Grivot, Meo-Camuzet, Chevillon, Gouges, Julien, Millot
Tasting at Grivot is always a treat and in 2018, up and down the range, the Grivots have turned out a sensational set of wines. Which isn't to say they found the vintage easy; for instance, they needed to change their normal harvest patterns, delaying picking in Vosne-Romanee for a few days to give the vines time to absorb the early September rains. But they pulled everything off perfectly and the results are fantastic. Also in Vosne-Romanee, at Meo-Camuzet, Jean-Nicholas has (as ever) produced a range of wines as suave, sophisticated and charming as the man himself. At the lower end of the scale, the wines are plush, fruitful and vividly defined, delicious, easy drinking; towards the top end, they are very serious, characterised by supple, woven tannins, complexity and great length.
Down the road in Nuits-St-Georges at Domaine Gouges, soft, silky tannins cloaked wines that were actually quite powerful. But that sums up the way this domaine has evolved over the last fifteen years, bringing more subtlety to these famously long-lived wines. Developments in the winery have unquestionably made a difference, but it is in the vineyard where their real focus is. Henri Gouges's motto, 'It is on the vines that great wines are made', remains as true now as it was a hundred years ago. Meanwhile, Etienne Julien has made quite a few changes since taking over from his father, and has plans for a lot more. These are mostly in the cellar, as he is convinced his father has always got the farming right. His 2018s wines show beautiful definition and are quite distinct by terroir, with good perfume and density on the palate.
And lastly, also in Nuits-St-Georges, a new acquisition for us. We've tasted at Jean-Marc Millot before, but this year the wines were just too good to resist any longer. This is another domaine in generational transition, with Jean-Marc's daughter Alix Millot now in charge, and flying high. The domaine has some great sites and a high proportion of old vines; Alix has taken full advantage and made a range of lovely, complex wines. /NT
