2022 Mazy-Chambertin Grand Cru

This is a Gevrey estate amidst a transition. I was welcomed by estate manager/winemaker Bastien Giraud who joined in April from Faiveley. That’s not a long time to get your feet under the table, not least at a winery undergoing a multi-million euro investment courtesy of owners, the Bouygues family, who added it to their portfolio that includes Clos Rougeard in the Loire and, of course, Château Montrose. By all accounts, though I have no doubt they maintain a small share, the previous owners, brothers Louis and Bénigne de Surrel, have been effectively out of the picture since February 2023. However, the latter essentially made this vintage in question with Giraud finishing their barrel maturation.

“In 2022, everything is de-stemmed as normal,” Giraud tells me, doing his very best to describe a vintage he inherited upon arrival. “We started the harvest on August 29 when we were expecting to begin on August 15. The percentage of new oak is higher in 2022, between 65% and 70%, in order to commence the rotation of barrels. There is now one Clos de Vougeot cuvée [they had previously parsed out the older vines as a Vieilles Vignes like Château de la Tour]. The parcel of younger vines will not be in the blend. The main coopers are 50% François Frère, 30% Taransaud and various others.”

This is a tricky one. It’s clear that the owners have big ambitions for Rebourseau. You can see that by the brand new winery—the quality of the carpentry around the tasting room still taking shape. But a fundamental rule applies to Burgundy more than anywhere else: throwing money at an estate does not automatically create a wine that will join the top tier amongst your Rousseaus and Roumiers. A great Burgundy wine has soul, irrespective of its status, and at times, it was difficult to discern here. One stumbling block is the level of new wood. This is not an error on anyone’s part, but to instigate a rotation of new and used barrels, wineries tend to use more new oak than optimal to build reserves of used oak. At times, the overuse of wood was clear to see and underlies some of my less glowing reviews. But there are some positives to take away. Giraud seems a very capable winemaker and the right man for the job, even if he’ll have the weight of expectation on his shoulders. Secondly, there’s no question that they have a small but enviable array of Grand Crus, and who’s to say that they won’t be added in the future? Thirdly, the wines are clearly superior to those under the previous regime that too often failed to pass muster. Lastly, perhaps most crucially, as I told Giraud, their 2022 Mazi-Chambertin proves they can make wines that hard-headed, demanding wine writers like me will praise. In fact, it showed their Chambertin, Clos-de-Bèze and Clos Vougeot, the levels that can be achieved. I can only say that quality doesn’t manifest by lavishing money on a wine but by a winemaker's all-important ‘touch’.