Tasted in Lantignié with Annick Lafont, 03 February 2021.
Domaine de Bel Air
69430 Lantignié
Tel: +33 4 74 04 82 08
www.dombelair.com
More reports with Domaine de Bel Air
Annick on 2021 & 2020:
“2020 was already a smaller vintage and it was the same in 2021 too. I think 2021 will bring nice fruity wines – a good result ofter lots of attention to triage and everything – I think they will be lovely. The volume was low in 2020 not because of the triage but because of dryness, mainly – there just wasn’t a lot of juice in the grapes.”
The wines…
For the second year in a row the Beaujolais Villages is a great wine, more surprisingly the blanc too! A strong set of wines from this producer in 2020.
Almost all are bottled – they are still waiting for the Moulin à Vent but the rest is done. They are not yet commercialising all the 2020s…:
A little shy but this nose has an attractive and inviting accent. Supple, wide, airy, good depth and some citrus bitters too. This is a second seriously great BB in the same day – bravo!
The vines are on a vein of bluestone which is the same vein as in Brouilly. South-facing vines in Belair with about 20% from an opposing hill. about 5 hectares worth of mainly older vines – around 50-years-old…
Starting quite compact, this nose still goes deep with lots of dark fruit – opening with a lovely acid fruit. That sits wonderfully well on the palate – it’s concentrated but joyously fresh too – that’s a joy – bravo!
2020 Brouilly Briante
6.5 ha here, one parcel vinified apart.
Also a wine that opens with similarly attractive acid fruit – a little less wide to start. Mouth-filling, the structure a hint more serious – a small drag to the texture but no real grain from this tannin. An easy rather than impressive finish but still a super combination of attributes here.
Nearly 400m altitude here on pink granite – the highest vines of the domaine.
Also needing a little air to blossom – an acid-style fruit again but becoming redder with air. Different in style – again lots of freshness but this wine melting over the palate – almost juicily with a creamy red fruit – I love the energy again. This is top! Almost ‘easy’ after the stricter Brouilly!
2020 Morgon Charmes
‘A really good terroir the closest to here in Morgon.’
All these wines take their time to open up after the cork is removed. What grows from this glass is a sleeker, darker fruit after the Fleurie with lots of depth too. Wide, extra structure – like the Brouilly but with additional width. A subtle and long, mineral and dark, fruit finale.
2019! Moulin à Vent Les Burdelines
The 20 not yet bottled…. ‘Our cuvée classique, we have one other (Granit et Manganese) still in wood.’
A little less intensity of colour. Red, faintly spiced fruit. Mouth-filling – a wine that grows to fill the available space. Fine structure and melting with fresh flavour – a little less sucrosity than the 2020s but in isolation that’s no negative. Very faintly framed with some dryness of tannin – becoming more velvet in style. Clearly excellent wine…