2019 Domaine Dominique Gallois Gevrey-Chambertin La Justice, Cote de Nuits, France 750ml

Arriving November 2021

Producer note: The soft-spoken Dominique Gallois runs this small 3.5 ha domaine and proudly noted that 2020 represented his 31st vintage given that 1989 was his first. Gallois briefly noted that 2019 was "relatively easy to manage though like every vintage, there's always something to worry about. We picked from the 12th of September and while the fruit was quite clean, there was much less of it than in 2018 but at least more than we realized in 2020. The potential alcohols were very good at between 13 and 13.5% though a bit lower than the roughly 14% of 2018. But the quantities were sufficiently small that I elected to combine the Petit Cazetiers and the Goulots as it would have been difficult to vinify and even harder to commercialize. I also chose to break out the parcel of La Justice from the Gevrey blend so as to be able to offer another wine." Fans of the domaine may recall Gallois' unbridled enthusiasm for his 2018s in my last report and he was entirely justified because now that they are in bottle, they are indeed terrific. The three 18s reviewed below were bottled in April 2020. Gallois also noted that, like a number of domaines in Burgundy, they have begun using corks that are guaranteed against TCA (cork taint).

Tasting note: A discreet application of wood sets off equally cool and airy but more elegant aromas of essence of red currant, plum and a whiff of spice. The sleek and even more refined middle weight flavors possess a sleeker mouthfeel while delivering fine length on the ever-so-mildly austere finale that is a bit less structured. This too is very good for its level.