Tasted in Gevrey-Chambertin with Pierre-Jean Roty, 14 November 2022.
Domaine Joseph Roty
24 Rue Mal de Lattre de Tassigny
21220 Gevrey-Chambertin
Tel: +33 3 80 34 13 59
More reports with Domaine Joseph Roty
As every year; The Rotys of Gevrey work in their own way, which means they like to show wines when they are ready for the market – so no 2021s here, rather the 2020s!
Pierre-Jean on the recent vintages:
“2020? Well, 2019 was half a harvest and 2020 a bit below that – only 2003 has been lower here. 2021 doesn’t help either, it’s another half harvest. 2018 was only 35% down – which was good, fortunately, 2022 again. All our 2020s are bottled – we had a few small rains in this season, just a few mm across the growing season which helped us to avoid some blockage. It’s a vintage with good acidity in the wines – despite their concentration – something we didn’t have in 2003. The material of these 2020s reminds me of 1985…”
The wines…
Black wines here in 2020. And another great vintage. The Côte de Nuits was the epicentre of great 2020s – and who’s to say that the epicentre of the Côte de Nuits was not this domaine?
As I’m sure you’re all aware, 2012 was the first vintage where this label came into being; a replacement for the old Bourgogne Grand Ordinaire label. In this case, the wine is 100% pinot noir.
All pinot – and yet, what depth of colour! Broad, faintly spiced – such an impressive depth of aroma too. Here is fine freshness and attack – lovely bubbling, vibrant, acidity and no fat despite the concentration. A CB you can easily keep 10+ years (as I have dome with the 2010!) – no problem – bravo!
From vines in two Marsannay Rosé parcels which are being promoted to Marsannay rouge, but declassified here. The first vintage with this label – and used for all three of the domaine’s Bourgognes from now – this produced with grapes that come from 2 parcels Marsannay, declassified to this label.
A little broader nose, extra impact of freshness and florals. Incisive, more direct, a more athletic wine, even a little licorice in the flavours that adhere to the palate – impressively long finishing – great Bourgogne!
All from the bottom of Gevrey.
Here the nose is less forward, certainly deeper though, just a faintness of fine spice – opening slowly with more air. Incisive like the previous but here is a wine of breadth vs the direct style of the last. Rippling with energy and power – another great thing but really for keeping a little while.
The domaine have 8.5 hectares in Marsannay:
Including some parcels that are candidates for 1er cru – 6 in all
A finer extra spice to this width of aroma – low impact, high invitation. Hmm, direct again, full of mouth-watering energy, intense, fabulous, delicious wine – that’s another beauty – bravo!
2020 Marsannay Champs St.Etienne
One of the lieu-dits with the oldest history, nuns replanting in the 1600s – just like Chambertin. Not a monopole – there’s one other producer but Roty is currently the only one with the climat name on a label.
Less width, here the nose a little rounder and less expressive despite its perfume. A little smoky, spicy oak is visible in these flavours. Certainly, a more serious wine today but the finish opens out impressively…
2020 Marsannay Champs Ouzeloy
A more vertical nose, seemingly with some minerality to support. Broad, fluid, mobile wine – framed with a modest accent of dryness from the tannin but without any grain. Depth of flavour here – really delicious and showing much more impressively than the previous today. The finish is broad and fresh enough to enquire if you’d like to take another glass – excellent wine!
2020 Marsannay Boivin
From the heart of the appellation.
Another style of complexity here – a little more animale with some extra graphite and herb. Slightly reductive in the mouth – such scale here – very impressive wine. Finishing so very long. Great potential…
2020 Marsannay Clos de Jeu
Close to the heart of the appellation!
More open, extra purity and fine energy – the aromas more primary but fresh and fluid. Hmm, that’s so good – the fluidity and openness are first-class. A width of finishing flavour that shimmers into the distance. A smaller nose, a smaller finish too, but not shorter – just great class! Simply excellent wine.
2020 Côte de Nuits Villages
The last vintage with a single parcel in Brochon near Evocelles. In 21 there will be some Croix Violettes (8 ouvrées of old vines) too and in 22 this will be labelled Croix Violettes as the first parcel will be let go. Also in 22 there will be a new Gevry – La Justice!
A faintly smoky spice offsets the dark berry fruit. That’s rather silky and has fine energy. A little barrel smoke and a hint of tannic grain – but no dryness. A wine with good texture, energy and really excellent dimensions of flavour. Simply excellent again.
2020 Gevrey-Chambertin
As usual the assembly of multiple parcels from the central area of Gevrey.
Faint spice again but here the aromas are augmented with lots of violet-flower aromas. Fresh, wiry muscle, a little extra tannin but without grain. Fresh, juicy, delicious wine – I could drink any of these already but clearly they will not even think of peaking (plateau-ing) for 10 years or so.
2020 Gevrey-Chambertin Cuvée Brunelle
Extra spice really in style of Brunelle but like many wines here suffused with violets. A little softer in style but very fluid and mouth-watering. Lots of sweetness to this fruit – simply gorgeous wine.
The bas is shorthand for villages – the higher part is the 1er cru.
Extra floral wine – more guarded in the bass notes. Again a width of fluid, mouth-watering deliciousness – just a little extra architecture to this wine – that’s why I like it even more than the Brunelle. Bravo!
2020 Gevrey-Chambertin Champs Chenys
At the foot of Charmes-Chambertin
Again very attractively floral. Again some structure but in this case extra depth in the supporting flavours with some licorice in these rather intense flavours. Super wine.
Marginally fainter colours in the Gevreys. A deeper nose – impressively so but still with the open top notes of violets. A first suggestion of reduction but then it’s gone – fluid but concentration balanced with energy – open, fine texture great 1er cru! I love Fontenys but this is an extra great Fontenys.
AWow – certainly not the largest nose but clearly the most perfumed – a great nose. I’m sorry that I keep using the word ‘fluid’ but here we are again – energy, mouth-watering, mobile flavour, beautifully structured without any hard edges – perfect. Bravo!
Old vines – 100-year-old – fortunately in good shape – in the last vintages just 1 barrel – in a vintage with plenty of yield – 1.25 barrels!
A subtle, fine width of aroma – less overtly floral but still quite perfumed. There is much here to compare with the Mazy – just a little extra volume in the mouth. The shape and mouth-watering energy make these wines ultra-accessible today. Bravo.
About 60% of the original 1881 vines remain, but some of the replacements are already old vines in their own right. A place with extremities of heat and cold and dryness – it’s this richness that brings the material…
Not the largest nose but this is the wine with most depth and complexity of aroma in this depth – still floral but clearly a different proposition. Really mouth-filling, framed with very fine but not dry tannin – spiced, mobile flavour, just a hint less juicy today – I’d drink the previous wines without shame today but this would be a shame to drink today – it has everything but you should wait until it’s 20 years old – for your first bottle!
The non-reds:
The only wine missing from the line-up is the aligoté – and that’s because, as usual, it’s already sold-out!
2020 Bourgogne Côte d’Or Blanc
80% pinot blanc in here – 2 parcels one in the commune of Gevrey and the other from Marsannay; ‘it was JF Coche-Dury discussing with my father that had suggested that a little more core, a little more fat could come from planting pinot blanc.’
A more structural nose, citrus, almost lime. Mouth-filling with good energy here. Complex, a little mineral rigour to finish – wait 18-24 months before starting your bottles.
2020 Marsannay Blanc
There are two parcels, Boivin and Champs St.Etienne, for this 100% chardonnay.
A mineral width – interesting, more inviting than the Bourgogne. Hmm, this I like – still a little rigour but here’s a width of mineral flavour accented with ripe but interesting citrus. Modest but tasty finishing. Tasty wine.
2020 Marsannay Rosé
Old vines, over 50 average, from 2 lieu-dits, all pinot – directly pressed from the grapes with the natural colour.
Fresh, red berries boiled sweets and plenty of graphite minerality. Big in the mouth – full of fruit energy – juicy wine – it’s almost too big and delicious. The aromas and first flavours are a little serious today – the rest is just fabulous rosé. Keep it a little while – you won’t be disappointed! “I find this a bit like the 2018 but more concentrated and more expressive” – JP