Côte de Nuits Villages: A Smart Place to Look for Affordable Gems - Domaine d'Ardhuy
ABS Wine Agencies, Mon 12 Sep 2022
Domaine d'Ardhuy
Here beginneth the Côte de Nuits. I always imagine going over a bump in the road as you leave the Côte de Beaune for the Côte de Nuits just by the Clos de Langres. I tasted with technical director/general manager Vincent Bottreau at the end of February. The 2020 harvest kicked off here on 26th August through to 10th September, beginning with the reds. They waited for the rain which helped, producing 33 hl/ha in red and 45 in white.
The whites are pressed without crushing. The crus and any other small lots are fermented in barrel, the rest in stainless steel. Both colours are made with inoculated yeasts, for security. Recent additions include the purchase of a small sized pneumatic press for the small lots of whites, and a vertical press for the small lots of reds. They are also moving towards a closure system using long necked bottles in which the cork can be inserted deeper than usual, allowing for a layer of wax below the top of the glass itself. Most wines were bottled in August 2021.
White
2020, Ladoix, Domaine d’Ardhuy - 88 points
Fullish yellow in colour. The nose is quite floral with some weight. Lemony notes throughout with some richer yellow fruit, good tingling acidity. A sound village Ladoix from the Combottes, Chaillots and Chaignots vineyards, using a DIAM closure. Tasted: February 2022 - View Here
2020, Ladoix Dolia, Domaine d’Ardhuy - 89 Points
This is the same wine as the regular Ladoix at the outset, fermented with the rest in wood or stainless steel but matured in Italian terracotta amphoras, also known as dolia. 438 bottles were kept separate, the rest re-integrated with the regular wine. Both wines share the same fresh lemon yellow colour. Rather more elegant in the nose, more floral, and less sunshine, slightly more CO2 naturally, very classy: fresher throughout, more tension and very good length. Tasted: February 2022 - View Here
2020, Ladoix Le Rognet 1er Cru, Domaine d’Ardhuy - 89 Points
This comes from an enclave, a Monopole of the domaine, actually just above grand cru Rognet, and they are applying for promotion. Richer with a pineapple touch after a fuller colour. A little citrus note as well. There is a bit more density here. Tasted: February 2022 - View Here
2020, Côte de Nuits-Villages Clos des Langres, Domaine d’Ardhuy - 89 Points
From a 1996 plot which needs to be replanted (rootstock problems). Pretty lemon yellow colour, with a little oak and a lively fruit, without a specific terroir character. This is well balanced and attractively made with a little light bitterness, then the oak lengthens the finish. Tasted: February 2022 - View Here
2020, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru, Domaine d’Ardhuy - 93 Points
From several sectors: Pougets, Rognet & Corton, Languettes and a tiny touch of Carrières. It shows the same pale lemon primrose colour as the other Domaine d’Arduy 2020 whites. The bouquet also has the lemon fruit pastille nose while the palate shows much more of where the wines comes from with a stony typicity as well as some lemon meringue fruit. Good length. Tasted: February 2022 - View Here
Red
2020, Côte de Beaune-Villages Les Combottes, Domaine d’Ardhuy - 85 Points
This could be sold as Ladoix but the Côte de Beaune Villages name is preferred to avoid confusion with their other Ladoix bottlings. Exceptionally dense deep colour. There is a slightly burnt aspect to the nose, plenty of fruit but not finesse. The palate offers thick rich fruit then high acidity. Quite punchy, but perhaps not so elegant. The acidity stays as long as the fruit. Tasted: February 2022 - View Here
2020, Ladoix, Domaine d’Ardhuy - 87 Points
Bright clean deep purple. The fruit is a little more vivacious here than Combottes. The acidity remains relatively trenchant but it is better integrated with the fruit. Fine length, a sound wine, less chunky than Les Combottes, but remaining a little rustic. Tasted: February 2022 - View Here
2020, Ladoix Dolia, Domaine d’Ardhuy - 88 Points
The version matured in dolia has a slightly more profound colour than the regular. The nose is a little more generous with a softer style to the dark raspberry fruit. Just on the palate there is a dry mineral aspect reminiscent of Pousse d’Or experience. With its racier finish, this should develop well. Certainly the finish is notably finer Tasted: February 2022 - View Here
2020, Ladoix Clos des Chagnots, Domaine d’Ardhuy - 88 Points
Darker purple, offering rather a vegetal touch on the nose. There is a thick rich fruit here, still with an acidulated note, a little more grace and more length than the blended Ladoix. Tasted: February 2022 - View Here
2020, Côte de Nuits-Villages, Domaine d’Ardhuy - 87-88 Points
This wine had not yet been bottled, but had been racked to tank. It is made from younger vines, earlier picked, with less extraction. A fine even purple. The bouquet has a light vegetal touch. Actually, this is very pretty with redcurrant and red cherry, nicely integrated acidity. A pretty wine successfully made with their objective of earlier drinking in mind. Tasted: February 2022 - View Here
2020, Côte de Nuits-Villages Clos des Langres, Domaine d’Ardhuy - 88-89 points
Still in barrel. Notably darker purple. A much more solid, weightier, dark fruited bouquet. Picked at least a week later. Solid, yes; weighty, yes; elegant pinot? – maybe not. So will it last. I think so. The tannins are there in sufficient force to banish the acidity (in taste terms) and yet the fruit has not been de-natured. This could easily have become clumsy, but has not. Tasted: February 2022 - View Here
2020, Corton Pougets Grand Cru, Domaine d’Ardhuy - 88-89 Points
A dark purple centre. The bouquet is powerful, perhaps at the limit, with a light coconut dusting. The fruit is just a little cooked though. A little bit of heat, partly balanced by the high acidity, but this is not my preferred fruit profile. Tasted: February 2022 - View Here
2020, Corton Renardes Grand Cru, Domaine d’Ardhuy - 89-91 Points
A fairly sombre deep purple. The bouquet is a little bit backward but the ripeness of fruit seems better managed. This proves to be the case on the palate, with a good fruit-tannin-acid balance and fine length. In its style, but successful. Tasted: February 2022 - View Here
2020, Corton Le Clos du Roi Grand Cru, Domaine d’Ardhuy - 90-92 Points
A very even dark purple colour. There is a more majestic quality to the fruit here, full of sunshine but not cooked. Deep cherries and some blackcurrant. Plenty of energy, good acidity, a few wood tannins to finish. More extraction here and at the moment it is damping down the fruit, but I think it will emerge intact in years to come. Quite an old fashioned quality, I suppose. Tasted: February 2022 - View Here