Website: http://www.dugat-py.com
Things are changing in Burgundy (or Bourgogne, as the region now likes to be called). A new generation is coming into family domaines and is open-minded about doing things a bit differently, both in the winery and the cellar. Due to the rising success of this region, they have the budget to do things that for most regions would be uneconomic, especially in terms of manual approaches in the vineyard. Dugat Py is a good example of a domaine fine-tuning things, and I met up with Loïc Dugat-Py to taste a few wines and hear about his approach. He is the thirteenth generation of this family domain, which has 15 hectares of vines, 13 of which are Pinot Noir.
For the last 20 years, they have been organic, with an emphasis on old vines and their preservation. They work with horses on the Grand Cru, Premier Cru, and some of the villages’ wines, aiming to preserve the terroir and these old vines.
For the last four years, they have banned mechanical work on their top vineyards. They have raised the trellis to 2.2 m in height, as have many of the top biodynamic domaines here. The vines are braided using tressage rather than being trimmed. They want to cause as little damage as possible to the vineyard and feel that trimming the vines isn’t optimal.
With climate change, it is so important to work with the vine as opposed to making the vine work for you, says Loic. With tressage, the growing shoot tips are braided into each other along the top wire. This way of growing the vines means that it isn’t possible to use the over-row tractors that are normally used in high-density plantations. This means that they have to be farmed manually.
The wine style has changed a little. They still have the style of Dugat-Py but Loïc brings his own personal touch, he says. The evolution of the style? If you’ve had the chance to taste any of the older Couer du Roi that were produced by his father, you will see that they are a very different style, he says. They still hold the concentration, but what Loic has brought to the domaine is a little extra work in the cellar and changes in the vineyard, with less intervention in both, producing a slightly different style of wine, but maintaining the concentration that comes from the old vines. He’s reduced the amount of new oak. He’s also changed the ageing time: it’s now 13-20 months.
Loic also picks a lot earlier, and they are among the first in the region to pick. They began in 2020 on August 20th. It is to keep the freshness and not to bring any weight – wine is a drink and it must be thirst quenching, he says.
With more canopy does the maturity come faster? Yes, says Loic. You need to be checking all the time, but the tannins are more silky and less brutal. Not cutting the vines causes less stress to the vine, so the wines are more thirst-quenching and less tannic.
They make five white cuvées and we tried two of these. They recently got a new premier cru parcel in Puligny-Montrachet, and so there will soon be a new white wine in the portfolio.
Dugat-Py Bourgogne Blanc 2020
‘I’m looking for balance in my wines,’ says Loïc, and that’s what he hopes we find in his entry-level wines. This is made from two plots, one in Gevrey and one in Puligny-Montrachet, and they are vinified separately. 20 year old vines which for Dugat-Py is quite young. Lovely aromatics of sweet citrus fruit with a really fine palate showing citrus, pear and white peach with nice concentration and depth, showing a little structure and some meal and toast notes in the background. Everything is very refined and delicate with a beautiful sense of harmony. 94/100
Dugat=Py Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru Les Morgeots 2017
This is from 75 year-old vines on the hillside of Morgeot. Distinct aromatics of spice, honey and toast with a touch of caramel. The palate is concentrated and dense, and broad and fat, showing rich toast, pear and peach with a lovely grainy, spicy complexity. There’s an innate richness to this wine which is impressive in this slightly oxidative style. It’s rich and long, with a lovely savoury depth, and some opulence. 95/100
Dugat-Py Gevrey-Chambertin Coeur de Roy 2019
This is one of the most emblematic cuvées of the domaine, and the largest production. Made from four parcels (Epointures, Combe du Dessus, Joise and Les Marchais, totalling 3 hectares), with an average age of 75 years and the oldest vines 110. 70% whole bunch, around 40% new oak. Refined aromatics with a sweet cherry and berry fruits, with a subtle creamy note. The palate has great concentration with immense structure sitting under the beautifully pure cherry, plum and berry fruit. Shows some floral appeal and the substantial structure sits well amid all the fruit. This is an immense wine of real appeal, showing nice depth and focus. There’s enough fruit to make it approachable now, but also the structure to allow this to age well. 96/100
Dugat-Py Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Lavaux Saint Jacques 2017
Lavaux is a very specific terroir in Gevrey. It’s a side valley that comes down from the hills, and while most of Burgundy slopes face east, this vineyard is south-facing. It’s a deep valley that is warm during the day but very cold at night. There is an interesting blend in the wine with a warm side but also a freshness, says Loic. 80% whole bunch, 65% new oak. This is very concentrated, focused wine with some spicy reduction, notes of iodine and leather with vivid acidity and good tannins, and lovely vivid raspberry and cherry fruit. Immense concentration, firm structure, and nice reduction: a wine to cellar with confidence. Grippy and detailed: you can taste the cooler elements in this wine. 96/100
Dugat-Py Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru 2017
This Grand Cru is relatively large. They are at the top of the appellation and they have three parcels, 90, 40 and 70 years old. This cuvée is 2/3 Charmes and 1/3 Mazoyes Chambertin (on the border of Charmes). Concentrated and refined with a lot of polish. Bold and dense with cherry and raspberry fruit with some firm structure and well-judged oak. It’s substantial, fine and very correct, and potentially very long lived. Nothings sticks out, but this is definitely a wine for long cellaring: it needs time to open up. There’s freshness on the finish, with good acidity and taut tannins. Very stylish. 96/100