Jahrgang 2015

Burghound.com - Allen Meadows' - 1er Quarter 2018
151 Producers with 1,607 Burgundies, Pinots & Champagnes Reviewed

Domaine Gabriel Tortochot (Gevrey-Chambertin)

 

2015	Chambertin Grand Cru	red	93
2015	Chambolle-Musigny "Les Sentiers" 1er	red	92
2015	Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru	red	92
2015	Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru	red	94
2015	Gevrey-Chambertin “Les Champeaux” 1er	red	88
2015	Gevrey-Chambertin “Champerrier Vieilles Vignes”	red	89
2015	Gevrey-Chambertin «Les Corvées»	red	90
2015	Gevrey-Chambertin "Les Jeunes Rois"	red	89
2015	Gevrey-Chambertin «Lavaut St Jacques» 1er	red	92
2015	Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru	red	93
2015	Morey Saint Denis	red	86
2015	Morey St Denis “1er - Cuvée Renaissance” 1er	red	91
2015	Morey St Denis “Aux Charmes” 1er	red	91

Chantal Tortochot, who directs this biologically farmed 11 ha domaine that is now ECO certified, described the 2015 growing season as one having “a wonderfully fast and uniform flowering that was followed by a hot and dry summer that concentrated the fruit. A low key but omnipresent north wind kept the fruit impeccably clean, in fact it’s rare to see it as clean as it was and it’s the cleanest we have had since 2009. We chose to begin picking on the 5th of September and brought in very good yields of around 40 hl/ha with excellent ripeness levels. I used on average 20% whole clusters for the vinification except for the Sentiers which was 100%. As to the wines, they have so much richness and underlying material that they will almost certainly age for years but for the same reasons be approachable young too.” With the exception of the Champeaux, which was heavily reduced, I was quite impressed with the Tortochot 2015s. They were bottled between September 2016 and March 2017. Note that the Tortochot wines are generally relatively old school in terms of style and structure though they do evidence noticeable wood when the wines are young. Lastly, just like the Cuvée Renaissance was added for the 2014 vintage thanks to taking back two previously leased parcels of Morey 1ers, there is a new addition in 2015 as well with a small .12 ha parcel of the Chambolle 1er Les Sentiers. (Bertin Henri Selections, www.bertinhenriselections.com, FL, Simon N. Cellars, www.simonncellars.com, VA, Milton Road Trading Corp, LLC, www.miltonroadtrading.com, CA, P. Comms International, www.pcommswines.com, NC and T. Edwards Wine, NY, all USA; Waitrose Cellar, www.waitrosecellar.com, Waterloo Fine and Rare and O.W. Loeb, www.owloeb.com, all UK).

2015 Morey St. Denis: (from a .46 ha holding in Les Crais and Les Chezeaux). There is enough reduction present to overshadow the underlying fresh. There is a sleek and nicely refined texture to the middle weight flavors thanks to the relatively fine-grained tannins shaping the slightly tangy and warm finish. This may come together but it’s awkward today. 86/2021+

2015 Gevrey-Chambertin “Les Jeunes Rois”: (from Brochon). This is also mildly reduced but here it’s much more subtle and does not dominate the earthy red berry fruit aromas. As is typically the case, this possesses more size, weight and richness to the attractively textured medium weight flavors that deliver fine depth and length. Moreover it should drink well young if that’s your preference. 89/2022+

2015 Gevrey-Chambertin “Les Corvées”: (from a .86 ha parcel). Once again there is a hint of reduction but as with the Jeunes Rois it’s not sufficient to mask the very ripe mix of red and dark berry aromas that are trimmed in nuances of earth and wood. I very much like the mouthfeel of the caressing yet intense medium-bodied flavors that possess both good concentration and excellent depth for a villages level wine on the slightly more structured finish. Excellent. 90/2023+

2015 Gevrey-Chambertin “Champerrier Vieilles Vignes”: (from a .46 ha parcel). This too reflects reduction but it’s a particular kind of reduction known as cassis bud and while it’s not unpleasant, I would suggest giving this a quick aeration. By contrast there is a wonderfully fine mouthfeel to the solidly concentrated flavors that is almost satiny in texture while delivering excellent depth and persistence on the balanced finish. It’s hard to predict whether the nose will clean up with a few years of bottle age but on the palate this is undeniably lovely. 89?/2023+

2015 Morey St. Denis “Aux Charmes”: (from a .23 ha parcel). A very pretty nose offers up a variety of red berry fruit aromas that are liberally laced with earth and floral wisps and in particular rose petal. There is a lovely sense of underlying tension present on the supple, refined and well-detailed middle weight flavors that conclude in a mildly austere and persistent finish. This is a wine of finesse even in a relatively robust vintage like 2015. 91/2023+

2015 Morey St. Denis “1er – Cuvée Renaissance”: (from Clos Baulet and Clos des Ormes). This is aromatically quite similar to the Aux Charmes with its pretty and fresh array of red berries, floral and earth-scented nose. Once again there is a relatively sleek and refined mouthfeel to the slightly more concentrated and more mineral-inflected flavors that exhibit good persistence on the slightly less structured finale. Note that this should drink reasonably well young. 91/2022+

2015 Gevrey-Chambertin “Lavaut St. Jacques”: (from a .64 ha parcel). A much more deeply pitched nose is composed by notes the sauvage, humus and earth that add breadth to the plum and dark currant aromas. There is fine mid-palate density to the powerful and overtly mineral-driven middle weight plus flavors that culminate in a focused, balanced and youthfully austere finish. This is amply constituted to deliver excellent cellaring results yet be approachable after only 4 to 6 years. 92/2025+

2015 Gevrey-Chambertin “Les Champeaux”: (from a .81 ha parcel of 40+ year old vines). This is quite heavily reduced and even flirts with mercaptans (think burnt rubber nuances). While the reduction does not extend to the palate that is also quite dense and powerful, reduction this heavy is always a cause for concern. 88?/2025+

2015 Chambolle-Musigny “Les Sentiers”: There is enough reduction to largely if not completely mask the underlying fruit but not the floral elements. There is terrific punch to the beautifully delineated and muscular medium-bodied flavors that possess a polished mouthfeel, all wrapped in a youthfully austere and impressively persistent finale. 92/2025+

2015 Charmes-Chambertin: (from .57 ha parcel in Charmes proper; aged in 80% new wood). Once again there is a whisper of reduction that isn’t enough to mask the fruit but it does knock down the expressiveness so I would counsel a thorough aeration if you’re going to drink one of these early on. Otherwise there is a beguiling sense of energy to the sappy and concentrated big-bodied flavors that possess a taut muscularity before terminating in a youthfully austere finish that delivers moderately good depth and persistence. I would opt to cellar this for a while in the hopes that better overall complexity will develop. 92/2027+

2015 Mazis-Chambertin: (from .42 ha parcel in Mazis-Bas). Here too there is enough reduction to blur the nuance on what is clearly a ripe nose. On the palate there is more size, weight and richness to the broad-shouldered flavors that brim with dry extract as well as a subtle minerality that adds a bit of lift to the balanced and impressively long finish. This is not overly powerful, at least not in the context of what is typical for this wine, though I suspect that more will develop as this ages because there is very good underlying material. 93/2027+

2015 Chambertin: (from a .40 ha parcel). More obvious reduction is present and it’s enough to overshadow what appears to be ripe fruit. More positively there is excellent size and weight to the admirably well-concentrated and powerful flavors that coat the palate with dry extract while flashing excellent minerality on the driving finish. Note that my rating offers the benefit of the doubt that the nose will clean up as this ages though I underscore that this is not a certainty. 93/2030+

2015 Clos de Vougeot: (from a .21 ha parcel). Very ripe yet still fresh aromas blend together notes of both red and dark currant with those of spice, earth and a hint of smoke. The reserved and ultra-primary flavors possess imposing size and weight while displaying superb persistence on the wonderfully complex finale. This marked robust effort is not as refined as the Chambertin, indeed the mouthfeel is borderline rustic, yet the quality of the underlying material is the best in the range in 2015. 94/2030+

Vinifera-Mundi - Gevrey-Chambertin - Die Grands Crus - des Jahrgangs 2015 - 17. November 2017

Wie jedes Jahr seit 2011 präsentierten die Propriétaires-Récoltants von Gevrey-Chambertin am Donnerstag vor der Auktion der Hospices de Beaune, dieses Jahr also am 17. November 2016, ihren jüngsten Jahr-gang, dieses Mal 2015, im ideal klimatisierten Espace Chambertin. Die weltweit berühmte Gemeinde der Côte de Nuits zählt zwar 3‘000 Ein-wohner, aber nur ca. 80 Produzenten. Dennoch sind nicht alle in Gevrey angesiedelt. Bedauernswert ist, dass gewisse Prominente wie Eric Rousseau und Jean-Marie Fourrier ihre Weine nicht präsentieren und andere, wie z.B. Olivier Bernstein, Chanson, Dujac oder Vougeraie, weil sie keine Parzelle in der Gemeinde besitzen. Lobenswert ist die Anwesenheit einer Domaine, welche wir letztes Jahr kennenlernen durften: Jane et Sylvain. Hingegen fehlen Eugène Ellia und Launay Ho-riot dieses Jahr. Der erste Betrieb produziert nur noch einen einzigen Gevrey und der zweite hat seine zwei Grands Crus Weine nicht präsen-tiert.

Die Weine
Im Allgemeinen hat die Ernte zwischen dem 20. und dem 25. September bei wunderschönem Wetter stattgefun-den. Gevrey-Chambertin wurden Naturkatastrophen, z.B. Hagelschauer, erspart.

Domaine Tortochot

Die Domaine hat drei Weine präsentiert, darunter einen Grand Cru. Es war eine grosse Freude, anfangs Juni 2017 Chantal Tortochot im Rahmen der Burgunder Jahrgangspräsentation zu treffen. Diese Veranstaltung wurde durch die Weinhandlung Gerstl Weinselektionen organisiert, welche ein-zelne Erzeugnisse der Domaine ins Sortiment aufgenommen hat. In den letzten Jahren sind wir mit dieser nicht immer sanft umgegangen, gewisse Weine gefielen uns bei der ersten Verkostung, um später widersprüchliche Eindrücke zu hinterlassen. Doch wurden stets die richtigen Massnahmen auf dem Weingut eingeleitet, damit sich das Ganze massgebend verbessert. Die Weine des Jahrgangs 2015 haben uns derart überzeugt, dass wir uns dafür entschieden haben, zusätzlich zum Grand Cru, welchen wir Mitte November 2016 in Gevrey-Chambertin verkos-ten durften, den Chambertin 2015 hinzuzufügen.

Der Mazis-Chambertin 2015 offenbart eine durchaus expressive und ausgewogene Nase mit tiefsinnigen und einladenden Düften nach roten Beeren in Hülle und Fülle und floralen Komponenten. Das Holz ist sehr gut ein-gebunden und dürfte es in den nächsten Jahren ermöglichen, die Komplexität zu erhöhen. Aktuell spielt dieser Aspekt keine entscheidende Rolle. Dieser Wein bereitet einfach viel Spass. Der Gaumen wirkt rassig, alle Kom-ponenten sind wunderschön ineinander verwoben, der geschmeidige und leicht süssliche Saft im Zusammenspiel mit der stützenden Säure zeigt sich knackig, das erweckt alle Sinne und gibt Lust auf ein weiteres Glas. Ein klarer Erfolg mit Potential nach oben. 18-18.5/20 (93-95/100).

Der Chambertin 2015 braucht sich vor gar nichts zu verstecken. Wir durften anfangs Juni 2017 diesen Wein in Zürich verkosten und es ist eindeutig ganz grosses Kino. Die Nase zeigt eine geschliffene und präzise Kompro-misslosigkeit mit Tiefe, Komplexität und einer generösen, dunklen sowie schwarzen Frucht. Sie liefert den un-bestreitbaren Beweis der Qualität des Terroirs und dürfte im Verlauf der nächsten 15 Jahre noch an Charakter gewinnen. So grossartig kann ein Wein sein. Es ist aber kein Erzeugnis der AOC-Kollegen, es bewegt sich in einer eigenen Liga, nicht so hoch wie die anderen, dafür genau gleich unwiderstehlich. Was für eine Eleganz und eine Ausgefeiltheit. Zugleich kommen die mineralischen Elemente voll zur Geltung, Weinsäure im Übermass. Wie alle anderen verkosteten Chambertin zeigt er dafür eine unerschütterliche Kraft und Spannung. Das ist viril, das ist brachial, das ist aktuell noch sehr burschikos, es wird aber in der optimalen Reife genauso viel abverlangen wie Spass bieten. Dennoch nichts für nicht initiierte Burgunder Konsumenten. 18.5/20 (95/100).

Die Weine der Domaine Tortochot sind in der Schweiz bei Scherer & Bühler, BV Vins, Salesa / in Taberna und VinPark sowie in Deutschland an verschiedenen Adressen erhältlich.

Fazit
Wir haben insgesamt 34 Grands Crus 2015 der Gemeinde Gevrey-Chambertin verkostet. Und meistens sehr hoch bewertet. Der Jahrgang besitzt das Zeug dazu, mittel- und langfristig in die Annalen einzugehen. Die meisten Fachjournalisten haben ihn bereits Ende 2015 hochgejubelt und vielleicht auch hoch gepokert, der Jahrgang sei der Grossartigste, der je erzeugt wurde. Zu einem Zeitpunkt, zu dem es ganz eindeutig zu früh war. Pinot Noir ist keine Traube mit einer linearen Entwicklung. Es braucht nur ein Parameter, welcher nicht stimmt, damit das Ganze zusammenbricht. 2015 ist nicht 2005, im Jahr 2015 hatten die Trauben dünne Häute. Doch glauben wir fest daran, dass sich die Weine lange entwickeln und an Vielschichtigkeit zulegen. Wir sind sogar davon über-zeugt, dass die aktuell prägnante Säure und Mineralität die Weine lange tragen werden. Wir haben es im vorlie-genden Bericht geschrieben, die Erzeugnisse des Jahrgangs beeindrucken nicht nur durch diese zwei Merkmale, sondern auch durch ihre Konzentration, ihre Kraft, ihre Unnachgiebigkeit. Daher sind wir davon überzeugt, dass sich die meisten von ihnen heute sehr schwer verstehen lassen. Dafür werden sie in 20 bis 25 Jahren alles bieten, was die anspruchsvollsten Liebhaber erwarten. Somit ist 2015 unverzichtbar. Für sich selber oder für die eigenen Kinder….

www.jancisrobinson.com - Burgundy week by Richard Hemming Master of Wine - 12 Janvier 2017

From www.jancisrobinson.com, all these wines have been tasted in london on 12 d of January during the Burgundy week by Richard Hemming Master of Wine.He is writing for Jancis Robinson web site.In the past he works for Majestic Wine and has been a finalist in the Louis Roederer International Wine Writer Awards.

 

Morey Saint Denis 2015	13/20
Gevrey Les Corvées 2015	16/20
Gevrey Champerrier Vieilles Vignes 2015	17/20
Morey Saint Denis 1er Cru Aux Charmes 2015	17/20
Morey Saint Denis 1er Cru Renaissance 2015	17+/20
Gevrey 1er cru Lavaux Saint Jacques 2015	17++/20
Grand Cru Charmes Chambertin 2015	18+/20
Grand Cru Mazis Chambertin 2015	18/20
Grand Cru Chambertin 2015	19/20
Grand Cru Clos de Vougeot 2015	18+/20

Chambertin Grand Cru 2015 - note:19/20

Tenderly ripe red fruit, lovely sappy smoke aroma, some coffee and clove too. What a beauty! Exceptionally fine and expressive palate, with all the magic of Grand cru.Surprisingly ready to drink , in many ways. Yet there is clearly a whole host of complex flavour still in stock.

 

Charmes Chambertin Grand Cru 2015 - note: 18+/20

Wow-A real powerhouse of aromas on the nose, smoke, spice, blackcherry and a stupendously delicious flinty mineral scent.A grand cru with all the fuss! Extravagant,powerful yet nimble and not overbearing in structure.

 

Grand Cru Clos de Vougeot 2015 - note:18+/20

Stunning smoke and flint aromas, dry and tannic on the palate, with a significant structure that will age a long time. Tingling acid finely balanced fruit and smoke aromas.

 

Mazis Chambertin Grand Cru 2015 - note:18/20

More stemming than their Charmes Chambertin, but no less impressive and well knit. Exquisite perfume and fruit sweetness. Masterful and lengthy and moth watering and intense pure pleasure.

 

Gevrey Chambertin 1er Cru Lavaux Saint Jacques 2015 - note:17++/20

Sleek black fruit, rubbery reductive notes and typically grainy tannin for the appellation. Very young one of the few 2015's that really needs time to evolve.

 

Morey Saint Denis 1er Cru Aux Charmes 2015 - note:17/20

Blackcherry fruit, zippy acidic line, finishes with long rose petal flagrance. Vivid Fruit and good lengthy persistence.

 

Morey Saint Denis 1er Cru Cuvée Renaissance 2015 - note:17+/20

Stinky reductive aromas at first but there is enough fruit to give balance to the palate.More acidic punch than their Charmes 1er Cru Morey. Indeed there seems to be a bit more over allpromise here.

 

Gevrey Chambertin Les Corvées 2015 - note:16/20

reductive nose that is backed up with far better fruit ripeness than their Morey st denis. Sieved tannin, medium body, fairly swift finish

 

Gevrey Chambertin Vieilles Vignes Champerrier 2015 - note:17/20

Dark, restrained fruit with a flinty reductive overlay. Potent fruit on the mid palate and grainy tannin with very discreet acid on the finish. Poised and elegant-especially for Gevrey.

 

Morey Saint Denis 2015 - note:13/20

Very strong reductive character which I am afraid ruins the nose with drainage smells. Perhaps a bad sample?

Burgundy Report - Dégustation des Primeurs 2015 - Bill Nanson - 17 Novembre 2016

This was the sixth presentation by the Syndicat of Gevrey-Chambertin for new vintage – first done with the 2010s – you will find notes from all of those previous tastings in the back-pages of Burgundy-Report. The format was the same as each year, with a long line of wines disappearing off into the horizon – though, there was just a little fewer wines this year – a mere 94 – of which I managed to bag 82 before the time was up.

Because experience tells me that a number of the grand crus are gone by the time I have finished the ‘junior Gevreys,’ this year I started with the grand crus, took a 20 minute coffee break, and then returned to start the villages. Because of that I will start my report with those grand crus, and then villages followed by 1ers.

What of the wines?
Until this tasting, the 2012s (from recent memory) were the most delicious selection that I could remember. This year, however, has outed those 2012s. The 2015s were uniformly very good samples, nothing volatile and rarely showed more than the faintest hint of reduction. All the wines tasted great, however, they also all tasted different, whether that be from terroir, or just as often, their weight of extraction and/or their weight of barrel influence. I remember many of the 2014s giving the impression of plenty of extraction – that can sometimes be seen here too in 2015, but generally a lighter hand is evident, as the raw materials easily gave up their concentration in 2015.

Effectively, the wines were far from consistent – even from the same cellar – yet, provided that you made allowances for the wine-making choices, they remained, largely delicious, showcasing the super length of flavour that is the forte in this vintage.

2015 Tortochot Mazis-Chambertin
A little lighter colour. Super depth of aroma, a little dark oak at the base. Fresh, muscular, quite silky before that tannin rises. It’s a fresher fruit here, despite a little fat. More oak in the finish, but this is showing really quite well. The nicest Tortochot that I’ve had at one of these Roi Chambertin events!

2015 Tortochot Les Corvées
A nice freshness over sweet dark fruit – inviting. Big, round, a little deeper and a little reduced too, but very good length. Lots of potential.

Wine Chronicles - 2015 Gevrey-Chambertins - Dégustation du roi Chambertin par Panos Kalaviatos - 17 novembre 2016

2015 Burgundy is going to be a big winner for lovers of rich and riper styles.

While not exactly like 2009, the wines I tasted at this event often seemed to approach that vintage’s characteristics – and for many readers there is much to cheer about.

The tasting of all kinds of Gevreys (villages, premiers and grands crus) was held on 17 November at Roi Chambertin.

And I agree with the general positive tone! 2015 will be a (very) successful vintage. However, I do worry about some excessively overripe characteristics that I encountered – and not just from the village level, but all the way to the grand cru level. Several tasters felt the same way about it, from Sweden to Croatia, by way of the US. I met wine writer Elke Jung from Sweden, for example, who very much liked the 2015s but also remarked, the next day “It seems that I am in the minority to think in terms of excess ripeness.” No, she was not. But consumer demand will depend on taste, and what one wants from Burgundy.

Although such observations/critiques may amount to more than just a hill of beans, they do not really constitute a mountain, either. Thank goodness for vintages!

When I tasted some other 2015s and 2014s at another event in Beaune, the next day, at the Palais de Congres, I noticed how many of the 2014 red wine aromatics conveyed greater freshness and lift, while the 2015s were more opulent and evidently ripe, but lacking the same level of freshness that the 2014s expressed. Acclaimed Burgundy critic John Gilman, for example, tweeted today (19 November): “In my book, I’m not certain that ’15 will be more famous than ’14 in 20 years.”

On the other hand, 2014s sometimes have harder palates and are not as “giving” as the 2015s, as I experienced tasting both a Volnay and a (red) Chassagne Montrachet with Gouttes & Gouts author Stefanie Koehler at a restaurant in Beaune.

On a third hand (sorry, but I want to keep the hand metaphor going), the 2015s are likely to be more expensive. To cut to the chase: you pays your money, you takes your choice.

The positives?

Much quality tannin, concentration, structure – and lots of smoothness. As experienced critics like Bernard Burtschy (Le Figaro, in France) stress: even for many of the more opulent styles, terroir aspects should shine through with bottle aging, given requisite dry extract, quality of tannin and … quality of careful winemaking.

As usual it was a great tasting organized by Fabienne Nicot. It was great to see so many people show up, making new friends as well as seeing old friends like Amanda Regan, Niko Dukan, Bill Nanson, Michael Apstein and Bernard Burtschy among others.

One caveat on the ambiance of the tasting: the room temperature, while not quite boiling, was far too hot, and I think that accentuated the sensation of alcohol in the wines; coming from a solar vintage, the room temperature did not serve the wines very well. Otherwise a fantastic evening followed by dinner with only 2005 wines, and I will post notes on those as well.

The village of Gevrey (later to be called “Gevrey-Chambertin”) may have been the first place vines were planted in Burgundy, although this is not proven. The village AOC was created in 1936. Here a fine, quick fact view of the appellation.

Tasting notes

2015 Domaine Tortochot Mazis-Chambertin – France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru

Love the tension on this grand cru, which is tightly wound, but you find the richness of the vintage, as well. Fresher and brighter on the finish than many of the other grands crus. Really nice job! (93 pts.)

2015 Domaine Tortochot Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Lavaux St. Jacques – France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru

This was quite delicious, smooth and savory but not quite as nuanced as the Esmonin tasted just before. More decadent so lovers of that style will score higher. (92 pts.)