I plan to visit domaine CHICOTOT in NUITS coming spring. Since I have no experience whatsoever with their wines anyone out there to give some advice? I got hold of an allocation containing Les Saint Georges, Vaucrains, Pruliers and Saint Julien. This last wine because of the fantastic memories I have from the cuvée made by DANIEL BOCQUENET.
The modest response to the question is already delivering the answer: CHICOTOT is not a household name. Neither Alan Meadows, nor William Kelley and Neal Martin write about the domaine. Only BETTANE & DESSAUVE awarded CHICOTOT 3 stars. Steen Öhman did write about the domaine but considered the style a bit too robust for his taste. Without any help from my friends I’ll have to find the answer on my own.
Johan, the last time I had a Chicotot wine was from either the late 80’s (maybe 1988?) and I think 1990, so my thoughts wouldn’t be much value to you. There was nothing special about it, but I do remember drinking it.
Some reviews and a write up form me are coming out in a few weeks, Johan!
Clément Chicotot is doing some very ambitious vineyard work: permaculture, no/minimal hedging, etc, and seems to put the hours in in the vineyards. When tasting the wines, the quality of the raw materials is evident, so the only way is up. I would expect you’ll be hearing more about this address in the years to come.
Another you should put on your radar is Pierrick Bouley.
Last July enjoyable visit to Domaine Chicotot. Pascale’s hosting was exemplary. Long tasting dew to detailed explanations and varied bottling on top of the 2019 current vintage available for me.
All 2019 NSG 1er are very good, Les Vaucrains on top. Ordered a case.
Good tasting visit choice, you will like it.
I’ve visited on and off for a number of years, Johan. On my first visit I’d assumed that, given their position on the main road through Nuits, that it would be a bit of tourist trap. The wines are certainly priced higher than the average but the quality makes up for it. Lots of whole-clusters used in the vinifications - if that’s your thing - but done to an exceedingly good level of sophistication. I keep going back because they are very good…
I tasted some of his 2020s during a visit with him in November.
Whilst I didn’t taste the full range, I found the wines to reflect some of the extremes of the vintage, with a good amount of cooked fruit flavors/aromas, and a certain lack of precision/freshness. As a generality, NSG was particularly affected in this regard; this is both informed from my personal tasting as well as reading the input from Jasper Morris.
That being said, it was clear to me that he is quite committed to maximizing his efforts in the vineyard, and in reintroducing an element of polyculture, which I found to be quite commendable. He is also a bit of a non-conformist/independent thinker, which will serve him well, I believe.
Definitely an address to watch, as I am sure that good things will continue to come…
i remember purchasing the 1983 and 1985 vintages from a Georges Chicotot domaine. They were big, bulky, quite impressive wines if I remember right. Any relation?