Tasted with Jean-Marie Chapier & Julien Millet in Gevrey-Chambertin 25 November 2022.
Domaine Les Astrelles
1, route de Saint Philibert
21220 Gevrey Chambertin
Tel: +33 3 80 33 46 03
More reports with Domaine Pierre Naigeon
“We want some poetry in this harsh world – we want the echo of the vintage!”
Bravo Julien for that!
The name is new but the faces are familiar. With the 2021 vintage, this domaine, once Pierre Naigeon, will now be found with the name Domaine Les Astrelles – it’s the first vintage where all the work was their own, hence, the timing of the change.
Julien on 2022 and 2021:
“2021 is a very small vintage – first the frost and then the disease – mildew and oïdium – but we are enjoying the classic style of the vintage. In 2022 we had volume – 80% of our cuvées were at the volume limit and (because of that) we didn’t use any stems as they add 30% to the volume in the tanks – we had no space for that! It’s a vintage that seemed meagre to start but after the harvest the depth of the wines was much more impressive.”
The wines…
Some excellent wines – a Bourgogne and Gevrey marathon – the domaine that takes the prize for having the highest number of Bourgognes in 2021 – possibly Gevreys too! Clearly not all the elevage was complete but here we have a range that is more than very good – typically excellent and with a few jewels that are worth your time for a special search. Well done Les Astrelles!
Everything is already bottled – done just before the harvest, as there is limited space for having two vintages sitting together:
40% gamay.
Round, attractive, generous aromatics. Supple – fine juicy, long, wine with very good flavour depth. Faintly floral and very attractive finishing. Just a beautiful shape – bravo!
2021 Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Nuits
From the same lieu-dit as the previous wine.
An extra width of aroma. There’s a bit more of a tannic rasp here – but the fruit flavour and freshness are still completely delicious. The finishing flavour is top-level. I find this an excellent wine.
2021 Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Nuits Petite Vigne
Just above the Riotte in the Hautes Côtes
A little more depth and faint oak – there’s some appealing sweetness here. The flavour showing some reduction and a granular tannin but seemingly completely ripe as there’s no dryness. Fine intensity and a little chalky finishing. Another delicious thing…
2021 Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Nuits Les Martennes
A redder width of cushioned fruit. More mouth-filling and much more energetic – a vibrant, almost dynamic, wine, finshing with a little salinity too. Broad and appealing – so far the average quality here is very high!
2021 Bourgogne Maladière
The grapes from here and the following were blended in 2020. Vines in the commune of Chambolle
A narrower nose – some fine high tones but a little less expressive. Broad, engaging, vibrant, slightly of CO2 but with nice flavour energy here.
2021 Bourgogne Athets
Also from the commune of Chambolle
A cushioned red fruit width. Like the nose, in the mouth there’s a rounder expression – direct finishing – it’s a bit more incisive here. Still with a fine and floral finish.
2021 Bourgogne Combe
In the commune of Flagey not far from the Clos de Vougeot
Freshness and depth. Extra width – more gas in this one again which adds to the tannin impression – but it’s broad and clean finishing.
2021 Bourgogne Grand Champs
From the bottom of Gevrey across the road from Crais
Bright cherry aromatics here. Broad across the palate but with some direct intensity too – more overtly intense finishing than the previous. Lovely again
2021 Gevrey-Chambertin Croix des Champs
The first vintage for this one – the grapes having previously been sold.
The cherry aromatics of the last but with a more impressive depth of aroma too. Supple, a little extra generosity – a hint of finishing barrel but this is completely delicious.
2021 Gevrey-Chambertin
A blend of parcels in 21 – Meix Bas & Regniard
Higher-toned aromatics for this one. Extra width, less depth – but a vibrant intensity to this tasty line of flavour. Lovely wine.
2021 Gevrey-Chambertin Marchais
Opposite Lavaux and Clos St.Jacques
A little less colour. Modestly reductive aromatics. A little gas develops the tannin more. Very pretty red fruit in this finish and a little more minerality too.
2021 Gevrey-Chambertin Les Crais
It’s a big vineyard (26 hectares) with a lot of limestone – always harvested first by us as there’s a lack of water here and the grapes can turn very quickly.
Broad, forward and a little reductive. Gas. An open style to the red flavour, finishing with a pretty structure and very open panorama – not much intensity today but its finish holds well.
2021 Gevrey-Chambertin Creux Brouillard
The ‘foggy hole!’ An assembly of 5 different small parcels.
There’s some intensity here – the aromas with plenty of high tones and a little wood. Easy and wide over the palate – the flavour very much more attractive than the nose and finishing very well indeed – this is excellent.
2021 Gevrey-Chambertin en Pallud
Near Mazis and Perrières
Extra freshness – more open structured aromatics – lovely. That is beautifully and architecturally structured wine – it will benefit from a little patience. A frame of shimmering and intense flavour. Super wine but give it a little time in the cellar. Excellent!
2021 Gevrey-Chambertin En Vosne
Next to Brochon
A direct nose. This is the most overt with some barrel notes. Mouth-filling, and with a good length – a granular complexity that’s relaxed and long. Very tasty again despite the oak complexity.
2021 Gevrey-Chambertin En Sylvie
Extra impact and ripeness of the red fruit. The texture is impressive – as is the concentration – velvety in style. And very juicy finishing. A very generous and attractive wine.
Opposite the Creux
Here a very complex nose – the impression of stems and spice despite no wc. Broad, structural, über-complex – the quality of complexity of a 1er cru. Top but be patient.
2021 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Lavaux St.Jacques
The coolest part, next to Varoilles
A fine and transparent aromatic – that’s a beauty. Supple, extra silky – a bit less energy than the last but still enough. A supple and really good wine.
2021 Mazis-Chambertin
From the higher part next to Ruchottes. A tiny volume in 2021…
A broad and powerful quite silky nose but not fully open. Supple again, lots of concentration. There’s a vibrant energy and flavour intensity here. Impressively persistent finishing – needing to open out a bit more but this is certainly an excellent Mazis.
2021 Nuits St.Georges Plateaux
Also another tiny volume, the vines in the centre of Nuits.
A width of red fruit that, like the last two could open out a little and become more transparent. In the mouth it’s open and energetic, framed with a small grain of tannin and with a fine and clean finishing complexity – it just needs to open out a little and it will be excellent…
Here is a nose that is properly open and shows a fine clarity, even a little floral component. For the level of wine, this is a great wine – properly structured but completely delicious. Bravo!
2021 Fixin Olivier
A full nose but with a lot of barrel at this stage. Great shape – really mouth-filling and mouth-watering. The oak is additive in the finish – quite a fine Fixin – suave and delicious.
Near the church of Fissey
A width of freshness here – attractive and less visible oak too. Large scale in the mouth – open and beautifully attractive – that’s a great villages.
2021 Fixin 1er Les Arvelets
‘With a perfect Kimmerigian soil!’
Good breadth of aroma and a fine floral accent too. Direct, fine intensity – the tannin modest but present – the scale of the last wine and a fine, sustained, length of finish. This is super but not a massive higher step vs the Herbues which was great villages.
Les Whites:
2021 Côteaux Bourguignone En Orveaux
Ooh – bright, vibrant and faintly floral. Supple, sweet and with good energy – perhaps a hint of extra sweetness from the pinot Gris (20%!) but the finish is very good.
2021 Bourgogne Aligoté La Mouille
From Fixin – the malo is still ongoing – only 60% finished!
Super attack, and really vibrant flavour. This is far too refreshing already today – yum!
2021 Bourgogne Aligoté La Riotte
From the Haute Côtes
An attractive reduction in this case – this is a great invitation. Good fresh scale in the mouth – even a little exotic fruit in the flavour. Tasty but I prefer the previous even without the malo finished!
2021 Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Nuits Les Martennes
All the HC parcels add up to about 8 hectares.
Broad and fresh – I like the vibrancy of this flavour. The width is impressive – like the nose – a little mineral rigour here – I think a tiny reductive element that’s contributing to that too. I like the form and finish but today prefer the aligotés which are simply excellent!