Tasted with Louis-Clement David-Beaupère in Julienas, 15 February 2018.
Domaine David-Beaupère
La Bottière
69840 Juliénas
Tel: +33 9 75 92 61 19
www.domainedavidbeaupere.fr
Louis-Clement on 2017:
“2017 was a warm year, I don’t say unfortunately but it was complicated by the dryness – we didn’t have frost or hail here – the bottom of Juliénas suffered more. The Hauts were good with a decent volume. But overall the year wasn’t too complicated by the climate. Lots of manual work debudding to keep the plants in order. I was happy with the vines, I think that I progress. Happy, despite being about 25% down in volume. My vinifications changed a little as this year I started with a colder temperature – harvested in 20kg cases that I refrigerate for 24 hours. Slowly the fermentation starts around 13° and I use about 20-25% barrel elevage, the rest in tank.”
Louis-Clement on 2016:
“2016 of-course lots of rain, so the vines pushed, pushed, pushed. Had to work hard against the maladies, lots of treatments. We are organic but still made a good yield. The macerations completely carbonic. I think the wines super – I’ve really a lot of enthusiasm for this vintage…”
The wines…
The character of low sulfur wines is clear to see here, but it’s also easy to see how well Louis-Clement has fashioned them.
2016 Julienas Trois Verres
A new cuvee – a graphic label, the three glasses – from a plantation done in 2014 – these are the first grapes – it was tasty so decided not to mix with the other grapes. From Bottière
Round, deep, faintly reductive very red fruited. Ooh – open, layered, low sulfur palette of flavour. Good volume in the mouth and long.
2016 Julienas La Bottière
Stopped with the Croix de la Bottière, this is vv – 70 years-old – the save vinification as 3 glasses, more structure and more core from the older vines. Two bottlings, April and this from end of June. ‘I think June worked best due to the slighty reductive character of the first wine – but still carafe!’
More depth and clarity of slightly darker fruit. Ooh – lithe, direct, more concentration, the overall shape is beautiful. Delicious and complex yet still a shade discreet. Great finishing. Excellent!
2015 Julienas Vayolette
From the west of the appellation on a plain south-facing, steep slope, the soil is blue stone. Have a 3ha parcel. ‘The precision is a grace of the pierre blue – it’s a great terroir!’
Big, open and floral, growing wider and wider with a vibration of aroma below. Extra depth, more silk, and certainly more complexity. Like most wines of this approach it’s a broad swathe of complexity rather than pure focus clarity – but boy is it good – the finishing flavour is all that you could ever wish for! Excellent.