A breakfast tasting to begin the morning with Caroline Parent-Gros in the cellars of Domaine AF Gros in Beaune. Incredible finesse and elegance in all wines here; what a magical touch her brother, Mathias, has. Although 2021 is not the most complex vintage in terms of power and structure, it does, however, give the opportunity for each wine to express their individuality and uniqueness.
From Beaune we headed along the Route Des Grands Crus through Vosne-Romanée, Chambolle-Musigny and Nuits-Saint-Denis to Morey-Saint-Denis where we tasted both Domaine Michel Magnien (Maison) and Frédéric Magnien (Négociant) wines with Frédéric himself. Known for using terracotta amphorae as well as oak barrels (ex 1 year old from Domaine de La Romanée-Conti [DRC]), which has crafted a vintage that suits his style of winemaking and allows expression of each individual vineyard. The wines have plenty of tension, purity, and complexity. A big tasting with 35 wines to for us to sample!
That took us to 13h00, so time for a quick sandwich amongst the vines of Gevrey-Chambertin before our final appointment with Rossignol-Trapet. We were warmly greeted by Nicolas Rossignol and descended into the cellars to taste his elegant and vibrant 2021s… luckily not too much frost damage on the big guns with roughly minus 20% due to the small berries (as opposed to the April frost.) However his Bourgogne Pinot Noir, located lower down the slopes, was badly hit resulting in losses of 75%. As for his Gevrey-Chambertin, the slope suffered only 30% loss (70 barrels in 2021, in comparison to the usual 100 barrels.) The star of the show was Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru “Petite Chapelle” which showed all the charm and structure of the Granda Crus. Andrew’s overall favourite was the Latricières-Chambertin Grand Cru, whereas I preferred the straight Chambertin Grand Cru. A wild card that took us by surprise was Beaune Premier Cru “Les Teurons”.
A quick goodbye before the start of the long journey back to Geneva airport, and a chance to reflect and discuss our thoughts on the vintage. Time to start writing our report, keep yours eyes peeled and let us know if you would like to receive a copy.
À bientôt!
