Tasted in Beaune with Christophe Chauvel, 05 December 2023.
Albert Bichot
6 Boulevard Jacques Copeau
21200 Beaune
Tel: +33 3 80 24 37 37
www.bourgogne-bichot.com
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Christophe on 2022:
“You can only be happy with 2022 after a vintage like 2021 – still, it really wasn’t an exceptional volume – normal to just a bit less than normal – but clearly more than in 2021. There were no VCIs – not here… Yet we seem obliged each year to say it’s the warmest since x – the heat comes at different times each year though, and the result is completely different each time. The hydric stress also, different timings, different outcomes… 2022 a vintage that’s very balanced across the villages and the colours too – it’s the vintage style. The biggest difference over the last 20 years is the adaptation to the ripeness on a parcel basis – it was more by village before. At this stage it’s mainly some regionals that have been bottled.”
The wines…
There are one or two great wines that are worth a special search but the overall quality is very high this year with delicious wine after delicious wine – so many are excellent.
2022 Moulin à Vent La Roc
Domaine – they have about 5 hectares
A shy nose but with a depth of darker fruit. Large scale – complex, powerful wine in the mouth. Super finishing with a super wide panorama of flavour – that’s a super wine!
Hmm – that’s inviting, more open too. More structural, with extra depth to the flavour too – framed by drying tannin but without any grain – certainly for keeping – maybe 2-3 years in the first instance but it will also be great in 15…
2022 Bourgogne Côte d’Or Secret de Famille
Mainly Côte de Nuits fruit
More open higher tones – the freshness is more visible here. Direct, silky, juicy middle flavours – proper energy here. That’s a delicious wine – really super Bourgogne.
2022 Domaine Adélie, Mercurey 1er Champs Martin
Certified AB.
A rounder red fruit, actually a little less focused and pretty than the Bourgigne. Extra wide, very silky wine – vibrant middle and finishing flavour – the palate much classier than the nose today – finishing clean and moreish.
None of the following reds have been bottled:
2022 Domaine du Pavillon, Pommard Clos des Ursulines
Also AB. This 4 ha harvested over 4-6 September…
Broad, padded with some creamy oak notes today. Mouth-filling, with juicy acidity again – a broad and deliciously exciting wine – wait at least two years for the oak to move into the background. Lovely wine.
AB
Ooh! More open, airy and complex – that’s just a beautiful nose. A strong core of flavour that melts with juicy energy over the palate – that’s just so deliciously complex – and with a string, sustained finish – that is simply excellent – potentially a great wine.
2022 Domaine du Pavillon, Aloxe-Corton 1er Clos des Marechaudes
Wide, silky red fruit complexity here – the impression of textural silk. The typical juicy presentation of fruit for this vintage – I like the finishing waves of fresh flavour that radiate out over the palate. Just a fine and absorbing finish…
2022 Domaine du Pavillon, Corton Clos des Marechaudes
The viticulture is identical to the last, so the yields too. Some of the elevage is different – a bit more new oak for instance – but essentially it’s the proximity of this part of the parcel to the mother rock that makes the difference…
A more concentrated width of silken aroma – there’s depth to this darker fruit too. Mouth-filling – a completely different, larger, architecture. Floral influenced flavours and so intense finishing. Grander scale for sure – yet – I could drink this today. Don’t for a moment think that it won’t last though, I’m over 60 and it will certainly outlive me!
A Côte de Nuits Selection:
2022 Fixin
The same contracts for many years…
Quite a large nose – plenty of fresh volume. Really concentrated and fresh, no worrisome structure, faintly oaked today. Just a mouthful of tasty flavour. Yum!
2022 Morey St.Denis Clos Sorbets
Always that fresh, frank, direct red fruit nose from here. Very wide over the palate, the acid-led freshness is overt but not too much for this palate – your mileage may vary – but such an achingly pretty and absorbing finishing flavour – so delicious.
2022 Nuits St.Georges 1er Château Gris
The three terraces… AB.
Plenty of colour. A more vertical nose, deep, darker fruit, slightly spiced top notes. Supple, also broad, also growing juicy – the acidity a shade less insistent than for the Morey – but it’s there. Some very classically styled wines here in 22. Finishing with a suggestion of structure but there’s no grain to this tannin.
2022 Chambolle-Musigny 1er les Chabiots
Continuity of Musigny above Amoureuses.
Not forceful but airily attractive and growing in volume – slowly with floral extras too. More sappy, precise and direct, I love the shape, intensity, and the balance of this. That’s a simply excellent wine – indeed, it’s an absolute beauty – the decadent finish is just so persistent!
2022 Domaine du Clos Frantin, Gevrey-Chambertin Les Murots
A very different style – a textured almost velour width of dark fruit aromatics – it’s lovely. More fluid in style too, mouth-watering and complex – involving wine – very faintly framed with a finishing, chalky, tannin – beautiful villages.
2022 Domaine du Clos Frantin, Vosne-Romanée
Narrower than the Gevrey, with higher toned, silky, redder fruit. More obvious structure – but not hard – just the shape of the wine. Fine finishing energy – juicy energy as is the norm this year.
2022 Clos Frantin, Vosne-Romanée 1er Les Malconsorts
AB. 1.75 ha from 6 sandier parts and lower down heavier soil – the bottom left which is more sandy and the rest which is more clay – there can be 3 days difference in maturity between these two sectors – ‘clearly different wines too, the lower part more massive less complex.
Not a large nose but there’s width and a clear extra floral dimension. Holding great position at the centre of the palate and melting its flavour in all directions. Great finishing – the extra class is here – though it’s a quiet wine until the finish…
2022 Latricières-Chambertin
Hmm – that’s also a vertical nose but vibrant and beautifully floral too – a wonderful, not forceful, aromatic. Fresh and direct, there’s structure here but also depth to this flavour. This is grand cru – elegant grand cru and absolutely deliciously finishing.
A low and a high parcel.
A more powerful width of aroma – but what finesse – that’s beautifully perfumed wine. Open, architectural, mouth-watering. Supple, classy wine – that’s a great wine – bravo! Surprisingly approachable CV but with real structure behind.
2022 Clos Frantin, Echézeaux
From Champs Traversins
A more direct and possibly silkier nose – a little less expressive at the same time. Broad, and fluid – balancing the obvious concentration. A wine that’s a little structural – maybe more than the CV – but never hard or oppressive – I could drink a glass with pleasure today – but keep this 5-25 years – you won’t be disappointed.
2022 Clos Frantin, Chambertin
From the high part near the woods and for a long time worked by horse – but only 3 barrels…
This nose has some presence but not a lot of volume – there’s a more concentrated core of aroma here. Larger, more concentrated scale in the mouth – super impressive in all directions except that this wine doesn’t really want to open out today. A big, concentrated wine that melts quite well over the palate but I’m clearly seeing less than half of what lies in wait. It will be simply excellent Chambertin – but have patience – I probably wouldn’t try one before it’s 10 years old – despite how apparently drinkable it is today…
Les Whites:
2022 Domaine Adelie, Bourgogne Aligoté Champ Renard
Vines in Mercury
Direct, attractive if a little powdery aroma. Nice entry, refreshing, tasty wine with a little kick of extra finishing depth too.
2022 Mâcon-Lugny Les Charmes
This the only bottled wine of this selection
A slightly yeasty aromatic but still with freshness. A lot of CO2 here. Finishing brightly and with a moreish juicy quality – carafe!
2022 Bourgogne Secret de Famille
Unlike the red, and unsurprisingly, grapes from the Côte de Beaune
Cleaner, prettier – that’s a very inviting nose. Incisive – growing broader over the palate – a little golden-style fruit but melting well over the palate with clarity. Holding well that’s a lovely wine.
Another bottled wine!
Hmm – ripe but with a very attractive freshness. Rippling over the palate – juicy and attractive with a hint of oak still today – probably gone in 6 months. Lovely finishing – I think that a simply excellent Mercurey Blanc – potentially a great one.
2022 Nuits St.Georges Les Terrasses de Château Gris
Assembled terraces, some of which could be classed as 1er cru – but the volume is low.
A much more shy nose. Silky golden citrus fruit. Broad, faintly oaked, a cushioned but still balanced mouth-watering wine.
2022 Domaine du Pavillon, Meursault
Bottled from 5 different parcels.
Yes – now that’s a classy and precise perfume. Broad, mouth-watering – classy – modestly structured – ultra-delicious wine. Simply excellent villages – so tasty…
2022 Domaine du Pavillon, Beaune 1er Clos des Mouches
More open and fleshy fruit – a little peach flesh impression. Full – really mouth-filling. Ripe fruit but absolutely ‘just right’ in terms of freshness and finishing intensity – that’s a super and rather powerful wine!
2022 Domaine du Pavillon, Meursault 1er Charmes
That’s a vibrant energy – broad too – lovely. A bit to much CO2 today – it’s not yet bottled – but this is clean, complex and absolutely delicious wine. But with energy too. Classy, intense finishing, indeed chalky finishing Charmes!
A more airy width but with some implied power behind. Just 1st class over the palate – cool, melting, almost fluid yet with obvious concentration too. Wonderfully textured wine with an achingly long, beautifully mouth-watering finish – class – potentially great too!