Tasted in Fleurie with Jean-Louis Dutraive, 23 February 2022.
Domaine de La Grand’Cour
69820 Fleurie
Tel: +33 4 74 69 81 16
domainedelagrandcour.fr
More reports with Domaine de La Grand’Cour
Jean-Louis on 2021:
“Usually, we produce 25-30 hl/ha here. In 2021 it was only 15 hl/ha – so about half our normal yield – but the wines are interesting. Of course, the main reasons were lotsof frost which meant about minus-30% then we had some hail in places too which meant another minus-30%! The 2020s are already sold or reserved.”
The wines…
Really wines of finesse here – in particular, the 2021s will bring you double penury – only half the volume is available and you will drink the wines twice as fast! The 2020s were no slouches either – clearly one of the highlight tastings of my February tour!
First some 2021s from barrel:
2021 Brouilly Cuvée Vieilles Vignes
‘We normally get a bit more from here than in Fleurie but this year only 12 hl/ha’
Pale, fine width, elegant aromatics. Fruit that’s supple, easy, delicious – flavours with a certain concentration too. Very tasty finishing. Nicely ripe and tasty wine with a little mineral finish.
2021 Fleurie Madone – Justin Dutraive
Jean-Louis’ son Justin works both at the domaine and a little for himself too – here’s one in a 600-litre barrel – vines that face Villie-Morgon.
Pretty and pure aromatics that are in the style of the domaine here. A little more direct, juicy flavour, accented with attractive red fruit. Thats really super in the middle and finishing flavours.
Already the third vintage for this
More floral perfume – that’s super. A little gas but also vibrant and mineral, never hard – great texture too. Thats a great wine!
Like all, very modest colour but thats usual here. Higher toned more floral red fruit – different but another top perfume. Extra-wide and more mineral again on the palate, subtly more serious but still very (too!) approachable. Bravo again!
2021 Fleurie Ch*mpagne Cuvée Vieilles-Vignes
A mix of old and young vines 40 and 80-90. Harvested with separate elevage, but will be blended for a single cuvée
Ooh – more fruit in this perfume but beautifully red and ‘Fleurie’ – more power. This wine has more flavour impact too. Vibrant, mouth-water – as deliciously drinkable as all here.
Wow even greater perfume – it’s like working your way (up!) through the cuvées of DRC
Structured but gorgeously flavoured – so perfume infused – great, great wine. Superb finishing!
There are some négoce wines here too:
2021 Fleurie Les Deduits
Grapes from Marc Delienne.
Less aromatic impact but still a nice width of aroma here. Nicely deep flavour. With a good vibration of energy – this is lovely…
2021 Chiroubles
Grapes from Pauline Passot
A much bigger but still very perfumed nose – despite a small reduction. Direct, energetic, a little structural and always perfumed.
2021 St-Amour
Grapes from Chardigy – also organic from Clos du Chapitre
A more top to bottom – vertical – nose, almost a little, becoming, almond too. Vibrant and wide over the palate, just with a faint touch of the barrel in this sample. Vibrant once more…
A selection of bottled 2020s:
80-90-year-old vines – a little more than 1 ha that wasn’t replanted by Ophelia’s grandfather.
Deeper, more concentrated, almost an old-vine creaminess. A little gas, fine and energetic, saline, complex – bravo! Deeper finishing – the previous more airy. This will be great.
2020 Fleurie Chapelle de Bois
This bottled at the end of Decemeber – one month later than the previous.
Also a small nose but also admirably perfumed. More width of fruit and a little more density to that flavour too – slightly structural in this case – but the flavour remains a big loving hug – super indeed great finishing again…
A broader nose – but this bottle opened the previous evening. Super texture, concentrated and fluid. That’s another great wine!
2020 Brouilly Cuvée Vieilles Vignes
‘We have 1.7 ha – we lost half of the harvest in one week when the grapes just dried on the vine – there was just no water reserve for the vines so I think they took what they could from the grapes!’
Here a tighter nose. But the palate is wide and growing in fine mouth-watering flavour – really delicious – not short of great balance here.
2020 Chiroubles
Rounder and fruitier! Density yet so mouth-wateringly tasty. Really a super finish here – yet again.