Fete du Bourgogne: Domaine Robert Groffier 2021

Earlier this year Nicolas Groffier allowed me to steal a couple of hours of his time and generously uncorked his full range of 2021s, as well as a cheeky 2009 and a 2014 to see how they’re coming on.

Nicolas was not untouched by the challenges of 2021, although he did manage to produce relatively healthy yields averaging around 33 hectolitres per hectare.  His ’21s come close to transcending the vintage – vivid, transparent and speaking clearly of their terroirs, they certainly out-perform the year’s reputation.

Under Nicolas’s stewardship, Groffier has become one of the premier addresses in the Cotes de Nuits and it doesn’t take very long into the tasting to understand why.  Old vines, whole bunch fermentation and considered oak use privilege minerality, precision and refined tannins, allied to some seriously seductive aromatics.

We are extremely proud to include the creme de la creme of Groffier’s 2021s in our Fete du Bourgogne.

The Clos de Beze rated 96-99pts & 5-stars by Jasper Morris MW.

A Chambolle Amoureuses in which Neal Martin found “some similarities to Christophe Roumier’s that I tasted just an hour earlier.”

My personal favourite, a 96/100 Bonnes Mares that is drivingly mineral and chiselled.

Have a super weekend and please let us know if you’d like to secure any of these terrific 2021s from Domaine Robert Groffier.

Very best wishes,
Matthew Hemming MW

The Offer:

Offered subject to remaining unsold.  Most stock immediately available in SG with a small balance to ship in Q3 2023.

Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru Les Hauts Doix 2021
$2,400 per 6 bottles (w/GST $2,592)

40% new oak and 100% whole bunches.  A slightly earthy, stern expression of Chambolle in its youth – in a quite introverted phase.  Mouthwatering, with bright top notes of raspberries, but also a bit solid.  Intense whole bunch notes bring spice and pepper to the finish.

90/100 – Matthew Hemming MW

The 2021 Chambolle-Musigny Les Hauts Doix 1er Cru contains 100% whole bunches with 40% new oak. Now, unlike the Les Seuvrées, this absorbs the stems with much greater ease. Vibrant red fruit and touches of wild mint and fennel. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, fresh and focused, maybe it lacks a bit of grip and substance but there is ample tension that should ensure this ages with style.

89-91pts – Neal Martin / Vinous

These vines suffered less as pruned on the slow to start cordon de royat system. 35% new wood. A bright crimson ruby. This wine for the first time has the white pepper nose of the whole bunches, surrounded by a juicy vibrant red cherry fruit. If you like the whole bunch style this will be exciting. Touch of grapefruit too, at the finish. Drink from 2026-2032. Tasted: November 2022

90-93pts & 3-stars – Jasper Morris MW / Inside Burgundy

Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru Les Sentiers 2021
$2,400 per 6 bottles (w/GST $2,592)

So much more expressive and red fruit driven that the Hauts Doix.  There’s a fluidity and natural flow to this that’s delightful.  Takes whole bunch earthiness and adds lift and perfume.  Finishes mineral and lifted.  Delicious, seductive Chambolle with fine-boned tannin.

94/100 – Matthew Hemming MW

The 2021 Chambolle-Musigny Les Sentiers 1er Cru comes from Cordon-Royat-trained 80-year-old vines that encountered a lot of frost. Raised in 40% new oak, this has a tightly-wound bouquet that unfurls with redcurrant, cranberry and light blood orange scents. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins that frame the tensile red fruit; citrus fresh with a pleasant bitterness lending energy on the finish. Drink this fine Chambolle over the next 12-15 years.

90-92pts – Neal Martin

35% new wood. A denser crimson purple colour. The fruit is fuller and darker, plum and dark strawberry, again with some white pepper. The intensity of the fruit through the middle palate is remarkable. Very pure cherry and raspberry notes now take up the running. The pepper has almost a saline aspect too. Very long finish and the least astringent to date. Drink from 2027-2033. Tasted: November 2022.

92-94pts & 4-stars – Jasper Morris MW

Bonnes Mares Grand Cru 2021
$4,050 per 3 bottles (w/GST $4,374)

All from 2nd generation fruit that developed after the frost did for the original buds.  Amazing that this got ripe enough to sustain 100% whole bunches.  Classic Bonnes Mares perfume of dark-toned fruit and spice.  50% new oak.  Surprisingly linear and lithe in the middle.  Drivingly mineral through the palate.  Chiselled and craggy.  Has a tangy salinity on the finish.

96/100 – Matthew Hemming MW

The 2021 Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru, which is located 25% on Terres Blanches and 75% on Terres Rouges, is raised in 50% new oak and made with 100% whole bunches. This has a very delineated and pure bouquet. The stems are neatly assimilated; subtle scents of sous-bois and Earl Grey emerge with time. The palate is medium-bodied with fine-grain tannins, taut and fresh, quite saline, like others, maybe missing the usual flamboyance and opulence on the finish, yet that is articulating the style of the growing season. I can see this gaining more weight after its final racking.

93-95pts – Neal Martin

50% new wood. A glowing imperial purple. Very sensual deep red berry fruit infused with the white pepper. Noticeable tension, in part from higher acidity, more raspberry than strawberry at the finish, proportionately lighter than the Sentiers within its classification, yet with a long, refined finish. Drink from 2028-2038. Tasted: November 2022

92-95pts & 3-stars – Jasper Morris MW

Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru Les Amoureuses 2021
$4,200 per 3 bottles (w/GST $4,536)

40% new oak and 100% whole bunch.  Has that elusive powdery, perfumed quality of the most bewitching Chambolle wines.  Between the whole bunches and the slender vintage character it’s very compact and elegant.  Rose petals and scent.  High definition, saline finish.  Extremely seductive.

92-95pts – Matthew Hemming MW

The 2021 Chambolle-Musigny Les Amoureuses 1er Cru is matured with 40% whole clusters in 100% new oak. Again, the stems have a strong sway over the nascent aromatics, but there is sufficient fruit underneath to absorb that with age. Fine delineation. The palate is medium-bodied with fine detail, taut and fresh, and quite saline. Not an intense Les Amoureuses but I find some similarities to Christophe Roumier’s that I tasted just an hour earlier.

92-94pts – Neal Martin

35 to 40% new wood. A fine deep purple. Plumper softer richer on the nose at first sniff but very soon develops a depth and a refinement, with darker fruit. The 2021 reminds Nicolas of the 2006 Amoureuses. Lower acidity helps give the impression of sumptuousness, and the light astringency of the vinification adds the necessary tension. Gorgeous aftertaste. Drink from 2027-2037. Tasted: November 2022

93-95pts & 4-stars – Jasper Morris MW

Chambertin Clos de Beze Grand Cru 2021
$5,400 per 3 bottles (w/GST $5,832)

100 year old vines; 100% whole bunches; 100% new oak.  Just 8 barrels produced.  Whole bunches give a family resemblance to the previous wines in terms of spice, texture and tannin.  Everything else is significantly amped up, however; from the depths of intensity to the quality of vivid, juicy, dark-toned fruit.  Mineral mid-palate and floral finish.  This is a huge wine that will need masses of time yet there’s no real sense of heaviness.  Style and power.

95/100 – Matthew Hemming MW

The 2021 Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze Grand Cru is 100% new oak and 100% whole clusters. It has quite an intense bouquet with brambly red fruit, white pepper and forest floor. The palate is medium-bodied with fine definition, elegant and poised, white pepper notes with a harmonious, quite mineral-driven finish that incorporates the stems with style. Excellent.

94-96pts – Neal Martin

All in new wood as usual. The colour is a sensational deep purple. The pepper sits very nicely with this deep raspberry fruit, perfect balance: once again Nicolas has achieved a glorious rendition from the ancient vines of this fabulous vineyard. A fresh salty aspect right at the back as part of the exceptionally fine long finish. Intensity plus delicacy plus sensuality. Drink from 2030-2040. Tasted: November 2022

96-99pts & 5-stars – Jasper Morris MW