Visit to Gérard Raphet in June 2014

Tasted Sunday, December 7, 2014 by HowardNZ with 437 views

Introduction

These are notes from our visit to the house in mid 2014.

Thanks to Peter Maude and Carolyn Formby for organising this visit.

Gérard Raphet has 21 ha, quite a large family domaine. His family on both sides has been in Gevrey winemaking for a long time. Also the tradition is continuing - his daughter recently did vintage in Marlborough in New Zealand.

The house plans some major modernisations soon, Gérard explained.

Typical elevage of new oak on the wines is Villages 10%, 1er 20% and Grand Cru 30%.

Overall, I found the wines solid, sturdy and workmanlike, not spectacular.

On to the wines, tasted in bottle ...

Flight 1 (7 Notes)

  • 2011 Gérard Raphet Chambolle-Musigny

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Chambolle-Musigny

    Good garnet colour. A perfumed, lifted nose of largely black fruits. Also darker fruit on the palate. Fresh and persistent with a lot of matière. It was not very forward, it needs time, the tannins are yet to integrate and are firm on the finish. Quite powerful with a lot of structure. A solid, sturdy, rather than a finessed Chambolle.

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  • 2011 Gérard Raphet Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru Les Millandes

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru

    Colour red with purple highlights. A bouquet of black berries, earth and some Morey gaminess. In the mouth, the flavour profile was similar. This, however, is a step up. There is a dark streak of liquorice through the flavours of red and dark fruits. Again, a sturdy wine with a lot of solidity and structure.

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  • 2011 Gérard Raphet Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Lavaux St. Jacques

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru

    A lighter red colour. On bouquet, earthy around a core of red fruits, with some minerals. On palate, broader than the MSD. Nice, ripe fruit, showing a sour red cherry character, with good freshness and minerality. A high quality 1er with good acidity and length. Like many of the 2011s we have been tasting, relatively approachable. Gérard likes the 2011s for their approachability and fruit now, but does not see them as long cellaring wines, a bit similar to 2007.

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  • 2006 Gérard Raphet Charmes-Chambertin

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru

    Good red colour. Lighter around the rim. A core of red berries on the nose, showing some secondary underbrush and mushroom notes. On palate, good fruit weight. Flavours in the red berry spectrum, particularly raspberries and red cherries. The acidity is yet to settle. The good tannins also need time to more fully integrate. It was very tight in the mid palate, but my sense was that this was a good, solid wine. Gérard said that the wine was not ready, but if you have to drink it, do so with game meats. Give this wine 5+ years.

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  • 2007 Gérard Raphet Clos de la Roche

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos de la Roche Grand Cru

    The colour here was lighter. An attractive nose, a potpouri of dry and fresh flowers, red berry fruits, spice and some secondary, savoury aromas (autumn leaves). As Gérard said, this wine is "right there" for drinking now (Gérard said that he does not like drinking what he called "old, dead" wines). An elegant, silky wine showing some evolution and savouriness. A lovely wine with resolved and integrated tannins and acids. Good length. For me this was at the perfect point of its evolution, only shaded by the 2005 Charmes as the best wine of the tasting.

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  • 2009 Gérard Raphet Clos Vougeot

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru

    Deep red colour. An expressive bouquet of ripe, red fruit, more plums than raspberries, with spice and warm earth. On palate, a large scaled wine with a lot of volume. Serious fruit weight. Presently, it is drinking quite well, with the tannins relatively well integrated but firm on the finish. A long spicy finish. This wine needs at least 5-7 years.

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  • 2005 Gérard Raphet Charmes-Chambertin

    France, Burgundy, Côte de Nuits, Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru

    The Charmes vines are not that old in Burgundian terms - some only 30 years. Interestingly, in discussing his Charmes vineyard, Gérard said that the poor soils means that the vines are behaving like old ones. Very deep red colour. An expressive, perfumed nose of dark florals and red berries. This is a very serious wine. It is very dense, with really huge dry extract, and excellent, fine grained tannins, yet to fully integrate. The finish is long but hard and a little tannic. This is drinkable now but it would be infanticide. Ideally, a wine to cellar for 20 years. Gérard showed us this wine rather than the 2005 Clos Vougeot because he said that that wine is totally unapproachable at present, due to its tannins.

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