2008 Alain Hudelot-Noëllat Clos Vougeot
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Tasting notes
The estate’s 2008 Clos de Vougeot is a pretty, layered and open wine laced with dark red fruit, flowers and black pepper. It is a soft, supple 2008, and while undoubtedly very well-made, it lacks the visceral thrill of the very finest wines of the vintage. Anticipated maturity: 2012-2022. I tasted the following wines with Charles Van Canneyt, Alain Hudelot’s grandson. Van Canneyt showed me a few 2008s before moving into the 2009s. The estate did some chaptalization in 2008. Based on the selection of wines I tasted, that may have robbed some of the 2008s of their vintage character. Vintage 2009 seems to have played more to the estate’s strengths. The estate used 50% new oak for the Grand Crus and 30% for the 1ers. Importer: Atherton Imports, Menlo Park, CA; tel. (650) 328-6639
Critic scores
Antonio Galloni, Vinous
Jancis Robinson MW
More reviews and scores
Good deep red. Reticent aromas of maraschino cherry and menthol, lifted by a tangy note of tangerine. Then brooding, deep and backward, with a distinctly medicinal quality to the dark cherry, fresh herb and licorice flavors. Dense and stuffed with material, but the most obviously tannic of the 2008 line-up from this estate. This has shut down since I tasted it from barrel in November of 2009.
Transparent crimson. Light, very sweet nose. Candy. Round. Not quite the depth one would want from a grand cru. A moving target. A little raw and green on the end. (JR)
Dark crimson. Flattering, quite complex nose. Lots of mass and sweetness. Mouthfilling. Much less scrawny than many with real substance and extract. Long with a beginning, middle and end. Even if this is not the purest. A bit of oak influence on the end. (JR)
About the producer
Founded in 1962 by Alain Hudelot and based in Chambolle-Musigny, Domaine Hudelot-Noëllat is today run by Alain’s grandson Charles van Canneyt and has become one of the region’s most respected estates.