2011 Domaine Joseph Roty, Gevrey-Chambertin AOC, Red Burgundy, France.
The 2011 Joseph Roty Gevrey-Chambertin is still drinking very well and is a rewarding wine with a dark garnet hue in the glass and a bit of dried flowers, loamy earth and brandied cherries on the nose which leads to a silken medium bodied palate of black cherry, currant, fig and red berry fruits, along with touches of leather, wild mushroom, chamomile tea and a light sense of cedary wood. I usually go for Roty’s Marsannay Rouge, a wine that is almost on this level, but much less expensive, so it was nice to try this nicely aged and mature Gevrey, thanks to a friend who saved a glass for me, after he found it to be surprisingly delicious. It had been open for a bit longer than I would have liked, but it gave a very fine performance as I savored my glass and I could see its inner beauty shining through and I noted it would have been even better with food. Beggers can’t be choosers, particularly when it comes to Burgundy these days, so I can’t complain that this wine started to fade a little in the 12 hours it had been open. It is well known, that the Roty family is one the oldest winemaking families in Gevrey-Chambertin, where’s they are based, and the family estate dates back to 1710, and they remain faithful to crafting rustically charming wines, such as this one.
Domaine Joseph Roty, now led by Pierre-Jean Roty, is a traditional producer, not moved by modern trends and are mostly focused on their admirable collection of old vine parcels, which average 65 years old, though they even have vines well over a hundred years old. The village Gevrey-Chambertin shows the terroir with its dark profile and pretty aromatics, it was 100% de-stemmed and cool fermented, lasting 30 days, gaining extraction and intensity before being racked to about 50% new oak. For those looking for a great example of old school, old world Burgundy charm at a modest price, will find Domaine Joseph Roty a good fix, especially considering the skyrocketing price of well crafted wine from the Côte d’Or. There has been hail, frost and tiny crops in recent years which has been driving up the price, so as I’ve mentioned before, this is a producer, imported by Atherton Wine Imports (on west coast) and Skurnik Wines, is one to search out, along with Drouhin-Laroze, Pierre Guillemot, Camus-Bruchon and Frederic Esmonin. Domaine Joseph Roty has about 15 hectares of vines, and winemaker Pierre-Jean is the 11th generation of Rotys in Gevrey-Chambertin, so there’s a lot of history here and drinking a bottle or glass of Roty Gevrey is pretty special. Again, the entry level priced Marsannay is a serious bargain and I always recommend it for value, but once in a while there’s a case to be made for grabbing the Gevrey-Chambertin, which ages very well.
($76 Est.) 92 Points, grapelive