Tasted in the cellar of Château Philippe le Hardi – the newly named Château de Santenay, 21 March 2024.
Well, where else will you find 36 different grand crus to taste in one sitting?
I’d always considered this to be a ‘don’t miss’ tasting. Despite that, I chose not to take part in the last two presentations as I didn’t want to provoke the ‘dreaded‘ covid. Of course, now that I’ve had covid (just the once) and it wasn’t as bad as the flu – my version/reaction anyway – time to get back into the saddle !!
Recent presentations have moved from venue to venue – and here’s a new one – this tasting was, for many years, regularly held at the Clos de Vougeot. My observations were consistent with other presentations since the Clos de Vougeot:
- The wines are not tasted blind
- Reds and whites were not segregated*
- There were also domaine wines mixed with the maison wines
*So I made two tours of the the producers – first to taste the whites and then the reds. My notes are listed by producer though…
The wines…
2020s showing well here – this selection of Chablis not showing any pyrazines. The reds and whites generally showing good structure and nice, not forced, aromatics. All in all, very successful !!
Domaine Louis Moreau
2020 Chablis Vaudesir
Already a faint accent of age. Warm, round, but with a good structure and a melting smoky flavour. It’s delicious!
2020 Chablis Les Clos
More open aromatic, a little more herb a little less age. Ooh, direct, mineral, an extra linear style to this, and with depth in the finish too.
Domaine Simmonet-Febvre
2020 Chablis Blanchots
A higher-toned floral here. Wide, fine scale, a hint reductive – almost peaunut – can that be pyrazine? Anyway interesting wine and it’s not a problem!
2020 Chablis Preuses
A more cushioned and floral width – that’s a super nose. Super architecture, depth too – altogether a simply excellent wine – so good!
Domaine William Fevre
2020 Chablis Bougros Côte Bouguerots
Hmm, that’s a fine and direct, slightly floral introduction. Wide, mouth-watering, super mineral – thats lovely. Finishing with an obvious salinity too.
2020 Chablis Preuses
Actually, this nose is a little smaller but also more saline. Extra cool and architectural with a welling up of finishing flavour still saline but sweeter. Yes!
JM/Julien Brocard
2020 Chablis Blanchots
A good freshness and width, then there’s the depth! Large in scale, beautifully textured too. Really broad – thats so impressively large finishing. Bravo!
Julien Brocard 2020 Chablis Preuses
Higher toned and floral. Panoramic, riper fruit . But also super finishing intensity – bravo both Brocards!
J.Moreau
2020 Chablis Les Clos
Open and finely floral. Direct and clearly mineral, linear – fine and creamy in the finish. Holding superbly…
Jean-Claude Boisset
2020 Clos de la Roche
High tones, intense and focused. In the mouth too – yes, grand cru for intensity, chalky tannin and really a chewy dark fruit complexity in the finish. A great baby finish!
Famillie Picard
2020 Corton Fietres
High-toned, open, faintly herbed complexity at the top, dark, warm, fine fruit in support. Large scale, cushioned, a textural generosity with a super finish – love that!
Bouchard Père et Fils
2020 Corton-Charlemagne
Narrow aromatics but more open in the floral high tones. Muscular but with balanced concentration. So large and long and delicious finishing – such potential !!
2020 Le Corton
More red fruit transparency, less scale but beautifully perfumed. In the mouth, this has a little larger scale, very open and architectural. Lots of finishing bitters and the faintest of drying tannin, slowly fading – what an impressive baby.
Albert Bichot
2020 Domaine du Pavillon, Corton-Charlemagne
Aromatically, this is not dissimilar to the Bouchard – though more open with a hint les focus. Also a super and very pretty wine.
2020 Domaine du Clos Frantin, Clos de Vougeot
High tones here. Pretty red fruits – nice. Scale but supple, great shape, faintly creamy and saline – a small grain of tannin. A fine CV !!
Chanson Père et Fils
2020 Corton Vergennes
Toasty! Large in scale and there’s even plenty of structure too – thats an impressive wine for keeping, and safely with DIAM30 too.
Philippe le Hardi
2020 Corton-Charlemagne
Higher toned, more herbed aromas. Large in shape and scale, mineral too. Quite a saline wine with a slight caramel finish.
2020 Clos de Vougeot
An open nose that gives the impression of tannin – some whole cluster aromas that are airy and attractive too. Really broad with freshness and impressively growing intensity. Vibrant and strong finishing – that’s super finishing !!
Faiveley
2020 Corton, Clos des Cortons Faiveley
Not the largest nose but a silky nose that’s becoming ever-more floral. Wide, slowly mouth-filling, faint caramel oak. Vibrant finishing energy – so impressive and delicious here.
2020 Mazis-Chambertin
A very different aroma, round and of depth. Supple, slightly generous depth. Really energetic in the finish but it’s a very different finish to the Corton; slowly fading – the finish I give to the Corton, the first part of the flavours, maybe to the Mazis – that’s today, of course 🙂
Eduard Delaunay
2020 Corton-Charlemagne
There’s less aromatic impact than from many but with a more open width of aroma that becomes exquisitely precise. A super width of still creamy oaked finishing flavour – too!
2020 Echézeaux
Lots of high-toned complexity, faintly floral. I like the shape of this in the mouth – the finish is good in a fine, slowly fading, fashion.
Joseph Drouhin
2020 Montrachet
Hmm, less aromatic volume than some, but with super width and precision. Extra in all directions in the mouth. Supple, growing, mouth-filling, the wine with the most presence so far – bravo – but wait 10-15 years if you can…
2020 Musigny
A calm nose but what a beautifully floral perfumed nose. Scale without hard structure – but architecture all the same. There’s a waft of florals in the finish too. Just such a harmonious elegance!!
François Martenot
2020 Chartron & Trebuchet, Corton-Renardes
Some high tones, again slightly herbed. This melts beautifully over the palate…
2020 Chartron & Trebuchet, Corton-Charkemagne Margueritte de Carillon
An impressive width of high tones. Very attractive. Direct, cool, mineral but below is some caramel oak to support the cold fruit and minerals – lots of fonoshing bitters. Keep it 10 years.
Louis Jadot
2020 Jadot Heritiers, Corton-Charlemane
From Pougets… A cool width of freshness. Faintly floral – yes! Structure, caramel but then bursting over the palate with melting flavour. Thats a tour de force but for keeping a few years to lessen the barrel flavours – great!
Domaine 2020 Chapelle-Chambertin
From Gemeaux… A super high-toned nose – a really great 2020 aromatic. Super scale – more even than the Musigny, more concentrated too but still with fluidity. Great, and my red of the tasting…
Louis Latour
2020 Bâtard-Montrachet Clos Poirier
Thats got a lovely floral perfume. Structured but less strict than the Charlemagnes. Super, slowly fading finish – really very good!!
2020 Corton Clos du Vigne au Saint
Airy and fresh with a little tobacco-leaf impression. Good, vibrant, width, and properly structured. Fully accessible but still for keeping. It will be super but wait 7-10 years
Patriarche Père & Fils
2020 Corton-Charlemagne
Very pretty floral top notes. Fine and mineral again! Cool, slowly fading flavour that’s excellent, chalky and long finishing too.
2020 Clos de la Roche
A fine width of perfumed dark fruit. Large, structured and tannic in the mouth – for keeping – but there is no excess in any direction for this concentrated wine. Just have 10 years of patience.
Prosper Maufoux
2020 Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet
Some ripeness and an impression of salinity too. Good shape, it’s generous but not fat. A shimmering width of concentrated ripe fruit to finish – so different from the Charlemagnes…
Seguin Manuel
2020 Corton-Rognets
Bright, broad, energetic and concentrated aromatics. Large on the mouth, creamy from the barrel – big, tasty wine, but be patient !!
2020 Clos de Vougeot
Faintly saline. A wine that bursts with energy and intensity in the finish. I might be tempted to drink this before the Corton !!