Wine Advisor
Bernard Dugat-Py, Mazoyeres Chambertin Grand Cru 2012
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Description
Tasting notes
Reviewed by: Neal Martin
The 2012 Mazoyeres-Chambertin Grand Cru comes from vines just 60-metres distant from the Charmes-Chambertin, and this blend includes around 90% whole cluster fruit. It has a superb bouquet, the mineral core penetrating the carapace of dark cherry, blackberry and wild strawberry fruit that is beautifully defined, seductive and pure. The palate is medium-bodied with fine, slightly chalky tannins. This has very good backbone, rendering the finish quite stern and aloof, but it will age with consummate style. There are just 2½ barrels this year. Rapping the door at Domaine Dugat-Py, at first sight I thought that Bernard Dugat had aged a little…about thirty years to be exact. Now I know that his parents live in the conjoined house next door and that his son inherited his looks from his father, Pierre Dugat, as well as some of the most propitious vineyard holdings in Gevrey. Bernard’s wines have always had a modern sheen with relatively high use of new oak from his village crus upwards (100% for all his premier and grand crus.) These are not wines for those expecting subtlety or “transparency” – they are packed with intense flavors, bold structure and occasionally extravagant finishes. The 2012s are no exception, but for the most part these wines handles the new oak with aplomb, principally because a combination of grand crus and old vines give the solid foundation for that level of new oak, that culminate in a quite audacious Mazis-Chambertin. Of course, as Bernard mentioned, his preponderance of old vine material meant that he was hit hard by millerandage and as a consequence yields are miniscule: around 18 or 19hl/ha. The harvest commenced on 21 September with the premier crus and like many growers the malo-lactics were late, which meant that I was unable to taste two or three crus such as the Gevrey Petite Chapelle. If you like your Burgundy packed full of intensity but with finesse and do not mind cellaring for a decade a more, Dugat-Py is the place to come. Importer: The Sorting Table, LLC, 1700 Second Street Suite 380 Napa, CA 94559 ; tel: 707-603-1466 and also through Lea & Sandeman in the UK.
About the Producer
Domaine Dugat-Py is located in the Gevrey-Chambertin appellation and has been rated by Robert Parker as one of the best châteaux in Burgundy. The Dugat family, the founders of Château Dugat, have been making wine for generations and began growing grapes in Gevrey-Chambertin in the early 17th century. The current owner, Bernard Dugat-Py, is the twelfth generation of the family to have dedicated himself to using his unique knowledge of winemaking to work in the vineyards and offer wines in the spirit and style of his ancestors for over four centuries. Château Duga's philosophy in winemaking is to "minimise human intervention", to preserve the original quality of the grapes and to allow the wine to develop fully in the bottle. The majority of vintages in the vineyard are 100% destemmed, but there are exceptions (such as the 2002 vintage). After destemming, the grapes are fermented in concrete or wooden fermenters for 3-4 weeks. The percentage of new oak barrels is renewed depending on the year's production, with a minimum of 20%. After fermentation, the wine is usually aged in wooden barrels for 14-20 months, without clarification or filtration before bottling. The main wines produced by Château Duga include Chambertin, Charmes-Chambertin, Mazis-Chambertin and Gevrey-Chambertin wines. For almost 10 years, this 10-hectare estate has been releasing a succession of great wines, a testament to the Duggar family's constant quest for excellence. The wines produced here, like most Burgundy wines, are intense and full-bodied, none of which are meant to be enjoyed in a short period of time. Even in the lighter vintages, the wines still require 4-6 years of cellaring. In the case of fine wines, even 10-12 years of bottle ageing is required.
