Tasted in Premeaux-Prissey with Patrice Rion, pictured also with son Maxime, 23 November 2020.
Domaine Michèle et Patrice Rion
1 Rue Maladière
21700, Premeaux
Tel: +33 3 80 62 32 63
www.patricerion.com
More reports for Domaine Patrice Rion
Patrice on 2020:
“2020 brought some interesting things – some Vosne for instance! Our 3rd vintage of dryness – I think the vines suffer a little more each year. The plants are naturally resistant but you can see it – also in the forests. It starts positive but we see the negatives too – and that’s agriculture in general and with a backdrop of quickly growing populations. It’s a product that’s essential for the good feeling of the people, the link with the land and the seasons – it brings people together too – non-essential but fundamental. Less production than in 2019 – the reds – the whites had a little more – so it’s good that we had the opportunity to buy some grapes so our volume is regular and that’s a positive for me – and that fits my personality!”
Patrice on 2019:
Like in 2020 no frost but the dryness was a visible issue. I think the change started in 2000, with more sun, a little extra warmth but I worry that we approach the limit – and what’s the limit? The lack of water and vines are starting to die because of that – we almost need to water the vines – certainly the newly planted vines. Of-course, it’s not allowed by the AOC, but we might have to think about it – not for yields, rather to save the life of some vines. We planted nearly 1 ha of vines this year – regional AOC – which we’ve been preparing for 10 years with massale selections from our old vines that well are adapted to the vineyards that we have – let’s see about how well they adapt to the weather in the coming years!
“2015 remains the best vintage of my career so far but it’s starting to get a lot of serious competition!
The wines…
A very fine result from a very fine address – the usual suspects are great here.
2019 Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Nuits Les Tanguettes
From above Nuits. Racked 2 weeks ago.
Quite an airy and high-toned nose, a little floral and with a blend of red and darker-red fruit. Lovely width, incisive start, waves of fresh and wide finishing flavour. A lovely finish. Here’s a wine to give a year or two patience, but the result will be worth it – lovely potential.
2019 Bourgogne Pinot Noir
Vines in the commune of Chambolle.
A vibrant nose that starts in a similar style to the Hautes Côtes but then ramps up with a more floral note. Incisive again, a little extra tannin at the base – but ultra-fine and with no astringency. Faint bitters and a fine almost squeezing of the flavour out of the palate in the finish – that’s simply excellent Bourgogne.
The well-known vines from the commune of Chambolle.
More colour for sure. Yes – fresh, energetic, floral but vibrantly fruited too. Super acidity and combined energy. There’s an extra depth to the complexity of the flavour here too. The first Bourgogne is easier this is greater though. Bravo – and what a great finish.
2019 Côte de Nuits Villages
Old vines, mid-slope in Comblanchien – Les Belle Vues – quite close to the Clos de la Marechale – sandy soil with plenty of limestone.
Again plenty of colour, slightly less than the last. A wide nose, more cushioned, deeper, hinting at flowers but needing more air for that. Nicely mouth-filling, fresh, slightly more bitters but a round and accessible wine all the same. Nice shape, and good slowly bubbling energy. Wide and persistent finishing – a wine where you should take a little more patience but long and tasty all the same.
Wines now from barrel which probably won’t be racked before January – it will depend on the weather:
2019 Nuits St.Georges Vieilles-Vignes
Deeper soils in this area and maybe they suffered a little less than Vosne and certainly Chambolle from the dryness – it’s a possibility.
Plenty of colour again – like the Bons Batons. Deep and high-toned – very floral – a heavier floral perfume than some of the previous wines but becoming ever finer with air. Bright, incisive starting, more structural but nothing negative. Love the intensity – half floral half fruit. The finish is more floral than fruit. That’s a simply excellent villages Nuits potentially even better than that…
2019 Chambolle-Musigny Vieilles-Vignes
A blend of parcels.
Good bright depth of colour. A vibrant nose, almost suggesting some gas; a sliky depth of fruit too though. More depth of flavour, a little more depth to the texture too – much finer and more ‘covered’ tannin – there’s practically no grain here. The oak is almost, but not quite visible. Wide, fine, almost chewy finishing. A structural Chambolle – but beautifully constructed – excellent for sure.
The vines near Bonnes-Mares with Fuées above – 40 year-old vines.
Plenty of bright colour once more. More open, more delicate more floral – more Chambolle – simply a gorgeous introduction. Nicely structured and with a very fine acidity too. A small textural drag from the tannin – but you won’t find any grain. The flavours not quite as forward as the nose – but getting there. Bravo villages – serious but also seriously involving!
2019 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Les Charmes
“It’s just the road that separates this Charmes from Amoureuses” – Part of this vineyard from 1925 and still in a good condition.
There’s freshness, but here’s a nose that starts by showcasing its depth, initially quite vibrant, perhaps reductive too, then more serious but also mineral too. A super clarity of flavour here – intense, driving, quite linear today. Long and refreshing. A wine that will take it’s time to unwind I think, the material is first class.
2019 Nuits St.Georges 1er Clos des Argillières
Replanted a portion of the nearly 70-year-old vines this year with domaine’s massale selection.
Back to a width of perfume – fruit and flowers – lovely, very attractive depth of aroma at the same time. Mouth-filling and seemingly extra wide. Fine acidity, a little extra tannin but no grain even if showing a hint of astringency – finely ripe. Long, fading, some accent of finishing bitters. That’s a lovely wine for the medium term.
Not super wide, but both deep and high toned – those high tones ever-more intense and perfumed – that’s really super. Properly structural but not a bit hard or overdone. This melts flavour over the palate then finishes with a broad wave of saline-inflected flavour. A long diminuendo here, slightly tannin but barely astringent. I recently finished my last bottle of the 98 from Here (Bouchard Père) it was great – this will be too – and earlier drinking too I think!
Et le Blanc…
2018 Nuits St.Georges 1er Les Terres Blanches
As always about 10% pinot blanc in the plantation – the rest all chardonnay. Malo not yet completed – was racked in August, just before the harvest – a few barrels hadn’t finished their malo at this time. Still expecting to be able to bottle around February.
Wide, a punchy and forward nose, not quite ready as it’s currently a little heavier than usual but with a little floral interest all the same. A little prickle from the (malic) acidity but it’s practically gone. Wide, deep, the texture gaining silkiness. A burst of finishing flavour that’s wide and involving, texturally grained with a little tannin. Classic 2019 – and it will be a fine Terres Blanches…