2020 Domaine Joseph Roty Mazy-Chambertin Grand Cru Rouge, Burgundy, France

ABOUT THIS WINE

The Mazy-Chambertin from Domaine Joseph Roty has to be one of the wines of the vintage in 2020. The bouquet is deep, pure and complex, leaping from the glass in a blaze of black cherries, cassis, black raspberries, woodsmoke, grilled meats, black minerality, a lovely framing of nutty new oak and plenty of upper register smokiness. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, pure and plush at the core, with excellent mineral undertow and grip, ripe, buried tannins and superb length and grip on the complex and impeccably balanced finish.

ABOUT THIS PRODUCER

Domaine Joseph Roty boasts one of the largest concentrations of old vines in Burgundy, averaging about 65 years. The domaine is fanatical about old vines, they have some of the oldest in France, the living ambassadors of the affinity the Roty’s so obviously feel for their land. Coupled with late picking, which further concentrates yields and with fermentation below 30 degrees, and a cuvaison of three weeks, the structure and complexity is consequentially remarkable and the winemaking uncompromising in achieving this. With a little age these wines develop wonderful aromatics with the characteristic Pinot Noir flavours of black cherry and stone fruit. The old vine fruit contributes the length of flavour and great complexity. Roty’s Charmes Chambertin Cuvée Trѐs Vieilles Vignes is largely harvested from vines of over 120 years.

One of the great domaines of Gevrey. Pierre-Jean has taken up the reins and seems to intent on following the families somewhat idiosyncratic, uncompromising path. “Nothing changes” as Madame Roty told us on our last visit. These are not fashion-conscious wines, everything is destemmed, new oak is relatively high, around 50% on the village wines, 60-70% on the Lieux-Dit and 100% on the Grand Cru. They are wines made to age, there is little point opening them young.