Tasted in Morey St.Denis with Romain Taupenot, 18 November2021.
Domaine Taupenot-Merme
33 Route des Grands Crûs
21220 Morey-Saint-Denis
Tel:+33 3 80 34 35 24
More reports with Domaine Taupenot-Merme
Romain on 2021:
In 2021, some parts were better than 2020 – in the Côte de Nuits, for instance, but the Côte de Beaune was catastrophic – here it was more a question of looking at the insurance! But the domaine today is 19 ha having grown in the area of Auxey and St.Romain. We have worked organically for nearly 20 years but started certification this year – we could have chosen an easier year – but it’s still a vintage with lots of maturity – some over 13° but averaging 12.5° – and that’s without the millerandes of the other recent vintages. We seem to have lovely balance but we have some diversity between the Côtes.
Romain on 2020:
It’s the vintage of the century! The grapes were magnificent, I’ve never seen so good at the start of July – we missed some rain, of course after that, which impacted the volume – from the start, we could see a very good yield but the lack of rain saved some people from producing 60 hl/ha! So here we have less than in 2019 but with richness and concentration – atypical. Finishing with higher alcohols like in 2009 but with extra acidity to balance. They are tasty like 2019 but with a little extra salinity from the extra acidity I think.
The wines…
A good range of wines from here in 2020 – sometimes really excellent.
With DIAM here since 2013 – “I’ve absolutely no interest in going back, I’m completely happy with what we have now. I will start bottling the 2020s around February – the wines have been racked and assembled for about 3 weeks and I don’t think there will be much more to wait for – but let’s see…”
2020 St.Romain Rouge
Here’s a concentrated nose but still quite open with suggestions of spice. Framed with modest tannin, this dark fruit has a mouth-watering width. Extra-wide in the finish too – easy, delicious dark fruit here.
2020 Auxey-Duresses
One parcel in Les Clous.
An extra width to this nose, the dark fruit accented with some pepper. More vibrant style to this, still framed with a little tannin. Slowly mouth-watering – this is lovely.
2020 Auxey-Duresses 1er Cru
A blend of two vines; Les Duresses and Grandes Champs.
There’s more colour here. A more concentrated nose too – direct but pure – very impressive. Direct but airy flavour – there’s a fluid style to this wine. A faint grain of tannin. I find this super finishing. Excellent despite such a deep colour.
2020 Chambolle-Musigny
From two parcels: La Taupe and Bussières
Less colour, redder fruit, saline accented. Open, fine, airy style – some wc accents to the red fruit. Delicious finishing. That’s a simply lovely wine.
2020 Morey St.Denis
A nice width of aroma – very pretty and complex – that’s super. Softer, supple, melting with flavour again quite red fruit here in the flavour. Extra finishing intensity – that’s a lovely finishing line of flavour. Very good villages
2020 Gevrey-Chambertin
A number of parcels (4) totalling 1.6 hectares.
A rounder aspect to this red fruit – well detailed. An extra level of structure vs the previous two wines, darker fruited too – but with a finer texture here. Mouth-watering in fine fashion for the finish. This is a very tasty wine. Only at the end does the structure show more but this has a fine length. Very good again.
2020 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Combe d’Orveaux
Ooh, this has my attention – a beautiful nose of both fresh and deep complexity – I’m ready! I like the shape and structure of this, the fruit flavour has precision and energy. Always mobile in the mouth – a wine that will be far too easy to drink. Keep some back if you can – excellent!
2020 Morey St.Denis 1er Cru La Riotte
Older vines of about 65 years. Lots of clay here – a similar subsoil to Mazoyères.
A more vertical nose with fine higher and deeper tones – just a little narrower but growing and growing. A little more evident structure but never hard and the mouth-watering quality of this fruit is very fine. It’s for a little patience vs the last but that’s never a complaint on my side. Fine and mouth-watering persistence in the finish.
2020 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Belair
40 years old on shallow soil, steep slope near Clos de Bèze and Ruchottes.
There’s freshness here but the nose is certainly a little tight, showing a little dark, acidulated, fruit. Open, airy but obviously concentrated too. This is juicily delicious, always with darker fruit. Needs a little time but I think this will be excellent.
2020 Nuits St.Georges 1er Les Pruliers
Parcel bought from the Chateau de Bligny auction. Soil is very deep here.
A compact but still quite wide nose of dark fruit, some suggestions of spice too. Mouth-filling, structural, a frame of tannin too – though there’s hardly any grain here. The finish I love, powerful but elegant and mouth-watering. Give it 10 years – lovely!
2020 Corton-Rognet
0.43 hectares of vines.
Concentrated but really pure fruit – dark of course in this vintage. Here is a grain of tannin but completely ripe – without dryness, and width of fruit and mineral flavour. Holding long – maybe a little stricter in the finish today – but this is Corton. Very good!
2020 Charmes-Chambertin
Another more vertical nose – but what impressive depth – the top notes while compact today are very fine! Supple – wide, faintly tannic, delicious, warmly spiced flavour and then finishing with a little sweet minerality. Another very good wine.
2020 Mazoyères-Chambertin
‘I think it more a grand cru of Morey than Gevrey!’
A much larger nose – a spicy complexity here then going deeper with darker fruit – that’s a super nose. Vibrant, more dimension of flavour here – growing in intensity – a dynamic wine. The structure still slightly rustic at this stage – but a tour de force of complexity – that’s excellent!