2022 Montrachet Grand Cru

As usual, I tasted at Domaine d’Eugénie with winemaker Michel Mallard (see Ladoix). Having been bought by Artémis Domaines after the untimely death of Philippe Engel in 2005, a new chapter is about to unfold as the domaine incorporates Bouchard Pères’ holdings in the Côte de Nuits. As I quipped to Malland: You’re gonna need a bigger winery. “We started picking on August 26 and finished September 1,” he tells me on a very damp Thursday afternoon. “Sulfur is only added in barrel just after malo and just before bottling.” I have to be honest… I have written positive words about Domaine d’Eugénie in previous vintages, but I was perplexed by the showing of the 2022 reds. The tannins felt raw, and the whole bunches dictated the wines, usurping the fruit/terroir profiles. Mallard admitted they were not showing as they should, especially one or two cuvées, and invited me to return since he was convinced the wines showed better a couple of days earlier. When you’re working every day from dusk until dawn, it’s not easy to simply return. God forbid, I can imagine every winemaker asking the same whenever they’re dissatisfied with their wines’ showing. It happens. It’s nobody’s fault. It’s Nature.