Tasted with Jean-Paul Champagnon in Fleurie, 08 February 2017.
Domaine Les Roches de Garants
La Treille
69820 Fleurie
+33 4 74 04 15 62
www.champagnon.fr
Jean-Paul on 2016:
“Difficult. I was hailed – like many in Fleurie – 2 hectares were 100% lost. But as for the rest, some parcels had almost too much yield. I have really good cuvées at 30 hl/ha – mainly because of hail – and others that I would say are less concentrated. It was still a small production overall, the year suffered from a too wet start of the season, but it finished well and the grapes were very ripe, but I still think that we lost a little something because there was so little sunshine earlier in the year. There was a little mildew, but it wasn’t catastrophic. Where we were hailed, a nice pruning is not possible – we have to be really delicate as some of the vines were really attacked. Fortunately we have frost this winter, but not too much, because I have some worries what would happen to the vines if it dropped below minus 15° given the hail injuries. After a flu you need some vitamins, so I gave a little fertiliser in the autumn – it’s the same – we’re not making salad, we don’t cultivate for just one year.”
Jean-Paul on 2015:
“The vintage really lacked some volume – we made an average of 32 hectolitres per hectare – which isn’t really enough. I plan to commercialise this year but at plus 2€ – it’s a low volume vintage – and a good one – finished! That’s my logic. My name is on the label, not just Fleurie, people are paying for what work I’ve done here.”
The wines…
Such a great result here – bravo Mr Champagnon!
‘There’s only one amandier here.’ Bought this parcel in 2009 but have exploited the vines for 30 years. Exposed direct south, the wall above deflects the north wind, it’s a tiny area with different soil and rocks. No herbicides, 25 year-old vines, Cordon trained. Have different plantings but the Cordons were the best in 2015, because the goblet-trained vines showed quite a lot of sun-burn – almost too hard to triage.
Wide, a beautiful floral perfume. Supple, transparent, very red fruit. Beautiful flavours slowly augmenting and becoming more insistent. Wide and long at the same time. There’s a hidden structure here, a wine that will age very well, but it is also indecently easy to drink too! Bravo.
Deep granite with quartz at the limit of some clay, ‘not dissimilar to some burgundy terroirs.’ East-facing, looking towards the MAV vines, with 20-30% incline – only the Champagne is on the flat here – this was at one time sold as MAV
A striking nose of energy and complexity, fresh complexity – much deeper rooted fruit. Like the nose there is great depth hee, a little tannin at the base too – a wealth of flavour, again with a little structure behind, but really more of everything here – however, like the last, really a thing of deliciousness already!
Currently selling the 2013. Here is the produce of completely destemmed, over 100-year-old, vines. 26 day cuvaison, used barrels for elevage. Bottled September – ‘I’m happy with this!’
Really deep nose, softened with oak notes. Hmm, cool style, layered concentration, really lots of density here – lots of barrel density too – I wouldn’t return for at least five years but this is massively constituted wine, so even without the oak I’d be of the same impression. My last impression is of a chocolate tannin… The nose at the last is fresher, and showing red fruit and some fine dried fruit too. Wow wine – but for the patient.