Article: Digioia Royer 2023
Digioia Royer 2023
After a little inventory this past week discovered we had some unsold wines from Digioia-Royer. As many of you know this is a producer I discovered back in 2008 and have been buying the wines ever since.
Michel Digioa runs this small Chambolle Musigny estate of roughly 5 hectares - it has grown modestly over the years but has proven to be an outstanding source for wines that punch well above their weight. Its remained relatively under the radar as most of the wine press has largely ignored the wines. I actually like when that happens as it allows us to still be able to access the wines in decent quantities at reasonable prices.
As Burgundy prices continue to soar, I’m always on the lookout for wines you can drink without spending a fortune and most often that means looking outside of the sexy appelations to places that most never discover.
I’d like to bring our attention to the appellation of Concoeur, located in the Haut Cote de Nuits at approximately 250 meters located above and west of Vosne-Romanée, where the Côte de Nuits climbs into the Hautes-Côtes. Michel farms barely half a hectare there, planted to Pinot Noir averaging around 55 years old. It’s remarkable geography for a wine carrying the Hautes-Côtes de Nuits name—an old-vine parcel tucked into the hills behind one of Burgundy’s most celebrated villages. Once you know where it comes from, its place in Michel’s range becomes much clearer.
With a sunny vintage like 2023, the extra elevation brings a natural counterpoint to all that fruit. Michel gives it plenty of room to speak for itself—everything is worked by hand, completely destemmed and fermented in wooden vats before going into barrel, with new oak kept to a minimum. You get the openness and richness of the vintage, but there’s still freshness running through it. The result is a wine that already feels completely at ease with itself.
We popped a bottle of this the other day at the office. Cherry and red fruit perfume soared from the glass. I expected something far sappier judging by the nose but was met with a wine that displayed a very refined iron infused minerality. Simply first rate!
Producer: Domaine Digioia-Royer was established in 2000 through the marriage of Carole Digioia and Alexis Royer, bringing together family vineyards that had previously been farmed separately. The estate is based in Chambolle-Musigny and has expanded from an initial 2 hectares to approximately 7 hectares, with holdings that include Chambolle-Musigny, Nuits-Saint-Georges, Savigny-lès-Beaune, Beaune, Clos de Vougeot, Bourgogne Côte d'Or, and Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Nuits. The domaine follows traditional Burgundian viticulture with an emphasis on low yields, hand harvesting, and careful vineyard management. Across the range, red wines are vinified using 100% destemmed fruit, followed by temperature-controlled fermentation and maturation in French oak. The percentage of new oak is adjusted according to the appellation.
