Two Bottles Truchetet
We drink from Burgundy from Domaine Truchetet Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Nuits La Montagne as Pinot Noir from 2018 and Chardonnay from 2019.
There was one, or actually two more wines from Burgundy in the little series of posts, that I didn’t manage to translate right away, so here it comes with a bit of delay. By the way, in these cases it is a real stroke of luck that I decided to write and not to podcast, for example. This way I only have to pronounce the names of the places and wineries imaginarily and even in the communication with the better half across the table I manage to elegantly avoid saying anything out loud, there it simply becomes the bottle of white wine or red wine which we want to try next. Because honestly, not much more than Oui and Non have remained from several years of French in school. And so I don’t have to think about how to pronounce the place Premeaux-Prissey or Domaine Truchetet correctly, but can simply write that Morgan and Julie Truchetet have been responsible for the wines at the winery for six generations. They have been doing this since 2019, so the two bottles today fall pretty much exactly into this generational transition. The just over six hectares of vineyards are cultivated organically and since this year the certification is also available. The Pinot Noir La Montagne is fermented spontaneously and then aged for one year in barriques with a quarter of new wood. And also the Chardonnay, La Montagne as well, is fermented spontaneously and then aged for 8-10 months in wood with 25% new barrels used.
We start with the Chardonnay. It smells cool and rather tight right after opening. There is light yellow fruit, a bit of something floral and a little bit of wood. And also when drinking it has a lot of pull and is quite tight. I really like the structure that the wine has on the back of the tongue. The wood becomes more and more evident with more air, both when smelling and when drinking. This is really good wine, but somehow it doesn’t get me emotionally. And I’m pretty sure that’s not because of the wine but today is one of those days where you could open a hundred bottles and none of them are really awesome. Sometimes it’s just like that and then the smartest decision is to put the lid on and put it in the fridge.
And who knows, maybe it’s the development that the wine has made overnight, or it was actually the daily form. But a day later, the Chardonnay gets me on an emotional level as well. It still has wood, it’s still cool and tight, but now it has this fine creaminess that makes everything round together with the no less fine fruit. Objectively, not much has happened actually and yet this is a much, much better wine for me on the second evening. Sometimes it’s just like that. And sure, this is still pretty young. The wood will definitely get softer and the slight creaminess more pronounced. But the great minerality, the bit of salt, the spice and this inner calm that it has now are just beautiful.
The Pinot Noir is a bit more accessible from the start. There is cherry, red-blue fruit gum and raspberries. There is a tiny note of green mixed with something wild. When drinking, what was green in the nose becomes more ethereal and reminds a bit of eucalyptus. I am surprised how much structure arrives on the tongue and after the first sip the nose becomes spicier while the fruit gum has completely disappeared. But here too, somehow there is something between me and the wine. The fact that the better half is standing next to me and saying how delicious she finds it right now also simplifies the search for the cause. It’s me and not the wine.
And where an inner calm has come into the wine in the white wine (or was only perceived by me on the second evening), this happens even more clearly here. This is perfectly balanced on the second day, intense and relaxed at the same time. There is still the red fruit, the cherry and some berries are also there. But this has become so much softer, the green is gone, instead there is earth, forest floor and a lot of spice. And spices are also there, pepper and maybe something like juniper. To learn that sometimes it’s not the wine, but oneself and that then it’s best to just stop after the tasting sip and wait a day, took time. But it’s worth it, because today both wines are great and it would have been a pity not to be able to enjoy them like this. Because there really is a big difference between a great wine and a great wine that touches you on an emotional level.