Domaine de la VOUGERAIE -- 2023 Tasted from Barrel Samples and from Bottle
Harvesting began on 30 August with the Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Champ Gain, and then on to the grand cru whites. The first reds to be harvested were on 1 September at Volnay, Clos des Chênes and Es Blanche. There was a pause in early September, and then harvesting continued until 28 September. Harvesting of the reds on the Côte de Nuits did not begin until 16 September.
Yields averaged 48hl/ha for the whites and 39 hl/ha for the reds; large but not excessive for the vintage. There was a green harvest over the summer. Because of the healthy state of the grapes, there was almost no sorting. Alcohols remain moderate; the white Côte de Beaune at 13º is the highest alcohol. There were no chaptalizations. Some whole clusters were used in the Gevrey-Evocelles, Nuits-Thorey, Clos de Vougeot, Bonnes-Mares, and Musigny. Malolactic fermentations went quickly. New wood on the reds is 20%; recent vintages have been reducing the amount of new oak.
We start with the reds:
2023 Pommard Petits Noizons
Spicy red fruit nose. Light, smooth, pure, red fruits. Lovely to drink now. (88-91)
2023 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Morgeot Clos de la Chapelle
Medium-light, pure, red fruits, some minerality, drinks lovely now. Lovely freshness. This monopole had been exploited by Jadot, but in recent years transferred to Vougeraie. (89-91)
2023 Savigny-les-Beaune 1er Cru Les Marconnets
Round, red fruits with a touch of spice, light on palate, good density. This is a very good expression of the Marconnets terroir. (89-91)
2023 Gevrey-Chambertin Les Evocelles
Aromatic, spicy nose. A little whole cluster here. More depth and substance than the previous wines, good precision, length. (90-93)
2023 Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Clos de Thorey
Darker fruit than the Evocelles, round, smooth, good depth, easy to approach. (91-94)
2023 Clos-de-Vougeot
Good minerality and freshness, red fruits, dense, powerful. Did lots of green harvesting, especially in the lower part of the vineyard. (91-94)
2023 Bonnes-Mares
Slightly earthy nose, good complexity, black fruits. Very elegant, smooth, long, mineral, red fruits, good layering. Should drink well young. Finesse. (93-95)
2023 Musigny
100% whole cluster; began to use some whole cluster in 2007. Velvet texture, red fruits, layered, long. Needs plenty of time, but will be great. (95-98)
Moving now to the white wines. 20% new wood; wood comes from Cîteaux, medium toast. Mostly 350-450-liter casks.
2023 Côte de Beaune Les Pierres Blanches
From bottle. Mineral, light, lively, fresh. Although light, also some juiciness. 91/A
2023 Puligny-Montrachet
Puligny minerality in nose. A little bit low in acidity; nice minerality. Good length. Drink young. (86-88)
2023 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Morgeot Clos de la Chapelle
Tangerine, clementine, light on palate, good length. Drink young. Like its red counterpart, a monopole that until recently was exploited by Jadot. (89-92)
2023 Le Clos Blanc de Vougeot
Structure, round, citric aromas, density, moderate acidity, good length. Long in mouth. Very sensual. (91-93)
2023 Charlemagne
More density, but lots of finesse; less aggressive than the large part of Corton-Charlemagne. But more powerful than the previous whites here. (92-95)
2023 Bienvenues-Bâtard Montrachet
Forest nose. Delicate, fruity, long, touch of creaminess. Excellent length in mouth. (94-96)
With the large number of wines that Vougeraie has, this is just a small sampling, but it shows excellent quality for the wines with very good representations of the respective terroirs.