Tasted with Raphael Saint-Cyr in Anse, 20 February 2024.
Domaine Saint-Cyr
31 Chemin de Trechen
69480 Anse
Tel: +33 4 74 60 23 69
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www.beaujolais-saintcyr.com
More reports with Domaine Saint-Cyr
The 2022s tasted again this year, but this time in bottle !!
There are 17 cuvées here, 14 of them have no added sulfur – sometimes more have sulfur if, for instance, the volatiles rise – one of the 22s was like that.
Raphael on 2023:
“23 was good but the 40°C for 10 days before the harvest really reduced the volume of the whites but reds were not bad – 30 hl/ha in the crus and 50 in the Beaujolais. We had about 5-8% more in 23 vs 22 as there was less rain in 22.”
Raphael on 2022:
“In 2022, in general, there was more than in 21 due to the crus. I’m satisfied with the 2022s – the challenge was to keep the drinkability in this warm vintage and I think we managed it. 17 August was the start of our harvest and it was a vintage to be careful with the extractions as it was a warm one – this was my main priority – and the wines drink quite well so I did okay.
We now work 6 hectares by horse”
The wines…
The reds this year are delicious or clearly great – the whites are just clearly great – bravo!
2022 Beaujolais La Galoche
Carbonic maceration, starting cold, at 9°C. Galoche is the name of the river close to the domaine. This is also for bottling in mid-March – the assembly also done. A long cool maceration before fermentation this year. 6 different parcels on clay and limestone.
Fresh a little salinity to the aromas. Hmm, round, supple, more concentrated than the modest colour suggests. Yum!
2022 Beaujolais Terrior de Bellevue
A parcel selection of older vines from near the domaine – this the black label which indicates a cuvée of ‘distinction’ here. 70 year-old vines argilo-calcaire too. 10 months half barrel half tonneau – for bottling in June.
A little more intensity to this nose. Bigger in the mouth with more energy. Clean, more intense, lip-smacking finishing flavour. That’s another delicious wine with a bit more finishing structure. Yum!
2022 Mélo
VdF. The blend of layered chardonnay, pinot and gamay with carbonic maceration – 10 months of elevage.
Some cherry stone style to this fresh nose. Round and quite vibrant – you could think it was gamay but there’s a different finishing density here. Also very tasty…
2022 Chénas Robert
A blend of three parcels in the village.
A fresh and more vertical nose – hmm- a lovely invitation. Wide, pure, growing in intense – hmm – hold a great finish too – I find this excellent!
2022 Morgon Les Charmes
A little shorter elevage, vines near St.Joseph at nearly 500m altitude.
A more direct redness of fruit – transparent and very inviting. Even more juicy than the last – more intense finishing. Hmm – I might even wait a little for this, delicious as it is!
Black label. Like the last wine, with a longer 24 day maceration. Here with 60% barrel elevage unlike the Morgon which was 100%. Almost a ha of this on classic pink granite
Hmm, this the first with a more overt perfume. Direct, mineral, fluid wine – ooh – I won’t be waiting to drink this one – okay, maybe I should first finish my visits today – but tonight !! Bravo!
Same vinification as the last.
Here the red fruit shows more. Larger, rounder, more overt concentration – a finish that slowly fades. Drink the previous while waiting for this – but also not too long – for this one!! Possibly also a great one!
Les Whites:
Longer elevage here so we taste the 21s…
70-year-old Chardonnay – marne and limestone – a west-facing hillside – again 2 years of barrel elevage
A strong nose, already with some suggestion of development – but not a hint of oxidation. Really wide, supple and concentrated but with intensity and energetic balance. I would class this as a great white for the table!
An aligoté with 2 years elevage – not touched in 2 years – from old, 80 year-old, vines on a clay soil.
A little cushion to these great aromas – just like an old chardonnay – a little peppery too! More direct and silky, less demonstrative – but what great clarity – wonderful wine!
Sauvignon blanc – domaine vines ‘of a bit more than’ 10 years old – east-facing with lots of red clay.
Almost a warm pepperiness that hints at mint leaf but never fully expresses that. Really wide, and energetic – it’s got plenty of concentration – but the balance is impeccable. Another great success!
The orange version of the sauvignon – made just like the reds.
Also sauvignon, this has a little more the impression – direction – of classic Sauvignon but is still more in the aromatic camp of the previous wine. Juicier, more up-front- juicy like biting into a mandarin – or maybe more direction a blood-orange. Bravo!