Tasted in the Chateau de la Terrière with Arnaud, Ludovic and Johan, 14 February 2019.
Château de la Terrière
La Terrière
69220 Cercié
Tel: +33 4 74 66 77 89
chateaudelaterriere.fr
On 2018:
“2018 was a lovely vintage from both quality and quantity perspectives. A volume a bit above average for Beaujolais – maybe a little too much in some places. We experienced no frost and no hail – after a couple of years of hail – in the end it was an easy vintage, but one where the date of harvest was a very important factor. We had to be vigilant with the vinifications though, there are often some technical challenges in warm, high sugar vintages.”
On 2017:
“2017 was certainly less easy. We had hail in Moulin and Fleurie, so all the Terrière Moulin à Vent was lost. In both 2016 and 2017 it was the same areas that had hail – Fleurie was the epicentre, Moulin à Vent, Chiroubles and Morgon too – a little less in Morgon. We also decided not to make a Brouilly VV cuvée, privileging the grapes for our ‘classic’ cuvée. It was a small harvest volume in Régnié – but whilst it was a more modest volume of grapes, because of that, the maturity came quicker than in 2018. But we’re very happy with the results – the wines are drinking very well. Only August and September had less rain than average – from the 14 August the weather was fine indeed September had more sun than an average August!”
The wines…
I think it’s that tasting room – the aromas are always tight here – but below are very good, sometime great wines!
2017 Château de Terrière, Beaujolais Villages Vieilles-Vignes
Actually they have no vines in this appellation, rather this is really Regnié – Regnié its harder to sell than BJV!
A tight yet deep nose of darker fruit. Supple, fresh, nice line and energy – a touch of salinity here. Also a very fine touch of tannin at the base – but with astringence. Fresh finishing. Some finishing bitters – it’s currently serious, so hold onto this for another 6 months to make a little more charming.
2017 Château de Terrière, Brouilly
About 12 hectares opposite the château on a rose granite. Replacing some of the older vines for 2 reasons – as they have a small yield and so can mechanically work the soil and move to organic viticulture.
More colour. A touch of biscuit reduction but below is a more vibrant and focused fruit a nose that eventually suggests flowers too. Bigger in the mouth, plenty of volume and structure in tandem – the tannin is on a higher level, bringing a textural drag but very little in the way of astringence. A flavour framed by freshness indeed intensity, practically licorice dark flavour in the finish. Very long – much longer than the BJV but also a wine to wait for – super persistence.
The polar bear wine (climat Le Siberie – see image at top of the page), from old vines vinified and 2 ha of 1911 vines and with no added sulfur at all.
Tons of colour. A big nose indeed quite a friendly nose – a lovely fruit. Full the most supple of these, yet a wine of impressive concentration – again a textural drag from the tannin – lots of dimension of fine flavour. Ooh, let me think! Delicious – bravo – easy!
And as the wines are missing in 2017 – here are the 2016s as a reminder:
2016 Brouilly Vieilles-Vignes
A much deeper nose, also a touch of biscuit reduction here, but round and with an almost textured depth to the aroma – inviting. Hmm – full, plenty of tannin but it’s already more in the background than for the 2017s – supple, concentrated but at the same time open and generous flavour – deeply, darkly fruited. Delicious wine – perhaps a suggestion of pyrazine flavour in the complexity, but it’s a properly impressive complexity.
2 parcels, all in the south were lost to the hail, but this 0.5 ha climat was okay. Their MAV is always mainly destemmed and then has a long cuvaison – as much as 25-26 days – starting cold and using a grill for ‘infusion.’
Hmm – wide, open, friendly but rather oaky nose. Ooh – full, super texture, very fine tannin – I love the shape and texture of this wine when coupled to the weight of concentration. There’s currentlymthe oak which I find distracting, but this is a wine of brilliant scale and balance. I would wait at least 2-3 years – it’s not a heavy oak, but enough to distract. Bravo!