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Domaine Patrice et Michèle Rion

Maxime Rion welcomed me in Prémeaux with the sound of pneumatic drills in the background as completion on their new winery is just a couple of months away. This will afford them more space, various sized vats for vinification, bottle storage and a bottling line. That will be inaugurated next year, but 2023 was the focus that morning.

“The season was quite easy with a good flowering. The initiation florale [what you might think of as the catalysts for buds formed in the previous growing season] was very good. We had rain when we needed it and sunlight when required, with no rot or mildew pressure. We did some green harvest for the younger vines. All the vines were productive, which is why we could sometimes reach 50 hl/ha. In the end, we had a good September, maybe even a bit too much in terms of temperature. I think we picked at the right time, picking early in the morning, commencing with the Premier Cru vineyards on September 8 with the whites. On September 12, we had some rain, but by then, most of the harvest had been done. I think the rain was a bigger factor than the heat. It was easy to sort the Premier Cru fruit at the beginning—we had more to do toward the end of picking. We did what cold soak we could, but the alcoholic fermentation began quickly.”

Rion continued, “We use some whole bunch in the Premier Crus, but sometimes I decided to completely destem or there was just no space in the vat. We keep the wines on the lees, so there is no racking. We do not use any SO2 until usually the following spring, so that in the final blend, we have around 20 mg free sulfur. Two thousand twenty-three is not the same concentration as 2022, but every lieu-dit has its identity, wines that will give pleasure. It is a nice expression of Pinot Noir.”

This was a fine set of what I see as more approachable and open wines compared to the concentrated 2022s. The highlight this year is their superb monopole of Clos Saint-Marc that has more energy and tension than the Clos des Argillières. At the other end of the range, do not ignore their “useful” Bourgogne Rouge Bon Baton.

From The Lord Giveth…Burgundy 2023 (Jan 2025) by Neal Martin

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2023 Nuits Saint-Georges Les Terres Blanches

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