When an invitation to a 29 wine vertical of Marquis
d’Angerville’s Monopole Clos des Ducs landed on my e-doorstep, I did not think
twice. Invites like this don’t come round very often, in fact it may be
the only chance I ever get to taste this wine so extensively, I thought to
myself.
Guillaume d’Angerville had hosted such a tasting on only two
previous occasions, one at the estate and one in the US. As the small
group of importers and journalists sat there in d’Angerville’s cellars, a
collective and very palpable sense of excitement was building. By the end
of both an enjoyable and educational tasting, there was a sense we had all
partaken in something very special. A feeling exuded by Guillaume as much as
anyone else, for whom tasting pre 2003 vintages must have brought back vivid
recollections of his father. Great wine should not only be a highly
pleasurable sensory experience but an evocative and emotional one that creates
memories, and as such is all the better for being shared. The Clos des
Ducs tasting proved this as much as any I have been to.
The event also served as a reminder that Burgundy’s really
great crus have their own distinctive personalities and signatures, this is
what separates the best from the rest. Clos des Ducs has identity in
spades. For rather than being a “top” Volnay 1er Cru vertical, this was very
much a “Clos des Ducs” one. Characterised by a stature, presence and deep,
baritone character Clos des Ducs offers dark spicy and earthy notes that are
never too far away from the surface. Depending on the vintage or stage in life
more high-toned, floral elements often reveal themselves but always built on
solid foundations.
A huge thank you to Guillaume for a tasting to remember.
Tasting Notes- wines listed in order tasted
Flight 1
2017 - Floral and bright with a silky and very fluid, seamless palate.
Creamy-textured but with an air of freshness to it. Open and charming Clos des
Ducs with layer and depth to it. As easy as it is to admire this already, there
is a clear sense of lots more to come.
2016 - Not hit by
frost. Clos des Ducs was above the frost line of 260 m altitude. Fine,
high-toned aromas precede a firm palate that shows great intensity and
definition. Crisp sapid fruit with a gripping, fine-grained structure. This has
wonderful energy and precision but needs to unwind a bit. A great wine. All the elements are there to suggest a long and wonderful life.
2015 - A dry
vintage. The darkest in the flight. Surprisingly aromatic and open for a 2015,
no signs of shutting down just yet but don’t rule it out for this has scale,
density and depth. Bold and enveloping. A wine of stature and powerful but
noble structure with an abundance of fruit to balance. Mightily Impressive. A
final song and dance before hibernation ?
Flight 2
2012 - On paper a torrid year. There were 3 hailstorms (two in June and
one in early August.) Yields were a mere 9 hl/h! Only Magnums were produced of
this (commercially, at least) 1287 of them. Surely it’s years like this,
though, when domaines earn their stripes. One of the surprises of the
tasting tight-packed intense and long. Yes there is a tannic edge but it
does not dominate or dry the fruit, there is surprising flow and juiciness
considering the vintage conditions. Not ready yet but it should make for a very
good bottle.
2010 - A vintage Guillaume is very proud of and rightly so. A bout of
odium attacked vines in August and led to low yields of 20 hl/ha. What a
wine, though. A hard act to follow. Fine-tuned aromas and a detailed yet silky
palate. The texture and balance alone are to be wondered at. The fruit is on
the dark morello cherry side of the spectrum and, although vivid and seductive
now there is still a sense this is keeping a lot in reserve. On the surface
this is suave and demure, though beneath lies a coiled power waiting to spring
into action. Intense but seamless. One of the Domaine’s greatest
ever?
2009 - The palest
colour in the flight. Plump and juicy, sun-ripened red berry fruit. Not the
raciness or high definition of 2010 but so open and alluring. Teeming
with floral and seductive but quite large-framed fruit. Full of solar
energy, the fruit is bold and easy to enjoy. The foundations feel solid,
too. A wine that will make many friends. Not likely to be as long lived
as the 2010, definitely smooth enough to drink now, but waiting for this should
reward further nonetheless.
2005 - Francois Duvivier’s first vintage. A closed wine that shows its tannic
structure for now. Tightly-wound but there is cause for optimism –
Guillaume felt it was much less tight than it had been and, in his words “the
1976 took 25 years to open!” Dominated by mineral, cool earth and saddle
leather with dark hedgerow fruit notes. Wait.
Flight 3
2007 – The “lutte raisonée” cuvée (grown using no insecticide or
herbicide.) In 2007 the domaine conducted an experiment. Half of the top part
of Clos des Ducs was grown using lutte raisonnée, the other half of the same
plot grown biodynamically. Note that the only commercially available 2007 is a
blend that includes these two parts. The nose here is wild and very
spicy. Intense and structured for the year. Peppery fruit, earthy and
savoury notes come to the fore, the tannins a little exposed on the finish.
2007 - The Biodymanic Cuvée. Very clean and pure, a completely different wine
to the one before. A hint of the spiciness that the lutte raisonée
bottling carries but with so much more energy and expression of fruit. Alive and precise. A beautiful sweet tenderness of red and dark berry
fruit characterises this wine. Not necessarily the most profound in the line-up
but it has great charm.
2007 - Clos des
Ducs final blend. A charmer initially with its ripe hedgerow fruit
gripped on the mid palate by a firm backbone. A mix of earthy bramble and
peppery strawberry fruit. More complex than either of the other two but less
open for now. Wait and See.
2003 - An early season like 2007 but with more prolonged heat.
Guillaume’s first complete vintage. Usually Clos des Ducs is harvested
last but in 2003 it was picked on the 26th August (the second day of harvest)
1893 was the last time they harvested in August. A lot more open than the
2005 but still very concentrated and tight-wound for now. On the more
dried cherry and berry side of the spectrum with hints of crème de mure.
Flight 4
2004 Trescases - normal cork closure. Hail struck on the 21st
August. Harvested on the 29th September at 37hl/ha, over a
full month later than the 2003! Light and edgy, has some sinew and nerve. There
is structure gripping the red berry fruit. A little highly-strung and tight but
works.
2004 Guala – a silicon closure. Livelier and more expressive than the regular
bottling, some savoury vegetal notes but beautifully detailed light red cherry
and red berry fruit complimenting this. Softer and more charming.
2001 - Hailed early August. 35hl/ha Very crisp, noticeably racier than the 2004
and clearly more concentrated. Intense dark cherry fruit that is at once
sweet and razor sharp. There is a firmness to this suggesting the elements
still need time to meld together.
2000 – Cropped at a generous 45 hl/ha. A vintage that was not trusted to age at
the time but 2000 is a year that continues to prove the doubters wrong. Gorgeous right now, so open and enticing. Background secondary notes of
smoke and undergrowth play foil to the sumptuous, caressing, flavours of soft,
creamy red summer fruits. Satisfyingly mature but with enough life in it to
keep you coming back for more. This shouts seize the day and drink me
now!
Flight 5
1999 – Another good size crop with yields of 40hl/ ha. 1999s have
famously been in their shells since bottling, but this one looks like it could
be finally breaking out. Bursting with big, juicy sweet fruit, not a
classic Volnay, perhaps age will refine this further, but a solid and deep wine
of great presence. This has plenty of promise. Certainly the best 1999 I have
had. Starting to drink well but with much further to go.
1996 – Again cropped at 40 hl/ha The most evolved colour of the three. The vintage’s high acidity is still very present and dominating the fruit a
little. It feels like this is going through an awkward phase of change.
1995 - like the others in the flight, cropped at around 40 hl/ ha. Dark
coloured, burly and structured. One of the bigger Clos des Ducs in the flight
but, rather like the 1999, having not budged for some years there is a real
sense this is starting to soften and open. A Volnay of well-toned muscle.
Within this solid framework sits what feels like a touch-paper of fruit waiting
to spark. Energetic bramble flavours mingled with undergrowth and
minerals. Exciting to watch this unfold. If drinking now open well in
advance and with food, but keep back some bottles in your case.
Flight 6
1993 - Harvested on 21st Sept and cropped at 36 hl/ha . One of my
favourite wines of the tasting. Maturing but with plenty of fruit still. This
has found a wonderful equilibrium. A nice balance of autumnal leafy notes and
bright small juicy red berries and currant. Lifted floral notes of cherry
blossom start to come through with air. A wine out of its shell and loving
life. Harmonious bright and beautiful with an elegant yet very straight
posture.
1991 - A late frost vintage. Picked on the 3rd October at 28
hl/ha. Intense youthful and concentrated. Edgy but balanced with plenty of dark
fruit sweetness through which runs a this seam of earth mineral notes.
Tannins show a little but no more than you would expect and in balance to the
fruit. The youthful energy and firmness is staggering. Let it soften a little
as its clearly a thrilling prospect for the future. One of a few
surprises in this tasting.
1990 - 20th September harvest and cropped at 36 h/ha. Inferior
to the 1991 but this might be down to the fact none was left at the domaine and
was sourced from a customer in France. Intense and concentrated but there
is a little decadence and fade to the fruit, which is underlaid by complex
sweet spice and leather notes. Big but a little evolved.
Flight 7
1987 – The result of a warm, humid September that saw some botrytis. Picked on
the 6th October. More life than expected here. A nose that
mixes vegetal notes with some crisp berry fruit, though this does fade a little
after a promising start. Time to drink up.
1985 - A 4th October harvest. A headily aromatic nose that
offers a decadent mix of smoke, tea leaf and dried rose petal. Sweet and voluptuous
on the palate with some high floral notes. A hedonist’s wine that for me
is surpassed by the youthful gusto of the 1983. Drink now.
1983 - The earliest vintage in the flight. A tannic and brawny wine but
the tannins gradually melt into the fruit. Punchy pepper spice, earth, dark
fruit and minerals. There is much to like about this, baritone and complex.
Satisfying in both flavour and mouthfeel. A winter Volnay. There is more to
come from this too. Enjoy by the fire, with stew or keep longer as this
still has a good future ahead of it. Super.
1980 – Not a famed
vintage by any stretch of the imagination. A late vintage that apparently
favoured the latest pickers. Evolved , light but oh so pretty. A
mature Clos des Ducs with a twinkle in its eye. Not the most complex but
delightful nonetheless. The bright red fruits, sweet spice and floral touches
dance across the palate and make this eminently drinkable. A big
surprise.
Flight 8
1978 – This was Renaud de Villette’s first vintage, Guillaume’s brother in law
and Jacques’ right hand man. A first peak and a deceptive, subtle note of
maturity reveals itself but this quickly kicks on . This goes into overdrive
through the mid palate and a thrilling ride it makes for, too. Haunting and
fine, resplendent with fresh elegant fruit. As energetic as it is, there
is such grace and fluidity. Sweet sous bois and gariguettes flavours echo on
the long, uplifting finish. A tough call in an impressive line up but, in the
end, my favourite in this tasting. A memory I will treasure.
1976 After the
disappointment of 1975 (when no Premiers Crus were produced, everything was
blended into one villages) this would have been a welcome arrival. At the
time ‘76 was the most precocious year since 1903, harvest starting on the 13th
September. One of the deepest, darkest colours in the tasting. Tannic and
savoury. No sign of the fruit fading under the weight of the tannins.
Immoveable, like it’s preserved in aspic, not particularly charming but the
youth this is showing suggest it may be worth waiting for, but don’t
rush.
1972 A very late harvest indeed. 14th October. High acidity
and slightly decadent fruit, notes of molasses and sous bois. Nice enough but
it fades a little too quickly.
1920 – The result of a 4th October harvest cropped at a tiny 17
hl/ha. A generous addition to the tasting bought at auction by one of the
attendees. Once you are past the slightly disarming spritz to the fruit,
there is a firmness and youth that holds up surprisingly well. Redcurrant and
cool earth with sweet meat notes. More than anything else a pleasant
curiosity and an interesting glimpse of the past.