Wine Advisor
Alain Hudelot Noellat, Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru 2013
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Stephen Tanzer
Brght, deep red. Very pure, vibrant aromas of black cherry, dark berries and fresh herbs. Surprisingly pliant and round for young Clos Vougeot, with saline and spice notes adding interest to the black cherry and licorice flavors. Offers lovely restrained sweetness and balance. Finishes supple and long, with firm but ripe tannins and very good saline persistence.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted blind at Fine & Rare Wines' Clos Vougeot tasting, the 2013 Clos Vougeot Grand Cru from Domaine Hudelot-Noëllat has a more intense bouquet, although not quite the same degree of precision. The fruit feels a little darker with touches of Earl Grey suffusing the red plum and strawberry fruit. The palate is medium-bodied with chewy tannin that seem to soften in the glass. There is certainly good volume and weight in the mouth here, gently building to quite a structured, relatively masculine finish with a dash of black pepper lingering on the aftertaste. This is very fine, but it will repay time in the cellar.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2013 Clos Vougeot Grand Cru seemed just a little subdued when I tasted it from barrel, finding it difficult to follow the three exuberant Vosne premier crus. The palate is medium-bodied with grainy tannin: a masculine Clos Vougeot with touches of mocha toward the finish, suggesting that it will need 3 or 4 years for the oak to fully integrate after bottling. Very fine, but my money would be invested in Vosne.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
Tasted blind at the Burgfest tasting in Beaune, the 2013 Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru felt rather stemmy on the nose, especially when compared to others in this flight, although it improves with aeration and gains cohesion. A hint of Earl Grey perhaps? The palate is medium-bodied with firm, almost rigid tannin. The acidity is well judged and lends this a sense of natural balance and poise, which particularly comes through on the tensile finish. This is a very fine Clos Vougeot made with a deft hand. Tasted September 2016.
About the Producer
In 1962, Alain inherited two small parcels of his father's Chambolle-Musigny Grand Cru Les Chames, plus several vineyards from his marriage to the great-granddaughter of Charles Noellat, a Vosne-Romanee winery family, and he established Domaine Alain Hudelot Noellat. The winery is now about 10 hectares (24 hectares) in size. The estate now has about 10 hectares (24 acres) of vineyards with an average age of over 50 years, including several dating back to 1920, including the vineyard at Romanée-Saint-Vivant. The winery is known for its lighter wines with nuanced and natural flavors. Now managed by third-generation grandson Charles van Canneyts, Hudelot-Nollat is not so different from its grandfather's time, when it was less visible in the thicker wines, but now it has the advantage of refinement, often with fresh, bright fruit, balanced acidity and silky tannins. The vinification is entirely de-stemmed, using local yeasts that are not comparable to artificial yeasts, with a relatively long pre-fermentation cold soak, mainly with trampled skins, and 18 months in new barrels at 20-60%. In 2012, Charles also started to buy grapes from other winegrowers under his own name to make his wine. Vosne-Romanee is a blend of three first growths, Suchots, Beaumonts and Malconsorts, and as young as it is, the Hudelot-Noellat family owns three first growths that are over 100 years old, so this VR is ostensibly a village wine, but with a first growth heritage. Jasper Morris MW has high praise for Domaine Hudelot-Noëllat. He believes that while Alain Hudelot's management has produced fine style reds, Charles van Canneyt has taken over and given the wines more concentration and backbone, retaining their elegance, but with more ageing potential and balance.
