Domaine Georges Noëllat
2015 Vosne-Romanée “Les Chaumes”1er Cru Red barrel
Score: 90-92
Tasted: Jan 15, 2017
Drink: 2021+
Issue: 65
Note: from a .47 ha parcel
Producer note: Maxime Cheurlin commented that the 2015 growing season was “relatively easy as there really wasn’t much to worry about except for one thing, which was to preserve the freshness at all costs. I say this because June and July were very hot and dry and thus we were concerned about making overtly ripe, heavy and atypical wines. I chose to begin picking on the 12th of September and it wasn’t the best day as it rained all afternoon. However, while I didn’t know it at the time, in retrospect this was a good thing because it allowed the vines to take up some water into the fruit that I believe rebalanced the sugars by diluting them slightly. Normally this would be a negative but in a year where everything was so concentrated, the extra water actually helped. The fruit was spotless and ripe with potential alcohols in the 12.5 to 13.1% range and thus I chaptalized nothing. Yields though were on the lower side at around 27 to 28 hl/ha. I like the style of the 2015s as they’re ripe and generous yet they don’t drink like they’re from a hot and dry vintage.” I found the Noëllat 2015s to be in-line with the general quality of the vintage though I take pains to underscore just how good the Bourgogne is; if you’re in the market for a house red, it would make a great choice. I would further observe that the style at this domaine has been to produce admirably elegant and refined if lighter-bodied wines but in 2015 they have a bit more density and extraction. I inquired as to whether this was just the effect of the naturally concentrated and ripe 2015 vintage or whether it was a change in vinification in searching for more material and the response was “some of each”. I point this out because his 2015s are stylistically different from what we’ve seen from the domaine since Cheurlin took over in 2010. Cheurlin has also started a small négociant operation, called Maxime Cheurlin-Noëllat, that he said will be progressively expanded over the next few vintages. Please see the reviews for those wines directly below. Cheurlin noted that his 2014s, revisited below, were bottled between January and June 2016 without fining or filtration.
Tasting note: Reduction presently masks the underlying fruit though there is good freshness on the palate as the supple and refined middle weight flavors possess a really lovely mouth feel, all wrapped in a focused, delineated and energetic finale. This too is lovely stuff fashioned in an understated style.
Georges Noellat, Vosne-Romanee Premier Cru, Les Chaumes
US$1,300 / 每箱價格
Domaine Georges Noëllat
2015 Vosne-Romanée “Les Chaumes”1er Cru Red barrel
Score: 90-92
Tasted: Jan 15, 2017
Drink: 2021+
Issue: 65
Note: from a .47 ha parcel
Producer note: Maxime Cheurlin commented that the 2015 growing season was “relatively easy as there really wasn’t much to worry about except for one thing, which was to preserve the freshness at all costs. I say this because June and July were very hot and dry and thus we were concerned about making overtly ripe, heavy and atypical wines. I chose to begin picking on the 12th of September and it wasn’t the best day as it rained all afternoon. However, while I didn’t know it at the time, in retrospect this was a good thing because it allowed the vines to take up some water into the fruit that I believe rebalanced the sugars by diluting them slightly. Normally this would be a negative but in a year where everything was so concentrated, the extra water actually helped. The fruit was spotless and ripe with potential alcohols in the 12.5 to 13.1% range and thus I chaptalized nothing. Yields though were on the lower side at around 27 to 28 hl/ha. I like the style of the 2015s as they’re ripe and generous yet they don’t drink like they’re from a hot and dry vintage.” I found the Noëllat 2015s to be in-line with the general quality of the vintage though I take pains to underscore just how good the Bourgogne is; if you’re in the market for a house red, it would make a great choice. I would further observe that the style at this domaine has been to produce admirably elegant and refined if lighter-bodied wines but in 2015 they have a bit more density and extraction. I inquired as to whether this was just the effect of the naturally concentrated and ripe 2015 vintage or whether it was a change in vinification in searching for more material and the response was “some of each”. I point this out because his 2015s are stylistically different from what we’ve seen from the domaine since Cheurlin took over in 2010. Cheurlin has also started a small négociant operation, called Maxime Cheurlin-Noëllat, that he said will be progressively expanded over the next few vintages. Please see the reviews for those wines directly below. Cheurlin noted that his 2014s, revisited below, were bottled between January and June 2016 without fining or filtration.
Tasting note: Reduction presently masks the underlying fruit though there is good freshness on the palate as the supple and refined middle weight flavors possess a really lovely mouth feel, all wrapped in a focused, delineated and energetic finale. This too is lovely stuff fashioned in an understated style.
