Question about La Tache and Les Gaudichots

Rob_MacKay · January 31, 2011, 6:51pm

I’ve recently come across conflicting information about Les Gaudichots vs La Tache. Can someone give me some clarification on these points (true or false) and provide some additional information?

Les Gaudichots is a very small vineyard (~2 acres) that used to be part of La Tache.
Sometimes, fruit from the actual La Tache vineyard is sold and bottled as Les Gaudichots.

Anything else of significant interest about these two vineyards worth noting?

Thanks in advance.

billnanson · January 31, 2011, 7:17pm

The other way around. Gaudichots used to be a big vineyard and La Tache a tiny one. But much of Gaudichots was also sold as La Tache - most maps still show ‘Gaudichots ou La Tache’. All that was previously sold as La Tache, was owned/bought by DRC and only takes the name La Tache now (there was a bit of legal fisticuffs in the early 1900s to allow this). It (Gaudichots) is now (I think) three very tiny vineyards, none are connected but all touch on La Tache,

Nope - not in Living memory. DRC did sell a Gaudichots but that was before they won the court case/bought the tiny original La Tache from Liger-Belair who lost the that court-case…

That of-course is a quick and dirty summary, Allen’s recent book probably has 4 or 5 pages to cover that…

Rob_MacKay · January 31, 2011, 7:19pm

So would it be safe to say that Les Gaudichots could be called the "poor man’s la tache’?

I assume a lot of that would depend on the producer, etc… but the terrior can’t be that much different can it?

Bill_Klapp_deactivated · January 31, 2011, 7:27pm

I would definitely say “poor man’s”. I think that Potel and Le Moine both make a Gaudichots, and perhaps somebody else, but even in the best vintages, they never even remotely measure up to La Tache. I have always wondered if Aubert de Villaine vinified a separate Gaudichots , whether it would give La Tache a run for the money…

billnanson · January 31, 2011, 7:28pm

Still has to be quite a rich ‘poor man’ Rob ;o)
Good as they are, no-one positions the available Gaudichots (not even Etienne de Montille’s) on the level of La Tache, but probably better than most Echézeaux…

Rob_MacKay · January 31, 2011, 7:37pm

I do have a couple of bottles of the 03 Potel Les Gaudichots and one 03 Domaine Forey Père et Fils Les Gaudichots and doing a little curious research about the vineyard led to these questions.

Ian_Dorin · January 31, 2011, 7:38pm

Montille makes Gaudichots??? I think you are crossing that up with Malconsorts.

Regis Forey makes Gaudichots too, but the wine is nothing in the class of most Grand Cru wines, let alone la Tache.

I was always under the impression that the Potel Gaudichots (which is now Le Moine) IS vinified by DRC. Not true???

Ian_Dorin · January 31, 2011, 7:38pm

From experience, hold the Forey till 2013. I think there is a lot more behind the wine.

billnanson · January 31, 2011, 7:54pm

oops - you got me Ian ;o) but that one is also a bump in LT. It was Dujac that got the Gaudichots from that deal - but don’t isolate it.
DRC grapes, or must, or wine in barrel - a mix of urban myth and producers smiling, but saying nothing…

Claude_Kolm · January 31, 2011, 8:54pm

It was from the portion of Gaudichots that Charles Thomas owned and then sold to Forey.

Add on edit: I usually do not disclose negociant sources, but since the link here is broken on both sides, I see no harm in disclosing it.

R.Oesterle · January 31, 2011, 10:37pm

Proportion;Sorry for the wood floor. this Map have les Gaudichotes 7 Parcels.

Nick_Gangas · February 1, 2011, 2:50am

and here we go again.

Gerhard_P · February 1, 2011, 8:52am

Most of what is written above is correct.

However - I´ll try to give an overview:

“La Tâche” originally was only 1.43 ha - owned by the Liger-Belair family

“Les Gaudichots” was originally some 5.72 ha (actual figures differ a bit) … and has often been declared as “La Tâche”, “Tâche-Gaudichots”, “Tâche-Romanée” etc. - owned by several proprietors, incl. Duvault-Blochet, Liger-Belair, Lausseure, Colcombet and Regnier.

The Domaine de la Romanee-Conti (created in 1911) bought up most of Gaudichots bit by bit …

In 1932 Les Gaudichots was granted the right to be sold as La Tâche …

In 1933 Liger-Belair had to put up La Tâche (and La Romanée upon other vineyards) at auction … LT was bought by the DRC (LR bought back by Liger-Belair)

In 1936 La Tâche was classified Grand Cru, incorporating 4.63 ha of Les Gaudichots (ou La Tâche) … the eventual size being 6.06 ha

Of the remaining three parcels “Les Gaudichots” 1.03 ha were classified as Premier Cru, 0.05.? ha as Vosne-Romanee Village (Pierre Hudelot).

Some tiny vineyard exchanges between La Tache (DRC), La Grande Rue (Lamarche) and Les Gaudichots (both) occured in the 1950ies … to create continuous parcels …

The Gaudichots-parcel owned by Lamarche was incorporated into “La Grande Rue” in 1992 and both classified as Grand Cru with a new total surface of 1.65 ha.

At present there are 4 proprietors of Les Gaudichots (surface some 0.80 ha): Forey, Dujac, Machard de Gramont (Pierre Hudelot) and DRC.

I have seen “Les Gaudichots”-bottlings by
DRC (1929) (seen label only)
Forey
Vigot-Battault
Machard de Gramont
Nicolas Potel
Lucien LeMoine (not tasted)
Maison Clavelier (not tasted)

“Les Gaudichots” the “poor mans La Tâche” ?

All Gaudichots I have tasted were typical Vosne-Romanées, but far from being on any Grand Cru-level, often with a certain hard astringent edge to them … the Gramont-bottling quite light …
with ONE exception:
N.Potels 2002 VR “Les Gaudichots” was a really outstanding wine which could compete with a less fine La Tache vintage (let´s say with 2000), but certainly not with a top-vintage … I´ve rated it 93 points in (about) 2005.
I own 2003, but haven´t tasted it.
Not tasted the LeMoine-bottling so far.

Gerhard

billnanson · February 1, 2011, 10:31am

I bought 6 of the Potel 02 Gerhard.

Only one drunk a few years ago - not quite the class of the original barrel tasting and behind the 1er Cru Duvault-Blochet of that year when opened side-by-side. Still, next year, when it’s 10yo I’m sure bottle number two will be fun ;o)

R.Oesterle · February 1, 2011, 10:50am

The Domaine de la Romanee-Conti (created in 1911) bought up most of Gaudichots bit by bit …

1834,1839 and 1859

Gerhard_P · February 1, 2011, 12:15pm

Roman, YES … and in 1862 and 1866 (that was Mme. Duvault-Blochet) …

… but the DRC of course continued to purchase other parcels, so that less than 1 ha was eventually left to other proprietors in 1936.

Admitted: I wasn´t completely clear above.

Rob_MacKay · February 1, 2011, 4:09pm

Thanks for the great info.

Ray.Tuppa_sch · February 1, 2011, 4:21pm

I’m sure it would. Old Gaudichots can definitely give La Tache from the same vintage a run for the money.

maureen_nelson · February 1, 2011, 6:35pm

Potel’s 1999 is also quite excellent - have you had it, Gerhard?

Nick_Gangas · February 1, 2011, 10:39pm

Thanks for the clarity Gerhard. OK several questions arise. First, What does Dujac do with their Gaudichots ? Second, does DRC put theirs into the premier cru ? Finally, where does Le Moine get their juice ?

Tasting notes Maureen ?