Tasted with Maurice Delorme and his daughter Véronique Delys in St.Amour, 20 February 2018.

Domaine du Paradis
Sathonat
71570 Saint Amour Bellevue
Tel: +33 3 85 37 12 35
www.domaineduparadis-saintamour.fr

Maurice and Véronique on 2017:
“2017 was a good year – lots of sunshine – we like the good weather and it was a very clean harvest. Good small grapes with quite a high maturity – we had some luck as the storms with hail passed all around us, but didn’t hit.”

Maurice and Véronique on 2016:
“2016 was also quite good. The weather was more variable than in 2017 with some hail in the Pouilly-Fuissé. One of the five parcels we have in Les Chailloux – which will become a 1er cru – lost about one-third of the harvest. The Les Chailloux is the one that is bottled and sold here, the rest is commercialised by the cave-cooperative. Also in 2016 we had no frost – the last time we saw frost was in 2012 when whole plants had to be pulled out as it hit between -10°C and -15°C after a very soft December – the sap was still in the vines. Back to 2016, it’s a good vintage, in fact we have had a lot of nice recent vintages – it’s been a while since we’ve had to chaptalise.”

The wines…

I’ve tasted the 2016 St.Amour at least twice now and it’s excellent. The Pouilly is in a richer, more opulent, style – perhaps just the vintage.

2016 Pouilly-Fuissé​
Single parcels, all barrel elevage, 20% new, but up to 5, 6, and 7 years old for the other barrels. Véronique noting that the vines are 88 years – ‘The same as papa!’
A width of ripe aroma, edged with a little oak. In the mouth the fruit is ripe, with lots of mouth-filling volume. Opulent for sure but with plenty of energy, complexity and a hint of salinity. Long and delicious finishing – it’s the wine’s most attractive aspect. Fine fruit and almost a hint of tannin. Wait for the oak to fade.