Tasted in the Pommard cellar with Thibaud Clerget, 18 October 2022.
Domaine Clerget
12 Rue de la Combe
21190 Volnay
Tel: +33 3 80 21 61 56
www.domaine-clerget.com
More reports for Domaine Clerget
Thibaud on 2022:
“A normal volume vintage and to compare with 2021 or 2020 we can be happy with this quantity.”
Thibaud on 2021:
“80% down – 70% at the vine and another 10% from triage. So much worse volume than the 2016s and it was principally the frost – the rest was the vintage work of a vigneron. I can be happy with the result if not the number of barrels. Only our Clos de Vougeot and Bourgogne avoided the frost as they were pruned just the week before the cold. We had to treat more and try to keep the grapes more aerated to avoid the maladies of the year. I’ll have two bottlings, one in the last days – without pumping – direct from the barrels – the second which have now been assembled to bottle at the end of the year.
“I’m working with 32 countries but I will only have 5,000 bottles.”
The wines…
Thibaud may not have many bottles, but what he has is worth a special search!
50-year-old vines, all destemmed, no new oak – 3 barrels vs a normal vintage with 12.
Modest colour. Round, warm red fruit, fine purity. Hmm – open, airy a Bourgogne of finesse – but what finesse! You could say light I would say bravo!
2021 Volnay
From 2 parcels – Petit Gamay plus Echats in the bottom of Champans. 6 barrels instead of 24 – all destemmed and again no new barrels.
Less aromatic width but here is a lovely depth of cushioned red fruit. Silky, mobile, quite mineral too. Growing in intensity but with just enough cushioning. Lovely!
2021 Volnay 1er Carelles sous la Chapelle
A little more colour for this wine. Extra depth of slightly darker fruit but not obviously reductive. More power and more mouth-filling – some stony elements to augment the red fruit complexity.
Caillerets and Champans not tasting as there is so little.
2021 Volnay 1er Clos de Verseuil (Monopole)
Over the wall from Taillepieds and below the Clos d’Audignac. All destemmed in this case some new oak, 6 barrels instead of 13 despite candles.
Darker colour again. Broad, faintly spiced aromatic complexity – this is a fine invitation. Hmm, this has the a beautiful combination of a sinuous shape and fine silky texture. That’s a super wine – simply excellent!
2021 Pommard 1er Rugiens
Old vines like in Caillerets (80) with some whole bunch too. Very modest colour. 20% wc and the same for new barrels – like the last – no pigeage here.
The colour is just about a medium shade. A smaller nose but clean and giving occasional whiffs of complexity. Silky again, structural too but this shape is encased with a millimetre or two of cushioning – it’s very fine. Mineral, mouth-watering and complex. A wine of finesse despite proper structure. Really very fine…
2021 Clos de Vougeot Grand Maupertuis
Mainly barrel but also some wine globe elevage too – the same base wine and they will be bottled separately.
Clean, open, some depth but overall quite guarded aromas to start but air adds to the volume and exposes more of the red fruit. Structured like the Rugiens but extra clean and clear. The mix of wc and some barrel are bringing extra dimensions of flavour today.