Vosne, toujours Vosne. (and Beaune and Chassagne….)

So Easter weekend was spent running here there and everywhere for reasons too quotidien to go into, but I did manage to hit some favourite producers, scoop up some lingering ‘21s and get impressions of the new vintage in Vosne-Romanée, Chambolle, Beaune, Nuits-Saint-Georges and Chassagne-Montrachet.

Aside from my palpable relief at being able to find some decent ‘21s in cave (cold & meagre covid vintage, but perversely, some very ethereal, light and elegant classic red burgundy – the opposite of these many recent annus solaris vintages which can lack restraint, these hard to find 21s are so much more to my taste). It was also nice to visit with some producers I have not been able to meet since before covid! The Noellat family were amongst the latter. While based in Vosne, they possess some stunning premier and grand cru wines across the entire Cote D’Or.

We began with the village Chambolle, Vosne and Nuits-Saints-Georges. The quality of the village reds from ‘21 were really something and set the stage for the premier crus to come. The Chambolle was very refined, with a nervous tension that suggested a few years in cave would not be remiss. The Vosne village, was, well, very Vosne. We often speak of “noble” tannins in Burgundy, as Pinot Noir from this corner of France normally is a lesson in balance, with Tannins kept in check by crunch berry flavours and the slightest whisper of “sous-bois” or forest-floor flavours (mushroom and summer truffle scents / tastes for the uninitiated). This Vosne had the precision of scents and flavours one should expect from here, but the finish surprised me, it went on for days. If tasted blindly, I would have misplaced this up the slope in the climat of a lesser premier cru, les chaumes, perhaps.

My domain favourite, Les Suchots, did not disappoint, and I squirrelled away a few for ageing. The surprise for me on this visit, perhaps because our host was the sister in-law of the geraint, from Nuits, but the Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er crus had roundness and vivacity that suggested earlier accessibility to me.

I revisited Gros, hoping to snag some Bourgogne Rouge Fontaine Saint Martin, but alas I was too late. We tasted from village to GC, and I decided to hide away some Clos Vougeot for ageing – not always my favourite Grand Cru, but I have started to succumb to the charms of Vougeot of late, when tempered with time, and produced with savoir-faire.

Lunch was a quick Sushi fix in Beaune, with a stop at Drouhin’s to pick up our Clos des Mouches blanc allocation and some of the Marquis de La Guiche Montrachet (fermage) which is about as close as you can come to white burgundy perfection, IMHO.

We made a brief stop in Chassagne at Bachelet-Ramonet, an old favourite of mine, and put by some Chassagne, white and red, Puligny and Criots Batard Grand Cru Montrachet. Madame’s wines never disappoint, and she was in good form, as ever. The ‘21 whites sung to me. Shades of the ‘17 whites which I am really enjoying, now, Fresh stone fruit, but still balanced with acidity and lean, muscular tension.

Some photos below (Clos des Reas in Vosne, Degustation at Gros & Noellat and an overly full car boot after Beaune and Chassagne).