Tasted in Le Perréon with Jean-Luc Longère, 11 February 2020.
Domaine Longère
Le Duchamp
69460 Le Perréon
Tel: +33 4 74 03 27 63
www.domaine-longere.com
More reports for Domaine Longère
Jean-Luc is, in theory, retired now – but only on paper as he enjoys what he does. His wife, Regine, has another 5 years to go though!
Jean-Luc on 2019:
“2019 was a vintage with plenty of hail in the south – here too – about 30% losses, I’d say. The hail came 28 August in the south – terrible, but here it was in July – the parcels either lost everything or they weren’t touched. From the perspective of climate, it was an easy year though, the frost didn’t touch here – it was more a problem for the vines in the plains, not the hills. Without the hail, I’d take this year every year – the quality is very good too. The wines look to have a fine balance between fruit and tannin, 19 will obviously be less consistent than 2018 though.”
Jean-Luc on 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! For the first time in 15 years, in one parcel, I dropped some grapes – let’s call it a green harvest – there was plenty of grapes but not everywhere. I started to 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.”
The wines…
A fine selection from Jean-Luc in 2018, though I marginally preferred his 2017s at the same stage of development.
2019 Beaujolais Villages Blanc Nos 2 Elles
2 parcels in Le Perréon. Less vigorous parcels with fewer grapes. Just bottled, the only one in bottle…
Not a big nose, but a faint cushion, and an elegant invitation. A light but fresh peach taste, saline, wide. Not a rigour but modestly mineral.
2018 Beaujolais Villages Blanc Nos 2 Elles
Bottled last February. All stainless steel.
Much more open, quite perfumed. A little extra width and richness, beautifully balanced – that’s simply excellent. I’d drink this any day…
2018 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 bluestone. 35-year-old vines. On a vein of blue granite, plain south but high up – over 300m. Harvested ripe but not too much to keep the spine. A little more than 15% barrel, not so old barrels…
Very aromatic – plenty of oak but not too much vanilla. Bright, fresh, more driving, very mineral, the relatively heavy accent of oak adding to the sweetness but there’s also quite a pronounced salinity in the middle and finish. Long though.
2017 Beaujolais Villages Blanc En Verchères
Round, some freshness and richness combined. A richness of texture, more a wine of width than direct. This still has some oak effect for sure but it’s more in the background and additive – it’s no longer front-of-house and it’s all the better for that! Yum!
Les rouges…
Not made every year, not made in 15, longer elevage in stainless steel.
Round, textured – a great invitation – bravo! The palate is actually less sweet than the nose suggests – it’s wide, it’s fresh the fruit flavour rising in the finish. Another saline wine but really delicious. Bravo!
2018 Beaujolais Villages Le Vin des Roches
Partial destemming. Longer maceration – depends on the vintage. 400 m high on granite rose. Bottled just before harvest, not yet commercialized.
Round, faintly reductive but there’s a nice cushion to this attractive almost chocolate fruit. Round, nice presence in the centre of the palate – there’s obviously more structure here, the tannin is present but has no grain, a nice vibrancy of finishing, mouth-watering flavour.
2018 Beaujolais Villages “Jarre”
First press juice from the previous parcel. Despite the clarity that I loved in this wine, JL has found a slight hardness so he’s decided that a small part should see elevage in barrel to round the angles. Also bottled in August.
A suggestion of more colour. Fresh deep, less wide, a touch of the metallic to the fruit. Super-silky – great texture – slowly there’s the texture of some tannin apparent, but really micro-grained. An extra width and complexity of compliant, deliciously complex fruit flavour, perhaps touched by a little minerality. Composed, tasty, excellent wine. The nose is just a little more open after some minutes in the glass – so carafe for best results right now.