Tasted in Meursault with Nadine Gublin, 06 December, 2017.
Domaine Jacques Prieur
6 Rue des Santenots
21190 Meursault
Tel: +33 3 80 21 23 85
www.prieur.com
Nadine on 2017:
“Really a normal vintage here and for both colours. We’re very happy.”
Nadine on 2016:
“20th September was our harvest starting date. For us it’s half a harvest, but fortunately we have 27 different wines here, so on the positive side it isn’t the same vines every year which have been bit – not like some smaller domaines. I see really super differences between the vineyards in 2016.
“there’s still nothing in bottle. A majority of wines are still in barrel, only a couple have been racked so far. Late malos, but not particularly so for these cool cellars – the last finishing in August.”
The wines…
At this stage in elevage these wines looked rather good – typically deep and concentrated in the style of the domaine as much as the vintage – just a few absolute killer wines.
2016 Labruyère-Prieur Selection, Bourgogne Pinot Noir
Vines in Cheilly les Maranges, harvested by the Prieur team and all elevage done here at Prieur – racked nearly 2 months ago. Destemmed, 10% new oak in all barrel elevage. Not particularly frosted here.
Plenty of colour. With a nice depth of dark cherry fruit. Hmm, this has impressive depth and structure, not a facile wine – concentrated with impressive depth of flavour. To wait for but impressive wine for the label.
2016 Meursault Clos de Mazeray Rouge
Still in barrel not racked. 50% whole cluster here. No new oak.
A little more compact but a much finer and more concentrated nose – impressively so. More directly fresh and energetic. The tannin growing and giving a small drag to the texture. Will be delicious but structured and to wait for – love the finish!
2016 Beaune 1er Clos de la Feguine
No frost. Racked three weeks ago, all destemmed. New oak at 20%
Also a composed, compact nose – silky. Similarly fresh to the Mazeray, a little composed despite fine energy and freshness – there’s a more floral style to the flavours here. The best, mouth-watering flavour so far – really tasty here.
All destemmed, 20% new wood – 60-70% losses due to the frost.
Ooh, a very nice depth of aroma here – compact like the last wines but with a very fine halo of aroma. Supple, silkier, direct, still, but long, languorous to start modestly tannic, just a super, wine with waves and waves of flavour – bravo!
2016 Beaune 1er Champimonts
Still in barrel, also 20% new. About one-third of whole clusters.
Compact, very faintly sweet. Extra volume, extra tannin, really a super mouth-watering, partly floral flavour that has to work through a reasonably forward but über-fine tannin. Bright and delicious finishing. Needing a little more time than the Grèves but this will be lovely…
2016 Volnay 1er Santenots
Young vines from the Clos des Santenots – abut 20 years-old vines. All destemmed, 30% new oak.
Compact like all the aromas so far – but delicate and pure cushioned red cherry fruit. Hmm, this has super depth and even more super fresh floral-inflected fruit flavour above. Some tannin here but this will be sooo delicious – such a great finish!
2016 Volnay 1er Clos des Santenots
Also 30% new oak, always destemmed.
A little deeper colour. Some texture and a more visible depth of fine textured aroma. Hmm. This wider, a little more mineral, cooler finer fruit. Layered finishing. Hmm, this is not the most overt wine but just such confidence and composure – lovely stuff!
2016 Pommard 1er Charmots
All whole-cluster. One third new wood.
Despite the wc, deeply coloured. A very faint width of spice but not a nose overtly of the clusters, just a suggestion of rose perfume. This still has a little gas. Lots of volume – a fresh volume, plenty of tannin too – but this is an open wine despite its concentration. A complexity of flavor in the mid to finish where some dryish tannin waits for you – this will be nothing more than an anecdote in 3-5 years and that’s exactly the minimum that you should wait for such a wine. Super.
One-third whole-clusters. 60% new wood.
A little more openness about the aromas here – silky, sweetly dark-fruited, a suggestion of rose-petals. Ooh, that’s a fabulously cushioned texture for such fresh concentration – great and pure flavour complexity, a modest base in tannin. This is a great Bressandes. Bravo!
2016 Clos de Vougeot
60% new wood, 30% whole clusters. A little frosted so only 25 hl/ha. The last to finish its malo – not too long before the 2017 harvest.
Just a little lighter colour. A little more open width of fresh aroma. Plenty of gas. Really a fresh character, mouth-filling, plenty of tannin-edged structure. Long. Needs more elevage for more character, but there’s a lot of wine here.
2016 Labruyère-Prieur Selection, Charmes-Chambertin
With the Clos de Vougeot one of the last malos in August. Still in barrel, 50% new. Bought as grapes, then destem all. From the heart of Charmes.
More aromatic volume with a little reduction here but plenty of complexity too. Great texture – quite direct but with a round depth of concentration. Some drag of tannin in the middle but this has a lot of potential – there is more of everything here versus the Clos de Vougeot, today. Super Charmes.
2016 Labruyere-Prieur Selection, Griotte-Chambertin
Only one barrel, so one year old. Higher part of the vines close to Bèze. All destemmed.
A nice volume of pretty aroma, if still a little compact. Nice direction but still round – like the Charmes but less volume – on the other hand this has much more finesse to the texture. Comforting wine with a less intense finish – here is a comfier finesse of wine versus the extra power of the Charmes.
2016 Chambertin
The young vines have not been separated like in previous years, there weren’t enough grapes and anyway the it was the young vines that were the most affected by the frost – still only 16 hl/ha. All destemmed and one-third new wood.
Still not the most overt nose, but still giving a silky and pure impression, slowly adding quite some depth. Volume, and a weight of massive concentration but delivered with great sophistication – really a wine of stature here. Surprisingly accessible but to be patient with – the width and persistence of the finish are very impressive indeed…
Obliged to make a different style of vinification due to so little grapes – 50% whole cluster – normally destem here. No new oak. There’s so little – just one barrel – that they are considering only to bottle in magnums…
Floral, not overtly from roses, subtly spiced – compact but alluring. Quite a massive wine – absolutely mouth-filling, but with grace… The flavour is sufficiently fresh, with a floral character, framed with a great tannin – there’s lots but this tannin is micro-grained. Really quite something for the patient.
2016 Musigny
Really the most affected by frost – 10 hl/ha – also the first time with whole-clusters – 30%. Also 30% new oak.
Just a little extra depth to the aromas here – growing in all directions – that’s impressive. Just a hint of gas. Really the largest wine in the mouth – there’s no room for it to grow but still it tries. The structure is quite forward today, lots of tannin but of-course ripe tannin. It’s actually very contemplative with just a suggestion of salinity amongst other things. Today it’s not hyper-complex but it is such a large yet balanced thing – enjoy from 2035…