Tasted almost in Villé-Morgon with Fabien Collonge, 12 February 2020.
Fabien Collonge
Le Truges
69910 Villé Morgon
Tel: +33 6 30 02 63 18
www.fabien-collonge.com
More reports for Domaine Fabien Collonge
Fabien on 2019
“In 2019 I had a little frost at the bottom of the hills, some of the Morgon and certainly the chardonnay near the BJV. I started harvesting 12 September, it was necessary to wait for the maturity or there would have been a herbal character. The heat and the wind together dried the grapes very quickly so you couldn’t wait too long either. Less quantity than 2018 about 40 hl/ha – it was closer to 50 in 2018. I thought maybe the wines could resemble 2015, but in the end, they are much more fruity. For a couple of years – 2019 and 2018 – the fermentations have been slow, they’ve gone through, but I had to keep a close eye on them!”
Fabien on 2018:
“That was a rare harvest – nothing to throw away and great quantity – it was just a case of finding space for everything! 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 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!”
The wines…
Always an address I appreciate and one of the best for Chiroubles – in 2018, however, merely ‘excellent’ for the Chiroubles…
The 2018s were bottled in the Springtime:
2018 Chiroubles l’Aurore des Côtes
That’s got a lovely depth of dark fruit – clean and open – a width of floral aroma slowly growing in the glass. Volume, nice energy – open and with fine clarity. It could have a bit more impact but this remains easy and completely delicious with slightly darker fruit, like the nose. A pretty finish that’s mouth-wateringly long and saline too. That’s very tasty. I was expecting a little more as this is usually one of my very favourite Chiroubles – but it’s excellent all the same.
2017 Chiroubles
Lost at least 60% in 2017…
Just a touch more spiced complexity – the extra age or the vintage? A little more incisive, more stone fruit – cherry-stone – more incisive, a little longer. Altogether a more complex showing than the 2018 today. I slightly prefer the clarity of fruit in the 2018 but overall this is the better wine – excellent again!
A more open freshness of aroma – this is quite wide and shows lovely focus. Extra impact – intense, juicy, really intense in the middle – driving, delicious, juicy, moreish flavour – all the while nicely structured. This wine has it all – bravo!
2017 Morgon Vieilles-Vignes
From Corcelettes and a smaller part next to Douby contributing about 20% of the whole
That’s a good nose – more vertical, more salinity mixing with the florals above. That’s fine in the mouth – less overtly structural more complex, more saline and mineral. Very wide, this is really excellent, just missing that extra smile and wink that you get from the 18.