Domaine Bertagna Tasting with Eva Reh
at
Yono's Restaurant,
Albany, NY, 4/30/2018
My friend Adrian Chiota invited me to this tasting with Eva Reh whose family owns
Domaine Bertagna.
Eva is the Proprietor and Manager of the domaine.
Adrian is the Sales Director at Independence Wines and Spirits (IWS),
which is the regional (NY/NJ) distributor for
Esprit du Vin,
the US importer of Bertagna's wines.
Domaine Bertagna once belonged to the Cistercian monks who created the Clos de Vougeot.
The domaine is located in Vougeot on Rue du Vieux Château in front of the Les Cras vineyard.
It was originally put together by Claude Bertagna, an Algerian born businessman, in the 1950s.
Eva's family purchased the domaine from Monsieur Bertagna in 1982 and Eva began running it in 1988.
The domaine owns vines in 18 distinct climats including seven Premier Crus and five Grand Crus.
Her family members have been winemakers in Trier, Germany, for generations.
In particular, her father bought Reichsgraf von Kesselstatt in the Mosel Valley in 1978.
The tasting ran from about 5:30 to about 7:30.
The current releases are the 2016 which were all opened around noon.
The older wines were all opened about 4:30. Delicious apps were served.
Click on any image with a border for a larger view of that image,
and in many cases more image.
Stephen Lopez, local sales rep for IWS,
presents the Jacquart Champagne:
Most of the wines we'll be tasting:
Starter
Flight 1: The Whites
-
2016 Domaine Bertagna Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Nuits Blanc -
France, Burgundy, Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Nuits
[This comes from 1.13 hectares (2.8 acres) of vines in Nuits Saint Georges.
They use no destemming for this wine. The grapes are cold macerated for 48 hours.
Alcoholic fermentation takes place in wood barrels and stainless steel tanks.
The wine is then aged 10 to 12 months, 60% in oak barrels of 228 and 456 liters and
40% in stainless steel tanks.]
Big grapey nose. Strong attack. Juicy. Simple, but tasty.
I would drink this with pleasure over the next 3 years or so. (88 points)
-
2016 Domaine Bertagna Vougeot 1er Cru Les Cras Blanc -
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vougeot 1er Cru
[This comes from 0.55 hectares (1.36 acres) planted to Chardonnay.
The wine is hand picked and sorted, followed by a gentle pressing.
It is aged from 12 to 16 months in French oak barrels, 25% new.]
A real stunner. The nose is captivating.
Creamy lime custard with some subtle floral and mineral components.
Tight on the palate and powerful, but somehow light on its feet.
A touch of lime gives it lift. Exceptional wine. What a nose. (94 points)
Flight 2: Chambolle-Musigny Les Plantes
The domaine owns 0.23 hectares (0.57 acres) of vines in this Premier Cru.
They use temperature-controlled fermentation for 15 to 21 days.
The wine is aged for 18 months in French oak barrels, 50% new.
Flight 3: Vougeot Les Cras
From 0.60 hectares (1.5 acres) of Pinot Noir in this Premier Cru vineyard
that abuts the northern boundary of Clos Vougeot just behind the winery.
Completely destemmed before temperature-controlled fermentation using natural yeasts from the grapes.
Aged 15 to 18 months in French oak barrels, 50% new.
Flight 4: Vougeot Clos de la Perrière
Clos de la Perrière is a monopole owned by Domaine Bertagna.
It consists of 2.26 hectares (5.6 acres) of Pinot Noir that
abuts the northern boundary of Clos Vougeot west of Le Cras.
-
2012 Domaine Bertagna Vougeot 1er Cru Clos de la Perrière -
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vougeot 1er Cru
Bright raspberry nose. Big, rich, tart, jammy cherries.
Needs 5-10 more years to reach maturity, but already somewhat complex now.
(92-94 points)
-
2016 Domaine Bertagna Vougeot 1er Cru Clos de la Perrière -
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vougeot 1er Cru
Appealing young grapey nose. Lots of baby fat and blackberry fruit. Quite tasty.
A bit disjointed at this stage. (91-93 points)
Flight 5: Big Finish!
-
2014 Domaine Bertagna Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru Les Murgers -
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Nuits St. Georges 1er Cru
[The domaine owns 1 hectare (2.47 acres) in the middle of the slope on the Nuits St. Georges side.
70% destemmed before temperature-controlled fermentation using natural yeasts from the grapes.
Aged 15 to 18 months in French oak barrels, 50% new.]
Big spicy cherry nose. Bright tasty expansive. This is stunning. I could drink this all night.
Long life ahead. WOTN (95 points)
-
2016 Domaine Bertagna Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Beaux Monts -
France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru
[They own 0.92 hectares (2.27 acres) in this vineyard which is near Echezeaux.
Grapes are 70% destemmed. They do a controlled fermentation for at least 3 weeks.
This wine is aged in French oak barrels, 50% new, for 15 to 18 months.]
More muted nose. Really rich, long, and complex. Great potential.
Recently went through malo. So intense and extracted. Needs a lot of time.
10 years, I think. (94-95 points)
People Photos
Eva Reh tells us about her Domaine Bertagna wines:
Jared and Adrian chat with Eva:
Heather Chestnut of
Chez Nous
in Schenectady, Stephen Lopez of IWS,
Buddy Foy of
The Chateau on the Lake
in Bolton Landing:
Buddy Foy and Paul Parker of
The Chateau on the Lake:
Food Photos
Yono's brought out a steady stream of tasty apps:
Conclusion
These are quality wines worth seeking out that don't seem to have gotten much notice in the US.
Notes posted from CellarTracker.
All original content © Ken Vastola