Tasted in Premeaux-Prissey with Maxime Rion, 09 November 2021.
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
Maxime on 2021 & 2020:
“The yields were a bit less than half in 2021 – actually it was not much more in 2020 but in 20 we could make up some of the differences with purchases, unfortunately, that wasn’t really possible in 21. Harvesting began 26th August in 2020 – starting in Chambolle. Both 2019 and 2020 lacked volume but were also very dry vintages. We have been converting to organic since 2020 and have stopped working the soil right in the middle of the rows, rather we are just doing under the vines themselves – the maturity came a couple of days later probably because of this. I might not wait too long to bottle the Bourgognes – maybe December – there’s no urgency, but definitely later for the crus.”
The wines…
You may note one or two wines here that you would recognise with a different Rion label. There seems to be some transitioning between the different sides of the family – but as with all families, there are complications and time will be needed – but watch this space. Otherwise, we have the very high standard from this domaine that I have come to expect over the last years!
2020 Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Nuits Les Dames Huguettes
From above Nuits. Racked 2 weeks ago.
Lots of colour. Dark, energetic berry fruit that gets cleaner and cleaner with air. Bright, wide, minerally fresh. Vibrant finishing too. A direct, lip-smacking, tasty wine that also finishes strongly mineral.
2020 Bourgogne Pinot Noir
Premeaux and Chambolle fruit blended from contracts
A forward nose, ripe and attractive with darker red fruit again. An extra depth to the flavour here, more fruit than the mineral width of the last. Fuller more tannic more fruitily mouthwatering from this finish.
2020 Bourgogne Les Bons Batons
The well-known vines from the commune of Chambolle.
A slighter wilder, dark fruit freshness. More silk, texturally more complete wine, this like all the following has about 30% wc vinification, only the previous two were fully destemmed – ‘the fermentations are softer, less violent.’ Excellent!
In Comblanchien a mix of 3 lieu-dits
Hmm, thats a nose of attractive extra freshness – a purity of berry fruit. Also super texture, slightly floral and saline – ooh that’s really a super wine. Only les retraits can better this in the area – bravo!
2020 Chambolle-Musigny Vieilles-Vignes
Here, 4 lieu-dits from contracts – a mix of high and low slopes.
A vibrant nose, the stems showing at the start but with aeration, this becomes nicer balanced. In the mouth, we have sweeping freshness the accent of the stems and then the floral Chambolle aspects. A very faint dryness of tannin but there’s no grain here. That’s a super finish – a wine that just keeps getting better – just some extra elevage required…
2020 Chambolle-Musigny Les Cras
The vines near Bonnes-Mares with Fuées above – 40-year-old vines. This is a domaine wine.
Mineral and nicely energetic nose – more overt complexity but with a noticeable stem accent today. Direct, beautifully silky wine, drawing out the mouth-watering reaction to really mobile, delicious flavour. As always here, simply an excellent wine, the finish is long and satisfying…
2020 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.’
Extra colour. Airy but still with concentration – a calm but inviting aromatic style. Fuller but not dense, really extra here but also style-wise – rounder, fuller vs the line and direction of the Cras – wines for different days! Also excellent!
A single parcel on the plateau, cool soil here
Also very deeply coloured. Ooh – this immediately grabs my attention with a mix of florals a vibrant, intense darker fruit – that’s oh-so impressive! Super texture for a Nuits and starting quite direct before filling out the palate with a complex flavour that’s framed with a micro-grain of tannin. Bravo Nuits!
2020 Nuits St.Georges Barrières
A contract, north of Lavières, almost in Vosne, ‘We think it’s a villages-plus like Cras in Chambolle.’
A fine width of silky aroma, the first with a modest suggestion of the barrels. Also wide on the palate with a sophisticated texture, micro-grained tannin with virtually no dryness – then an extra burst of flavour – in all directions, not just width. That’s a very fine wine, slowly fading. Excellent!
2020 Vosne-Romanée
Just a little less colour from these three climats, blended. A more vertical nose – very attractive, nicely floral too. Again super texture to this direct and mouth-watering wine. The grain is non-existent here. Then plenty of width for the finish. Texturally super, this is very good…
2020 Vosne-Romanée 1er Beaux Monts
The colour is back! Here a little reductive but with super clarity to this vivid fruit. Hmm, more relaxed, melting style. Slowly moving, clarity to this flavour too – like the nose. No grain of tannin just a suggestion of dryness. But then overwhelmed by the mouth-watering tasty finish. This is an excellent wine.
2020 Nuits St.Georges 1er Haut Pruliers
A contract wine, possibly the only bottler of this wine. N-S planted below the valley/combe that heads to Chaux.
Extra aromatic freshness and width. Wiry, muscled but this is lithe and athletic muscle. Very fine tannin and no drying aspects. Very tasty and rather elegant Nuits, long finishing too.
2020 Nuits St.Georges 1er Clos des Argillières
Replanted a portion of the nearly 70-year-old vines last year with domaine’s massale selection.
A fuller but fresh aromatic shape with fine dark red berries in the mix. Cool width of flavour – starting with really a silky sophistication before some Premeaux tannin surfaces to make this more of a velour experience. Wide showing its finishing complexity with a hint of wc perfume too. This is super in 2020…
Similarly high toned but here there’s extra complexity and energy on show – thats very lovely. More direct, more mineral – oh so different – so mouth-watering. Thats not über powerful wine but it is a complete and beautifully mouth-watering wine – elegant but not short of anything. Complete and bravo! This has excelled in the vintage…
Et les Blancs…
(There’s usually just 1!)
2020 Bourgogne Chardonnay
From the Hautes Côtes
This is quite airy and open, faintly spiced. Open, easy, mouth-watering wine. Good, finishing with an attractive saline accent.
2020 Nuits St.Georges 1er Les Terres Blanches
As always about 10% pinot blanc in the plantation – the rest all chardonnay.
A more finely divided, complex and attractive, width of aroma – that’s really good. The structure melting fine flavour over the palate, a touch of tannin – showing the fine fluidity but ample concentration of the vintage. Lots of small waves to this finishing flavour. That’s really excellent wine in this vintage!