Tasted in Le Perréon with Jean-Luc Longère, 12 February 2019.

Domaine Longère
Le Duchamp
69460 Le Perréon
Tel: +33 4 74 03 27 63
www.domaine-longere.com

Jean-Luc on 2018:
“The vignerons are quite content with 2018! Plenty of rain in April and May and then it stopped – it was like the water was cut off. The comfort was fabulous though for a vigneron – the weather forecast was boring – always nice! Started harvest 1st September finished 21st – it was long – with the sun on our heads, no need to rush, all done in its own time – it was easy to be patient, there was never any pressing reason to rush. Yields were different in each zone, but honestly I still struggle to understand – no rain but no apparent hydric stress in the vines. A vintage with a strong paradox – really an enigma.”

Jean-Luc on 2017:
“2017 was another year of paradox, because vignerons don’t like too much rain, but we were complaining because there wasn’t any – and that was after a very dry 2016 vintage! It finally rained on the 31 August – we had 70 millimetres here! Some had already started to harvest on the 28 August – the day of the ban des vendanges – I also did a small parcel for my Beaujolais Nouveau – but only there as I was beginning to worry that I might be making Porto! The rain boosted the vines and aided the grape maturity after the hydric stress. We had no problems of frost or hail in this area. Unlike 2017 there was a little more obvious lack of water for the vines – some parcels certainly suffered here. There was more push to harvest in some areas as the acidity was being lost faster than in 2018. I only have 5 hectares but I harvested for 2.5 weeks in small tranches, waiting for each parcel to come to ripeness – we have 100 metres difference in altitude between the highest and lowest vines. I waited until about 5 days after the rain.”

The wines…

As each year, so-far, simply a first-class address for Beaujolais Villages.

2017 Beaujolais Villages Blanc Nos 2 Elles
2 parcels in Le Perréon. Less vigorous parcels with fewer grapes.
A lovely complexity in this wide nose – mineral, floral, fresh peach fruit. Bubbling with energy – but not shouting – silky but a little touch of phenolic texture if you search. A ripe citrus, maybe citrus skin, in the flavour before a mouth-watering long finish that is predominantly mineral. Super construction, though I’d still look for a touch more sucrosity for a little extra charm.

2017 Beaujolais Villages Blanc En Verchères
Have made whites here since 1995. This is the name of parcel – half a hectare of vines on volcanic rock with some blue stone. 35 year-old vines. On blue granite, plain south but high up. Harvested ripe but not too much to keep the spine. 80% tank, the oak relatively young but a long slow toast so not torrefaction notes. Bottled just before the 2018 harvest.
A little more roundness and yellow-fruitedness(!) to this nose. Ooh – energy, depth of flavour, layers of fine flavour – there is a minor contribution from the oak here but not too overt. Mineral, faintly saline – a very tasty finish. Nice wine…

Les rouges…

2017 Beaujolais Villages
300m altitude on granite rose – ‘it’s pretty much the same as in Fleurie’ – bottled in the Spring after harvest.
Beautiful colour. Ooh – that’s a beautiful nose too – clarity of fine dark cherry fruit – such a great invitation. Direct, indeed sleek, less direct fruit than the nose suggests, driving freshness and line. Long, mouth-watering, wine that makes me salivate. Long too. Excellent!