Tasted in Curtil-Vergy with Axelle Machard de Gramont, 01 December, 2020.
Domaine Bertrand Machard de Gramont
13 Rue de Vergy
21700 Nuits-Saint-Georges
Tel: +33 3 80 61 16 96
www.bertrand-macharddegramont.fr
More reports for Domaine Bertrand Marchard de Gramont
Axelle on 2020:
“Very honestly, we were saved by the rain of 28 August. We haven’t harvested in August since 2003 – but we started on the 25th in 2020 – my mums birthday. We started in Haute Pruliers, old vines on a poor soil – 1960-1964 – and when they are ripe, they are ripe. We already had a lot of millerandes and another 2-3 days without picking would have left nothing. The rain came the next morning and plenty of it too. We had the feeling in the 3-4 days that followed that everything had changed. It was actually the best harvest we had in our large parcel of terraced Vallerots – we never have a big rendement, indeed in 19 and 20 there was even less. But I’ve stopped thinking from the perspective of requiring 40 hl/ha, in fact, the parcels we have would hardly ever produce much more than 35 hl/ha. So we didn’t make a lot, but what we did I’m very satisfied with.”
Axelle on 2019:
“2019 – oh yes! But minus one-third in volume. The flowering weather was terrible, then some dry grapes on the vines, hence, the low quantity. A vintage with a lot of balance, with the hot summer we thought we would have wines a little ‘Sudiste’ but in the end, they have a lovely balance.”
The wines…
Wines of concentration but still freshness – more than was the case 10 years ago. A super selection this year.
A single parcel of vines in Nuits with deep soil and some clay – looking up to Vallerots; ironstones that help drainage. Frosted in 2009 so partly replanted afterwards.
A width of slightly cushioned, nicely pure and red fruit. Ooh – energetic, sweet, dark-fruited, really concentrated finishing – a great finish that needs to open out a bit more with time but bravo – still needs a bit of time to open in the finish but the wine deserves that.
2019 Nuits St.Georges Les Terrasses de Vallerots
‘2 hectares and really it’s a unique parcel – it wasn’t planted with vines before, so never chemically treated.’
Another wine with plenty of aromatic concentration, slowly suggesting a little floral perfume too. Higher toned fruit flavour, a little rasp of tannin but ripe and practically no dryness. Long, more mineral and extra long! This is excellent and needs a little patience for best results.
0.5 hectares. Gets the rising but not the setting sun. Above Vaucrains but really opposite Poulets
This nicely perfumed with fine red fruit in support. Extra complex, extra fruit – extra delicious. The tannin is finer and overall there’s just so much mouth-watering class here. That’s a great villages Nuits. Bravo!
2019 Nuits St.Georges Hautes Pruliers
Very steep and often no more than 10cm of soil. From the part that actually touches Pruliers, vines from 1964
A deeper, glossy nose. Wide, blackberries in here – a darker berry fruit – lovey cordial style, freshness and width. Really lovely finishing, only slowly fading, slightly perfumed at the end. Long and lovely I won’t go as far as to say serious, but a wine that demands a little of your attention – I find it excellent.
2019 Nuits St.Georges Aux Allots
From the bottom of Aux Chaignots, next to Grandes Vignes in northern Nuits, touching on Vosne, bought in 1969. 0.92 hectares of multiple vine ages up to 100 years-old – includes the oldest vines of the domaine.
That’s a lovely nose, almost a suggestion of aniseed. Concentrated with of flavour, finely grained tannin – perfumed flavour in the mouth. That’s another beautifully constructed wine of concentration but still freshness – a super selection this year.
2019 Vosne-Romanée
0.60 hectares over 4 parcels – 3 of which in this wine; Champs Boudin, Aux Ormes below, the Bas Mazières heading towards the Clos de Vougeot.
Plenty of colour. A nice textured width of aroma – freshness and a silky impression but the wine is a little tight. Supple but fresh, mobile, juicy, faintly saline, intense. I like the texture here. Still dark fruit but we clearly have a different register here. Excellent wine – as all with the clarity of the vintage.
2019 Vosne-Romanée Les Barreaux
0.15 ha vinified apart since 2015. Very fine red soil, little in the way of clay. 20-year-old vines – we didn’t like plants when bought the parcel. ‘One big barrel for the elevage, my father wasn’t impressed with the idea, but I love to vinify this small parcel and get my hands dirty doing so.’
Here the nose is more open, though today showcasing mainly its barrel – but it fades with aeration. Supple, more tactile than the straight-Vosne, more the impression of it opening its arms to you. Slowly mouth-watering, very tasty wine, despite its obvious oak today. Long finishing too. More patience with this, but it’s very lovely and most likely excellent.
