Join us as we journey through the creation of our Clos Marey-Monge 2022 Vintage. The year was filled with firsts for us at Château de Pommard. It marked the debut of Jean-Rémi Fray as our vineyard manager alongside his new team. It was also the inaugural year for Paul Negrerie and Sébastien Perdriau at the helm of our winemaking. We embraced innovation, experimenting with new techniques in our vineyards and cellars. The harvest blessed us with an abundance of high-quality grapes, and we’re introducing new characteristics to the wines.
Grape Growing
Our tale begins in late 2021. With the grapes collected and the vine leaves fallen, starlings danced above the Clos Marey-Monge, creating beautiful patterns in the sky. Each vintage commences with the pruning of the previous year's growth. In 2022, we adopted a later pruning schedule to mitigate the risk of late spring frost damage. This decision proved wise as we encountered frost in mid-April yet suffered minimal harm. The spring and summer brought dry and sunny conditions, with scarcely any rain, challenging us to find the perfect timing for the harvest.
By late August, we began the meticulous process of hand-picking grapes across all 18 hectares of Clos Marey-Monge, which spanned 12 days.
Wine Making
Paul and Sébastien initiated their craft in the cellar even before the harvest, employing the "pied de cuve" technique to cultivate natural yeast from an early August pre-harvest. This year, we ventured into whole-cluster fermentation and experimented with amphora aging for portions of our cuvées. The presence of increased bacterial activity on the grapes prompted early malolactic fermentation, which we handled through a series of early devattings.
We’re immensely proud of the vintage's quality and the insights gained from our experiments with whole clusters and amphora.
Tasting Notes
The 2022 vintage is distinguished by its richness, concentration, and ripe character. It was a warm, dry year, yielding wines with stable vegetal notes and vibrant color. Our Clos Marey-Monge 2022 Pinot Noirs burst with crunchy red fruits, showcasing a robust tannic structure and long, velvety finishes. The aging potential ranges from seven years for Émilie to 15-20 years for 75 Rangs, Nicolas-Joseph, Grands Esprits, Chantrerie and the Monopole.
Praise for the Vintage
Wine critics have lavished praise on the 2022 Burgundy vintage, with many hailing it as exceptional. Jasper Morris MW remarked on the overall excellence of Burgundy wines, specifically noting Pommard's impressive performance in recent years.
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Through this journey, from nurturing our vines to crafting our wines, we've embraced our core values of harmony, extraordinary care, conscientious effort, creative innovation, and a hopeful vision for the future. The Clos Marey-Monge 2022 Vintage is a testament to these extraordinary cuvées and a reflection of our enduring commitment to creating a more vibrant world for us all.
All of our 2022 Clos Marey-Monge wines will be available for shipment as of June 15, 2024.