Tasted in Odenas with Jean-Baptiste Bachevillier, 12 February 2018.
Château de Pierreux
Lieu-dit Pierreux
69460 Odenas
Tel: +33 4 74 03 42 16
www.chateaudepierreux.com
Jean-Baptiste on 2017:
“There are some parts of 2017 that resemble 2015, but in the end 2017 has turned-out quite different. The wines seem to be ready much quicker than in 2015 – but it’s still a super vintage. It was necessary to make a very good triage because there was a lot of dryness in the vintage – because of that we produced less than in 2016. It was a vintage that was rich for the wine, but not for the volume – in some places we were as much as 30% down in quantity.”
Jean-Baptiste on 2016:
“2016, some of the wines are still in elevage, but I like the vintage because I find that I’m talking more about the terroir than the vintage when tasting the wines!”
The wines…
As always a very fine range – and whilst the ‘Grands Mises’ are invariably brilliant, I remains surprised that the Pierreux wines are usually so much cheaper!
2016 Mommessin Grands Mises Beaujolais Villages Blanc
This, the first vintage made from 3 hectares of vines in Pierreux, a part goes to Mommessin the rest makes a cuvée here. This has more granitic soil – some extended skin contact too, but given the vintage differences it was directly pressed in 2017.
A very subtle toast to the wine, otherwise quite a discreet nose. Supple, some fat, a waxy depth of concentration. The flavour holds really well. This is mineral, silky and fat but with fine balance.
2016 Pierreux, Beaujolais Villages Blanc
An executive white burgundy toast to the nose – despite 450 litre demi-muids, this first vintage was half new, but it will go down to 25% after 4 vintages. From Blacé. A little gas, mouth-filling, some bitter oak in the middle. A nice shape and length, but at this stage I’m not a fan of oaked flavours…
2016 Mommessin Grands Mises Beaujolais Villages
Origin Blacé, from 3 vignerons, 50% destemmed, elevage on lees for 12 months.
A width of silky, mineral, red fruit. A little base of modest tannin, a mineral infused red fruit – just like the nose. Really a depth if finishing persistence. Very tasty…
2016 Mommessin Grands Mises – Fleurie
Long maceration, 20-22 days, grill in the tank to keep the cap submerged. Vines below La Modonne
A little deeper colour. A narrow nose, but a deep nose of beautiful almost vibrant fruit. Sleek, fresh, really a wine of mineral complexity. The nose invites and then the palate shouts – wait! Super but to wait for.
Everything up to and including the Fleurie is bottled.
2016 Mommessin Grands Mises, Saint Amour
A cross between Bellevue fruit and some from the road to St.Julien, lots of millerandes here and more whole clusters. Still in tank, not yet bottled
A good volume of aroma here the depth of dark-red fruit has almost a texture to it. Beautiful in the mouth, round, acidulated fruit, almost a pomegranate-strawberry hybrid in the middle. Really much more open-armed and easier to drink than the Fleurie today – delicious wine.
Destemmed. South-facing vines.
This needs coaxing from the glass but this has a fabulously complex dark-fruited – a wow nose. Volume and freshness – balanced by weight of flavour. The tannin forms a little halo around the wine. Super finishing again – but a wine that is for waiting at least a couple of years, not for today – Bravo!
Also destemmed, barrel elevage but no new barrels. East-facing vines.
The first with some oak in the aromatics – a really fine floral fruit behind – but today it’s really behind the oak. Oh – this is directly, fabulously, fruited, direct in form, melting, with beautiful balance and clarity – really great wine and I hardly note the oak on the palate – though there is tannin to be wary of. Great wine – again in another couple of years.
2016 Chateau Pierreux, Brouilly
Bottled in September just before the harvest. 80% destemmed, elevage in foudres – ‘this is our supple crunchy wine.’
A little toasty reduction here – but very modestly done – after a minute it is already gone. Supple indeed, ooh, juicy, growing intensity – direct flavour, quite mineral. Modest tannin on the end of the tongue – super drinkable for it’s age – very yum!
‘A vast terroir, so a mix of schist and granite’ – 100% destemmed, 3-6 year-old barrel elevage for about 12 months
Deeper colour, the wine almost looks thicker in the glass. Ouf! Deeper than deep – macerating yet not rosted fruit. Wide, fine-grainy, almost a hint of salinity. Melting long into the finish. What a wine – despite a narrow finish – but it’s long, long, long. Great wine.
Bordeaux bottle. 100 year-old vines. No barrels – foudres. Bottled mid-2017. ‘Much less’ than 30 hl/ha. 2014 is the currently commercial vintage.
Deeply coloured – this is a wide, hyper-fine complexity nose. A blend of the tight core but fresh openness – a drag of texture from the tannin but no grain. Long, long, lingering practically black fruit. Excellent.
2014 Mommessin Grands Mises, Moulin à Vent
From Champs Coeur, destemmed, 6 days cool maceration, 20 days of maceration in total
Modest width of aroma above but there’s an attractive width of fruit at the base of this wine. Not the largest volume in the mouth, but silky with mobile, mouth-watering, flavour of lovely line. It follows a massive 2015 with aplomb!