Tasted with Justine Clerget in Vougeot, 01 December 2023.

Domaine Christian Clerget
10, Ancienne-Route-Nationale
21640 Vougeot
Tel: +33 3 80 62 87 37
www.christianclerget-vins.fr
More reports with Domaine Christian Clerget

Justine on 2023:
“In 2023 we actually had a bit less volume than in 2022 – there were plenty of grapes but there was even more triage. There was a bit of everything to remove -but in the end, we are happy with what we have in the barrels!”

Justine on 2022:
“It was an early harvest; I started on 25 August but we needed only 5 days so we also finished in August – with 30 pickers. I’m very happy with these lovely wines – I prefer the quality of 22 to 23 at least at this stage of the elevage. You can say that 2022 had quite favourable conditions for working organically – it was quite easy in this vintage. Across the domaine, we saw 42 hl/ha – 2 more than in 2023.”

The wines…

Always tasty, honest interpretation of their plots – lovely wines in 2022 from Justine and team.

Planning to bottle not before the spring – it’s 18 months elevage here for the reds:

2022 Bourgogne Pinot Noir
From one parcel on the other side of the road from the Clos de Vougeot, and one in the commune of Vosne-Romanée. Of course, it could be labelled Côte d’Or if they wanted…
A hint of reduction but here is clean, forward, attractive fruit. Hmm, an incisive quality but broad and intense – for keeping a while but it will be lovely.

2022 Chambolle-Musigny
The biggest cuvée of the domaine – 2 hectares of vines, a mix of over 10 small parcels.
This nose is wider, more open, with a veneer of creamy oak. Hmm, just a mm of cushion but still juicily mouth-watering – juicy but concentrated – ‘and we extracted very lightly too!’ Super wine again.

2022 Vosne-Romanée Les Violettes
Next to the Clos de Vougeot and Echézeaux – planted in 1946, with only a few replacements in here.
A wide but also much deeper nose. Mouth-filling, with a texture of velour. Large scale in the mouth but needs to open out more to provide the same amount of precision as the last Chambolle – but there’s extra weight here – it has time. Super on its own…

2022 Vougeot 1er Les Petits Vougeots
Vines that sit just under the Clos de la Perrière.
Hmm – that’s got a panoramic width and such an appealing, airy aromatic. A little rounder, again with a velour texture. Tons of extra perfumed, almost fumé, flavour melting from this core of concentration. Really elegant in the finish. I love it – simply excellent wine!

2022 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Les Charmes
One part of this cuvée is just across from Les Amoureuses, plus 3 other small parcels.
Starting with more depth and fine extra, slightly spiced, complexities but a little less width here – but growing with air to fill the glass and slowly adding the expected floral notes. Hmm, this holds a lovely shape in the mouth, faintly sweeter and more concentrated but a little less open than the Vougeot – but with beautiful texture – that’s going to be a classy Charmes

2022 Echézeaux
From Combe d’Orveau, just behind the Clos de Vougeot – planted in 1946 by Justine’s grandfather.
A tighter nose – but with depth of course as there’s a small reduction. Expansive over the palate – the texture of the domaine in this vintage – velour. The finishing intensity – that beam of pure finishing flavour – is clearly on a higher level. Very classy wine, a little shy today but you won’t be disappointed. Super wine!

And the Blanc:

2022 Morey St.Denis Les Crais
Barrel fermented – one year of elevage – it’s currently racked en masse – for bottling in the next weeks.
That’s quite a large and fresh nose -some crystalline citrus, faintly exotic but delivered with precision and freshness. Large in the mouth, ultra-fine tannin frames the flavour – a flavour that has a lovely finishing intensity. I think this is very good.