Clos Vougeot Grand Cru

Dense red-purple, there is a little touch of oak reduction before the iron-like intensity of the fruit bursts through on the nose. In the mouth there are red and black fruits with damsons and bilberries dancing together, a lovely harmony late in the palate, very well integrated tannins and no discordant acidity. Good texture and balance, altogether a very discreet Clos Vougeot which nonetheless radiates class. 
Jasper Morris, MW - Wine Buyer

 

Guyon’s parcel in the Clos is planted north-south, which shades the grapes and gives a fresh style with more tension. Initially rich on entry, with creamy fruit and spice, this almost feels like a Bonnes Mares. There is a noticeable structure as expected from this vineyard, but the overall impression is one of elegance. Drink 2027-2042.
Adam Bruntlett, Wine Buyer

This excellent domaine in Vosne-Romanée has flown under the radar – perhaps because Jean-Pierre Guyon spends so much of his time out in the vineyards, which have been farmed organically since 2006, certified from 2012. With his high-pedigree viticulture as a great starting point, Jean-Pierre can employ whole-bunch fermentation as the stalks are ripe, eschewing the use of sulphur at this stage, though some is added during élevage and at bottling to assure stability. Despite obvious frustration at the small volumes, Jean-Pierre Guyon is delighted with the quality of his 2016s. He describes it as a vintage of great Pinot Noir typicity, which will be greater than 2015, explaining that the wines' saline character will have you reaching for the next glass. As ever, the grapes here were picked a touch later than many estates to ensure the stems were fully ripe. He only bought six new barrels for the entire 2016 crop, so the proportion of new oak is reduced.

There exists Clos Vougeot and Clos Vougeot, Bernstein’s 2017 I am delighted to report, is most definitely the latter. Profound aromatic intensity of pretty florals; violets and lavender some redcurrant and wild strawberry. The purity and delineation is remarkable, great concentration yet nothing is overworked. A plush, satin-like palate where Olivier’s hallmark richness is lifted at the end with a crunchy red fruited lift preceding an impressive length. Truly Grand Cru by origin and breeding.
Jared Ehret - Private Account Manager

Ancient vines situated in prime territory within the Clos, right next door to Etienne de Montille’s vines.  There is a lovely weight to the palate, with what I now know to be characteristic classy fruit from this domaine. There is a lovely succulent richness to it, yet lively. One of a rare breed of Clos Vougeot that has finesse to match the lovely plum fruit.
Matt Tipping – Fine Wine Sales Manager

Made with fruit from En Charlemagne and Le Charlemagne, this has a pale colour with green tints and a smoky, reductive nose. This starts as really backward but the stony minerality soon begins to leap out. Underneath lies a really brilliant wine, and the desired minerals certainly show through.

The domaine has developed its white wine holdings, with four new cuvées this year, arising out of Boisset’s purchase of Vincent Girardin’s business. Girardin had farming arrangements in Puligny- Montrachet, Puligny-Montrachet Champ Gain Premier Cru, Bienvenues-Bâtard- Montrachet Grand Cru and a tiny holding of Chevalier-Montrachet: Monsieur Boisset has now bought these vineyards. As well as these excellent whites, Pierre Vincent considers 2014 to be one of his best red wine vintages, with something in common with 2006 and 2010.

Platinum medal winner at the Decanter World Wine Awards

Bright, fresh purple, the Vougeraie Clos de Vougeot is very tightly wound, with lifted fruit, spice and highquality raspberry notes. There is exactly the right structure behind, just enough to support the fruit which dances across the palate. Pierre Vincent’s fine touch at its best.

The domaine has developed its white wine holdings, with four new cuvées this year, arising out of Boisset’s purchase of Vincent Girardin’s business. Girardin had farming arrangements in Puligny- Montrachet, Puligny-Montrachet Champ Gain Premier Cru, Bienvenues-Bâtard- Montrachet Grand Cru and a tiny holding of Chevalier-Montrachet: Monsieur Boisset has now bought these vineyards. As well as these excellent whites, Pierre Vincent considers 2014 to be one of his best red wine vintages, with something in common with 2006 and 2010.

Thibault thinks that his holding covers all the soil types of Clos de Vougeot: limestone, then red and brown clay, then white clay and silt. The 2014 is a fresh and lifted version of Clos de Vougeot, yet has great intensity. There is deep raspberry fruit, and notable charm.

Thibault has made a fine and elegant range of 2014s, with little sign of the reduction which has sometimes prevailed here in the past. He has employed a fair proportion of whole-bunch fermentation, sending a crack team of pickers into the vineyards ahead of the rest to select the healthiest bunches. Another interest at the moment lies in finding the perfect toasting for his barrels, often choosing a minimal approach. We shall also be making a separate offer of Thibault’s brilliant 2014s from his Moulin à Vent estate.

Jérôme chooses to serve this last, and he is not wrong. Striking, rich purple in colour, with some well-judged oak, this is very dense, with pure, lifted, concentrated, dark red fruit, good acidity. Overall it is very compact, ultra-concentrated, with a pretty, fresh finish. In short, impressive.

Our jovial friend Jérôme Castagnier has excelled himself this year. The promise we picked up on last year has really been delivered in 2014. He says that the wines have lovely flesh but also a beautiful freshness, and notes some similarities to 2010. His generic Burgundies (available on www.bbr.com/burgundy2014) are also excellent.

Berry Bros. & Rudd is delighted to present this spectacular Grand Cru mixed case. Featuring one bottle from each of Bernstein’s illustrious plots, this Grand Cru selection, presented in a hand-crafted wooden box, represents a unique opportunity to taste his 2014 wines.

This case contains one bottle of each of the following:

Charmes-Chambertin, Grand Cru
Clos Vougeot, Grand Cru
Clos de la Roche, Grand Cru
Bonnes-Mares, Grand Cru
Mazis-Chambertin, Grand Cru
Chambertin, Clos-de-Bèze, Grand Cru
Chambertin, Grand Cru

Glowing purple in colour, the nose has a sense of majesty to it, with huge intensity: it’s absolutely bounding out of the glass. The palate demonstrates a massive weight of rich, dark red fruit, though we cannot see all the detail yet. However everything suggests that this will prove to be a fabulous example of Clos de Vougeot.
Jasper Morris MW, Burgundy Wine Director

Etienne Grivot describes his 2012s as having glamour on top of the sophistication of 2010. He notes also the generosity of fruit married to perfect acidity in 2012. It was no hardship tasting our way through his range. One minor added sophistication in the Grivot cellar is an amendment to his barrel regime – he now specifies an extra long chauffe to his barrels, though without going beyond his usual medium toast. High prices but fabulous quality.

The Lamarches own three plots, and having experimented, Nicole likes to use all three in the blend. The 2012 has lovely fruit and a great deal of energy, beautifully proportioned right across the palate, the fruit goes right to the back. Very good indeed.
Jasper Morris MW, Burgundy Wine Director

Nathalie Lamarche recalls that the harvest began on 22nd September with acceptable yields in the Vosne-Romanée vineyards, about the same as for 2011. In vinification Nicole Lamarche uses a small proportion of whole bunches, while the amount of new wood in the barrel cellar has been reduced to a maximum of 50% for the Grands Crus. This is the best selection of wines that Nicole Lamarche has produced since taking control of the winemaking in 2007. In short, a really fine range.

We discovered Jean-Pierre Guyon’s amazing wines a couple of years ago. This is a domaine worth discovering, producing intense wines with layers of complexity waiting to unfold. There is no question about the concentration here in 2014 – these are certainly wines for keeping.

Ancient vines make a real difference here. The colour is a dense black-purple, and the nose is really concentrated. The wine has broad shoulders but a slim waist, with a touch more oak, but only in a supporting role. There is a real sweetness through the middle and then a crunchy, dark-fruit finish. This will develop into an impressive Clos de Vougeot.

Rich purple in colour, this has a powerful but very backward nose because of the late malolactic fermentation. As ever this is a very muscular Clos Vougeot from the Grand Maupertuis part of the vineyard, with a huge weight of rich red and black fruit; very dense with mineral crunch behind. Drink 2025-2038.
Jasper Morris MW, Wine Buyer

Jérôme Castagnier is the Guide Hachette’s Burgundian vigneron of the year for 2017 and has been shortlisted for young vigneron of the year in the region’s own awards, so it is all happening for him. He began picking his 2015s on September 9th and finished on Saturday 12th before the rain that fell later that day. This year he has used one-third whole bunches for his village wines and the Crus, and in the last two years has refined his barrel regime so that the wood has less impact on the wine. Note that the malolactic fermentation was only just finishing when we tasted and this may have impacted the bouquets.

Very dense purple with a bright, energetic nose, this has some bramble fruit and dark cherry notes. The wine is very tightly knit yet beautifully rich. While creamy, thick, dark fruits roll gently across the palate and the tannins show a fine, ripe and rounded personality, this 2014 Clos Vougeot is quite backward and quite firmly structured, with good, clean acidity defining the finish. The Berry Bros. & Rudd team consider this Olivier’s finest Clos Vougeot to date.
Jasper Morris, MW - Wine Buyer

This is a wine of immense potential but it is rather raw at the moment and will certainly need decanting. Underneath the reductive elements, the fruit is superlatively rich, sumptuous yet also stylish, with dark fruit notes, weight and yet excellent structure.
Jasper Morris MW, Burgundy Director