Rouge. The Clos du Chapitre is a Monopole vineyard for this producer. It’s located within the Rully 1er Cru Chapitre and enclosed by a two-metre-high stone wall. The surface of the plot is just over one hectare and it lies behind the family house and cellars. The Pinot yields here are controlled by severe pruning, de-budding and green-harvesting. There is also a manual sorting of bunches in order to keep only the most beautiful clusters of fruit.
This year, only 20% of whole bunches were retained. Didier Defaix also noted that the fermentation was elongated and that he felt little need to extract thanks to the concentration on offer. The wine was aged in oak barrels (50% new) for 15 months before bottling. As we’ve said before, 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.” When you factor in the price (this is a 1er Cru wine!) and remember that many in the Côte d'Or are charging similar or even higher prices for a Bourgogne level, perhaps it’s time to give Rully the benefit of the doubt. While Clos du Chapitre delivers the expected step up in depth, structure and complexity (as compared to the Rully villages), there’s no lack of levity and brightness. You could throw this in a line-up of Côte d'Or Chambolle or Volnay without any fear it would fall short.
The 2017 Rully 1er Cru Clos du Chapitre is showing well, displaying aromas of smoky cherries and berry fruit, followed by a medium to full-bodied, ample and fleshy palate with a succulent core of fruit that largely conceals its melting tannins.