Tasted with Dominique Piron in Corcelles-en-Beaujolais, 24 April 2024.
Clos du Vieux Bourg – Domaine Viticole
SAS Dom. du Vieux Bourg
880 Rue de la Mairie
69220 Corcelles-en-Beaujolais
Tel: +33 4 26 47 45 57
www.closvieuxbourg.fr
Dominique Piron is a well-known name in Beaujolais but much has changed for him over the last couple of years – which you may have missed: His old domaine in Morgon is under completely new ownership (since COVID) and is now named Maison Dominique Piron.
For many years Dominique had been headquartered in Morgon but a few years back, with an eye towards retirement, he sold the business – but not the family vines – to an investor who he worked alongside. After a time he decided that working with someone else wasn’t what he enjoyed – and it was still a lot of work.
For 15 years, and finally purchased 10 years ago, Dominique has made his home in Corcelles. His rationale for selling the business in Morgon was that given the size of that business, it didn’t fit into his plans for ‘agricultural retirement.‘ ‘Too large’ is a relative subject – he is still working 35 hectares in this new domaine – 9 hectares of which are planted around the house and cuverie. It’s the same team working the vines as it had been in Morgon.
On his current markets ‘I’m planning 80% export – France is complicated. My first vintage with his label was 2021. And I’ve got a great lady who can slowly take over most of what I’m doing, though for the moment, I’m still the president of the appellation of Morgon – and did you know, in terms of surface of vines in the commune, Villie Morgon is the third largest appellation in France!?‘ – No I didn’t know 🙂
The house is hidden in the garden of the cuverie – which is now ‘operationally’ renovated to facilitate winemaking. But this cuverie has much history – it was the church of Corcelles until 1835 – there’s a ‘new’ one in the village – but records of the church here can be found from the year 900.
Dominique on 2023, 2022 & 2021:
I’m really happy with 2022 – I think 23 also. I will bottle the 23 white in less than 2 months but nothing else bottled. 2022 brought a bit less volume than 2023 (48 hl/ha) but 2021 was difficult as the frost brought the lowest volume of my career! It was around 1/3rd of a normal harvest and, as you can imagine, it was quite difficult to start as I had no stock from Morgon and not much wine from the vintage either! In 2022 I started harvesting 25th August and for 18 days. I started in Beaujolais and finished in Chénas. A triage table and destemming were done when required, and I filled the tanks manually. 2023 has a lot in common with 2022 in terms of the style of the wine but with more elegance in 2023 despite a little less consistency than in 22 – I think there’s more nuance in 2023.
The wines…
I loved these wines but most particularly the last two reds – and despite the structure of the Côte du Py, unlike many Beaujolais from 2022, which I’d rather wait 1-3 years to open, I would happily drink these now…
The 2022s were bottled last summer – the white and Regnie in May, finishing the last bottles in July:
2022 Regnié La Croix Penet
Sold as Beaujolais Villages in America – ‘as the label is much easier to sell.’
A pretty, airy red fruit – lightly, attractively perfumed. Supple, silky, deeply flavoured. A width and mineral energy in these finishing flavours – and they are very persistent. That’s a really super start !!
2022 Morgon Cinq Terres
About 15 hectares make up this cuvée – there’s also another 4.5 ha of Côte du Py in the domaine.
Really open and full of perfumed energy. Very silky texture, both modestly direct and modestly generous – but with flavour that fades ever-so slowly. The energy is in the perfume today – the delicious flavour is much more contemplative but sensuously textured. A beautiful glass of wine !!
Two lieu-dits assembled here: Javernières and Pierres – ‘the latter always the most beautiful vines of the domaine but the US market doesn’t know this climat so I’ve always blended to make a ‘generic’ Côte du Py’
Less energy but even more beautiful perfume – and of fine width too. Here is a more overt energy that I didn’t see in the ‘5 terroirs’ a proper cote du py structure too – yet just so silky despite the concentration – a really sophisticated tannic texture. This finish is the most energetic and structured of the range so far. I love it – bravo wine !!
This is the name of the lieu-dit – 5 hectares above the village of Chénas with an east, north-east exposure. Historically part of Dominique’s Chénas Quartz cuvée.
A more vertical nose – but the perfume runs through both the highs and the impressive lows here – it’s a beautiful invitation. Extra wide – concentrated but with a fluidity that excludes generosity – such perfumed flavour too. A wine that has a less visible structure than the Côte du Py but a fluidity mixed with faint salinity in the finish – but also a finish of depth. This is also a great wine.
Les Whites:
2022 Beaujolas Blanc Clos du Vieux Bourg
Some argilo-calcaire soil around the house and cuvérie here in Corcelles
Here is a width of aroma with very good citrus precision, supported by, today, partly hidden minerality. Mouth-filling, some generosity but there is a cool minerality in the finish too. This is actually a very good Blanc – I’d happily drink the whole glass.
2023 Beaujolas Blanc Clos du Vieux Bourg
Bottling in just 3 or 4 weeks
Rounder, riper, deep yellow, almost golden zesty fruit. In the mouth, I find more energy and fluidity to this wine – it’s ripe but not completely exotic, finishing quite deliciously. That’s a lovely wine and with a lovely energy too – excellent Beaujolais Blanc !!