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Domaine Dugat-Py

Over the last four or five vintages, Dugat-Py has seen a smooth transition from Bernard Dugat-Py to his son, Loïc. I had not seen Bernard during the last couple of vintages, so it was a pleasure to meet one of the most likeable Burgundy vignerons again for a quick chat on the veranda. Once his son arrived, we entered the 12th-century vaulted cellars underneath the house, one of the most picturesque in the entire Côte d'Or (though they extended the cellars in recent years since there are numerous cuvées to accommodate). Loïc has continued to push Dugat-Py forward, now using no tractor in Mazis-Chambertin and Gevrey-Chambertin Petite Chapelle, a practice that will surely be extended to other vineyards in the future. He also told me that from 2017 they have cut down on hedging (rognage) that some winemakers believe can stress the vine, though he explained that unlike its leading proponent Lalou Bize-Leroy, he does not tie tendrils to form an arch but rather winds it around the trellis wire whilst making sure there is sufficient aeration. “It was a warm vintage in 2017,” he told me as I took my seat in the cellar. “The danger was to have a high yield, but we did a good green harvest during August. There was no holiday for us! This reduced the harvest by about 20 barrels. We had to be careful because the warmth could block the [cycle of the] vine. We commenced picking on September 2 in the Hautes-Côtes de Nuits and harvested over 12 days using 7kg cagettes. We needed to do little sorting, but we had to check that the fruit was sufficiently cool at the beginning and then fermented to a maximum temperature of around 30°C. I have decreased the sulphur just a little but you still have to protect against things like brettanomyces. The malolactic passed normally and it was not quick like elsewhere. The wines have undergone no acidification or chaptalisation and we will bottle around February or March 2019.”

Dugat-Py is a fascinating and, yes, quite divisive domaine. They own some incredible parcels of very old vines in some of the most enviable vineyard locations. There is no question that the exacting standards of Bernard Dugat-Py have been passed on to Loïc. There is one facet of winemaking that I continue to question: the use of new oak. Many cuvées are entirely matured in new wood. It creates a dense and concentrated wine; some might describe it as “modern” rather than “traditional,” the antithesis of, say, Rousseau or Duroché. I simply believe that the terroir would be more expressive if the new oak was dialed down. Yet some cuvées are compelling, beautifully balanced and imbued with an almost sorbet-like freshness. The Mazoyères-Chambertin is stunning, likewise the Mazis-Chambertin, and I prefer both to the elusive Chambertin. Amongst the Premier Crus, the Gevrey Fonteny and Champeaux stand out, whilst some of the others come across as a little oaky for my taste. It will be interesting to see where Loïc takes the domaine in the future. There are few domaines that pay more attention to detail than this one, but if I can sum up in a single phrase, I would like to see more of that elegance of pinoté in their wines.

From 2017 Burgundy: A Modern Classic (Jan 2019) by Neal Martin

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2017 Chambertin Grand Cru

Color: Red

2017 Chambertin Grand Cru

2017 Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru

2017 Gevrey-Chambertin Corbeaux 1er Cru

2017 Gevrey-Chambertin Cuvée Coeur de Roy

2017 Gevrey-Chambertin Champeaux 1er Cru

2017 Gevrey-Chambertin Les Fonteny 1er Cru

2017 Gevrey-Chambertin La Perrière 1er Cru

2017 Gevrey-Chambertin Lavaux Saint-Jacques 1er Cru

2017 Gevrey-Chambertin Petite Chapelle 1er Cru

2017 Gevrey-Chambertin Les Evocelles 1er Cru

2017 Mazis-Chambertin Grand Cru

2017 Mazoyères-Chambertin Grand Cru

2017 Pommard La Levrière Vieilles Vignes

2017 Vosne-Romanée Vieilles Vignes

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