Les Carmes Haut Brion is a tiny jewel of a property, the only chateau within the city limits of Bordeaux, and just at the very border of Pessac Léognan. It’s essentially surrounded by suburban housing. It was split off from Haut Brion as a present to the Carmelite monks who owned it from 1584 until the French Revolution. Since then it stayed with one family until it was sold in 2010 to Patrick Pichet of the Pichet Real Estate Group. The vineyard is not classified, but clearly there are plans to revive it and push to a higher level.
Surrounded by a high wall, it’s a single plot of 10 ha, with 7 ha planted to vines. It’s divided into a 4 ha block planted with Cabernet Franc and Merlot, and a 3 ha block planted with Cabernet Sauvignon. The microclimate is 3-5°C warmer than the countryside.
The chateau itself was not built until 1850 and is just at the border of the property. The old cells are at another border. The most strikign feature of the property today is a new cellar, designed by Philippe Starck and architect Luc Arsène-Henry, and completed for the 2015 harvest. A small stream runs through the property, and was extended to surround the new cellar, which has the shape of an upside down ship.
The new winery at Les Carmes Haut Brion
Winemaking focuses on the objective of making a wine that is drinkable early. “You don’t have to wait ten years, it’s well balanced and ready after 6 years.” Vinification uses a lasagna with alternating layers of berries and whole bunches. Submerged cap is used to achieve infusion rather than extraction. The wine ages for almost two years in barriques with 80% new barriques, some 18 hl foudres, and amphora (there are also some stainless steel barrels).
The Cabernet Franc can give the wine a more aromatic impression than is usual in Graves. The 2023 is smooth and elegant but a touch angular, while 2022 is lighter but elegant. The 2021 shows elegant fruits. The 2019 shows its Cabernet Franc in a distinctly mineral expression, the 2017 is also dominated by Cabernet Franc, 2016 has classic cigar-box impressions, and 2015 is on the lighter side.
There is a another wine, C des Carmes Haut Brion, but it’s definiotely not a second wine in the traditional sense, as it comes from 40 ha purchased in Martillac. “We don’t like to talk about second wines, we talk about wines from different places.” This is a more classic blend with two thirds Cabernet Sauvignon to one third Merlot. The first vintages aged for one year in barriques with 50% new oak followed by one year in concrete. Now a third year of aging in foudres has been added. It’s intended to be easy drinking. Although vinification of the C cuvée is similar to that of Carmes Haut Brion, the style is completely different, much softer and more forward.
With Lafite Rothschild closed for an extensive renovation until 2028, the way to get a taste of the Rothschild wines on the left bank is to visit Duhart Milon, now open after a refurbishment. Located close to the waterfront in the village of Pauillac, Duhart Milon is one of only two châteaux remaining in the village of Pauillac. The group of buildings is surprisingly extensive within the village, eve including a large garden, but the vineyards are outside at the northern border of Pauillac.
The first information about wine production at Duhart Milon dates from the eighteenth century, and it was well known by the nineteenth century. The château was created when privateer Jean Milon married Suzanne Castéja. After Jean Milon died, Suzanne left the property to her nephew Pierre Castéja, who was the proprietor at the time of the 1855 classification, when it became a fourth growth. After Castéja’s death, the estate was run for the family by André Delon, at the time also the manager of Léoville Lascases. Financial difficulties caused the usual depredations, and some of the vineyards were sold off, including 15 ha that went to Château Batailley.
Duhart stood in splendid isolation near the waterfront in 1898. Today it is immersed in the town, although the winery buildings are surrounded by extensive gardens
Things got steadily worse as the property kept changing hands, until it was bought in 1962 by the Rothschilds of Château Lafite. The estate then consisted of only 17 ha, but the existing vineyards were replanted, and there was a great expansion as new vineyards were purchased. There are now 62 ha in a single block, separated by the hamlet of Milon from the vineyards of Château Lafite Rothschild immediately to the east. The château was known for a while as Duhart Milon Rothschild, but now has reverted simply to Duhart Milon. Although the vineyards are close to Lafite, elevation is lower, and exposure is more northern. Duhart Milon usually harvests 7-10 days after Lafite.
The grand vin is usually 70% Cabernet Sauvignon and 30% Merlot, aged 50% in new oak and 50% in 1-year oak. The second wine, Moulin du Duhart, is usually a more or less equal blend, with 20% new oak and 80% 2-year oak. Production is typically three quarters grand vin. In spite of proximity and similarities in winemaking, the wine does not at all resemble Lafite: it is solid where Lafite can be ethereal, and robust rather than powerful. Benefiting from the halo cast by its famous neighbor, Duhart Milon prices above its classification. A white wine was introduced in 2020, but is only a small production. It has a majority of Sémillon, aged in barriques for 8 months.
Tasting recent vintages at the château this week shows the extent of the change in Bordeaux. The grand vin from 2019 is very much the new Bordeaux: all but ready only half a decade after the vintage. It makes quite a classic impression, moving in a savory direction, with tannins not at all obtrusive but giving support. In fact, it should last another 20 years, becoming more savory and smoother with age. It’s a modern take on the old style of Bordeaux.
Moulin du Duhart is a complete contrast. The 2022 vintages shows a really fruity nose, not quite exotic, but tending to red fruits, say raspberries, rather than the traditional black fruits of Pauillac. That impression of aromatics beyond Bordeaux is enhanced by using 5% of American oak during aging, bringing coconut and vanillin. The quasi-exotic character comes out more on the palate, making this seem not merely approachable but even a touch aggressive: a quite different impression from the reserve of Pauillac. This is a wine intended to appeal to people who may not know, in fact may even have been put off, by Bordeaux. It’s an attempt to reinvent Bordeaux to appeal to a new class of consumers.
This is what Bordeaux has always done: stay classic but renew itself.
I have always been doubtful about what difference the material of the fermentation container makes to vinification. Aficionados of wood vats say that they give a better rounded wine. Believers in stainless steel argue for increased purity and freshness. Concrete has gone in and out of style, and its present resurgence is based on the argument that it’s as neutral as stainless steel, but allows micro oxygenation like oak. It is clear, of course, that nothing gets through stainless steel, but I do wonder if there is any actual experimental support for the idea that breathing of concrete is a significant factor in fermentation.
Given the turbulence of fermentation, I am inclined think that other factors, such as temperature within the vat, may be more important than the contact surface at the exterior. Of course, maceration to keep the cap in contact with the juice, whether by pump over or punch down, is a major factor in determining the level of extraction. I am suspicious whether the exterior surface has much role here, and more interested in the question of whether the shape has any effect. The latest buzz in shapes was the introduction of tronconique or tulip-shaped vats, where the diameter narrows from bottom to top. The argument is that offers better maceration because the cap has a smaller diameter than the bulk of the liquid. This is plausible, but I am puzzled how it relates to the latest vats, which are suspended in reverse tronconique shape.
When they were renovating the cellars at Chateau Grand Puy Ducasse, there was a problem with space. The chateau is right on the waterfront in Pauillac (one of only two chateaux left in the town; the other is Duhart Milon, a couple of hundred yards inland). So the high water table makes it impossible to dig down deeper, and the waterfront makes it impossible to expand horizontally. Now owned by the bank Crédite Argricole, who wanted to improve quality by introducing plot by plot vinification, the issue was how to get more tanks into the same space. The answer was to invert the tronconique shape and suspend the tanks from the ceiling. Grapes go in at the top level, but after that vinification can be controlled from below walking around the tanks, which are all in stainless steel. It’s quite an engineering feat to sus[ecd tanks that will be full of wine. In fact, the insurance company insisted on double checking all the calculations. (Even though the tanks were empty, I did not have the nerve to walk directly underneath them.)
The suspended vats at Grand Puy Ducasse
A similar lack of space to expand led Chateau Branaire Ducru into the same calculation that they could fit in more tanks by suspension. The cellar (actually a building at ground level) was entirely renovated . “From the original building we have only the walls and roof. We didn’t want to take out any vineyards, there was nowhere to expand, so the way tanks were got into limited space was to suspend reverse trannconique tanks,” explains cellarmaster Jean-Dominique Videau. Stainless steel tanks are almost touching at the top, but there is space to walk around and work on them underneath—the bottoms just over a meter above the ground. Jean-Dominique says the shape works well because they use only pump over, not punch down.
The renovated fermentation hall at Branaire Ducru
“Not much has changed since 2018 except the new winery,” I was told when I visited Angélus. The barrel cellars were renovated in 2012 when the chateau took its present striking form, but the vat room remained. It’s just completed a massive renovation, which will come into use for the 2026 vintage (running two years late). But the vats are not buried underground; they are suspended with the tops at ground level, so grapes can be put in directly by gravity feed. An even more unusual feature is that while most of the vats are stainless steel, there are also 6 concrete vats and 4 oak vats. This required some innovations in manufacture.
The new fermentation hall at Angelus is being prepared for the 2026 vintage
While admiring the sheer chutzpah in suspending the tanks, the question that remains unanswered is what effect the inverted shape has on vinification. After all tronconique and inverted tronconique can’t both be best for vinification. So does the shape actually make any difference. Or is it just bubble, bubble, toil and trouble?
The roller coaster of climate change has produced the same erratic vintages in Port as everywhere else. Historically Port has had two or three vintages every decade that were commonly declared. It was extremely unusual when in 2016 and 2017 there were almost universal declarations for successive vintages (and a little problematic for a market unaccustomed to such a surfeit of riches). Then there was hiatus of 7 years, with erratic rainfall increasing water stress, prolonged heatwaves (47°C in July 2022), and compressed ripening periods leading to earlier harvests. There wasn’t much that could be regarded as classic. Then came 2024: wet winter, no prolonged summer heatwaves, slow, even ripening across all varieties bringing homogeneity, and a small crop bringing concentration. Touriga Nacional has been exceptional, but Touriga Franca has excelled.
The result is a vintage that is classic in some regards but thoroughly modern in others. It’s classic in the sense that it’s full of ripe black fruits, sweet on the palate (of course), but with the underlying structure holding it together and preventing it from becoming jammy. It’s modern in the sense that tannins are ripe and supple, not obtrusive or jagged in the old style, present but subsumed by the fruits¾leaving the wines almost ready to drink on release! To say it is unusually accessible is an understatement. This is a huge contrast with the old idea that you buy vintage Port to leave for the next generation, not to enjoy yourself.
Approachability is the hallmark of the vintage. Although most can be enjoyed almost immediately, or at least within the next couple of years, flavor variety will widen with time, and the wines will last another two, three, or even four decades. Beyond approachability, there is great delineation of fruit flavors, conveying an unusual sense of fruit purity. I cannot recall another vintage with this combination of immediacy and longevity. Precision is not a word I often use of Port given its characteristic richness and breadth of flavors, but it often comes to mind here. Suggesting a delay of two or three years before starting to enjoy the vintage is really pro forma as most have a balance that allows almost immediate enjoyment, and some are already overtly delicious.
Until recently, vintage Port was always a blend. Exceptional single vineyards might be used to produce a vintage in years that were not quite good enough for the house to declare a vintage. Now there is more of a trend to representing single vineyards in special cuvées in great vintages also. Partly this is because some smaller growers only produce Port from single vineyards, partly because the larger houses have started to make some single quintas in years that they declare. There is an interesting tradeoff here. The blended Port tends to be deeper, richer, and broader; the single Quinta tends to be finer and more precise. It will be fascinating to see how this difference plays out at maturity, but the trend hasn’t been going on long enough yet to tell¾this being vintage Port, we need decades, not years.
Will 2024 establish the precedent for the New Port: enjoy immediately but hold for decades?
Notes from a tasting in London, June 2026
Alcheny Wines, Blackett Port Fine impression to palate with aromatic black fruits showing cherries. Long finish but flavor variety has yet to develop. Some dryness on finish takes edge of sweetness and suggests underlying structure. 92 Drink 2029-2047
Alves de Sousa, Amphitheatrum Ripe, rich impressions show youth. Dense black fruits have granular texture. Flavors are undeveloped. More of a traditional impression than most. 91 Drink 2029-2045
Churchills Very typical of the house. Great sense of purity and delineation of fruits, focusing on black cherries and blackcurrants, with finesse and precision on finish. All it needs is time to develop increasing flavor variety, but it can be started immediately because the texture is so fine. 94 Drink 2028-2048
Dow’s Port At a similar level to Warre’s. Sweet, ripe, and fine, sense of finesse, a touch grapey on the finish, nice sense of grip and structure 20% 99g r.s. 92 Drink 2028-2043
Ferreira Sweet and ripe, tannins not directly in evidence, but shows bitter chocolate on finish. Rich and grapey with a great sense of fruit delineation. 20% 100g r.s. 92 Drink 2028-2048
Graham’s Port Great sense of finesse and delineation of fruits and precision, very much showing the purity of Graham’s style, a very fine result for the vintage. Purity is the hallmark. 20% 107g r.s. 94 Drink 2028-2048
Graham’s, Quinta do Vesuvio A little deeper and more structured than the Graham’s blend. Great sense of grip to palate, structure in the background, can enjoy now but will become increasingly sophisticated as the structure resolves. 20% 110g r.s. 95 Drink 2029-2048
Kopke Black fruit palate shows faint sense of applies in background. Not very developed yet although that contrasting sense of freshness and fruits makes it delicious now. 90 Drink 2029-2044
Menin Douro Estates, Menin Port Somewhat direct black fruit impressions with nutty overtones. Flavor development has yet to come. 90 Drink 2029-2044
Nicolau de Almeida Overtly sweet with somewhat primary black fruit spectrum at present, giving a rather direct impression. Structure is pushed into background. Needs time to resolve and develop. 91 Drink 2029-2044
Niepoort Vinhos Fine contrasting hints of freshness showing hints of apples against rich black fruits of vintage. Palate shows the finesse you expect of Niepoort and good delineation of fruits. Just needs time to develop more flavor variety, but is already delicious. 92 Drink 2028-2048
Poças Vinhos Ripe and rich and overtly fruity with an aromatic black fruit spectrum. Some grip to finish shows underlying structure. Certainly seems youthful at present, and needs time to develop flavor variety. 92 Drink 2029-2047
Quinta do Noval Very fine impression of delineation of black fruits of cherries and blackcurrants, with real sense of class and breed. Very true to the house style of finesse. 19.5% 94 Drink 2028-2048
Quinta do Vale Meão Fine fruit impressions on textured palate. Strong sense of fruits in black spectrum. One of the more textured expressions of the vintage. 93 Drink 2029-2048
Ramos Pinto Perfumed impressions to nose. Variety of black fruits on palate, with good sense of delineation, you could almost say precision. Already very flavorful. Broader and deeper than the single vineyard Ervamoira, which is finer and tighter. 93 Drink 2028-2048
Ramos Pinto, Quinta de Ervamoira Very fine impression to palate with great sense of finesse and delineation of black fruits tending to cherries. Long on finish. Impression of a great classic. 94 Drink 2028-2048
Sandeman Porto Rounder and deeper than stablemate Ferreira, more sense of traditional Port, great sense of structure in background, although fruits effectively hide tannins. Very fine impression. 93 Drink 2029-2048
Warre’s Sweet and ripe and very approachable, although a touch raisiny. At least at present, a bit straightforward. A certain delicious quality makes immediate consumption feasible. 20.0% 100g r.s. 92 Drink 2027-2042
Wine and Soul Pintas This comes from 95 year old vines in a single vineyard, Black fruit aromatics to nose. Ripe and sweet, the sweetness perhaps a touch more obvious than most, presently somewhat direct in ist flavor spectrum. Granular texture to palate cuts sweetness. 91 Drink 2028-2043
The 2023 vintage is widely described as ‘classic,’ which has become a euphemism in Bordeaux for ‘not overblown.’ This is really not a fair description. If classic means vintages of the era before global warming, say the 70s, then the mark of left bank Bordeaux would be herbaceous notes of Cabernet Sauvignon, and the mark of the right bank might be a slightly vegetal note if Merlot did not achieve full ripeness. Neither description would be at all fair to the wines as revealed by the annual UGBC tasting of the latest vintage upon release. Usually the UGCB tasting has around 120 chateaux, but this year was reduced to under 100, whether because of perceptions that the vintage will be a hard sell or because of other economic factors, so it’s not quite so representative.
After adjusting to the fruit-forward style of recent hot vintages, it can be difficult to recalibrate. The general style is restrained compared with the exuberance of some recent hot vintages. Alcohol levels have backed off from the excesses of some recent vintages. (Some people define a classic vintage in Bordeaux as having less than 13.5% alcohol on the left bank and less than 14.5% on the right bank: in that case, a ‘modern’ Bordeaux cannot have much resemblance to wines of the era before climate change, but that’s another story for another day.) The best wines in 2023 are smooth and elegant. Some are virtually ready to drink on release, some may need a year or so, but there are very few that will benefit from long aging. “Classic’ shows itself more as a lack of real concentration rather than any reversion to herbaceousness. It’s a very nice vintage to enjoy for lunch in restaurants.
Pessac-Léognan reds are quite consistent, showing a smooth elegance that’s been missing from some recent vintages. The best reds at the UGCB were Domaine de Chevalier (a slightly muted version of its usual crystalline brilliance), Larrivet Haut Brion (smooth elegance with a classic touch of cigar box), Smith Haut Lafitte (with the move to a more ‘international’ style toned down but showing slightly on its chocolaty finish) and Carbonnieux (getting away from the brutal extraction of some recent hot vintages). Tannins are really mastered in the top wines, but at a lower level, the wines show a more angular character that may come to the fore and restrict enjoyment to the mid term. The whites are lighter in style than usual, for drinking over the next 4 years or so, with Domaine de Chevalier maintaining its crystalline structure, Larrivet Haut Brion already ready but complex, and Smith Haut Lafitte showing a clean, pure style with a savory tang at the end.
Margaux is the least successful appellation in the Médoc. It’s relatively uniform, with most chateaux showing relatively light black fruits followed by a touch of tart acidity on the finish with hints of dryness from the structure. The wines are tight at the present, with a sense of asperity. It’s unclear if and when the fruits will come forward. Margaux certainly does not show a very generous style in 2023. Prieuré-Lichine stands out for a smoother, rounder balance than most. Rauzan-Ségla has beautifully delineated black fruits, giving a sense of precision, and is very approachable.
St. Julien shows a range from light and tight like Margaux to wines for which classic would be a fair description, in the sense that they show a more savory sense of balance. Beychevelle, Branaire Ducru, and St Pierre (which outclasses Gloria in this vintage) come over as virtually ready to start. This is not a vintage that shows off the forward international style, and both Lagrange and Léoville Poyferré have reverted to a more classic style with some overt evidence of structure. Talbot shows a clean, pure style that really speaks for St. Julien. Léoville Barton almost achieves its usual elegance, but still is a bit angular.
Pauillac is probably the most even and successful appellation in the Médoc, with a sense of smoothness, and is relatively full bodied for the vintage, if almost always stopping short of the usual plushness. There are few disappointments. D’Armailhac is one of the most refined (outshining Clerc Milon), and Duhart Milon shadows the style of Lafite, and is a standout for the vintage. Grand Puy Lacoste achieves its usual elegance, Lynch Bages achieves its usual smoothness, both in a lighter style. Pichon Baron and Pichon Lalande are both smooth and elegant.
Reduced numbers meant there weren’t really enough chateaux from St Estèphe to judge the appellation, but a certain hardness seems to come out in the wines.
St. Emilion is quite even, in spite of considerable problems with Merlot throughout the vintage, The wines are far from the caricature of forceful overblown forward fruits driven by high-alcohol Merlot. If there is not really a direct impression of Cabernet Franc, there is certainly an impression of greater restraint. The corollary is that the wines are (at least at this stage) a little monotonic in flavor spectrum. They should be nice restaurant wines over the next decade as they develop more flavor variety, although none is likely to achieve great longevity or complexity. The standout for its elegance is Valandraud, a far cry from its origins as a fruit-driven garage wine. Chateau Canon has made a very approachable wine. Canon La Gaffelière is very fine, with high Cabernet Franc making for a sense of precision, true to the usual sense of refinement of the chateau. Beauséjour-Bécot is smooth but nicely structured, and virtually ready now.
Reduced numbers made Pomerol hard to judge, but the wines are definitely much more restrained than has been usual in recent vintages. Some show a textured impression, perhaps because of lower fruit density, that seems a little rustic. On the limited showing at the UGCB, Pomerol was less successful than St. Emilion. One of the best is Chateau Beauregard, which shows a nicely restrained smooth style.
Sauternes and Barsac generally show mid-level botrytis, but two wines that stood out were Bastor-Lamontagne (unusually botrytic for the vintage) and Suduiraut (complex and varied on the palate with a relatively subtle impression).
2023 is an example of the progress made in viticulture and vinification. In the previous era, much of the crop, especially Merlot, would have been lost to mildew. Tannins would probably have been astringent. A relative success with Cabernet Franc explains why St. Emilion performed better than Pomerol. The left bank is less regular than the right bank.A lot depended on harvest date, as September started out rainy, and better wines were made by those who had the nerve to wait. At the end of the day, this may become a lovely vintage to drink in the relatively short term, but I view it as more in the modern style than ‘classic.’
Bordeaux was in terrible shape at the end of the Second World War. It had been occupied by the Germans, and cellars were destroyed or looted. Vineyards were in poor condition: the women had done their best to maintain them and harvest grapes during the war. But the summer of 1945 was glorious and harvest occurred in close to perfect conditions. A frost early in May had reduced yields and increased concentration. The wines proved to be the best vintage of the twentieth century. Its only rival might be 1961. It’s generally agreed that the Médoc was the star of both vintages. The rivals for the best wine of the century divide between Mouton Rothschild 1945 and Latour 1961.
Before the tasting
At a retrospective in New York to celebrate the 80th anniversary, the vibrancy of the wines was still evident. Opening with Trotanoy, the wine still seemed fresh with lively fruits, well rounded, and just a touch of the tertiary character of old Merlot. It did not fade at all in the glass, even over an hour. Its elegance might be viewed as a contrast with the sheer power of today’s Pomerols.
The Berry Bros bottling of Cheval Blanc followed. It’s well known that Cheval had problems with over-heating in the vats in 1945, with ice thrown in to cool some, and volatile acidity sometimes developing. There was no trace of either problem with this bottle. Indeed, this is one of the rare instances in which I have usually found the Berry Bros bottling to be superior to the chateau bottling. The flavor spectrum of Cabernet Franc was marked, with that dry sense of tobacco dominating the finish. The wine held up well immediately after opening, but faded a bit after half an hour as the dryness of the finish took over.
The Berry Bros bottling of Cheval Blanc 1945
The next two flights were comparisons. Lafite Rothschild has been ethereal, with fragrant fruits floating in the atmosphere, but has begun to fade in the past couple of years. Although usually sturdier in most vintages, its neighbor Cos d’Estournel has sometimes shown something of the same fragrant elegance. On this occasion, the Cos started out if anything more fragrant and elegant than the Lafite, but first growth character showed as the wines developed in the glass and Cos developed an edge while Lafite floated along.
A similar development ensued with a comparison of Palmer and Chateau Margaux. Chateau Palmer started out with a touch more generosity, with rounder fruits, while Margaux seemed a little tight. Then as Palmer lost its sense of forward fruits, the structure of the Margaux loosened up and it become more elegant than the Palmer. The difference was a brilliant demonstration of the characters of their blends, heavily Cabernet Sauvignon for Margaux, more Merlot in Palmer.
Even after eighty years, Chateau Latour showed the power of Pauillac. Fruits are still relatively dense. Black fruit character and the pulling power of Cabernet Sauvignon remain evident. Some people preferred the Latour to the Mouton Rothschild, but I thought the Mouton pulled ahead for slightly livelier fruits, greater aromatics, and sense of freshness. It really is a timeless wine, or at least as timeless as wine can get.
The famous V for victory label of Mouton and a rather tattered label for Latour
We finished with Chateau d’Yquem, so dark it seemed almost black. All Sauternes become darker with age, of course, but they say at Yquem that the 1945 is one of the darkest of the vintages of the century, having taken leaps into greater darkness every decade. It was even more intense than I remember it from my previous tasting, twenty years ago. The balance of sweetness to acidity is fantastic, with a palate that’s mature but not old, and a huge range of flavors.
Chateau d’Yquem 1945 in all its glory
I suppose it’s undeniable that these wines are no longer at their peak, which in most cases may have been several decades ago, but they are a living demonstration of the greatness of old Bordeaux.
Detailed Tasting Notes
Trotanoy
Pungent notes of old Merlot show through sweet ripe fruits, still in balance with acidity. Not at all tired although tannins are resolved. Keeps going in the glass and does not tire at all.
Cheval Blanc
Strongly dominated by mature Cabernet Franc with notes of tobacco and tea on the finish. Quite dry at the end. Feels more like the seventies than the forties in terms of age. Fading a little in the glass as fruits begin to dry out. A faint touch of tannin at the end becomes bitter as the fruits fade.
Cos d’Estournel
Just a little less weighty than the Lafite, but a very similar impression of elegance. Sweetens in the glass after opening, and then becomes a little bitter as it develops, losing elegance compared to the Lafite.
Lafite Rothschild
Not as fragrant or aromatically uplifted as previous bottles. A little sturdier than Cos when it opened, with a touch of bitterness at the end. But lightens up in the glass, developing that infinitely fragrant elegance.
Margaux
Very refined, greater sense of precision in its black fruits than Palmer, very much Cabernet Sauvignon in fine structure and texture. Great finesse Fruits begin to dry out very slowly in the glass.
Palmer
At first the Merlot carries this forward with a sense of generosity. A little fleshier than Chateau Margaux to begin with, but becomes a touch bitter as fruits fade in the glass.
Latour
Ripe and generous and quite nutty on the finish. A touch of bitterness as wine develops in glass. Certainly full bodied, you can definitely see the power of Pauillac and Latour, but it’s lost the sheer gloss, the plushness, that it showed when younger.
Mouton Rothschild
A little nutty, a little more elegant than Latour. Something of the same sense of those fragrant layers of flavor, that ethereal character, of the Lafite, but weightier. There is now a little bitterness on the finish.
Chateau d’Yquem
Rich, unctuous, figgy, very intense, very viscous. Notes of caramel. Sweet but not overwhelming. Very much its own wine, its own style. Vastly more complex than a modern Sauternes.
Not a drop left after the tasting. All the wines were in excellent condition, with levels varying from well into neck to very top shoulder. All the corks were original, except for Yquem, which was recorked recently. The wines were mostly sourced from old English country house cellars.
Based on this week’s annual UGCB tasting in New York, the vintage 2022 most reminds me of recently is 2016. Palates show smooth black fruits, tannins are there in background but rarely assertive, and the wines are at least approachable enough to assess. In terms of short to mid-term consumption, 2022 may offer as much pleasure as 2016. I am not so sure 2022 has quite the same intensity, and in the long term (say after 2040) I suspect it will show a lighter, less impressive style. While I wait to see if aging follows the expected pattern, my verdict is very good indeed, but perhaps not great if the criterion for great is extended longevity. Most of the wines will be ready to start within the next few years; it is a rare wine that will need waiting into the 2030s. The single descriptor that appears most often in my tasting notes is ‘smooth.’
This is certainly a vintage in which the individual appellations show their individual characters. There is greater homogeneity within each appellation than usual. It’s really a textbook year for seeing the differences between appellations on the left bank, with elegance in Margaux, precision in St. Julien, plushness in Pauillac, and hardness in St. Estèphe. It is not so obvious on the right bank, where a greater sense of restraint than usual has brought St. Emilion and Pomerol closer together. One general change is that those chateaux that had adopted an overtly ‘modernistic’ style during the Parker years have now reverted to a more restrained approach.
Pessac-Léognan divides between the top wines showing the intensity of a great year, and those wines in a slightly lighter style that may be ready to start within a couple of years. In the first powerful category are Haut Bailly (a standout this year, it really feels like a first growth), Domaine de Chevalier (with its usual great sense of precision, already turning silky
Smooth, inclined towards elegance), Pape Clément (more elegant than powerful this vintage, just a little short of the intensity of a top vintage), and maybe Smith Haut Lafitte (not as overtly modernistic as past years, but still the most ‘modern’ wine in Pessac-Léognan). In the second class are Carbonnieux, Carmes Haut Brion, de Fieuzal, Larrivet Haut Brion, Latour-Martillac, and Malartic Lagravière, all showing significant elegance. Pessac-Léognan is where I have the most concern whether the wines have enough stuffing for the long term.
In the Médoc there is an unusually clear demonstration of increasing structure as you move from south to north. The Haut-Médoc, Listrac and Moulis aren’t as fruity as, say, the wines of Margaux or St. Julien; Poujeaux and Chasse-Spleene show the most fruits in a relatively structured style. Cantemerle and Camensac are somewhat oarallel to them.
Margaux starts with more obvious structure than Pessac-Léognan. The wines tend to elegance, many are unmistakably Margaux with that impression of refined elegance, but these sense of tannins, shown by some dryness on the finish, is a bit more evident than usual. The standouts are Lascombes, where Axel Heinz is well on the way to placing the chateau in its proper place among the second growths, and has achieved a great combination of fullness and elegance, already giving a complete impression, and Rauzan-Ségla, where the extremely fine palate gives a great impression of the silkiness of Margaux. More structured than usual, Prieuré-Lichine achieves great elegance, Kirwan shows its typically lighter elegance with a great sense of fruit purity. Desmirail’s elegance is typical of Margaux. Brane-Cantenac, Cantenac-Brown, Dauzac, Giscours, and Malescot St-Exupéry all show that sense of structure against the palate of smooth black fruits.
In St. Julien, the fullness of the vintage plays off against the classic precision of the commune. Wines vary from those where precision is the dominant influence to those which show a broader, fuller palate. Fruits tend to be a little fuller here than in Margaux, so the tannins are sometimes a bit better hidden, but the wines are definitely well structured. As always, Léoville Barton typifies the precision of St. Julien, and Langoa Barton is in the same style but less intense. Léoville Poyferré has a more overt sense of black fruits, but has backed off from the full modernistic style of recent years. Saint Pierre is fuller and sweeter than its stable mate Gloria. Beychevelle shows its classic tightness, a coiled spring waiting to unwind, and Talbot is a bit rounder than usual for the chateau.
Pauillac shows a yet more structured impression than St. Julien, not quite a throwback to classicism, but certainly a counterpoint to the fruits, with the sense of structure pushing the usual plushness of Pauillac more into the background. The standouts in Pauillac are the two Pichons. When I came to Pichon Baron, I thought it showed the most obvious typicity of the appellation; and then I came to Pichon Lalande, which is even plusher and fuller. Both are outstanding, with black fruits coming well through the structure. Lynch Bages goes for elegance rather than power in this vintage. Grand Puy Lacoste shows a great combination of plushness and elegance. Grand Puy Ducasse shows a new level of precision. D’Armailhac is fuller and more concentrated than its stable mate Clerc Milon, Duhart Milon is very fine. Haut Batailley shows a distinct advance in finesse under its new management (from Lynch Bages); Batailley is not quite so refined. There scarcely seems to be any chateau in Pauillac that hasn’t produced a wine this year immediately identifiable as coming from the commune.
St. Estèphe is always difficult to assess at the UGCB because the tasting never includes the top wines, but that typical hardness of St. Estèphe is evident across the board.
I often find the wines of the right bank too overtly fruity, Pomerol more so than St. Emilion, but whether because of conditions of the vintage, or because producers have backed off from the Parkerized style, this year there is a greater sense of restraint. You would not mistake the wines for the left bank as they are evidently more open, but the fruits are nicely matched by structure in the background.
St Emilion shows wines with elegance (this is not a phrase I use so often on the right bank). The standouts are Canon-La-Gaffelière, which has simply became more refined every year, and in 2022 shows a great sense of precision, and Valandraud, which shows a level of refinement that’s unusual for St. Emilion and is all but the antithesis of the in-your-face character of the garage wines. Pavie Macquin has a slightly fuller style, with a great foreboding of savory development to come. La Dominique really typifies the vintage with round black fruits making a smooth palate backed by supple tannins. Beau-Séjour Bécot, Dassault, Clos Fourtet, Grand Mayne, La Tour Figeac, Trottevielle all follow suit.
Pomerol is not as forward and obviously fruity as I associate with its usual state. Tannins are quite firm in the background, although never obtrusive, brining a greater sense of structure than usual, but without showing that sense of dryness on the finish displayed by the wines of the Médoc. Some Pomerols feel more like St. Emilion. With that sense of structure, they probably will not be ready much before the wines of the left bank. Le Gay comes closest to my image of Pomerol for its rich, forward black fruits. Petit Village is fuller and more typically Pomerol than its (new) stable mate, Beauregard, which offers more restraint and structure and seems backward. Clinet and Gazin are mid weight and firm, more restrained than the style I usually associate with the chateaux.
There are years when the whites of Bordeaux are so rich and oaky that they seem reminiscent of Burgundy, but 2022 tends towards crispness and even sometimes a touch of herbaceousness from Sauvignon Blanc. One of the more intense whites of the vintage, Pape Clément is the standout for richness, with no trace of herbaceousness. Domaine de Chevalier shows its usual great sense of precision. Moving more towards herbaceousness, Smith Haut Lafitte is just a little less refined. De Fieuzal, Larrivet Haut-Brion, Latour Martillac, and Malartic-Lagravière show palates of stewed citrus with that typical hint of herbaceousness in the background.
Sauternes did well this year, with wines showing nicely botrytized noses and palate following into marmalade, caramel, honey, and nuts. Suduiraut is the standout for its intensity, followed by Doisy-Védrines. Guiraud and La Tour Blanche are full on the palate but don’t show those savory overtones.
2022 is a more even vintage than usual, making it hard to go wrong.
Tasting Notes
Pessac-Léognan Blanc
Château Carbonnieux Nose mingles nuttiness with herbaceousness. Palate veers towards refreshing herbaceousness, quite noticeable retronasally. 89/100
Château Les Carmes Haut Brion Slightly lighter style, elegant but does it have enough stuffing for the long term? 90/100
Domaine de Chevalier Blanc Whiff of herbaceousness on nose is offset by sweet ripeness of fruits on palate. Very fine representation of the precision of the chateau and the style of Pessac-Léognan. 93/100
Château de Fieuzal Smooth and black, inclined to elegance. Questions is whether it has enough stuffing. It will be ready to drink quite soon. 90/100
Château Haut-Bailly Intensity of palate reminiscent of old vines cuvées. Tannins are supple, fruits are black, the intensity feels like a first growth. Tannins are not at all obtrusive, the fruits are much in front. Could almost start now. 94/100
Château Larrivet-Haut-Brion Smooth, inclined towards elegance, but the question is whether it has stuffing for longevity. Generally a modernistic impression. 90/100
Château Latour-Martillac Slightly attenuated impression. Smooth black fruits but not a lot of stuffing behind. Needs more presence on the palate. 90/100
Château Malartic Lagravière Smooth, elegant, black, not quite a lighter style, but not full force. Black fruits are supported by relatively light tannins. 90/100
Château Pape Clément Mid weight palate is well balanced between black fruits and supple tannins but possibly not the intensity of the very top vintages. Perhaps it’s just going for elegance. Not so overtly modern as in the past. 92/100
Château Smith Haut Lafitte Smooth and modern with faintly nutty notes and traces of vanillin. Supple tannins in the background. Somehow the modern style is not persuasive. This may be the most modernistic wine of the year. Very nice for short time, but what about longevity? 92/100
Pessac-Léognan
Château Carbonnieux Smooth palate with just a rasp from structure at the end. Very much Graves, cigar box showing on top of black fruits, Reminiscent of 2016, very promising. 91/100
Domaine de Chevalier Smooth and elegant, very typical. Black fruit palate supported by tannins that are already turning silky. Long finish shows black fruit s tending to blackcurrants. 93/100
Château de Fieuzal Sense of citrus fruits and herbaceousness on palate, but not as intense as I expected from the year. Nice balance with refreshing style of citrus fruits. 90/100
Château Larrivet-Haut-Brion Restrained, faint herbaceousness offsets citrus palate. Nice sense of balance and completeness. 91/100
Château Latour-Martillac Slightly herbaceous stewed citrus impressions but not as much concentration on palate as I would like. 90/100
Château Malartic Lagravière Stewed citrus fruits with sweet ripe impressions. Faint hints of nuttiness at end. 90/100
Château Pape Clément One of the more intense whites of the vintage. Sweet ripe stewed citrus, no trace of herbaceousness. Smooth and silky. 92/100
Château Smith Haut Lafitte Banc Smooth, fine, stewed citrus fruits on palate with no trace of herbaceousness. This is just a little less refined than Pape Clement. Smooth and silky on the finish. 92/100
Moulis
Château Chasse-Spleen Softer than Poujeaux but perhaps fruits are not quite as concentrated, although there is greater tannic structure with more dryness on the finish. There is just a touch of hardness on the finish. 90/100
Château Poujeaux Very typical result for chateau. Opens with black fruits that then become more restrained as firm tannins kick in. Touch of dryness at end indicates structure. Origin outside the great communes betrayed by just a touch of hardness. 90/100
Haut-Médoc
Château Cantemerle Nice sense of restraint against black fruit palate. Tannins are smooth in background. This is all but ready to drink. 90/100
Château de Camensac Faint hints of herbal character on nose. Nice balance on palate but not as concentrated as I expected for year. 90/100
Château Citran Black fruits subsumed by flatness of finish. Not much pizzazz. 89/100
Margaux
Château Brane Cantenac Faint sense of asperity to nose. Not quite barnyard but some herbal impressions faintly in background. Slightly attenuated quality. Tannins quite tight. 90/100
Château Cantenac Brown Mid weight palate, some dryness from tannins at end. The elegance of Margaux is pushed into the background. Structure needs to resolve a bit. 90/100
Château Dauzac Slightly herbal sense of austerity to nose. Sweet ripe fruits on palate, fruitiness quite overt. Wine a little fuller than usual for Margaux. 90/100
Château Desmirail Classic nose of black fruits, spices, and herbs. Restrained black fruits on palate. Very typical of Margaux with lovely herbal impressions on finish. Should be ready soon. 91/100
Château Giscours A little fuller as always, but nicely restrained on palate. Structure indicated by dryness on finish. Palate shows fruits in background but tannins not too overt either. Hard to judge. 90/100
Château Kirwan Here is the typical elegance of Margaux and the light touch of Kirwan. Great sense of fruit purity. Structure indicated by dryness on finish. 91/100
Château Lascombes Full force elegance if that’s not an oxymoron. Palate is relatively full for Margaux, with smooth black fruits and supple tannins. Already there is an impression of completeness. 94/100
Château Malescot St. Exupéry Smooth and very Margaux-ish. Structure shows non finish. Indeed this gives impression of well-structured wine. Black fruits show liquorish impressions with faint aromatics. Feels relatively modernistic. 92/100
Château Prieuré Lichine Smooth, elegant, very Margaux-ish, structure indicated by dryness at end. Elegant black fruits with tannins really drying finish. More structured than usual. 91/100
Château Rauzan-Ségla Very fine, very elegant, really epitomizes Margaux. Smooth and silkier than most Margaux chateaux this year. Classic representation of chateau and appellation. 93/100
Château du Tertre Smooth, elegant, tannins well in background, some hints of smoke. Very nice, but not as intense as some chateaux this year. 90/100
St. Julien
Château Beychevelle This shows the classic tightness of young Beychevelle, with elegant fruits feeling very Cabernet Sauvignon-ish and a sense of taut structure on the finish. Dryness on the finish shows significant structural support. This is a very fine result in the traditional style of the chateau. 92/100
Château Branaire Ducru Smooth palate shows good sense of precision of St. Julien. Lovely black fruits fill the palate with just a touch of overt fruitiness at the end. 91/100
Château Gloria Nice sense of the precision of St. Julien. Fruits are a little tight, quite elegant, but I wonder if there is quite enough stuffing for longevity. 90/100
Château Gruaud Larose A little flat on the nose. Fine granular impression on palate, black fruits just a little muted at present. Should become a classic representation of the chateau showing the drier side of St. Julien. 92/100
Château Lagrange Smooth, elegant, good sense of St. Julien. The overly modernistic impression of recent years has all but gone. Just a faint touch of vanillin to remind of recent history. Tannins quite firm but not obtrusive. 91/100
Château Langoa Barton The usual fine impression of the Barton wines, but less presence on the palate than I expected in this vintage. Black fruits are supported by fine tannins, I would have liked just a little more intensity. 90/100
Château Léoville Barton As usual more intensity than Langoa. Smooth, elegant, greater sense of structure. Very fine tannins scarcely obtrude on the palate. Very much the Barton style. 92/100
Château Léoville Poyferré Overt sense of black fruits to nose and palate. Firm tannins with touch of dryness on finish. The modernistic style is not so evident as previously, but the palate is relatively full, you fill the vintage has filled it out more than usual. 92/100
Château Saint Pierre Fuller and sweeter than Gloria and also more sense of structure showing with the dryness of the finish. Less precise but broader than Gloria. 91/100
Château Talbot Relatively round impression for Talbot. Just a hint of tannic dryness at end. Firm impression on palate. Developing in a savory direction. 92/100
Pauillac
Château Batailley The fullness of Pauillac shows, not quite plush on the palate. The texture is not quite as fine as I would like. Structure needs to soften. 90/100
Château Clerc Milon Just a touch tight and restrained. Tannic structure shows as dryness on finish. A bit of a throwback considering the vintage. 91/100
Château d’Armailhac Fuller than Clerc Milon, greater fruit concentration, smooth tannic structure showing more as restraining influence than dryness on finish. 92/100
Château Duhart Milon A very fine impression, showing finesse over plushness, tannic structure just detectable by dryness on finish. Will mature to elegance rather than power. 92/100
Château Grand-Puy Ducasse Here is something of the plushness of Pauillac offset by a well structured character. This is very Pauillac and represents a distinct advance over previous years for the chateau. 92/100
Château Grand-Puy-Lacoste Smooth and elegant, very much the elegant style of the chateau, fine black fruits, supple tannins in background. Perhaps not as forceful as 2016. 92/100
Château Haut Batailley A distinct advance in finesse over the old style.. Fine black fruits supported by tannins that dry the finish. Quite structured in the classic tradition but the fruits behind the structure are evident. The closest to a vin de garde this vintage comes. 92/100
Château Lynch Bages Very fine, very elegant, smooth rather than plush. Finely textured palate will move in savory direction as it ages. 94/100
Château Lynch Moussas Fine structure feels more like St Julien. Quite an elegant impression. Structure imposes restraint rather than dryness on finish. Very good for the chateau. 90/100
Château Pichon Baron Perhaps the most classic representation of Pauillac in the vintage. Round black fruits are almost plush with very smooth supple tannins. A top result for the chateau and the vintage. May become chocolaty as it ages. 94/100
Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande Plusher and fuller even than Baron. Tannins show firmness on finish. Lovely black fruits just coming through the structure. Very typical Pauillac. 95/100
St. Estèphe
Château Cos Labory Here is the hardness of St Estèphe, not really dryness on the finish, just a little hard, flattening the impression of the underlying black fruits. Just needs time. 90/100
Château Phélan Ségur Quite smooth for the chateau and for St Estèphe. Structure shows at the end but I expect this to soften in 4-6 years. 90/100
St. Emilion
Château Beau-Séjour Bécot Smooth, round, and fruity. Tannins well in the background are supple. Touch of overt fruitiness reveals Merlot. Close to approachable. 90/100
Château Canon La Gaffelière Really shows breed because it not only has the round black fruits of the vintage with supple tannins but also an impression of precision and elegance. This is very fine. 94/100
Château Dassault Smooth, round, soft black fruits, supple tannins, quite an elegant impression for St. Emilion. Maybe I would like a touch more presence on the palate. Very approachable. 92/100
Château La Dominique This wine really typifies the style of Grand Cru Classés this vintage. Soft, round, black fruits are relatively forward, but there is a touch more tannic presence, although supple, than some. Very good result, 91/100
Clos Fourtet A little more restrained than most this year. Good balance between black fruits and unobtrusive structure. Hints of coffee. 91/100
Château Grand Mayne Typical for year, black fruits at front, supple structure behind, but not quite enough pizzazz on palate. 90/100
Château Pavie Macquin Right on form. Palate shows firm black fruits, slightly nutty in the background. Nice sense of savory development to come. Very well balanced. A proper wine. 92/100
Château La Tour Figeac Typical if not at the top rank. Not exactly attenuated, but not as much presence as I would like on palate. Just a touch of firmness from structure at end. 90/100
Château Trottevieille Slightly flat on the palate compared with the more obviously fruity chateaux of this vintage. Tannic structure is not obtrusive but seems to be responsible for flattening the palate a bit. 90/100
Château Valandraud Very fine result showing a level of refinement that’s unusual for St. Emilion. Palate has finely textured black fruits, tannins in background. I don’t often say this in St. Emilion, but the overall impression is elegance. It is a complete contrast with the reputation of garage wines. 93/100
Pomerol
Château Beauregard Seems restrained for Pomerol. Black fruits segue into firm finish with some elegance. Feels more like St Emilion or even left bank compared to usual lushness of Pomerol. Structured enough to need time. 91/100
Château La Cabanne Soft, a bit forward, quite Pomerol-ish, but firm tannins in background. 90/100
Château Clinet Mid weight black fruits. More restrained than I usually associate with the chateau. Firm tannins in background. 90/100
Château Le Gay This is one of the few wines of the vintage that taste like my image of Pomerol. Forward, fruity, and black on palate, although tannins are firm in background. 90/100
Château Gazin Quite a firm impression on the palate. Black fruits more in the background than most, tannins quite firm. Feels surprisingly like St. Emilion. 90/100
Château Petit Village Fuller and more typically Pomerol than Beauregard, but even so there is more sense of structure than I usually associate with Pomerol. Black fruit palate has firm tannins in background. 92/100
Sauternes
Château Doisy-Védrines Botrytis on nose, sweet on palate, but not too sweet, you can see the flavor variety coming through with citrus, marmalade, and nuts. Lingers on the finish. 93/100
Château Guiraud Full on the palate, botrytis showing on nose and palate, with honey, nuts, and marmalade. Sweetness is just a touch overt. 93/100
Château Suduiraut Nose is redolent with botrytis, honey, marmalade, stewed citrus. Viscous palate has great concentration, long finish with hints of bitterness. This is a top result. 95/100
Château La Tour Blanche Sweet palate with notes of botrytis but some bitterness on top of honey, nuts, and marmalade, but no savory contrast. 91/100
The Bouygues brothers did not buy Henri Rebourseau for its wines; they bought the domain for its vineyards. “This is both an old and a new domain,” says manager Bastien Giraud, who took over in 2023. The vines are old; but the approach is entirely new. (It’s a bit surprising given Rebourseau’s reputation as a perennial under-performer that the Bouygues haven’t changed the name.)
The domain was located in a gracious eighteenth century building set in 3 ha of gardens in the center of Gevrey Chambertin. Henri Rebourseau bought the property in 1919 to be the center of the family’s holdings. His descendants (the de Surrel family) continued to own the domain until they sold a majority share to the Bouygues brothers in 2018 (reputedly for €45 million). The family retained the house, and the Bouygues built a splendid new winery just at the entrance to the property.
The new winery was completed for the harvest in 2023. “The old winery was a ruin,” Bastien says. Stones are glued on to an aluminum frame so the structure can breathe. The interior fitments are all wood. It seems very large for a 13 ha domain: perhaps there are plans to expand the vineyard holdings? An anti-flood drainage system is being installed around the winery.
The ground floor is filled with new open-topped wooden vats for fermentation (they were actually covered when I visited, because the roof was leaking, and Bastien did not want rainwater in the new vats). Underneath are two levels of barrel cellars, one for even years, one for odd years. Upstairs there is gracious tasting room.
The domain has impressive holdings, with half in grand crus. There are 11 ha in Gevrey Chambertin, including 0.5 ha in Chambertin, more than 1 ha in Charmes Chambertin, 1 ha in Mazis Chambertin, and 0.3 ha in Clos de Bèze. The 7 ha of village Gevrey is unusually mostly in a large block, with a 5 ha plot extending directly from the house and running across to the D974. Outside Gevrey, there are 2 ha in Clos Vougeot. Altogether there are 10 cuvées from premier or grand crus; 40% of production is from premier or grand crus, and 60% is from village Gevrey.
Almost everything has changed here, from viticulture to vinification. Strangely for a domain with top holdings, harvesting was mechanical; now it is manual. Different plots were merged for a single vinification for each appellation: the new winery allows each plot to be vinified separately. The plot in Clos Vougeot, for example, is right in the middle of the clos, with quite varied soils; the different terroirs can now be vinified separately, and the wine may be improved by selling off the weaker lots instead of including them in the cuvée. Use of new oak was extensive, typically 70-100%, even for village wines, and the wines were highly extracted. Now extraction is much gentler and new oak has been cut back; the aim is around 30% for village wine, 40% for grand crus, and perhaps 50% for Chambertin or Clos de Bèze.
There’s significant investment in the best equipment: “the equipment when I got here was not the best,” Bastien says. A new destemmer has been purchased as well as a vibrating sorting table. (Bastien tried optical sorting in 2023, but says it does not wok very well with Pinot Noir because of the fragility of the grapes: “you send up selecting everything or nothing.”)
There are 3 cuvées of Gevrey Chambertin. The generic cuvée comes from 3-4 plots that are two small to make individual wines. The 5 ha plot at the winery is divided into two parts. The northern half, Brunelle, has gravelly terroir with lots of small stones. The southern half, Corbeaux, has a lot of clay.
The style of the 2022s (made before Bastien took over) is quite primary, starting with the communal Gevrey. Brunelle is calmer and more structured, but the first real sense of sophistication comes with Fonteney, the largest of Rebourseau’s premier crus. Going to the grand crus, there is greater aromatic lift in Charmes Chambertin, which definitely plays to elegance rather than power. Mazis Chambertin, where Rebourseau’s holding is about 10% of the cru, is not as charming, but is denser and more structured. More forward than the cuvées from the Gevrey area, the Clos Vougeot shows more flavor variety and complexity, with fruits pushing the tannins back, giving that impression of opulence of Vougeot; this feels the readiest to drink.
The Bouygues brothers own Château Montrose in Bordeaux and Clos Rougeard in the Loire. There is an interesting contrast with Henri Rebourseau. “At Clos Rougeard the objective was to keep the myth without the people (the Foucault brothers) who made it. Here (at Henri Rebourseau) we have to change the style,” Bastien says. This is now a domain to watch.
Tasting notes for 2022
Gevrey Chambertin Quite a purple color, youthful aromatics on the nose, with a touch of asperity. Sweet ripe fruits feel very primary, as though this were a barrel sample not long out of fermentation. Tannins are not obtrusive (especially considering this is Gevrey). The brightness of the wine makes it seem like a barrel sample. 89 Drink 2027-2035
Gevrey Chambertin, Brunelle 2022 This has something of the same primary character as the general Gevrey Chambertin, but is just a little bit calmer. It is not so bright, a little more structured and seems a fraction more advanced in its development. 89 Drink 2027-2035
Clos du Fonteney Same purple color as the general Gevrey Chambertins, but more reserved on the nose. This makes an altogether more sophisticated impression. Tannins in the background are firm but silky. This shows a youthful palate, all black fruits, inclined to cherries. It still has that rather primary character that marks the house style on release. 90 Drink 2028-2040
Charmes Chambertin Round and ripe and a little primary. There is more aromatic lift than in the premier crus. Good acid balance to the palate. Tannins are extremely fine and silky. This has an elegance that is reminiscent of Chambolle or Morey: it is grand cru in its extreme elegance rather than in its power. 93 Drink 2028-2040
Mazis Chambertin This is riper and denser than Charmes Chambertin with longer persistence. There are still some primary impressions. Tannins are firm but in the background with good grip on the palate. The impression is more structured than Charmes. Mazis is not as sleek as Charmes with t
“My great grandfather started the domain; he was a cooper and bought vineyards. After a few successions, I’m just a winemaker (since 1982). I started with 1.8 ha, now I have 4.5 ha. Today it is so difficult to find vineyards,” Denis Bachelet says.
Bachelet is something of a cult, enhanced by the small size of the domain; the wines are available only on allocation. When Denis took over the domain, it was just vines with no cellar or equipment, as his grandparents had retired in 1973. The vineyards consisted of Charmes Chambertin, village and premier cru Gevrey Chambertin, and a parcel of Bourgogne. Denis has bought further vineyards when he has had the chance, but the domain remains very small.
Denis Bachelet in his cellar
Identified only by a very discrete nameplate on the door, the domain occupies a building just off the D974, but the inside is larger than you might expect. Relatively expansive for a small domain, the cellars run all along under the building.
“When the weather is with us, we make 7 red and 1 white cuvées,” Denis says. The white is Bourgogne and there is also a red Burgogne. Côtes de Nuits Village comes from Brochon. From Gevrey Chambertin, there is village wine, two premier crus, Evocelles and Corbeaux, and Charmes Chambertin.
We tasted 2023s from barrel, although Denis feels this is the wrong time of the year: October or November would be appropriate. He is committed to biodynamics to the point of bottling only by the phase of the moon. The wines spend 16 months in barrique. All the wines were racked in April and they will be racked again only for bottling.
The Bourgogne Rouge comes from two plots totaling just over a half hectare, planted in 1977 and 1986; it ages in used barriques. Côte de Nuits Villages comes from 6 parcels of 50-70-year old vines from the top of the slope at Brochon. 2023 is the last year under this label: from 2024 the parcels will be classified as Fixin. The Bourgogne is positively juicy, and that sense of juiciness shows also in the Côte de Nuits Villages against a more structured background; then there is more overt structural support in Gevrey Chambertin.
Gevrey Chambertin is the largest cuvée, from 6 separate plots of 70-90-year old vines., aged with 20% new oak. Premier Cru Les Evocelles is only 0.17 ha, planted in 1960 at the top of the slope, and sees 60% new oak. Here the fruits are forward, rather than as overtly juicy in the Gevrey village, and show a lovely balance with the supporting structure. Although relatively approachable on release, the structure should support longevity. Dennis describes the general flavor spectrum of his wines as juicy black cherries, and says that his aim is “sucrosité [impressions of sweetness] without sugar.”
Les Corbeaux is just under a half hectare, comprising three parcels adjacent to Mazis Chambertin, planted in 1920 and 1961, and ages with 50% new oak. From a couple of parcels with about the same total area, Charmes Chambertin comes from the oldest vines of the domain, planted between 1907-1917; it uses 30-60% new oak depending on vintage. Corbeaux makes a more filigree impression than Evocelles, perhaps you might say more feminine. Charmes Chambertin is all black cherry fruits, incredibly smooth even in a barrel sample, supported by supple tannins.
The trend is for the wines to show increasing smoothness and sense of sophistication going from Bourgogne through Côte de Nuits Villages through Gevrey Chambertin to the premier crus. The cuvées show an underlying sense of fruitiness in the black spectrum and richness, with fruits most obvious at the start of the hierarchy, and the sense of structure increasing as you move to premier and grand crus. These are sophisticated wines, and that sense of sophistication increases going up the hierarchy.
Tasting Notes for 2023 Barrel Samples
Bourgogne Transparent impression, fresh red fruits make juicy impression. An unusually elegant style for Bourgogne AOP. 89 Drink 2028-2036
Côte de Nuits Villages This really shows Denis’s objective of achieving sucrositeé without sugar. Fresh nose shows black fruits. Round and juicy, it shows black fruits on the palate, with a much fuller impression than the Bourgogne. Tannins are rounder and more supple. It makes an altogether richer impression. 89 Drink 2027-2036
Gevrey Chambertin The juiciness and sense of viscosity or richness resembles the Côte de Nuits Villages but shows an increased sense of sophistication with a greater sense of structural support brought by lovely firm tannins. 92 Drink 2028-2040
Gevrey Chambertin, Les Evocelles The palate is marked by forward black fruits in a lovely balance with the supporting structure, where the tannins are firm but not at all obtrusive. This is a very fine example of Gevrey Chambertin premier cru in the modern style, meaning that it is relatively approachable on release but still has the structure behind the fruits to support longevity. 93 Drink 2028-2040
Gevrey Chambertin, Les Corbeaux Here the sense of black fruits is accompanied by a sense of spiciness on the nose. The palate makes a velvety impression, smoother than Evocelles, moving more towards a chocolate coating, with a sense of lightness of being where fruits are supported by lacy acidity. 93 Drink 2028-2040
Charmes Chambertin Hints of spice as well as black fruits. For a barrel sample, this is incredibly smooth. Tannins seem almost soft and are extremely supple. The palate is all smooth black cherry fruits. The balance is so smooth that it may even be ready to start before the premier crus. 95 Drink 2027-2042
“I came back to Burgundy in 2016 to help my father,” says Franck Follin-Arbelet. “I had a different life before. I lived in Japan for two years and then spent three years in France working for a Japanese culinary school. I started making the wine in 2017. My father is still involved.”
The domain is at the end of a cul-de-sac, very discrete, with a house and old cellars dating from 1754. “This is a small domain, which my father created in 1993. My mother is part of the Latour family and some of the vineyards were previously part of Louis Latour. I’m basically the second generation. This is a very classic domain, we do everything by ourselves.”
Franck is thoughtful about the changes in Burgundy. “Burgundy is changing fast and the change since 2000 has been tremendous. The wines we are making today are different from the wines we made in the 1980s and 1990s. You have to forget what you expected from Burgundy.”
“For my grandfather, the more alcohol you had, the better. For him it was fantastic if alcohol reached 13%. In 2020 and 2023, some wines reached 14.5% and struggled to finish fermentation. I like the 2018s, but of course they are not like Burgundy style, more like the Côtes du Rhône.”
“We have made some changes, all to fight against the heat. We pick earlier in the day, starting around 6:30, so the grapes come in cool. And we have more cooling equipment for the vats. We tend to do less extraction, with fewer punch-downs, because the wines are darker and more extracted anyway.”
The domain has plots in Pernand-Vergelesses, Aloxe-Corton, and Corton. The largest plots are premier crus in Aloxe-Corton, Les Vercots and Clos du Chapitre, each around 1 ha. “The plot in Corton is a sandwich.” South-facing, it is in en Charlemagne, with vines were planted in 1978. There are 17 rows of Pinot Noir, then 25 rows of Chardonnay, flanked by another 4 rows of Pinot Noir. It is one of the last plots with Pinot Noir in en Charlemagne.
Wines age for 18 months. Use of new oak increases with the level of the appellation. There is none for Pernand-Vergelesses, about 15% for Aloxe Corton premier crus, half for the Corton. When new oak is used, it is only for the first half of the élevage: after 11 months the wine is racked into used barriques.
We tasted the range from 2022, except for Les Vercots, which had all been sold, so we tasted the 2019. “We are facing a problem we [the Burgundians] created ourselves. Prices are crazy and people don’t want to buy Burgundy any more. We expected sales to be less, so we increased the allocations, but it all sold.”
Starting with premier cru Les Ficots from Pernand-Vergelesses, the wine shows classic freshness with a sense of tartness to cut the red fruits. The Aloxe Corton village is a step above the Pernand Vergelesses premier cru, and has greater depth and roundness, moving to the palate, with a nice edge of red fruits. The fruits really take over in Aloxe-Corton premier cru Clos du Chapitre, which has a more feminine impression compared to the stronger, more powerful, Les Vercots. “Clos du Chapitre is a 2 ha clos and we have half of it. It is warmer spot because it is surrounded by houses in the village. The soil is distinctive, not very deep, with a lot of limestone. It always harvests early. Les Vercots has deeper soils.”
The red Corton comes from the same plot as the Corton Charlemagne in en Charlemagne. (“We cannot put Charlemagne on the label for a red wine, so it is labeled Corton without a climat.”) It ages in 4 barriques with 2 barriques new. Here the impressions of red and black fruits are right in the forefront, with a round, ripe impression, tending to elegance rather than power. “It’s not a massive wine, it’s delicate,” Franck says. It should become velvety, soft, and earthy, as it ages.
The domain is focused on red wines but has whites from Pernand Vergelesses and Corton Charlemagne. The Pernand-Vergelesses village white has a fresh, clean style, something of a preview for the Corton Charlemagne, which is round on the palate but shows that typical sense of the linearity and minerality of Corton Charlemagne. The palate is smooth and silky, showing citric overtones with hints of new oak, which is very judicious. The wine makes up to 7 barriques, depending on the vintage, with a little new oak. “We can’t complain about our neighbors who are Coche Dury and DRC,” Franck says.
Tasting Notes, 2022 vintage
Les Fichots, Pernand-Vergelesses
Nice nose with some tart impressions and classical sense of freshness. Same sense of tartness carries over to palate with sour cherries/strawberries, light tannic support in background, texture moving towards chewy impression. 13.5% 88 Drink 2026-2032
Aloxe Corton Nose shows similar style to the Pernand Vergelesses, with tart fresh impressions, but has greater depth and roundness moving to the palate, with a nice edge of red fruits. 89 Drink 2026-2034
Clos du Chapitre, Aloxe-Corton Fresh nose has suggestions of tart but the red fruits are more evident than in the village Aloxe Corton. This gives a classic impression of the appellation with red and black fruits against a fresh background. 90 Drink 2026-2036
Les Vercots, Aloxe-Corton (2019) Quite a fresh nose (especially considering the vintage): this shows the depth of the vintage but the palate retains freshness. The palate moves more towards black fruits. It is a success for the vintage. 91 Drink –2036
Corton Impressions of red and black fruits are at the forefront, more obvious than with the premier cru Clos du Chapitre. The sense of freshness that marks the vintage in the Aloxe Corton and Pernand Vergelesses is less evident. “It’s not a massive wine, it’s delicate,” Franck says. Nice texture is not quite chewy, and should become velvety, soft, and earthy, as the wine ages. 91 Drink 2025-2037
Pernand Vergelesses, White Fresh nose with some almost spirity notes. Fresh on the palate in a clean, linear style, citric overtones on the palate, which has nice weight, staying definitely in a citric spectrum. 89 Drink –2030
Corton Charlemagne Round on the palate, the linearity and minerality of Corton Charlemagne showing here, citric overtones with some faint hints of new oak, which is very judicious. The palate makes a smooth, silky impression. It is a very good representation of Corton Charlemagne in the linear style. 92 Drink -2034
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