CLOS VOUGEOT

2017 Grand Cru Domaine Joseph Drouhin

EN PRIMEUR

30% Whole-Bunch and 30% New Oak. Picked between 8-11 September. Firmish feel with good grip and concentration. Quite ripe middle to the juice. and good intent. Charming for sure and with good gentle push. This is unmistakably Grand Cru. Oozing class and determined drive with with a very 2017 soft appeal. Their fruit comes from the middle of the Clos - near the abandoned house (La Follie) - which they co-own with Etienne de Montille. Very good. Drinking range: 2019 - 2029L&S (Nov 2018)

* This is a pre-shipment/primeur offer. All orders are accepted under the TERMS of this offer which differ from the terms of the rest of the site.

Mid purple, not quite precise on the nose, possible volatility, certainly fruit depth, this is living on its nerves a little but I do enjoy the weight of fruit at the back of the palate and the persistence, and it starts to pull itself together very nicely in the glass. Tasted: September 2021 Rating: 94 Jasper Morris - Inside Burgundy  (Sept 2021)

(Drouhin owns .91 ha in two parcels that are rarely blended as the lower portion is typically sold; 30% whole clusters). Here too there is a poached plum character to the slightly fresher nose of earth and soft wood nuances. There is good punch and solid density to the muscular medium weight plus flavors that coat the mouth on the lightly stony and youthfully austere finish. This is quite firm and will need extended patience. Drinking range: 2032 - Rating: 90-93 Allen Meadows, www.Burghound.com (Apr 2019)

A wealth of wet-earth notes and an array of red and dark cherries, as well as a gently smoky edge. The palate is beautifully plush and long and delivers a very striking array of juicy, rich and sweet cherries that hold pure and fresh. Silky tannins have the final word. Great Vougeot. Try from 2022. Drinking range: 2022 - Rating: 94 Nick Stock, www.jamessuckling.com (Feb 2019)

The 2017 Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru unfurls in the glass with notes of cherries, cassis and rich soil tones, framed by a generous touch of creamy new oak. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, ample and chewy, with credible substance and depth, though it will never match the 2016 or 2015 renditions. Rating: 89 - 91+ William Kelley, The Wine Advocate (Jan 2019)

The 2017 Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru was picked between September 8 and 11 from a parcel in the middle of the clos and includes 30% whole clusters. Véronique Drouhin said that because it was a warm season, the blend includes a parcel from the lower part of the Grand Cru that they usually sell off. This has quite a sumptuous bouquet of copious red cherries, kirsch and subtle blueberry aromas, becoming more and more floral in the glass. The lightly spiced palate is medium-bodied on the entry, offering gentle grip, although I feel it does not quite deliver the precision on the finish compared directly with the superlative Clos-de-Bèze. Drinking range: 2021 - 2038 Rating: 90-92 Neal Martin, www.vinous.com (Jan 2019)

Mid to deep crimson. Very pretty red fruits on the nose, almost floral. Juicy, fresh, with dry tannic finesse on the palate. Long and tight, not typically Vougeot? Though I guess Vougeot can be extremely varied. Drinking range: 2024 - 2035 Rating: 17 Julia Harding MW, www.JancisRobinson.com (Dec 2018)

Joseph Drouhin, founded in 1880 and still family owned, are one of the most well-respected names in Burgundy, especially through their flagship wine, the iconic Clos des Mouches.

A huge part of the Drouhin production comes from their own domaine fruit (78 hectares), and much of the rest comes from contracts such as that with the Marquis de Laguiche, who shook hands with the grandfather of the current generation, agreeing to let him manage his vineyards which included an important part of Le Montrachet; this collaboration endures. Today, the fourth generation is at the helm

Small refinements continue to be made here. The presses have been changed - a reversion to basket pressing for the reds, and for whites the presses are open - along with a number of other growers they are following the trend to think that slight oxidation of the juice before fermentation is not a problem and may add complexity as well as avoiding later problems of premature oxidation in bottle.

For the reds there has been the introduction of selective whole-bunch fermentation in the Côte de Nuits wines. The house style remains one that 'emphasises the natural elegance of great Burgundies' as they describe it. The domaine is all cultivated with an organic and biodynamic approach.

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