Wine Advisor
Alain Hudelot Noellat, Richebourg Grand Cru 2020
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: William Kelley
The king of the cellar is the 2020 Richebourg Grand Cru, a magical wine in the making that wafts from the glass with aromas of cherries, red berries, exotic spices, licorice and orange rind. Full-bodied, layered and multidimensional, it's deep and concentrated, with lively acids and a strikingly persistent finish. Again, this looks likely to emerge as the finest of the 2018, 2019 and 2020 trio chez Hudelot-Noëllat.
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2020 Richebourg Grand Cru is much more backward on the nose but give it time and it reveals spellbinding pure dark plum and wild strawberry aromas interlaced with crushed limestone and blood orange. The palate is medium-bodied with very supple tannins, fine backbone, taut and fresh with just the right amount of salinity on the finish. Difficult to find fault with this Richebourg in all honesty. "I think this might be the best Richebourg I have ever made," commented Charles van Canneyt. Yup.
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.
