Tasted in Beaune with Véronique Drouhin, 25 November 2021.
Maison Joseph Drouhin
7 Rue d’Enfer
21200 Beaune
Tel: +33 3 80 24 68 88
www.drouhin.com
More reports with Maison Joseph Drouhin
Véronique on 2021 & 2020:
“In 2021 there’s definitely not as much as a half harvest – the white are practically non-existent and the reds are way down… Then for the 2020s, like in 1978, some long elevage is required. Because of that, we have bottled practically nothing, I think they will benefit a lot from waiting and there are some cuvées which haven’t actually finished malo – but we have the time. We worked with the stems in 2020 and I find the effect magnificent. Despite the heat, there’s a brilliant balance this. The polyphenols were so easy to extract – we almost didn’t need to do anything. ”
The wines…
I noted this elsewhere in my tasting notes – the reds are really super here in 2020 but their Côte d’Or whites shone like stars – bravo!
All natural cork, and depending on the market, some may have screwcaps. All half bottles are now DIAM for whites, Natural cork and a little screwcap for the reds. The team here work with a selection of the more dense corks available.
2020 Volnay
Ooh – that’s very perfumed. Mouth-filling, plenty of tannin but no grain – yet here is an approachability to the structure and texture which is hyper-impressive. Super villages
2020 Vosne-Romanée
Some Chaumes 1er included in this.
What a nose – that’s got clarity, depth and such an invitation. Round but with energy, the flavour framed by a little tannin – density of flavour but so mouth-watering. Really excellent again…
25-30% 1er in here, each year.
More airy, floral, slightly spiced. A super shape and structure – not simple, easy-drinking, wine – this is for keeping as long as you like – really brilliant villages.
2020 Beaune 1er Les Grèves
Nearly a hectare – all domaine, ‘Sur les Grèves’ so high on the hill.
Deep, almost plummy nose – perhaps a faint reduction enhancing that depth, faint spice too. Density and freshness combined. This chalky finish and width is absolutely delicious.
This a more direct nose of redder fruit – a silky impression to this aroma too. Wider, fuller but beautifully structured too. The team here really do make a Beaune that’s a cut above in terms of structure and shape. Bravo!
2020 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru
All domaine from seven parcels. A blend of north and south.
The nose here is direct, narrow but laser-like fabulous – with time in the glass filling out with more floral aspects. Lso quite direct before widening out – cool fruit, super texture – ultra-elegant.
Hmm – this has a super depth of aroma – an airy quality to the top notes – but not showing its range of complexity today. Wow – it’s ‘just’ 1er cru but with all aspects on a higher level – more concentrated yet more direct, ultra-fine texture. I expect bravo, despite not being fully open today…
2020 Charmes-Chambertin
What depth of colour. A wider, quite airy complexity of aroma here – a little graphite minerality in support. Wide-screen flavour again with a beautiful cool-fruit style and fine texture. There’s a little tannin here but almost no drying aspects. Small finishing bitters bring extra complexity and the width is so persistent too. Keep this – it will be excellent…
A blend of estate and purchased grapes – more of the latter
Extra high tones in this refined perfume. Cool again – structural in shape but with no hard edges. Great wine – I just love the shape and delivery of the flavour here. To keep for sure. Bravo!
Les whites:
The first two are bottled, the rest not, but all are assembled so representative of the final bottling:
2020 Mâcon-Lugny Les Crays
Really open – very perfumed too – what a great invitation! Direct, mineral, a little rigour in the structure – but not too much – I’d keep this a while before attacking, but this is a super Mâconnais…
2020 Pouilly-Vinzelles
A small AOC of 50 ha. Of course, the less well-known than neighbour Pouilly Fuissé. From Chateau Vinzelles – but not allowed to write on the label as they have the rights to that – and they own 17ha, Drouhin controlling 12 just now. One-third in 500 l barrels, none new, the rest in stainless-steel
An airy nose but attractive. Brighter and more energetic, a little less rigour and more floral-accented flavour. Open and already very attractive – there’s an agrume fruit style – a little towards floral-grapefruit.
A part of this comes from the Clos des Mouches – nearly 40% – all that which doesn’t make it into the Clos cuvée but not necessarily the young vines.
An extra purity of fine and fresh citrus fruit in this aroma. Wider than the Mâcons – cool fruit, very fine-textured – a touch more barrel and plushness but essentially fresh and wide. Simply excellent wine and for the label – bravo!
A nose that is delicate, elegant – pure, pure, pure! Ultra-wide, also ultra-mineral – no hard edges, no rigour. This wraps beautifully over and around the tongue, Class. A great villages…
2020 Meursault
Also a super nose – very different – a slightly mineral vibration in the depth and a little more weight too – faintly spiced – yes! Extra-fresh, super mineral too. Gorgeously mouthwatering – I have the impression I’m drinking Tillets or Narvaux rather than grapes from the plain – but whatever, this is simply excellent village, nearly great!
Fuller, wider, almost a little creamy. Again – wow – such clarity of flavour. This direct style consistent through most of the whites so far. Vibrant finishing. That’s a great Charmes.
2020 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Les Embazées
A good width of aroma – less forward but, all the same, with some fine flashes of complexity. Wide, cool, they have hit it out of the park with these wines, today! This is a bit more structural in the finish, certainly vs the Charmes – so wait a bit longer but another simply excellent wine…
2020 Beaune 1er Clos des Mouches
1921 purchased, 1928 the first white vintage. Some declassifying this year – ‘whatever we didn’t think good enough’ – this all went into the Côte de Beaune Blanc.
A smaller nose after some of the previous but still a fine and focused width of yellow citrus. Ultra-mineral, so mouth-watering – almost juicy – and a super finishing impression – a little structural but also really complex too. For keeping – as long as you like…
From Les Languettes – older vines. One of the first Drouhin vineyards to be converted to biodynamics in the mid-1990s. Separately there is also a Maison Corton-Charlemagne.
That’s a great nose – not large – yet open, detailed and attractive. Extra density – almost a little chalky minerlaity. Growing as the flavour starts its mouth-watering cascade towards the finish. That’s a really great wine in waiting – bravo – really bravo!