivered only a half harvest, and for a mix of reasons I think; the cold, the flowering and the dryness. Meursault Luchets next to Macabrée was the same but Narvaux above was not. I harvested some grapes with 14° but not super-high degrees, they were all easily 13 though. It’s a very high-quality vintage I think, particularly the reds – they have a rare quality – 1985 style, or maybe in style like 2009… For the whites, let’s see. I have less direct confidence from the analysis, but from just tasting they are super and I see no faults. Less than half of the 2018 vintage volume though, the reds are okay but it’s not enough white. ”
Christophe on 2018:
“The middle vintage of the crescendo of heat in the last three years. The whites don’t have a big acidity but they taste fine, perhaps like 2009 with a little less concentration. They are still in elevage but are looking really good. In terms of the year, a wet start and early in the growing season some oïdium worry, but finally nothing. The weather made life easy in the vines from July onwards.”
The wines…
Red and white, there are some great wines hidden up here in Auxey-Duresses in 2018!
These wines were racked back into barrel in September. Habitually the whites are bottled in January-February, the reds later. Christophe says that he’s half a mind to reverse this vintage, but it’s clearly open for mow…
2018 Auxey-Duresses Terres Folles Blanc
Half old, half younger vines
Round, a very attractive nose. Fine entry, intense, mobile, fine valance. Lovely depth of flavour here, wide and delicious finishing, there is drive at the same time as an impression of roundness, faintly mineral. Lovely.
Vines in the same sector, but in this case the youngest vines are from 1959, and the oldest from 1925.
Hmm, deep, less width but a lovely depth of complexity, a sweet agrume. Bright, round, ooh-beautiful, layered, insistent, faintly saline. Great villages – bravo!
2018 Meursault Narvaux
Fresh hillside Meursault – such an evocative, faintly mineral nose. There’s some confidence with this wine. Rounder than the nose suggests, but a wine of vibrancy and driving, mineral-accented, citrus flavour – simply excellent! Mouth-watering wine.
The only parcel in this climat with vines planted east-west, most of vines older than 1930…
This nose a little tighter. Open, airy, easy over the palate, slowly leaching extra floral elegance over the tongue. A great finish. It clearly needs more elevage, but there’s all the wine you could wish for in this elegant thing. Bravo!
Les Rouges:
2018 Auxey-Duresses Rouge
Plenty of parcels some from white sectors too, both sides of the road through the village.
Lots of colour. A nose of breadth but a little tightness. Round, nicely textured, a little supporting grain, but nothing astringent. Juicy fruit and a with depth! Fine complexity in the finish – lovely.
Not many producers of this
Lovely deep, inviting nose – cushioned, cossetting. Wider, fuller, more open too – once more a faint grain, but what a great mouthful of delicious fruit. Bravo! Saline at the end of a long finish. Bravo.
2018 Auxey-Duresses 1er Les Grands Champs
Vines that sit below the last Bretrins, Mainly 1960s vines.
This a wider nose, yet like the villages a hint of tightness. Supple, relaxed but rather concentrated. Slowly mouth-watering, leaving more complexity of fruit, perhaps a touch more rigour here, tannin, but again completely ripe. A wine that will age longer than the last, perhaps…
1927 vines.
A wilder, more forward, more complex nose – right from the start. More structure, more tannin and here there’s a touch of dryness which is a surprise as there’s practically no grain! Mouth, watering, long, gorgeous finishing. The structure to age very well, but the flavour to suggest – why wait? 😉
2018 Pommard Les Vignots
Nice colour, a little less than sone of the Auxey – a cushion to these aromas – the last drops in the glass have a beautiful aroma! Tannic but again hardly a grain, much complexity and different shades of fruit here. To wait a couple of years I think but delicious, accessible, fruity but correct Pommard. Not to worry too much about rigour in 2018! Excellent!
More reports for Domaine Diconne