Tasted in Beru, with Athénaïs de Beru and Gaëlle Ribé, 14 January 2019.
Domaine Château de Béru
32 Gr Grande Rue
89700 Beru
Tel: +33 3 86 75 94 95
www.chateaudeberu.com
I always loved the old Weimaraner of Athénaïs, but he departed this world last summer – as luck would have it, she was able to find two of his sons – what a handful!
Athénaïs on 2018:
“2018 wasn’t the easiest of vintages, but it came with a good rendement. Despite the high maturites we managed to keep plenty of acidity – they were long fermentation though – but the malos were done quick! I also broke my hand 1 week before the harvest – in 10 places, having managed to drop a barrel on it – 6 months of surgury – let’s call it a ‘vintage sportive!’”
Athénaïs on 2017:
“In 2017 I still have nothing from the domaine in bottle – I will start in March. 2017 was a good vintage, though we still had some frost, but much less than in 2016, and not every where – overall our losses were, perhaps, a little more than 30%. Some of our parcels had a good harvest, others not. I lost half of the Clos Béru and most of the 1er cru.
“It’s a vintage with great tension, and it shows the different parcels really well. There’s purity but the wines are still ripe, for the moment no sulfur has been used – it’s a very direct vintage.”
The wines…
Never easy to taste these wines in the domaine’s cellar but it looks like a great return for the team after losing almost everything to the frost in 2016.
There will be only one racking, and that will be at assembly time, so as to tailor the amount of CO2 et-cetera. Unlike 2016 when there were virtually no ‘home’ grapes here, Athénaïs decided to not to do a ‘tour de France’ in 2017 I decided that I’d like to make some wine with my own grapes, though it was another stress as sometimes – like in 2018 when didn’t know where to put all the grapes!
2017 Chablis Terroirs de Béru
350-400m altitude, Kimmerigian, usually windy, the snow always stays here longer, but it’s also warmer in the summer. The only wine with 10% elevage in foudres and the rest in tank. This cuvée normally accounts for about 1/3 of the domaine, and always the same parcels are used.
Vibrant, ooh fresh and citrus. Oof this is lovely, steely and wide. A wine of forward minerality and citrus acidity, super length.
2017 Chablis Montserre
From th plateau of the hill here, plus a higher hill. Lots of fossils here, Kimmerigian rock but ‘more angular’ with 75% barrel elevage, the test in tank – the darker label, brown in this case, shows that it’s a wine without sulfur.
A deep and creamy, nose. Round but bubbling with freshness. So juicy, with salinity. Very long again.
White label. ‘A little terrior near the mid slope, lots of wind the whole year. Limestone like small galets.’
Also a little creamy and with volume, slowly becoming more complex with go.den fruit. Hmm, this is fller but completely juicy and melting with flavour, very mineral but not a bit austere – bravo
2017 Chablis Orangerie
A walled section of vines next to the château.
Hmm – the family nose; creamy, lacking a bit of air, but still inviting. More composed, mineral, supple, more round but not by a lot, waves of finishing flavour – hmm, zest of orange – lovely.
2017 Chablis 1er Vaucopins
A very steep slope here. Again Kimmerigian but also with blue clay. This was frosted. There is 5 hectolitres – normally there would be 20! The vines on a vein of blue gravel.
More weight and energy though a similar aromatic. A wine of line, chiselled, mineral, beautifully detailed too – so super…
The mother rock here is older than the Kimmerigian. It’s a little Clos within high walls so it’s more protected from the weather (but not 2016’s or 2017’s frost!) There’s more clay. Main.y racked but a few barrels wait. Will have the best part of another year of elevage.
Still a background creaminess – but less. Some gas, but this is super in the mouth, rounder, but fresh, detailed, delicious clarity. Bravo!
Les Bourgognes de négoce:
2017 Bourgogne Blanc
Bio from Mâconnais – the same as in 2017 – have found a source in 2018 from the local department though.
A deep nose, round, almost muscaté – the 16 was like that too ‘but the aromatic faded after 6 months.’ Full, round, quite rich, I’d prefer a little more energy here – but complex and interesting.
Hmm, now that’s very attractive – a little perfumed. Bigger, fresher, more structured – ooh this is really good – I like it more than the white. Complex, long – excellent – with a faint tannin on the end of the tongue. Intriguing, delicious wine! Bravo!
2017 Bourgogne Pinot Noir
Same as the white – from Mâcon but already have a more local source for 2018.
Great colour. Deep fruit too of ripeness though lacking some perfume. Full, complex, a little tannin – a serious side to this but give it 1-2 years and I think it will be very good. Supple and interesting finishing – the longer it’s in the mouth the nicer it is…
2017 Beaujolais
From Saint-Étienne-des-Oullières in the south of Beaujolais, vines also in bio
Not so wide but aromas of depth. A lot of freshness here – some tannin too. Like the pinot here is a wine that’s currently a little serious but slowly widens with energy and interest in the finish – it’s a very delicious finish. Give this some time too – 1-2 years and you will be rewarded.