Domaine Les Astrelles Hautes Côtes-de-Nuits 'Les Martennes' 2022
Displays a beautiful ruby red color, clear and inviting, hinting at its vibrant character and youth. The nose is very fruity, dominated by enticing aromas of red fruits such as raspberries, cherries, and strawberries. These primary fruit notes are complemented by delicate spicy undertones, adding complexity and depth to the bouquet. "Les Martennes" Rouge is full-bodied, showcasing an imposing structure with well-integrated, silky tannins. The red fruit flavors carry through from the nose, providing a juicy and lively profile, balanced by subtle spice and a touch of earthiness from the terroir. The wine's complexity is evident in its harmonious blend of fruit, spice, and tannin, creating a balanced and satisfying experience. "Les Martennes" is a compelling expression of Pinot Noir from the Hautes-Côtes de Nuits. Its rich fruit character, combined with its full-bodied structure and silky tannins, make it a versatile wine suitable for both immediate enjoyment and further aging. Ideal for pairing with grilled meats, hearty stews, or mature cheeses.
BURGUNDY 2022 VINTAGE
After three successive high-quality but low-quantity vintages, winemakers in Burgundy are refilling their cellars with an excellent 2022 harvest.This is not to say that it was an easy ride. Once again, frost, heat and drought put stress on the growing season, but timing is everything, and the extreme weather did much less damage than in previous years.
Winters have been wet and mild for years now. The winter of 2021-22 was not, with less than average rainfall and seasonal temperatures. Under these ‘normal’ conditions, we would expect budburst in the first half of April. But summer-like conditions at the end of March forced the vines, especially Chardonnay, to bud early, and we went into frost season with tender green buds exposed. There were two nights in the coming week below zero, but damage was limited.
Spring conditions set in in mid-April, but Summer followed soon thereafter, dry with spiky heat waves. The vines went wild. Winemakers fought to keep the growth under control. And the fight continued until flowering, which happened a couple of weeks early in mid-May.
The warm, dry conditions led to nearly-perfect flowering. We saw for the first time the potential of a great crop, with lots of beautiful, full, well-formed grape bunches; and an early harvest, with fruit setting well ahead of schedule.
But the drought held, and the fear was that this beautiful fruit would shrivel on the vine. Finally, at the end of June, the rain came. Summer storms bring with them the risk of hail, so all eyes were on the sky as the storms were sometimes violent causing significant but limited hail damage. The rains were intermittent, but regular for the next weeks. The cumulative rainfall would not be enough to see the crop through to harvest, however.
The heat waves continued through the rains, and so the risk of fungal disease, usually associated with wet conditions, dried up. But temperatures spiked and dry conditions set in again. The grapes ripened in a full-blown heat wave. Winemakers had to keep a close eye on sugar levels, as the risk was that ripeness could gallop away at the last minute.
And then, just about the time when it looked like an over-ripe mid-August harvest was imminent, it rained again. And the producers were able to let that water absorb into the fruit, increasing the volume of juice that was ultimately harvested in the first week of September.
2022, both white and red, are showing real depth and ripeness. And while there was once again very little malic acid, the tartaric acid holds the balance and structure together. Early tastings in the barrel show enormous charm and vitality. Very promising.
COTES DE NUITS VILLAGE
Whether red or white, this is the wine King Henri IV had in mind to go with the Sunday chicken he wished every family in France to enjoy. It is as accessible as it is amiable, honest and straightforward in taste. The red, which has the gleaming crimson highlights of the Pinot grape, veers sometimes towards an intense garnet hue or, when young, a bright cherry. Its aromas run a classic spectrum through cherry, gooseberry and blackcurrant to notes of underbrush, mushroom and spices (cinnamon). This is a big-hearted wine, powerful in the mouth, full and meaty, and its tannins (more conspicuously present in the younger wines) are well smoothed-down.
The white is pale gold in color or sometimes a little darker. The fragrance is of white flowers mixed with plum. When older, ripe apple, fig, pear or quince appears, as well as some spicy notes. Lively and clean, it has both energy and elegance while nevertheless remaining direct in its expression and ultimately likeable.
These terroirs are worthy of carrying the appellation Village institued in 1964, of the southern villages of the Côte de Nuits or the appellation Côte de Nuits-Villages. Corgoloin in the South marks the border between the Côte de Nuits and the Côte de Beaune. To the North, a part of the terroirs belonging to the villages of Brochon and Fixin. Both red (Pinot Noir) and white (Chardonnay) wines may claim the appellation. Wines which derive wholly from a single Climat may add that name on the labeI.
The hill-slopes of Comblanchien and Corgoloin are carved into the hard limestones of the Upper bathonien. The slopes are gentle and regular, not reaching the rim of the plateau. In the upper part the brown soil is only slightly limy with, lower down, a thick layer of pebbly scree, while at the foot of the slope is an extensive area of brown soils over accumulated alluvium. For their part, the wines of Fixin and Brochon lie on the red-brown soils of the piemont composed of alluvium mixed with pebbly limestone.