Frédéric and Rodolphe took over their family domaine in 2007. It's actually truer to say they took over their family's holdings and created their domaine, being the first of their line to embark on the estate-bottling adventure. Fred worked with Anselme Selosse in the late '90s and brings to his own domaine the Selossienne programme for barrel-fermatation and long-aged vins clairs. The results are striking, intensely flavory wines with notable texture and development. Across cuvées the range shows a penchant for knife-edging fresh fruit and patina-rich oxidative notes (nuttiness, crème anglaise, brioche).
'Influence' is the domaine's flagship, though its barely-500 case production has made it increasingly difficult to find. The blend is about 80% Pinots (both) with all the juice coming from 2018 (75%) and 2017 (25%). The nose is classic Minière, decadently suggestive of a Parisian Boulangerie-Pâtisserie, a complex meeting of savory and sweet. As the wine warms in the glass the oxidative character takes off, details of white chocolate, raw scallop, and mandarin peeking through. The acidity feels especially vibrant this year, finding easier support for the cream-textured richness than usual.
'Absolu' is again its chipper, upbeat self. The obvious uptick in acidity and citrusy freshness makes this a cuvée of notably greater tension. There is a wide floral register though in this '18-based rendition that I don't remember previously, a quality that gains intensity with time. 'Absolu' comes from two parcels planted in the early '70s, one of which is ungrafted. It counters the meditative appeal of Influence with pure exuberance.
Cheers,
Jason
