Tasted blind, today, in Chablis, samples courtesy the domaines…
To get this week started, five very drinkable wines from the home of this year’s St.Vincent.
2017 is the first vintage for the villages appellation of ‘Vézelay’ – previous to that, the wines were labeled as Bourgogne Vézelay. 2017 was also a very low volume vintage for Vézelay – 1,320 hectolitres from not much more than 70 hectares that were in production – that’s only about 18 hl/ha – like Chablis there was much frost in 2017.
One of the Croix Montjoie wines is a little obviously oaked, but when you see the cuvée name – well that explains everything 🙂
2017 Vignerons de la Colline Éternelle, Vézelay
Medium-pale yellow. In the mouth this has plenty of volume and quite a nice texture – supple and showing a nice ripeness of tasty fruit. The finish has a little mineral aspect with the merest touch of rigour. Overall, very drinkable.
2017 Domaine La Croix Montjoie, Vézelay La Voluptueuse
A hint more colour. A wider nose with a touch of oak spice. Again a mouth-filling wine – sweet, silky, the oak is quite forward in a more Mâconnais style. Very delicious, if very obvious, wine – but fine finishing. I’d keep this in the cellar 12 months before drinking.
2017 Domaine La Croix Montjoie, Vézelay L’Élégant
Here the nose is on one hand more compact, but on the other of finer, more precise citrus fruit and even a few floral accents – very attractive. Plenty of energy – much more acid-forward – some agrume intensity here but also some richer depth of flavor in the mid-palate. Ooh this is less delicious than the last but more my personal style of wine – it’s excellent!
2017 Domaine La Croix Montjoie, Vézelay L’Impatiente
Like the last, the nose is a little more compact, but showing fresh citrus fruit and even a little salinity – attractive again. A little more energy and some minerality showing with this one too – much more in a Chablis/Tonnerre vernacular. A little richness of texture and less direct attack from the acidity. My favourite.
2017 Jean-Luc & Paul Aegerter, Vézelay Réserve Personelle
The is the only wine sealed with a DIAM-style cork.
Fresh, wide, open, citrus accents, almost a little lime fruit and phenolics in here. A subtle prickle of CO2 and a modestly reductive mineral impression. This brings a wide impression over the palate and it’s another wine with a nice texture. Whilst it’s the most overtly mineral finishing – less-so in the Chablis/Tonnerre style of the last. Carafe this, but it’s a very good wine.
There is one response to “starting monday with a little vézelay”
Credit is due to Sophie and Matthieu of La Croix Montjoie for making 3 cuvees from, apparently, the same vineyards. Thus allowing the consumer to choose his preferred oak treatment. Like you, my preference is for less oak, not more. These wines are represented in several local restaurants.
The domaine is also in a lovely location and a pleasure to visit.
I met Sophie and Matthieu at the St.Vincent, and the main cuvée for the St.Vincent also was seemingly sourced from them – that must have been (relatively) a lot of wine to find for an appellation that only has about 75 hectares in production! Certainly 3 good wines, though I’d only choose 2 of them…