Dugat-Py Vosne-Romanee Vieilles Vignes 2017
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Robert
Parker
Product Details
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Wine for laying down, but can be appreciated when young after carafing for several hours before serving.
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Robert Parker's Wine Advocate
The 2017 Vosne-Romanée Vieilles Vignes is performing very well from bottle, bursting from the glass with aromas of wild berry fruit, plums, smoked meats, dark chocolate and orange rind that becomes deeper-pitched and more brooding with time in the glass. On the palate, the wine is medium to full-bodied, layered and concentrated, with powdery structuring tannins, succulent acids and a long and perfumed finish. This has gained additional depth and dimension in the last year. Rating: 91+
Other Vintages
2019-
Robert
Parker
The celebrated estate of Dugat-Py, located at the base of the Combe de Lavaux in Gevrey-Chambertin, has been producing world-class wines for decades. While the exterior of the house impresses with its mid-16th century architecture, it is the aging cellar that is truly spectacular. The cellar, or L'Aumônerie, is essentially a small abbey that was built by the Diocese of Dijon in the 11th century — making it the oldest cellar in Burgundy today.
In 1975, Bernard Dugat purchased vines in Gevrey and produced his first wines. The creation of the two separate family estates came about in 1994: Domaine Claude Dugat and Domaine Dugat-Py. Py is the maiden name of Bernard's wife, Jocelyne. In 1996, their son, Loïc, joined the family business. He is now at the helm of the Domaine and started their conversion to organic viticulture in 1999, gaining full accreditation in 2003.
Today the family owns 23.5 acres of Pinot Noir and 2.5 acres of Chardonnay, including the original vineyards located in Gevrey. Loïc is passionate about old vines, always searching for old parcels of Pinot Fin or Chardonnay. This dedication has resulted in the domaine now owning vines aged from 65 to more than 100 years old in both Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune. Consequently, nearly every wine in the line-up is designated either as Vieilles Vignes or Très Vieilles Vignes. They tend to these mature vineyards with meticulous care, using homemade biodynamic teas throughout (they are certified biodynamic). The 1er Cru and Grand Cru sites are horse-plowed. The vines are never trimmed, allowing the canopies to reach a height of seven or eight feet in the summer months.
The family has always produced classic Vins de Garde: deep in color, with explosive fruit and chiseled tannins. However, since Loïc has taken over, there has been a clear evolution, in the vineyards and in the winery. Loïc does not chaptalize, acidify, inoculate, or add anything to juice, and sulfur is only added prior to bottling. And while the wines are still deep and powerful, they have more balance and finesse than ever. Also never elevated, the alcohol rarely surpasses 13.5%, and harvest now occurs on the earlier side to retain freshness and elegance.
You will love re-discovering the wines of Domaine Dugat Py.
Thin-skinned, finicky and temperamental, Pinot Noir is also one of the most rewarding grapes to grow and remains a labor of love for some of the greatest vignerons in Burgundy. Fairly adaptable but highly reflective of the environment in which it is grown, Pinot Noir prefers a cool climate and requires low yields to achieve high quality. Outside of France, outstanding examples come from in Oregon, California and throughout specific locations in wine-producing world. Somm Secret—André Tchelistcheff, California’s most influential post-Prohibition winemaker decidedly stayed away from the grape, claiming “God made Cabernet. The Devil made Pinot Noir.”
This is the village for the most die-hard Burgundy fanatics. Vosne-Romanée has for many hundreds of years been the source of the most sought-after Pinot Noir in Burgundy. The village claims six Grands Crus—and some of the most famous at that—but in other villages where owners manage tiny parcels or a few rows of any one vineyard, monopolies dominate the Grands Crus of Vosne-Romanee.
Of these monopolies, Domaine Romanee-Conti (DRC) reigns supreme, claiming not only more total vineyard area than any other producer, but outright owning the entirety of two of the Grands Crus and a majority of two others. In its full possession are naturally Romanée-Conti, as well as La Tâche. DRC also owns most of Richebourg and Romanée-St-Vivant. The final two, La Grande Rue and La Romanée are completely owned by other other produers: François Lamarche and Comte Liger Belair, respectively.
While one could spend a lifetime on the puzzles of land ownership in Burgundy, the point is that Vosne-Romanee contains the most valuable pieces of vineyard real estate in the world. Pinot Noir from any of its vineyards—especially from within its 27ha of Grand Cru or 58 ha of Premier Cru land—is going to rank among the best.
The most outstanding wines from this village have everything: finesse and elegance coupled with the body and sturdiness for incredibly long aging ability. They are intensely floral and exotically spiced. Beautifully ripe, complex and ephemeral throughout, they are robust, yet fine-grained in texture. These wines will stay gorgeous for the long haul.