Tasted in the Chateau de la Terrière with Ludovic and Johan, 13 February 2020.
Château de la Terrière
La Terrière
69220 Cercié
Tel: +33 4 74 66 77 89
chateaudelaterriere.fr
More reports for Domaine Château de La Terrière
On 2019:
“We waited for the best maturity, at 12-13° the wines certainly weren’t ripe this year. There was always something about the weather to be worried about – really capricious – but we had a decent amount of rain in August – the same storm that brought hail in the south around 18-19 August delivered ‘only’ rain here and helped to de-block the vines. Nice conditions in September. Less volume – about 40 hl/ha there was more in 2018. We started about the 16 September. A little frost in Moulin à Vent, but around Terrière not. Fortunately also no problem with fermentations.”
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 started harvesting about a week earlier than in 19 – given the large volume we decided to make a saignée of some of the parcels to reduce the amount.”
The wines…
Excellent – as usual. My only real (not real!) complaint here are the practically supermarket-style labels – the Vin Sauvage being an obvious and quite cool exception.
Actually they have no vines in this appellation, rather this is really Regnié – Regnié its harder to sell than BJV! Some destemming but not all. A few pigeages some grillage.
Plenty of colour. That’s nicely open – dark fruited but the impression of a silken texture. Full, very nice volume but of open dark fruit. Juicy and intense finishing. A little bitters that will fade with some patience. That’s really long too – bravo BJV!
2018 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.
Not much darker coloured. More high-toned and open – a little herbed – bouquet-garni style with a growing well of darker fruit. A little more muscular, super texture too – the intensity is certainly higher here, but this has ample freshness. A big wine, again with some bitters, and very long. A little less delicious but altogether excellent with a great finish again, fewer bitter.
2018 Brouilly Vieilles-Vignes Jules de Souzy
All destemmed, some pigeage and grilled. A maceration of 20 days here. 30 hl foudres for elevage.
A little more colour here – practically saturated! Wide but fine nose – there’s depth and width but nothing in excess. Super – here is depth of flavour, depth of fine, darker, fruit too but this is open and not a bit heavy. Some tannin but no finishing bitters, the finish is less overt but long. That’s a super shaped wine. Excellent!
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 so ‘The most stressful wine to make!’ Was bottled in April, the rest mainly in May except the MaV near the harvest.
Lots of colour again. A deepr register of aroma with good width – slowly the air liberates appealing higher tones. More open, cooler fruit, extra freshness – really the best energy of all so far in the middle. Mouth-watering and so tasty. Refreshingly moreish. Bravo!
2018 Moulin à Vent, Le Moulin
2 parcels. This all-barrel elevage, for 12 months, a little more than one-third was new.
The first wine where there’s some distracting oak in the aromas. Nice shape, super texture too – a complex wine – really in the classic MaV/Vosne style of flavour delivery – here a bit too much oak for now – give this at least a couple of years but the shape, depth and presentation all show something that’s excellent. Wait at least 3 years…
2018 Bourgogne Pinot Noir
Vines in south of Beaujolais, limestone and clay there. This destemmed but it will depend on the vintage – some pigeage – temperature in fermentation not more than 23° – though it started at 8° – then warmed to 28° to finish. Not yet bottled – plenty of new oak – probably for the spring-time
Quite a compact nose but one of silk and freshness – the barrels are not showing. Round plenty of volume – great texture with a modest framing of the flavour with micro-fine-grained tannin. A little finishing bitters. A wine that doesn’t lack concentration despite being quite young vines. Modest finishing impact but quite long all the same. Fine presentation, today lacking outright deliciousness, but some potential. €12 – about the same price as the Vin Sauvage.