Tasted almost in Villé-Morgon with Fabien Collonge, 13 February 2019.
Fabien Collonge
Le Truges
69910 Villé Morgon
Tel: +33 6 30 02 63 18
www.fabien-collonge.com
Fabien on 2018:
“Like everyone I think we had a good vintage. The quality is super and of-course the volume too. We started in August, harvesting for a couple of weeks in a nice sunshine. A vintage with structure and power I think – we have enjoyed great quality for 7 or 8 vintages now but not always with a lot of juice at the end of the year – but this year!”
Fabien on 2017:
“Another early vintage, at least a couple of weeks early but lovely weather – we started at the end of August but in some parcels we needed to wait as there was some blockage. It was between the 10th and 15th that we finished as we waited for a little while after a helpful rain. The year had some hail again plus a lack of juice from the dryness, but there was potentially a very big crop before that. So in the end it was two-thirds of a normal crop in Morgon and one-third in Chiroubles, so roughly a little more than 50% yield. The acidities are good and that’s super when you consider that the wines were 13-14° natural! Fortunately we still sell regularly to the négoce so we did less of that to keep our volume in bottles at an okay level, so we won’t be bottling 2018s early to compensate.”
The wines…
Such a great range with both concentration and purity. Like every year!
Everything was bottled before the harvest:
2017 Chiroubles
Lost at least 60% in 2017…
Plenty of colour. A deep nose – dark fruit, accented with flowers – super. Supple, fresh – lots of volume – a wine that starts direct and mouth-watering but the flavour is slowly opening, melting over the palate. Juicy finishing – ooh – that’s so good and so long with almost a touch of chocolate. A great finish and massive potential – excellent!
Even a little less volume than in 2017 – there were two storms here!
Ooh – that’s a fine, precise, beautifully dark-fruited nose – yes! Supple, wide, great fruit that comes in mineral-led layers. Ooh – that’s great in the middle and finish – bravo – quite something!
Ooh – that’s another nose that’s quite something – more of a compôte fruit but not over-ripe or spicy. Hmm, layered, a hint of developing complexity – here a little spice but really it’s wine that’s more about complexity – what a wine again – different in style and whilst I prefer the 2016, this is every bit as good, perhaps better. Bravo!
2017 Morgon Vieilles-Vignes
From Corcelettes and a smaller part next to Doubie contributing about 20% of the whole
Ooh – another great nose – there is fine and dynamic fruit mixed with flowers here! More drive, more direct – there isn’t the padding of the Chiroubles here – but there’s energy and a little lean muscle. Super wine – I love the play over the palate. Yes – lovely!
Encore – another great aromatic – fruit and fresh flowers together. More width and depth, depth of texture here too. A wine to wait for – for sure – but within this structure is a super-attractive floral perfume that reflects the nose – bravo. But wait!