Domaine Joseph Roty 2022 Côte de Nuits-Villages "La Croix Violette" 750ml

This is a wine with a genuine expiration date on its own name. La Croix Violette has carried the Côte de Nuits-Villages designation for generations, but starting with the 2024 vintage, a change to the appellation's regulations means Côte de Nuits-Villages will apply only to wines from Comblanchien, Corgoloin, and Prémeaux — leaving Croix Violette, situated in Fixin, to be reclassified and relabeled as Fixin going forward. The 2022 is one of the final vintages this specific cuvée will ever carry the Côte de Nuits-Villages name, a genuinely meaningful detail for anyone building a serious Burgundy collection.

The Rotys have farmed in Gevrey-Chambertin since 1710, and the family's reputation — built by the legendarily private Joseph Roty and now continued by his grandson Pierre-Jean — rests on a simple, consistently proven philosophy: extraordinary old vines, minimal intervention, and a genuine refusal to release wine before it's ready, regardless of vintage or market pressure. Croix Violette draws from various parcels across the appellation, mostly in the middle of the village, farmed alongside the rest of the domaine's holdings whose average vine age exceeds eighty years — old enough that even the challenging heatwaves of the 2022 growing season, with multiple canicules where nighttime temperatures stayed above 20°C and daytime highs exceeded 33°C, posed far less risk to these deep-rooted, mature vines than they did to younger plantings across the region.

Private Cellar's own tasting confirms a deep red black wine with a nose of gorgeously plummy dark fruit, touched by some new wood, rich and intense and really alluring — leading to a beautifully focused palate of concentrated, spiced dark fruits with supple ripe tannins behind, mineral with a herbal note, closing on a long, rich, dark chocolate-infused finish. "Despite the adjectives, this is a breath of fresh air," their own assessment concludes. Jasper Morris of Inside Burgundy scored the 2022 92-93 Points; Neal Martin of The Wine Advocate awarded 90 Points. A growing season the domaine specifically called "purity and persistence," from vines old enough to shrug off a heatwave and a cuvée about to disappear under this exact name forever.

Origins & Craftsmanship

Domaine Joseph Roty has farmed in Gevrey-Chambertin since 1710, one of the longest continuously operating family estates in the Côte de Nuits. Joseph Roty, who ran the domaine until his death in 2008, built a reputation as one of Burgundy's most quietly legendary winemakers — celebrated for the depth and character of his wines while remaining famously reluctant to discuss his methods with journalists. His grandson Pierre-Jean Roty now oversees the estate's roughly twelve hectares, continuing the family tradition of releasing wines only once they judge them genuinely ready for market — a philosophy that means recent vintages are often shown well behind schedule relative to the broader Burgundy trade, with the domaine choosing patience over commercial urgency at every stage.

La Croix Violette is sourced from various parcels across the Côte de Nuits-Villages appellation, mostly situated in the middle of the village. Like the rest of the domaine's holdings, the vines here average well over eighty years of age across the estate — a depth of root system that proved decisive during the 2022 growing season, when a mild, dry winter and spring advanced flowering by roughly two weeks, followed by occasional June thunderstorms (including one dramatic storm that caused flooding and topsoil loss around Gevrey and Fixin) and multiple summer heatwaves with nighttime temperatures remaining above 20°C and daytime highs exceeding 33°C. Younger vines across the region struggled under these conditions; the Domaine's old-vine material handled the heat with far greater resilience. Beginning with the 2024 vintage, a regulatory change to the Côte de Nuits-Villages appellation restricts the designation to wines from Comblanchien, Corgoloin, and Prémeaux — meaning La Croix Violette, situated in Fixin, will be reclassified and released under the Fixin appellation going forward, making the 2022 and 2023 among the final vintages of this cuvée to ever carry the Côte de Nuits-Villages name.

Critics Reviews

Jasper Morris, Inside Burgundy — 92-93 Points

Neal Martin, The Wine Advocate — 90 Points

Burgundy Report (2020 vintage, house style context — same cuvée, prior vintage):
"A faintly smoky spice offsets the dark berry fruit. That's rather silky and has fine energy. A little barrel smoke and a hint of tannic grain — but no dryness. A wine with good texture, energy and really excellent dimensions of flavour. Simply excellent again."

Tasting Profile

Nose
Deep red black in color, with a nose of gorgeously plummy dark fruit — rich and intense, genuinely alluring from the first pour. Some new wood adds gentle spice, without ever dominating the fruit. A herbal note threads through the background, reflecting the mineral character of the underlying soils.

Palate
Beautifully focused, with concentrated, spiced dark fruits carried by supple, ripe tannins. Mineral throughout, with the herbal note from the nose reappearing on the palate to add genuine complexity. Fresh and vibrant despite the wine's evident depth and structure — a real breath of fresh air, as Private Cellar specifically noted, rather than a heavy or over-extracted village wine.

Finish
Long and rich, closing on a dark chocolate-infused note that lingers well after the sip. Structured enough for real cellaring, but already showing genuine pleasure and accessibility — the kind of balance that has made Roty's village and Côte de Nuits-Villages wines particular favorites among serious Burgundy collectors.

Quick Overview

Food Pairings

• Braised beef and hearty stews
• Roast duck or game
• Mushroom-forward dishes
• Aged Comté and other hard cheeses
• Classic Burgundian cuisine