As I reported last year, a generational transition—Claude having handed the reins over to son Bertrand and daughters Laetitia and Jeanne—has been discreetly realized at Domaine Claude Dugat, and this tasting of the 2018s from barrel, as well as some bottled 2017s, revealed that the wines are as great as ever. The family's meticulous viticulture and enviable patrimony of old, sélection massale vines remain unchanged, but there have been subtle stylistic evolutions. Picking is a little earlier, the wines are no longer chaptalized, and the use of new oak is a touch more restrained—but above all, simply better integrated, with François Frères supplying barrels that seem to harmonize much more discreetly with the wines raised in them than was sometimes the case in yesteryear. That was a recipe for success in 2018, and Bertrand Dugat picked early, producing lively but concentrated wines, only a couple of which exceed 13% alcohol. The combination of aromatic fireworks with lively fruit tones, exquisitely refined tannins and superb depth that I found in the Dugat cellars made this an especially thrilling tasting. Readers who haven't tried the domaine's wines for a while are warmly encouraged to reacquaint themselves with what is one of the Côte de Nuit's finest addresses.
The 2018 Gevrey-Chambertin Village has turned out very nicely in bottle, mingling notes of cherries and berries with nuances of rose petals, spices, sweet soil tones and licorice. Medium to full-bodied, layered and velvety, it's charming and precise, with a beautifully integrated, balanced profile. This is one of the vintage's real successes at the communal level, and it's already disarmingly drinkable. Drink 2022-2045. 92 Points
