Earlier this year we offered the top notch Bourgogne Rouge from Domaine Gille, a wine that is bursting with Côte de Nuits terroir. But what I didn’t know then was that Mathieu Gille had decided not to include one parcel of vines that sits just outside the villages boundary of Vosne-Romanée. Usually the fruit from this vineyard, “La Luthenière,” goes into the regular Bourgogne, but Mathieu found the 2022 so compelling that he bottled a precious few barrels on their own. He’s only done this once before, and this is the first time that a tiny amount made it to the U.S. If you love deep, spicy, soulful Pinot with real pedigree, or if you just love getting a tremendous value, then you need to act fast!
The small, nine hectare estate of Domaine Gille traces its history back to 1570, giving them over 500 years of experience, tradition, and history in the town of Comblanchien. In the early 20th century Vivant Gille consolidated the family holdings and upgraded the winery and cellar. His grandson, Pierre, was instrumental in bringing the domaine from the 20th to the 21st century and establishing it as an excellent source of Côte de Nuits terroir and value. Today it is Pierre’s sone Mathieu at the helm. He is passionate about terroir too, and like all great vigneron he believes that 90% of the work in making wine is done in the vineyards–pristine fruit equals profound wine.
The domaine is located in Comblanchien, a small hamlet that is just outside of Nuits-Saint-Georges and the gateway to the Route des Grand Crus–home to the most rare, sought-after, and pricey Pinot Noir on the planet. The Cistern monks have been mapping out the soils and plots down to the minutia here for over a thousand years, and as such it is like catnap for terroir lovers. In most years Mathieu produces a fantastic Bourgogne Rouge that is sourced from vines near the cellar, just outside Nuits-Saint-Georges, and from a small parcel that they own in Vosne-Romanée. That parcel, called “La Luthenière,” sits just outside the AOC boundary for Vosne wines, and because it is literally on the wrong side of the tracks, it gets just a basic “Bourgogne” label. However, in 2022 the fruit here was so pristine and promising that Mathieu decided to bottle it as a single vineyard in order to showcase the pure, Vosne terroir that it offers.
Mathieu is a true classicist in the cellar, again his philosophy is that hard work in the vines makes the cellar work easy. Once they have reached ideal ripeness, the hand harvested grapes undergo a short, cold maceration before fermentation with native yeasts begins. The wine is then moved to standard 225l French oak barriques (about 1/3rd of which is new) for 15 months of aging before bottling. The goal is always to respect the terroir and the nuances that each different vintage brings.
Without question, this little parcel delivers depth, complexity and power that is more reminiscent of the famous crus just to the north–places with hallowed names like “Malconsorts,” and “La Tache.” In the glass it shows a deep garnet red, with just a hint of pink at the rim. I would definitely recommend a decant of 30 plus minutes to allow oxygen to awaken the full spectrum of classic Burgundian charm. Rich, red and black fruits–Morello cherry, blackberry, red currant–mingle with savory notes of rose petal, violet, mint, star anise, cocoa powder, and damp earth. Serve in a large Burgundy bowl, at around 60 degrees, with a heaping bowl of Boeuf Bourguignon for a truly classic Burgundian experience.
