Henri Magnien Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Cazetiers 2023

93 BH

94 VM

94-96 JM

Notes:

Subtle wood influence can be found on the spicy and ripe aromas of poached plum and floral nuances, especially violet. The sleek, delineated and powerful flavors are a mix of the refinement and minerality of the Estournelles St. Jacques with the power and muscle of the Lavaut St. Jacques, all wrapped in a more complex, longer and more structured finale. This is excellent and warmly recommended. Burghound 93

An even crimson ruby colour. The fruit is more immediate than the Ruchottes. This is seamless across the palate and leaves a gorgeously balanced feeling of little red fruits at the finish, entirely covering the tannins, which in any case are refined. There is a little minerality too as befits Cazetiers. Really a lovely stylish finale. Drink from 2030-2038. Tasted Nov 2024. Jasper Morris 94-96

The 2023 Gevrey-Chambertin Les Cazetiers ler Cru has an expressive bouquet with pure red cherry, raspberry and strawberry fruit tones bounding from the glass with nascent energy. The oak is neatly integrated. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannins. It has more depth than the Lavaux-a little broader in the mouth. This is very harmonious toward the finish with greater backbone. It's excellent. Vinous Media 94

Notes From Neal Martin Nov 2024: “In May, we did a strict de-budding so that effectively one harvest was on the floor,” Magnien tells me. “We had a maximum of six to eight buds per vine. But after flowering, we had two or three bunches per bud! [Think of it like a pregnancy with twins or triplets.] When my team came back from holiday, two weeks before harvest, we did a second green harvest, cutting off green bunches, this time removing them completely rather than leaving them on the ground. But still we had 50 hl/ha. I’ve never seen that. Teaching tells you that you can’t produce good wine at that quantity since you have dilution and less terroir impact. That is not something you see in the wine.”

“We started picking on September 9 until September 16. It was horrible for the team as we had to begin early in the morning and temperatures were high, so we would stop around 2:30 p.m. when it reached 36°C. When you cut bunches at those temperatures, the fermentation can start the following day and cold maceration is important. It was the most complicated sorting of my career. There were plenty of healthy bunches, not a lot of dry berries or mildew, but because of the high production I asked my team to only keep bunches with small berries. People thought I was crazy! Every cuvée is destemmed as analyses showed there was a low level of tartaric acid and I did not have a good feeling about using stems. It was easy to extract at lower temperatures. The maximum in 2023 was 25°C with less pigeage and remontage. I was afraid of higher alcohol this year and also more new oak, but I conserved more barrels in 2020 to keep the same ratio of new barrels. The wines have less concentration so that wood has more impact. It was an interesting vintage during vinification, and I felt you should not overwork the wines. They are all bottled in November.”

Vins Rare