We first met Dominique Le Guen in 2018, after being tipped off that he was a rising star of Chambolle-Musigny.  Initially, we found him a bit intimidating; intense, and bursting with energy.  He talks ten to the dozen in his heavily-accented Breton-French, always on two subjects: rugby and winemaking.  As time goes by, we have realized he is in fact very affable! 

This is a good thing, as in Burgundy, more than any other wine region, the personality of the winemaker tends to shine through in the wines.  In Dominique's case, this expresses itself in equally intense, concentrated but highly enjoyable and likeable Bourgognes, Hâutes Côtes-de-Nuits and some stupendously good Chambolle-Musignys. 

This year, we also met Dominique's son, Tanguy, who works in the vineyards with him...so there was a great deal of talk about the importance of winter pruning dates to avoid frost damage.  We didn't follow all of it...possibly something about two prunings, in January and March, 2-3 weeks later than usual, which delayed the opening of the buds. Whatever they did, it seems to have worked!  The harvest was less badly hit by frost than elsewhere, though not untouched, with an average yield of 29hl/ha compared to 39hl/ha in 2019.  Availability is nevertheless very limited, as we have had pre-orders from buyers of previous vintages.

Dominique's 2021s were a great pleasure to taste.  Less extracted than the 2018, '19 and '20 vintages, this allowed the terroir to show through, something we really enjoyed.  The Hâutes Côtes-de-Nuits was a particular favourite, as were the Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru 'Les Charmes' and 'Les Cras'.  In fact, it felt like we were really getting to taste these superb terroirs for the first time, their character was so much more apparent in this vintage. 

Our notes are peppered with words like minerality, crushed rock, balanced, elegant, and classical.  In case you think this means the wines lack concentration, they do not!  We can't imagine Dominique ever bottling a wine that does not have plenty of depth and body.  The 2021s still have the dark core of Côte de Nuits fruit we have come to expect from this domaine, but you will also find all kinds of mineral, soil-influenced complexity and nuance which we think you will love.  

All of the wines are available in very limited quantities, with the 1er Cru 'Les Borniques' on allocation.

Offered En Primeur, wines due to land in the UK in autumn 2023.