It’s all in the name, or…is it?

Some big names that have touched my life over the last decades, in both the wine world, art world & the normal world (whatever that means these days) have been: Jean-Claude Killy, Hercules Brabazon Brabazon, Iggy Pop, Lalou Bize-Leroy, Franz Klammer, Johnny Hugel, Lily Bollinger, Jacques Cousteau, Tippi Hedren, Keyser Söze & now Jacky Truchot.

As in previous blogs we have of course mentioned the infamous acronyms, or usual suspects, like D.R.C., T.S.G., L.V.M.H., D.D.D., D.P.R. and other noteworthy´s, but few of us have ever heard of or even come across D.J.T. aka Domaine Jacky Truchot-Martin (sounds like ‘Trueshot-Martin’ by the way).

If you have already heard of Jacky Truchot, then please read other bloggetries here on our W.W.C. website, because you have either drunk his wines before, or you are a professional wine-writer and very lucky enough to have been invited to taste them, or maybe your are a wise old wine collector who just loves top flight old-school Red Burgundy. As I do not want to preach here to the converted do look away now please if this is a little repetitive for you.

However, for those who want to know more, Jacky Truchot’s wines are even harder to find than that of his neighbors Henri Jayer, Aubert De Villaine (Romanee-Conti), Jean-Francois Coche-Dury and even Emmanuel Rouget´s rather misunderstood ´Cros Parantoux´ (1 hectare) that seem to disappear faster under the radar than Captain Kirk’s ‘warp speed’. Now, never being one not to share some rare and sometimes good news with our dear reader (you!) and our lovely present & future clients. These little Truchot gems have just arrived in our cellars (LCB VT) direct from a wonderful cellar close to the heart of D.J.T. (Martin) territory:

Domaine Jacky Truchot-Martin

1 bottle 2000 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Sentiers

1 bottle 1994 Clos de La Roche Grand Cru

1 bottle 1995 Clos de La Roche Grand Cru

1 bottle 1997 Clos de La Roche Grand Cru

1 bottle 1998 Clos de La Roche Grand Cru

1 bottle 1995 Charmes Chambertin Vieilles Vignes Grand Cru

1 bottle 1996 Charmes Chambertin Vieilles Vignes Grand Cru

1 bottle 1994 Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru Clos Sorbes

1 bottle 1995 Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru Clos Sorbes

1 bottle 1996 Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru Clos Sorbes

1 bottle 1998 Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru Clos Sorbes

1 bottle 1999 Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru Clos Sorbes

1 bottle 2000 Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru Clos Sorbes

Just to clear something up and so as not to get a headache about all of this, or even go round the houses. It’s important to know that in 1970s, Jacky’s Clos de la Roche is called (labelled) Domaine Mauffré-Truchot. When Jacky took over the domaine 100%, his wines where labelled Domaine Truchot-Martin and that was up until 2005 when he sold all his parcels of land (the whole Domaine) to a Parisian lawyer, Francois Feuillet, keeping only an acre of 1er Cru Sorbes next to his home in Morey St Denis for his own pleasure & drinking. Feuillet teamed up with David Duband in 2006, who now share crop these Crus on a 50:50 basis.

Domaine Jacky Truchot-Martin was and still is the correct title for the domaine and amongst very particular and astute Burgundy connoisseurs it was never a secret that Jacky Truchot made some of the most elegant, feminine and old fashioned Red Burgundy. John B.Gilman, wine critic, perhaps said it best “The wines of Jacky Truchot are quite unique stylistically in today’s world of Burgundy, and Monsieur Truchot has managed to find himself a very loyal following for his wines without any of the attendant fame that seems to accompany so much of the great winemaking in the Côte d’Or. How this absence of fame could happen, given the superb and consistent quality of the Truchot-Martin wines is one of the modern mysteries of Burgundy.” 

His wines are 100% pure terroir with an incredible ability to drink so easily and seamlessly, and with the intensity of the flavors that are completely beguiling. The color of each wine is light, there where no stems added, no new oak, no cold soaking, no cutting yields, no fining nor filtration, the wines are made just as nature intended.

Jacky Truchot learned the trade from his older cousin Henri Mauffré after his return from the Franco-Algerian war in 1961. He joined Henri in his cellars and gradually took over in 1973, and then officially in 1980. Jacky kept the same and very traditional winemaking from this era right up until his retirement in 2005. Apart from Jacky’s own character in the wines, the fact that he never changed the style of the wine is in complete contrast to almost every other vigneron in Burgundy in the 1980’s, and this is remarkable as drinking Jacky’s wines is just like drinking wines from the 50’s and 60’s. Jacky stood firmly with his belief in his style. Today, with all the science and wine degrees going into winemaking this very old fashioned winemaking passed down through generations of families is almost completely lost, except in Truchot’s wines. It is not at all easy to find a tasting note or two on these wines, but luck came our way and here are a few notes to be getting on with:

Domaine Jacky Truchot (tasting notes)

2000 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru Les Sentiers
2000 Chambolle-Musigny Les Sentiers 1er Cru offers dusky red fruit on the nose, mixed with leather, kelp and subtle ferrous notes. It just needs a little more cohesion. The palate is a tad chewy on the entry (more like a Morey-Saint-Denis) with impressive grip and candied orange peel popping up on the finish.

1995 Clos de La Roche Grand Cru
1995 Clos de la Roche Vieilles Vignes is one of the handful of wines from the now retired Jacky Truchot that I have tasted. It is absolutely exquisite, from the heaven-scent rose-tinged bouquet with fleeting glimpses of mulberry to the beautifully balanced, almost weightless palate that fans out with ease on the finish. It is one of those bottles that makes you understand why Truchot’s wines are now so coveted.

1998 Clos de La Roche Grand Cru
1998 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru represents one of the handful of times I have tasted a bottle from this cultish and now defunct domaine. It has a candied red plum, morello cherry and menthol nose that feels exuberant but not over the top; the aromatics are kept on a tight leash. The palate is velvety smooth with a plush, honeyed texture. Quite extravagant in the context of the vintage, this is a sumptuous and beautifully crafted Clos de la Roche. Tasted blind at at a private members’ club in London.

1996 Charmes Chambertin Vieilles Vignes Grand Cru
1996 Charmes Chambertin Grand Cru from Jacky Truchot, a producer whose wines have become highly coveted since he hung up his secateurs, has a gorgeous dark berry, cola and allspice bouquet, undergrowth scents manifesting with continued aeration. The palate is sweet with a dab of menthol infusing the red fruit, reminiscent of Roty in style, and a bit white pepper toward the finish. This is a little rustic, perhaps because of the vintage rather than the winemaking, but there is certainly impressive length.

1998 Charmes Chambertin Vieilles Vignes Grand Cru
As good as the 2000 Charmes was this was even a notch higher. One of the best Truchot’s I’ve had and certainly on par with the 1993 and 1990 Clos de la Roche. Absolutely stunning and knock out aromatics matched by a palate of tremendous length and vivacity. Still hugely energetic. A.W.!

1999 Morey-Saint-Denis 1er Cru Clos Sorbes
1999 Morey-Saint-Denis Clos Sorbe 1er Cru at 20 years of age offers attractive, overtly earthy scents, hints of tomato vine infusing the red fruit, and a tang of rusty nails turning it increasingly ferrous. The palate is refined and focused with supple tannins, a hint of Chinese five-spice toward the edgy finish and a tang of orange peel on the aftertaste. Drinking well and totally charming.

If you are seriously interested in purchasing any of the above wines from us, please check our wine list for prices or just contact me direct:   william@worldwineconsultants. com

Initialism index in this blog:

D.J.T. = Domaine Jacky Truchot (Martin)

L.V.M.H. = Louis Vuitton Moet Hennessy

D.R.C. = Domaine de la Romanee-Conti

T.S.G. = Tenuta San Guido (Sassicaia)

D.P.R.= Domaine Prieure-Roch

D.D.D. = Domaine Didier Dagueneau

V.V. = Vieilles Vignes

A.W. = Awesome Wine!