2023 Jaeger-Defaix Rully 1er Cru Clos du Chapitre Rouge Magnum 1.5L, Burgundy

A similar aromatic expression to the previous but with more scale and a little extra freshness too. Like the nose there is extra scale in the mouth and much extra freshness. Complex, even peppery in the finishing flavours. That’s super but for keeping. It’s clearly my new favourite 

Bill Nanson Burgundy Report

Luxuriously sumptuous in decadently ripe red fruits, this has a beautiful nose of fine spice, violets, mulberries and boysenberries. The elegant structure is perfectly tempered with filmy tannins flowing seamlessly with lifting freshness.

94 points Christy Canterbury MW Tim Atkin Burgundy Report

Diam. Clos du Chapître is a densely planted one-hectare monopole behind the family house and cellars within the Rully 1er Cru Chapître, enclosed by a two-metre-high stone wall. The Pinot yields here are controlled by severe pruning, disbudding and green harvesting. There is also manual sorting of bunches to keep only the most beautiful fruit clusters. This year, the wine aged in oak barrels (10% new) for 12 months before settling in tank before bottling.

Jancis Robinson MW has written that the wines from this site “offer proof that the Côte Chalonnaise can now field wines of serious interest to those raised on Côte d’Or wines”. As always, Clos du Chapître delivers the expected step up from the village Rully in depth, structure and complexity, yet there’s no lack of juicy brightness courtesy of this utterly charming vintage

Domaine Jaeger Defaix brings together two respected Burgundian families, combining the Chablis expertise of the Defaix family with carefully farmed vineyards in Rully on the Côte Chalonnaise. Clos du Chapitre is one of the appellation’s standout Premier Cru sites, producing Pinot Noir with more structure and depth than many expect from Rully while still retaining the freshness and perfume that make the region such a smart Burgundy buy. The walled vineyard and limestone rich soils give the wine both concentration and elegant mineral tension.

The 2023 vintage is vibrant, silky and beautifully expressive. Wild cherry, raspberry and red plum aromas rise from the glass alongside rose petals, subtle spice and gentle earthy complexity. There is lovely brightness to the fruit, though beneath it sits a savoury edge of tea leaf, forest floor and crushed herbs that slowly emerges with air. Fine tannins and fresh acidity keep the palate energetic and refined, while careful oak handling adds texture and warmth without overshadowing the purity of the Pinot Noir.

This is exactly the sort of Burgundy that shines at the dinner table. Roast chicken with thyme, duck pâté or mushroom risotto would all be sensational pairings. It also works beautifully slightly chilled beside charcuterie, grilled salmon or earthy pasta dishes shared among friends. There is an effortless charm to the wine, though enough depth and structure remain underneath to reward a few years in the cellar as more savoury complexity develops.