Tasted in Gevrey-Chambertin with Pierre-Jean Roty – pictured in his Gevrey-Brunelle – 22 November 2023.
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
Without either a website or Instagram, here’s a domaine that let their wines do the talking for them. As every year the Rotys of Gevrey work in their own way, which means they like to show wines when they are bottled so more market-ready – so no 2022s here, rather the 2021s!
Pierre-Jean on the recent vintages:
“We pruned short in 2023 and were happy to have done that – there was no green harvesting needed here – also a vintage with significant triage but aromatically the wines already look very interesting – we stay content – two vintages also with ‘honourable’ volumes. 11.5° to over 14° was the result but with very acceptable pHs.
“2021 was bottled March-April this year. Of course, it’s a small volume vintage here – half a harvest. We still made a little rosé but not much in this vintage – it returns with a little more volume in the 22s. The 21s here were most affected in the ‘smaller’ appellations – we had a decent number of grapes in the Côteaux Bourguignons but they were small grapes… Overall about 12° and a bit more, all natural…”
NB: Ex-Domaine pricing is unchanged versus 2020!
The wines…
A super range of 2021s – with multiple great wines that are worth your time to search for – was it ever any other result? Bravo!
2021 Côteaux Bourguignons
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.
Pretty and vibrant red fruit. Super width and an incisive acidity – but not too sharp – nicely perfumed in the finish. Yum!
From vines in two Marsannay Rosé parcels which are being promoted to Marsannay rouge, but declassified here. Labelled Côte d’Or since 2020.
Hmm, a darker berry fruit which is ‘alive!’ More sinuous, beautifully textured and intense – great Bourgogne – bravo!
All from the bottom of Gevrey.
A wider, fuller, more granular complexity – that’s super inviting! Sleek, direct – more minimalist but with great extra length and finishing power – still a suggestion of barrel here but that’s probably lost in another 12 months – these 21s won’t be commercial for at least another 6 months anyway…
The domaine has 8.5 hectares in Marsannay – more infos on Marsannay and there (proposed!) 1er Crus can be found at the ODG Website:
2021 Marsannay
Including some parcels that are candidates for 1er cru – 6 in all
More airy but it has good direction and fine high tones – faintly spiced too. Hmm, this melts across the palate – more mineral with fine dark fruit and lovely texture. I love this.
2021 Marsannay Champs St.Etienne
One of the lieu-dits with the oldest history, of 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.
A little less colour. A little rounder nose – faintly spiced red fruit again. Calmer, slightly softer, soft red fruit – but large scale in the middle and finish where it’s got a saline accent. This saline-accented finish goes very long too.
2021 Marsannay Ouzeloy
Roughly 60-years-old on average but some vines are nearer 90…
A little extra colour again. An airy width of darker red fruit – with nice focus and a growing floral dimension. Intense, good width. A wine of lithe muscle that I would keep 5-10 years – it’s a beauty!
From the heart of the appellation. The only example in the domaine of goblet style pruning – 5 arms – slowly moving to a more Y-shaped pruning ‘that respects the flow of the sap’
Plenty of colour for a 2021. Hmm – that’s a lovely, much more perfumed, width of aroma – yes! Yes – multi-dimensional flavour energy – lots of acidity but in a very juicy style – that’s great!
2021 Marsannay Clos de Jeu
Close to the heart of the appellation!
Also a captivating nose – airy again with faintly soft red fruit – more fruit than flowers for this one. Supple, a hint of extra depth to this flavour – lots of mineral energy in this flavour. A beauty – the lingering flavour almost chewy and faintly chalky!
2021 Côte de Nuits Villages
Normally from one lieu-dit but this vintage it’s two – ‘for this year only!’ – the high part of this cuvee was vines around the house of Philippe Roty which has been sold – so these vines will also go. So it’s all Croix Violette moving forward. They had a little hail in the higher part in 2021 too.
Darker fruit and more spiced too. Lovely texture – a fine width, not a powerful wine but one that slowly ingrains its flavour into the palate – elegant and completely delicious.
2021 Gevrey-Chambertin
An extra parcel in this – ‘also just for 2021′ – some La Justice will be separated and bottled in 2022.
A little harder and more direct aromas of darker red fruit but still with some growing violet notes – I’m anticipating structure, so let’s see. Supple, a small cushion – not hard or structured here – just mouth-filling and delicious – the tannin that frames these flavours has no grain. It’s a beautiful villages, the finish, slightly chalky textured!
2021 Gevrey-Chambertin Champs Chenys
At the foot of Charmes-Chambertin
A darker nose with a hint of reduction that blows away to reveal a more open and redder-shaped aroma. Silky, more concentrated, a texture that’s more velour than silk – but intermediate. A slowly fading fine flavour surrounded by faint structure – lingering beautifully…
2021 Gevrey-Chambertin Cuvée Brunelle
Broader, a bit of oak showing but this is complex and really inviting. An open wine that eases over the palate growing more complex and more intense in the last flavours. A calm and delicious style.
2021 Gevrey-Chambertin Clos Prieur Bas
The bas is shorthand for villages – the higher part is the 1er cru.
Ooh – higher, more focused, tones that are also lightly floral – not a large perfume but still a beautiful one. Mouth-filling, a small shimmer of tannin framing the flavour – no grain. Structure but nothing that would dissuade me from drinking it today!
2021 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Fontenys
A narrow nose, faintly floral – not fully expressive today. Silky, more direct and structural. There’s also more intensity and a little spice and salinity in this complex finishing flavour too. Always a favourite and a wine for keeping from here.
2021 Mazy-Chambertin
1918 vines in the bas section next to the road – similar planting age to their Griotte.
Another slightly smaller nose – but with a deep, dark, complexity of aroma. Extra depth, extra (but still fresh) ripeness of fruit too. That sits wonderfully well on the palate – extra everything – including deliciousness 😊
Old vines – over 100-year-old and fortunately in good shape – in the last vintages just 1 barrel – in a vintage with plenty of yield – 1.25 barrels!
Much more open and expressive nose today – fine cherry fruit with floral characters too. Round but not soft, there is structure here and such delicious flavour too – this is a great one – no simple, easy wine at this address in 2021. 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…’
A smaller but finely focused nose. Now that starts direct – growing wider over the palate as the hyper-complex flavour melts and fills all the space in the mouth. The structure and faint grain of tannin is slightly more visible in the middle but almost invisible in the finish. It will be great – as it usually is – but wait 20-25 years if you want the next level of performance. Bravo!
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!
Old vines, over 50 average, from 2 lieu-dits, all pinot – directly pressed from the grapes with the natural colour.
All pinot, direct (lightly) pressed – the maceration is only a couple of hours. That’s got a pretty red cushion as an aroma. Hmm, silky, still structured wine. As complete a rosé pinot as you will ever find. That’s great, great rosé!
2021 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 wider nose – citrus zest aromas almost orange/mandarin. In the mouth too – this is clean, direct and deliciously zesty flavoured wine. It’s really a beauty.
2021 Marsannay Blanc
There are two parcels, Boivin and Champs St.Etienne, for this 100% chardonnay.
Made from 2 parcels – Boivin and Champs St.Etienne the latter Roy are the only producer with chardonnay right now.
Deeper, fuller aromatic. In the mouth more enveloping, fine energy and extra sweetness of fruit – here is more in a ripe pear style fruit but my style preference runs more to the zesty Bourgogne.