Insane 2016 “Hudelot-Noellat” Value Case Buys
Posted on: 09/27/18 12:00 PM
Domaine Hudelot-Noellat may be the hottest estate in Burgundy. Always an excellent source for some of Burgundy’s greatest terroirs, the ascendancy of Charles van Canneyt has taken this remarkable Domaine to new heights and now it sits comfortably atop the quality hierarchy alongside Domaines like Mugneret-Gibourg, Roumier and Rousseau, even if it hasn’t quite achieved these Domaines’ gold-plated status on the market. Yet.
After all, check out Galloni’s commentary on the 2016s:
“I was deeply impressed with the wines I tasted from Charles Van Canneyt this year, as the 2016s are a step up from the 2015s. Van Canneyt is of course best-known for the wines he makes at Hudelot-Noëllat, his family’s estate in Vougeot. These wines, from Van Canneyt’s micro-négociant span a number of appellations that are not found in the Hudelot-Noëllat range. I find the 2016s wonderfully fresh and inviting. The Gevreys in particular are stellar.” – Antonio Galloni
Last year, I introduced many of you to Charles’s new négociant line under his own name, Charles van Canneyt. The project allows for him to expand into appellations not available under the Hudelot line, and the results are exceptional. From last year’s offer:
“Innovation” is a funny word in Burgundy, because it often implies very small departures from previous generations. So, too, at Hudelot-Noellat, where Charles has improved upon Alain’s exacting perfectionism with some techniques very much in vogue these days at cult addresses, such as Fourrier, Pacalet and Bachelet. The core remains the same: systematic selection massale replanting in the vineyards to retain very old vines, planted at high density; destemming and 5-6 day cold soak macerations before natural yeast fermentations; followed by 18-months in oak before bottling without fining or filtration. What has changed though are two important steps in that last stage of the process: elevage. 1. Charles prefers to keep racking at a minimum, thus retaining a good deal of natural CO2 and keeping added sulfur to a minimum, a la Jean-Marie Fourrier. 2. He has cut down on the use of new oak from during Alain’s era. Now instead of 100% new oak for Grands Crus, 50% for 1ers and 33% for Village, the new program looks more like 50%, 33% and 25% respectively.
The wines now have a freshness, intensity and explosiveness to the fruit that is undeniable, and yet remaining elegant, pure and focused, the wines can be exciting for their sheer transparency and vibrancy. If there is a better producer of humble village wines, I’d like to meet him.
These offer some of the best value in all of Burgundy. And I have excellent quantity on both. Buy by the case before these too become allocated rarities, impossible to find.
2016 Charles van Canneyt Bourgogne Rouge
Antonio Galloni: “Charles Van Canneyt’s 2016 Bourgogne Rouge is gorgeous. Fresh, nuanced and super-refined, the Bourgogne offers quite a bit of character and complexity at its level. I would prefer to drink this racy, perfumed Bourgogne over the next handful of years. There is so much to like.”
2016 Charles van Canneyt Gevrey-Chambertin
Antonio Galloni: “A gorgeous village wine, the 2016 Gevrey-Chambertin is hard to put down. The aromas and flavors are fresh and nuanced in this silky, beautifully polished Burgundy. A host of red/purplish berry fruit and floral notes grace the pretty, mid-weight finish.”
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