MY FIRST VISIT TO BURGUNDY: CLAVELIER, DUJAC, BACHELET - Côte de Nuits, Burgundy, France (10/9/2009)
These are tasting notes and other comments from my first visit to Burgundy. This was a very short visit of only a couple days but I was lucky enough to get appointments with three spectacular domaines, namely: Domaine Bruno Clavelier, Domaine Dujac, and Domaine Denis Bachelet. I happened to be there shortly after harvest and was extremely pleased to get responses from these domains. Several others I contacted were not able to accommodate visits but of course that is understandable as it was probably the busiest time of the year. I expected these to be thrilling visits and they actually exceeded my expectations. At each domaine my party was graciously invited into the cellar by the owner to taste several wines and to discuss their philosophy. My French is non-existent so I am supremely gracious to these individuals for taking the time to communicate in English. I am definitely going to get a grasp for French before my next visit. These notes were taken down in the cellars while holding a glass in one hand, pen and paper in the other, and discussing the wines at the same time. Please take the notes and scores as casual observations.
Domaine Bruno Clavelier
This was the first domaine we visited and it could not have been a more interesting experience. Bruno Clavelier greeted us at the cellar door and after a quick tour of the facilities we found the tasting room in the back of the cellar and dove into some bottles. We progressed through a handful of wines and were then joined by four other visitors from England and France. They were apparently long time customers of the domaine and were exceedingly charming, especially in helping to translate some harder concepts. As we went through the flight of wines I found the topic that Bruno was most enthusiastic to discuss was his vineyards. The types of soils, the fossils, the rocks, the situation of the vines, how the weather characteristics affected the vineyards through the year, and other such topics. I found it very inspirational that the vineyards are truly his passion and that he feels winemaking should be very transparent to give the best expression of those vineyards. A few interesting tidbits gleaned while discussing recent vintages: 2007 had 127 days between flowering and harvest while 2003 had 85, and they are now harvesting on average one month earlier than in the old days. Bruno has a very broad portfolio and that combined with his winemaking style really demonstrates the impact that terroir has on wine.
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2008 Domaine Bruno Clavelier Chardonnay - France, Burgundy
Starting off with a white, this is very refreshing with lemon zest, minerals, and a degree of nuttiness. Simply great for this appellation (or lack thereof), I believe Bruno said it comes from a vineyard east of the N74 below the train tracks. (88 pts.) -
2007 Domaine Bruno Clavelier Vosne-Romanée La Combe Brûlée - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée
Bruno stated this vineyard is shale and limestone, and he had some fossils on display from his plot here. Wonderful aromas and flavors of spices and red berries, has good power and acidity giving attractive balance to the wine. The tannins seem to be a bit astringent on the finish. A solid village that should reward cellaring. (89 pts.) -
2007 Domaine Bruno Clavelier Vosne-Romanée Les Hautes-Maizières - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée
This seems more rustic than the Combe Brûlée with red berries, currant, underbrush, and spices. Fruity and spicy with more present tannins and an interesting mineral note on the finish. Very good, balanced but firm. This vineyard has more clay which likes more heat during the growing season. I find the two villages presented were qualitatively neck and neck but with very different personalities. (89 pts.) -
2007 Domaine Bruno Clavelier Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Aux Brulees - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru
Very subtle nose with gorgeous black cherries and flowers. Elegant cherry fruit on the palate with great balance and tannins adding good structure. Interesting soy finish. This is so elegant yet so complex, the step up in quality here is not so much from power but actually from the delicacy and nuance. (92 pts.) -
2007 Domaine Bruno Clavelier Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaux Monts - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru
This is more powerful all around with notes of raspberry and sweet soy. The palate is concentrated with rich fruit and solid tannins. Actually somewhat brutish and in obvious need of time but with quite a lot of potential. (92 pts.) -
2007 Domaine Bruno Clavelier Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru La Combe d’Orveau - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru
What a delicate perfumed nose, just wafts of subtle berries and mineral essence. Fresh and soft but still structured, this has a captivating lacy texture. Sweet berry flavors with tremendous almost powdered mineral tone. The finish is long and profound, just dripping with mineral character. Wow this is an extremely good wine. I think the proximity of this vineyard to Musigny is pretty apparent. (93 pts.) -
2007 Domaine Bruno Clavelier Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Les Corbeaux - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
Very berry driven on the nose with meat and herb nuances to the fruit. Similar notes carry over to the palate, which is finessed, but probably the most rustically structured of the wines tasted. (90 pts.) -
2007 Domaine Bruno Clavelier Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Aux Cras - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru
This wine is intriguingly darker in tone than the other wines tasted. The nose is just crazy with licorice, cassis, and dark berries. The dark fruit carries over to the palate which is firmly structured with ripe tannins. This provides amazing contrast with some of the other wines, such individuality. (93 pts.) -
2007 Domaine Bruno Clavelier Corton-Le Rognet - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Corton Grand Cru
Quite a delicate nose with red fruits like cherry and raspberry combined with pleasant earthiness. Surprisingly open on the palate with soft texture, superb layers of red fruit, and a long profound finish. This wine seems to mirror the soft soils with its complexity, texture, and minerality. Very profound because of the approachable texture combined with solid structure. (93 pts.)
Domaine Dujac
We were greeted in the courtyard by Carole who showed us to the living room of the domaine where we were joined shortly thereafter by Alec Seysses. This visit was the most in depth in terms of discussing the actual work they do in the vineyards and in the cellars. The reason being Alec spoke perfect English and it was very easy to convey the concepts. We began by visiting a row of vines right next to the domaine where we discussed their methods of training, pruning, sorting and selection in the vineyards, etc. We then moved onto the cuverie where we saw the different types of vats used and discussed the general winemaking philosophy. I came away with the impression that the winemaking is very hands off with gentle techniques aimed at preserving the purity and elegance of the fruit. One thing pointed out was the tendency for Dujac wines to be somewhat pale in color. Alec stated they have no problem sacrificing some color if it means they can use less extraction and get more purity, delicacy, and transparency out of the wines. I find this philosophy very refreshing. We then headed down to the cellars to taste some wine amid what looked like quite a bit of activity. As we were tasting the wines we discussed various topics that seemed important such as premox, biodynamics, and pricing, but by the time we got to the Clos de la Roche and the '76 Combottes all that stuff seemed insignificant. These wines truly convey the emotion of the land.
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2007 Domaine Dujac Morey St. Denis Blanc - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Morey St. Denis
Once again started off with a white, this is extremely good for a village wine. Really exotic on the nose with coconut, crushed stones, and great nuttiness. The palate is very zingy and steely with towering acidity to brace the attractive fruit and density. This has a great contrast of exoticism and minerality, which makes for a really unique white. 20-25% new oak and should drink well for 5-6 years. (92 pts.) -
2007 Domaine Dujac Morey St. Denis - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Morey St. Denis
Quite rustic but still gorgeous on the nose with licorice, black cherry, and earth. The palate shows sweet raspberry fruit with good acidity and tannin structure. This seems a bit rough and primary but should improve with time because all of the components are there. 40-50% new oak. (89 pts.) -
2007 Domaine Dujac Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Aux Combottes - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
This has a very delicate and complex nose with notes of raspberry, cherry, and spices. The flavors are sweet with a supple full mouthfeel and solid supporting structure. Succulent berries come through on the long gorgeous finish. Impressively elegant for a Gevrey and I find this really showcases the Dujac philosophy. 70-80% new oak. (92 pts.) -
2007 Domaine Dujac Clos de la Roche - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos de la Roche Grand Cru
Exceptionally rich aromas of berries, wild cherries, flowers, blossoms, this just soars with complexity and power. The tremendous power carries over to the palate which is supple with layers of fruit. This is actually drinking quite beautifully with great balance and a long finish. Just a tremendous wine with power, complexity, and balance while remaining markedly elegant. 100% new oak. (94 pts.) -
1976 Domaine Dujac Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Aux Combottes - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
Alec brought this bottle down at the end and said they opened it that morning so it might be a little tired. We initially tried this blind and were asked how old we thought it might be; I think I guessed at least twenty years old, which wasn’t much of a guess because the bottle was covered in dirt and mold. Turned out to be a '76 which was a drought year. You can certainly tell this is an old wine; the nose is explosively earthy with tons of complex aromas such as mushrooms, underbrush, subtle berries, and forest floor. The palate is remarkably fresh with gobs of mineral, earth, cherry, and herb flavors. Amazingly complex with effortless texture from the resolved tannins. Although this is slightly past its prime with the fruit kicking the background, the marvelous texture and complexity provide for a great experience. While not incredibly profound, tasting something like this is all the proof you need that aging wine is a worthwhile endeavor. (91 pts.)
Domaine Denis Bachelet
Denis Bachelet greeted us at the cellar door and after some general talk about our visit we got down to business. He gave us a quick overview of his facilities and we then ventured down into the dark cellar, past stacks of bottles lying in wait, to the 2008s in barrel. As we tasted through his modest array of wines it became very apparent that there is something special going on here. For instance, it is hard to expect the level of profundity exhibited by his Côte de Nuits Villages, but it truly delivers. Then his top wine is just out of this world, I don’t know how good the 2008 vintage is in general, but I doubt you will find a better Charmes. There are two pretty obvious reasons why these wines are so great: the winemaking is wonderfully transparent and the vines are very old. Denis comes across as very humble when discussing his wines, shrugging off any suggestion of how profound they might be. He is also an interesting guy to talk to as we discussed everything from the economy to California Zinfandel. Humble winemaking, modest parcels, amazing wines.
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2008 Domaine Denis Bachelet Bourgogne - France, Burgundy, Bourgogne
We started off with the Bourgogne which I believe Denis stated had just started malo in the middle of August. Very primary and fruity on the nose showing ripe cherry aroma. The CO2 is very apparent on the palate with noticeable fizz lifting the sweet fruit flavors. Seems to have plenty of fruit and structure but impossible to get a firm read on the wine at this stage. Tasted from cask. NR -
2008 Domaine Denis Bachelet Côte de Nuits Villages - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Côte de Nuits Villages
From vines approaching 55 years of age near the village of Brochon. There are wonderful aromas of black cherry and raspberry combining with surprising minerality for this appellation. Tremendous freshness and structure on the palate with flavorful berry notes and raw density. This is serious quality and will surprise at all stages of development I believe. Tasted from cask. (89-91) (90 pts.) -
2008 Domaine Denis Bachelet Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin
From 75 year old vines. Stunning and provocative on the nose with sweet aromas of blackberry, wild cherry, and earth. The dark sweet fruit carries over to the palate which shows tremendous concentration, structure, and length. Obviously very primary but still shows plenty of Gevrey character even at such a young age. Even at this stage in cask I did not find these wines have a lot of oak or reduction, simply amazing delicacy for something that is suppose to be brutally young. Tasted from cask. (90-92) (91 pts.) -
2008 Domaine Denis Bachelet Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Les Corbeaux Vieilles Vignes - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru
From vines planted in the 1920s. This is a classic juicy Gevrey with dark meaty aromas of berries, licorice, minerals, and oodles of other complicating notes. The complexity shows on the palate as well, which is powerful and structured with firm sweet tannins and long long flavors. Because of the structure and complexity already apparent I believe this will be extremely long-lived and profound. As we were tasting this wine Denis said his 2008s show a similar style to his 1996s. In any case I found them extremely good with several notches of potential profoundness in reserve. Tasted from cask. (92-94) (93 pts.) -
2008 Domaine Denis Bachelet Charmes-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes - France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru
From 100+ year old vines. Wow just pure power and complexity, what more can you say. Gushing minerals, dark berries, licorice, plum, black cherry, spices, this goes on and on every time you smell the glass. A myriad of layers of flavors from fresh crushed berries to plum to cherry, so full and fresh. Round mouthfeel with plenty of underlying structure. Superb complexity and power while avoiding any rustic tendencies thanks to the wonderful restraint and transparency. This is very special and probably the best wine tasted during my visit to Burgundy, even in such a primordial state. Tasted from cask. (94-96) (95 pts.)
Although this was a short visit to Burgundy it was simply an amazing experience: the wines, the people, the hospitality, the vines, the dirt, the cellars. I could go on and on, there is just so much to love about this place. I have already started planning my next visit.
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