Domaine Robert-Denogent

When first tasting the wines of Domaine Robert-Denogent, it is essential to put aside any preconceived notions about the young, over-cropped whites of southern Burgundy. These are wines of a much different class, whose reflection of terroir is one more likely found farther north in the prestigious Côte d’Or. Jean-Jacques Robert took over five hectares of his grandfather’s vines in the Mâconnais just outside the village of Fuissé after finishing law school in 1988. Though most of the harvest had always been sold off to the cooperatives, the small parcels that made up the domaine were already understood to enjoy unique microclimates, producing Pouilly-Fuissés of great pedigree. Jean-Jacques soon came under the influence of two ardent defenders of terroir, the great master of Morgon, Marcel Lapierre, and American importer, Kermit Lynch. Little by little, Jean-Jacques has introduced radical changes to the domaine (while staying faithful to his grandfather’s wisdom about the complexity of the land), finally realizing its full potential. He is now joined by his son, Nicolas.

The Roberts’ individual vineyard parcels are planted with old vines (remarkably so!) on varied soils of granite, schist, limestone, clay, and gravel. Naturally reduced yields imbue the grapes with terrific concentration. The wines undergo a long, slow élévage in barrel that lasts anywhere from fifteen to eighteen months. They are bottled after two winters in barrel, a treatment more common (yet still far from the norm) in the Côte d’Or, and something that really sets them apart in the Mâconnais. At a fraction of the price of the appellations of Meursault and Puligny-Montrachet, to which they are often compared by aficionados and critics alike, the wines of Robert-Denogent offer tremendous value, wonderful richness, and impressive complexity. An added attraction for some—they age sooner than their counterparts to the north.

Technical Information

Wine	Blend	Vine Age	Soil Type	Vineyard Area*
Saint Véran Les Pommards "Vieilles Vignes"	Chardonnay	52 years	Clay, Limestone	.52 ha
Viré-Clessé En Châtelaine	Chardonnay	Planted in 2003 (50%), 1917 (50%)	Limestone, marl	1.2 ha
Mâcon-Solutré Clos des Bertillonnes	Chardonnay	30 years	Quartz, Limestone	.42 ha
Mâcon-Fuissé Les Tâches	Chardonnay	15 years	Limestone	.27 ha
Pouilly-Fuissé Les Carrons "Vieilles Vignes"	Chardonnay	92 years	Limestone scree	.47 ha
Pouilly-Fuissé “Clos Reyssié”	Chardonnay	65 years	Clay, Limestone	65 ha
Pouilly-Fuissé La Croix "Vieilles Vignes"	Chardonnay	79 years	Blue Schist	2 ha
Pouilly-Fuissé Les Reisses "Monopole"	Chardonnay	82 years	Clay	.6 ha
Pouilly-Fuissé "Cuvée Claude Denogent" Les Cras	Chardonnay	85 years	Limestone	.7 ha
Pouilly-Vinzelles Les Longeays	Chardonnay	50 years	Clay, Limestone	.25 ha
Mâcon-Villages “Les Sardines”	Chardonnay	40 years	Limestone	5 ha
Viré-Clessé “Les Chazelles”	Chardonnay	60 years average	Limestone	N/A
Beaujolais Villages “Cuvée Jules Chauvet”	Gamay	20 years, 70 years	Sandy, decomposed granite	1.14 ha
* "ha" = hectares; one hectare equals roughly two and a half acres

VITICULTURE / VINIFICATION

White Wines

• All grapes are harvested by hand
• Grapes pressed gently by pneumatic press
• Natural fermentation with indigenous yeasts
• Wines complete malolactic fermenation
• Pouilly-Vinzelles Les Longeays is aged for 22 months in barrel, 40% new
• Wines are aged for 18 to 30 months in the same barrels (20% new, 50% two passages, 30% more than two passages)
• Wines are racked 3 to 4 weeks before bottling
• Two bottlings are produced of the following wines: Saint Véran Les Pommards “Vieilles Vignes,” Pouilly-Fuissé La Croix “Vieilles Vignes,” Pouilly-Fuissé Les Reisses “Monopole.” The bottlings of these wines are identical in every way except the first bottlings are aged for 18 months while the second, more limited releases are aged in barrel longer. The Saint Véran is aged for 24 months, and the Pouilly-Fuissé La Croix and Les Reisses are aged for 30 months.
• Clos Reyssié is an actual clos, and the name means “clay soil”
• Viré-Clessé “En Châtelaine” is fermented and aged in concrete tank for 12 months

Mâcon-Villages “Les Sardines”:
• Natural fermentation, aged 18 months in barrel, bottled unfiltered
• The painter of the Mâcon-Villages “Les Sardines” label is Denis Pesnot, an artist based in Morgon. In addition to this label, Denis painted the murals on the ceiling of the winery at Domaine Lapierre. Denis and Jean-Jacques Robert have known each other for years through their mutual friendships with Marcel Lapierre and the Gang of Four.

Beaujolais Villages “Cuvée Jules Chauvet”:
• Parcel is leased from the niece of Jules Chauvet, Benedicte Chauvet
• Parcel is farmed with organic practices (but not certified)
• Hand harvested with meticulous sorting
• Natural fermentation with indigenous yeasts takes place in 228 L oak barrels
• Carbonic maceration for 15 days at ambient cellar temperature (48 - 50°F)
• No sulfur during harvest or vinification, minimal amount used at bottling
• Aged 16 months in 7 year old barrels
• Neither fined nor filtered

MISCELLANEA

A couple of weeks ago I had the chance to taste, and the wines were really excellent—even more-so when factoring in the value versus a Puligny or Meursault. I started [tasting] without my pen, but the wines were so good I had to find it, hence, the notes gradually got longer!

Bill Nanson, The Burgundy Report