Burgundy 2022: Domaine Jean-Michel Gaunoux
Simply put, these wines are amongst my strongest recommendations from our entire suite of en primeur offers. Domaine Jean-Michel Gaunoux is not the flashiest name on the list, and there are other wines that I scored higher, but few tastings provided so many compelling purchase propositions or delivered such bang for buck.
If you’re buying en primeur Burgundy, you’ll want these on your shopping list!
The above is a bold statement, but I stick by it and here’s the reason: tasting at Gaunoux, we had the first whites that really made me take 2022 seriously for Chardonnay; what’s more, here is pretty serious Meursault for less money than many bigger name estates’ Bourgogne Blanc. Trade up to the 1er Crus and the wines become genuinely special and age-worthy whilst still costing significantly less than their peers.
Neal Martin gave the same rating to Gaunoux’s Meursault Perrieres 2022 that he gave to Roulot’s version.
Turning to the reds and the classic villages of the Cote de Beaune are currently providing Burgundy lovers with the biggest gift going. Anyone bemoaning the current pricing of their favourite red Burgundy need only look south. I guarantee that I can sell you expensive Bourgogne Rouge, from lesser vineyards on the plain and ‘the wrong side of the road’, from a producer in Vosne Romanee but the actual juice will be inferior to Gaunoux’s single vineyard Pommard La Perriere (89-91pts NM) that will cost you less.
We first came to this domaine attracted by smart (white) vineyards at sharp prices but we found a kernel of potential quality. As Henry Gaunoux gradually succeeds his father Jean-Michel, the uptick in quality is accelerating. The domaine became a name to watch and now the evolution to rising star is fully underway.
Stylistically, the whites are traditional, structured Meursault; I am reminded of old school Francois Jobard, before Antoine took over, or even Roulot. The reds have seen huge strides forward in recent years, from the point where we tried only to buy whites to where we happily list Volnay and Pommard.
Wine merchants, me included, used to advise clients to take a few cases of Bourgogne red and white each year – you can enjoy them young, ‘take the temperature’ of the vintage without sacrificing grander bottles, and age a few for fun. With Gaunoux there is no need to compromise with generic Bourgogne; you can do exactly the same with proper village Meursault and Pommard!
Cheers,
Matthew Hemming MW
The Offer:
Offered en primeur, available ex-SG in late 2024. Some wines may be subject to purchasing restrictions or allocation.
Domaine Jean-Michel Gaunoux
Meursault 2022
$510 per case (1×6) OC (w/ GST $555.90)
This begins quite rich up front but the acid sings through on the mid-palate. Only 30% new oak so the fruit purity is able to sing through. Has creaminess through the middle and orchard fruit on the end. It’s ripe, but that ripeness is controlled and focused.
90-91pts – Matthew Hemming MW
The 2022 Meursault Village, matured in 30% new oak, has a crisp bouquet, admirably purity, again, not complex but focused with touches of yellow fruit and dried honey. The palate is well-balanced with a supple entry. I would have liked a little more acidity here to lend more bite and nervosité on the finish. As such, it is a Meursault that I would broach after two or three years.
88-90pts – Neal Martin / Vinous
Meursault 1er Cru Goutte d’Or 2022
$750 per case (1×6) OC (w/ GST $817.50)
Richer in profile but the honey style is cut with a charge of acidity. All these wines have an aerial quality that belies the vintage. Brisk, mineral-inflected finish. Structure and length are very impressive.
92-94pts – Matthew Hemming MW
The 2022 Meursault Goutte d’Or 1er Cru has an attractive nose: candle wax, peach skin and a touch of lanolin, quite complex and engaging. The palate is well-balanced, with a twist of orange rind on the entry. There’s fine depth, focused and taut, and a bit of spice and nutmeg towards the finish. This is a very capable Goutte d’Or that should drink well for 15 years or more.
91-93pts – Neal Martin
Meursault 1er Cru Les Charmes 2022
$810 per case (1×6) OC (w/ GST $882.90)
A fleshier, more generous expression of Meursault. There is density, matter and weight, giving breadth on the mid-palate. The body is full and there is a ripe, chewy texture. Broadens out on the finish with white stone fruit and melted butter notes.
90-92pts – Matthew Hemming MW
The 2022 Meursault Les Charmes 1er Cru has an aromatic profile that lies somewhere between the richness of the Les Genevrieres and the tension of the Goutte d’Or. Though marked by a little SO2, it still conveys a well-defined Meursault and should develop well once in bottle. The palate is medium-bodied with a slightly viscous entry. Very good concentration and power. It’s honeyed towards the finish, implying a touch of botrytis. It should age well in bottle.
90-92pts – Neal Martin
Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrieres 2022
$960 per case (1×6) OC (w/ GST $1,046.40)
** To be ordered with other Gaunoux wines **
Intense and mineral, with a linear profile and high-tensile acidity throughout. Has a degree of energy and excitement I’d never expect in 2022. Long finish with mineral crunch and a whisper of peppermint. Brilliant Meursault and a total triumph for 2022.
93-96pts – Matthew Hemming MW
The 2022 Meursault Les Perrières 1er Cru, taken from vat, showed quite a bit of reduction on the nose, making the aromatics difficult to read. So, moving on to the palate, there is fine tension here, edgy on the entry, certainly with more complexity than the Les Charmes. Fine precision towards the finish subsumes the 30% new oak with ease. It will need four to five years to settle in bottle, but it should drink well for a number of years.
91-93pts – Neal Martin
(NB – we tasted several weeks after Neal at which point the Perrieres showed very little reduction which may, in part, account for the difference in scores)
Pommard La Perriere 2022
$360 per case (1×6) OC (w/ GST $392.40)
Scented, lifted and perfumed. Bright fruit but with much more substance and sweetness than the Meursault rouge. Satisfying, up-front Pinot, with raspberry fruit, a touch of tannic ‘chew’ and sufficient acidity to finish with freshness.
88-91pts – Matthew Hemming MW
The 2022 Pommard Village has a straightforward, attractive bouquet with brambly red fruit and a touch of raspberry confit. There’s commendable purity here – quite Volnay-like in style. The palate is medium-bodied with crunchy black fruit, flinty in texture but fresh with a sapid finish. Sure, it’s a bit rustic in style, but it has charm and personality.
89-91pts – Neal Martin
Volnay 1er Cru Les Brouillards 2022
$600 per case (1×6) OC (w/ GST $654)
Fragrant red berry and cherry fruit. Nicely perfumed on the palate, with brightly-scented berries and a savoury framework beneath. Expressive and fluid with tannins that are firm but well-knit.
90-93pts – Matthew Hemming MW
The 2022 Volnay Les Brouillards 1er Cru has the most attractive nose amongst the reds I tasted from Gaunoux this year: crisp and well-defined, dark red plummy fruit intermixed with loamy aromas. The palate is medium-bodied with crunchy red fruit, but there is more precision and tension on the finish than the Clos des Chênes, and as such, it should age well in bottle. Very fine.
90-92pts – Neal Martin
Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Chenes 2022
$660 per case (1×6) OC (w/ GST $719.40)
Great length and great finish. The richness of the vintage is on show but the structure keeps everything fresh, breezy and upright. There’s a savoury tone on the mid-palate that provides a bass note and foundation. Multi-layered and unfurls in waves on the finish.
92-94pts – Matthew Hemming MW
Terms & Conditions
Offer ends on Monday 4th March 2024 l No further discount l Immediate payment required l Delivery fees ($32.72) waived for purchases above $500 before GST excluding airports | Cancellation of orders not allowed l Orders to be collected/delivered within 3 months upon stock availability l Offered Ex-Singapore & subject to remaining unsold