2016 Corton Le Rognet Grand Cru

This is a domaine I have been tasting and visiting for many years, though it was the first time I had been back since the pandemic. As usual, we entered his tasting room full of the various fossils and rock types strewn across the table, Clavelier demonstrating each one as we tasted through his range. I could touch and even smell the terroir from which that cuvée was born. He told me that in 2022, the véraison was a bit strung out and that he picked from August 28 to September 8. These days, he finds calculating the picking date according to the 100-day from flowering rule redundant. Instead, he accepts an 80 or 90-day growth cycle. Tasting through his wines, I was reminded of his infusive, transparent style of winemaking, his wines exuding red fruit and that essence of Pinoté not dissimilar to, say, Charles Lachaux, in the winery on the opposite side of the RN74. Indeed, you could argue that in some respects, Lachaux is following the path trodden by Clavelier, stylistically if not in terms of modus operandi. “I am not looking for color or tannins,” he emphasizes. He is one of the winemakers who elected to bottle early, and you could argue that a second winter in barrel would not add to the style of Pinot Noir he makes. The top cuvées in Vosne-Romanée are amongst the best he has made, but readers should look out for his Vin de France white and reds, whose vines lie just outside the appellation border.

Bruno Clavelier farms 6.5 hectares of vineyards he inherited from his grandparents, all planted between the two world wars. Yields are down 30-40%, depending on the wine, which means most of these 2021s are two to three barrel lots. Clavelier used 40-67% whole clusters on the reds but was quick to elaborate that calculating exact percentages is hard, especially for sites with heavy millerandage, where the lack of fruit means each bunch contains a fair amount of stem material, and those were the bunches that most often went into the tanks whole. I find the 2021s to be gracious and elegant, in the best sense of the terms. The lighter style of the year is evident, and yet the wines are very pretty. All of the wines in this report were assembled two weeks before my tasting and were scheduled to be bottled before the end of 2022.

Bruno Clavelier described the frost event of late April as “very odd, very heterogeneous." He explained, "The thick blanket of frigid air that flowed in through the Combe Brûlée extended as far as Echézeaux and Combe d’Orveau; we made just seven hectoliters per hectare in Combe d’Orveaux. But the south side of Vosne-Romanée was spared. In the severely frosted parcels there was a tiny second generation of grapes but they budded two to three weeks later. And then the good weather started in July, which allowed the second generation of grapes to catch up in ripeness.” Clavelier produced barely 18 hectoliters per hectare in his village parcels and about 28 in his premier crus, with his Corton just slightly touched by the frost.

Clavelier started harvesting on September 22, with “no problems with the sugars.” There was a lot of millerandage due to stress on the vines but the grapes were fairly normal-sized, he added. And the tannins were ripe and noble. He carried out a number of micro-vinifications due to the tiny quantities and he had to press the grapes carefully. He worked with some whole clusters--in most cases at least 30%--often simply to have a bit more volume in his tanks. Still, he described the vinifications as "serene," in contrast to the very complicated growing season.

The malos took place between early winter and spring and the wines were still in barrel at the time of my visit. Clavelier describes the ‘16s as “very Burgundian, with nice balance and good energy and lovely amplitude of their terroirs. The wines are now showing an interesting viscosity but they’re fresh in addition to showing the sunny summer. But the 2015s are denser and stronger in material. With thick skins and a lot of millerandage, the '15s have a lot of force but they also maintained good balance."

Clavelier described 2015 as “a dream harvest with tiny, thick-skinned grapes and a lot of millerandage.” He harvested from September 5 through 12, finishing just before three days of rain. “With so little volume of juice, we had to be careful with extraction, even if the strong material could support it,” said Clavelier, who told me that he always carries out the same number of pigeages and remontages. But Clavelier maintains that he works more by infusion than extraction, with three weeks of maceration: one before, one during and one after the actual fermentation.

As is his usual habit, Clavelier showed me approximations of the final blends, pulled from multiple barrels. He used 20% to 25% new oak for his village wines in 2015 and 33% for the premier crus. Clavelier noted that pHs are always low here (3.35 to 3.4 “at a maximum”) owing to the estate's high percentage of old vines with deep roots.

Bruno Clavelier believes that his 2014s will give great pleasure in five years. "They're a bit closed now but they will still be accessible on the early side," he told me in November, "and they have good acidity to preserve them. We had a couple of showers that split some grape skins but cool weather kept rot at bay." Clavelier compared his young '14s to his 2007s at the same stage, which he said were "fabulous" five years later.

Bruno Clavelier believes that his 2014s will give great pleasure in five years "They're a bit closed now but they will still be accessible on the early side," he told me in November, "and they have good acidity to preserve them We had a couple of showers that split some grape skins but cool weather kept rot at bay" Clavelier compared his young '14s to his 2007s at the same stage, which he said were "fabulous" five years later

Bruno Clavelier began harvesting on September 12 in 2014 as the skins were ripe. He told me he saw signs of rot ten days earlier owing to warm, humid conditions, with some of the grapes swelling and the skins beginning to crack due to showers before the harvest. Although he noted that a few of his parcels reached 13% potential alcohol, he hurried to pick some others because the weather forecast was not good.

Clavelier vinified most of his wines with about one-third whole clusters, making a “sandwich” of destemmed and non-destemmed layers in the vats. The malos finished late, between June and early August, and the finished pHs will be in the healthy 3. 2 to 3. 4 range. Yields here were down 20% from normal in 2014 as a result of the late-June hailstorm. Clavelier predicted that his 2014s would remain tasty and charming, like the 2011s, but that the 2013s would close down in the bottle. None of the 2014s had yet been racked when I tasted them in November.

After substantial rainfall on September 29 in Vosne-Romanée, Bruno Clavelier began harvesting the next day and finished in six days flat, carrying out a selection in the vines and again on his sorting table. The humid September weather was hardly constructive for the fruit, noted Clavelier, but his domain benefits from a high percentage of very old vines. His tiny, thick-skinned, well-aerated berries resisted rot very well, even to the pont that Clavelier vinified some of his fruit from millerandé wines with a percentage of whole clusters. The pHs in 2013 are in the relatively low range of 3.35 to 3.4, with some as low as 3.3, and Clavelier has been able to raise his wines with minimal sulfur additions. Following minimal chaptalization, the premier crus will go into bottle with alcohol levels in the modest 12.5% to 12.7% range. I was particularly impressed by the freshness and inner-mouth tension of these wines, even if Clavelier considers his 2012s to be denser.

"The 2012s are denser than the 2013s but still sensual wines," said Bruno Clavelier, who, like a few of his colleagues on the Côte de Nuits, believes that the '12s are already closing down. "There were some obviously green grapes that needed to be eliminated in 2012, and the pHs tend to be low," he added, but alcohol levels in the wines are often on the high side. "The vintage shows balance, persistence, energy and minerality, the four elements of great Burgundy," he summarized.

Bruno Clavelier told me he didn't change his winemaking techniques for the 2011s, carrying out "a gentle extraction relying mostly on infusion and a long fermentation." He started harvesting on the last day of August, and noted that the grapes had the advantage of finishing their maturity when the days were still long. He likes the 2011s for their "sensuality of tannins," noting that the 2007s are similar but began with less acidity. Although the malos all finished by early spring, Clavelier's wines were still on their lees in barrel, unracked, at the time of my visit in November.

The 2010 malos mostly finished just before the 2011 harvest, at which time Bruno Clavelier assembled the various barrels of each cuvee so that they'd all finish at the same time. He describes the 2010s as "generous but not spectacular, with silky, noble tannins and huge polyphenolic concentration." He added that their acidity would preserve their fruit, noting that pHs here are always on the low side, thanks in part to his very high percentage of ancient vines. Clavelier told me that chilly weather in September of 2010 stopped the spread of rot. In 2011, in contrast, rain in early August triggered rot in many sites, but a heat wave later in the month kept it from spreading.

"I fear the very ripe years because the wines can be a little rustic," said Bruno Clavelier. "But the 2009s have stayed fresh. With a high percentage of selection massale, we get slightly slower ripening, so we can wait a bit longer to pick and retain better acidity than we would with most of the pinot clones." Clavelier told me that he "worked at the limit of reduction" to maintain freshness, with the malos only finishing in the summer, or even just before the 2010 harvest, and that the wines had not yet been racked.

According to Bruno Clavelier, his wines' pHs are always in the relatively low 3.45 range, as his grandfather never added potassium to his vineyards. "His was not an interventionist generation," Clavelier explained, adding that he also benefits from having a lot of old, low-yielding selection massale vines. The malolactic fermentations were very late in 2008, with the last wine finishing in October, and nothing had yet been racked at the time of my visit. Clavelier describes 2008 as "a vintage of balance: to make great wines we needed to start with ripe fruit and then do a gentle extraction." In his case, he did at least three weeks of maceration, using a soft pigeage every two or three days. As we tasted through the 2008s, Clavelier observed that this vintage seems like "a denser version of 1998." It's still early days, but I found more cut and penetration in the Clavelier 2008s than in the easier and more immediately pleasurable 2007s at this address.

According to Bruno Clavelier, his wines' pHs are always in the relatively low 3.45 range, as his grandfather never added potassium to his vineyards. "His was not an interventionist generation," Clavelier explained, adding that he also benefits from having a lot of old, low-yielding selection massale vines. The malolactic fermentations were very late in 2008, with the last wine finishing in October, and nothing had yet been racked at the time of my visit. Clavelier describes 2008 as "a vintage of balance: to make great wines we needed to start with ripe fruit and then do a gentle extraction." In his case, he did at least three weeks of maceration, using a soft pigeage every two or three days. As we tasted through the 2008s, Clavelier observed that this vintage seems like "a denser version of 1998." It's still early days, but I found more cut and penetration in the Clavelier 2008s than in the easier and more immediately pleasurable 2007s at this address.

The malos only finished during the summer and the wines had not been racked or de-gassed by early November. Clavelier told me that because the 2007s began life with a lot of malic acidity, they're a lot more refined today than they were at the outset. Plus, he went on, they may be expanded by the aeration that occurs during racking. The pHs in 2007 are in the 3.45 to 3.5 range, which Clavelier described as "not too high." He told me that 90% of his vines are selection massale, which he believes is particularly felicitous in a time of global warming, as the diversity of the plant material results in a wider range of ripeness and thus enables the fruit to retain high acidity, on average.

Clavelier was one of several growers I visited in November who preferred 2006 to 2007. The wines have more structure, he said, and grape sugars were higher (12.5% to 13% in '06, vs. 11.8% to 12.7% in '07). The phenolic maturity was good in 2006, he went on, and definitely better than in 2004. Clavelier does not crush the grapes, and with a high percentage of old vines his smaller berries tend to release their sugars late. "I extract very gently by infusion, not by true pigeage," he said. I tasted all the 2006 samples from a combination of new and used barrels; the ultimate blends will be about one-third new oak.

Clavelier was one of several growers I visited in November who preferred 2006 to 2007. The wines have more structure, he said, and grape sugars were higher (12.5% to 13% in '06, vs. 11.8% to 12.7% in '07). The phenolic maturity was good in 2006, he went on, and definitely better than in 2004. Clavelier does not crush the grapes, and with a high percentage of old vines his smaller berries tend to release their sugars late. "I extract very gently by infusion, not by true pigeage," he said. I tasted all the 2006 samples from a combination of new and used barrels; the ultimate blends will be about one-third new oak.

"The 2005 vintage has all the elements," noted Bruno Clavelier. "There was a concentration of sugars with good acidity. It was an easy year for the growers, especially after 2004." Yields here rarely exceeded 35 hectoliters per hectare and there was no need for triage, added Clavelier, because the grapes had thick skins.

Clavelier describes the 2004s as "accurate to their terroir, with good precision but lacking richness. We didn't see the sun in August. "Clavelier told me he started harvesting a few days later than his neighbors, following a lot of tasting of the grapes, then eliminated less-good fruit in the vines and on a table de trie. As is his normal practice, he did a long but gentle vinification, with gentle pigeage andup to a week of post-fermentation maceration. What he likes most of all about the '04s is their energy. In 2003, he told me, "in contrast, it's the polyphenols that will take the place of acidity and protect the wines. "Still, he added, it was necessary to pick early in 2003.

Clavelier harvested between August 23 and 30, picking only during the mornings.He chilled the musts but the fermentations still began after no more than four or five days. Clavelier was one of a minority of winemakers who told me he did not acidify in 2003, as he was afraid that this would give the wines "a dryness, a metallic quality."The malos finished early here, between January and March of 2003, but the wines were still on their lees, protected by carbonic gas, at the beginning of November.Clavelier believes the 2003s will be easy to drink early on, but he is also convinced that it's easy to underestimate the longevity of this vintage."There's a huge concentration of polyphenols, and the tannins are very suave," he told me.(Michael Stephens/Vins Divins, Beaune, France; imported by Fruit of the Vine, New York, NY; Atherton Wine Imports, Atherton, CA)

Clavelier harvested between August 23 and 30, picking only during the mornings.He chilled the musts but the fermentations still began after no more than four or five days. Clavelier was one of a minority of winemakers who told me he did not acidify in 2003, as he was afraid that this would give the wines "a dryness, a metallic quality."The malos finished early here, between January and March of 2003, but the wines were still on their lees, protected by carbonic gas, at the beginning of November.Clavelier believes the 2003s will be easy to drink early on, but he is also convinced that it's easy to underestimate the longevity of this vintage."There's a huge concentration of polyphenols, and the tannins are very suave," he told me.(Michael Stephens/Vins Divins, Beaune, France; imported by Fruit of the Vine, New York, NY; Atherton Wine Imports, Atherton, CA)

Two thousand two is a great year and the wines were also easy to make," Bruno Clavelier told me in November. The wines should last well, but of course it will ultimately be a question of balance.The year brought very good material, and also benefitted from strong natural acidity."The 2002s have not yet shut down in barrel, Clavelier added, but some of the 2001s are already closed.The 2002s had not yet been racked at the beginning of November, as most of the malolactic fermentations did not finish until just prior to the 2003 harvest.(Michael Stephens/Vins Divins, Beaune France imported by Langdon-Shiverick, Cleveland OH also imported by Fruit of the Vine, New York NY

Two thousand two is a great year and the wines were also easy to make," Bruno Clavelier told me in November. The wines should last well, but of course it will ultimately be a question of balance.The year brought very good material, and also benefitted from strong natural acidity."The 2002s have not yet shut down in barrel, Clavelier added, but some of the 2001s are already closed.The 2002s had not yet been racked at the beginning of November, as most of the malolactic fermentations did not finish until just prior to the 2003 harvest.(Michael Stephens/Vins Divins, Beaune France imported by Langdon-Shiverick, Cleveland OH also imported by Fruit of the Vine, New York NY