Tasted in Denicé with Jean-Frédéric Sambardier, 22 February 2022!
Manoir du Carra Sambardier
Le Carra
69640 Denicé
Tel: +33 4 74 67 38 24
www.manoir-du-carra.com
More reports with Domaine Manoir du Carra Sambardier
Jean-Frédéric on 2021:
“Frost and hail on the village wines – I lost nearly 80% in the latter – we could buy a little and we made some nice wine*.”
*And it’s true, two of my top nouveau/primeurs (blind) were from this domaine.
Jean-Frédéric on 2020:
“Whilst the yield wasn’t exceptional, it was correct – we started harvesting quite early of course – it was hot and the degrees were increasing quite quickly. Harvesting from 22nd August though for the crémant the 14 August already. All was done on the 3rd September.”
The wines…
As always here, there are some wines worth a special search…
2020 Beaujolais Villages Cuvée non-filtre
Two bottlings usually for this. Vines in Rivolé – quite close to here – all granite and schist – ‘a very Lantignié style of geology.’
A deep and dark fruit but not oppressive – growing with fine width. A little grain but here is energy and openly tasty dark-fruited flavour. An intensity with some good finishing bitters. This is more than very good for the label.
2020 Brouilly Combiatys
Always the same 4 hectares – only 35 hl/ha in 21 because of the frost here.
A brighter, wider vibrant red fruit. All is framed by tannin here – but there’s no grain only a little dryness of texture. This may be a little structural to start but what delicious, if still structured and with graphite minerality in the finishing flavour. Keep this a couple of years but it’s clearly excellent.
A little more than a hectare of vines in the higher side of Deduits and a proper Clos with walls on 3 sides
Hmm – now that’s a silky and attractive nose. Vibrant, gorgeously textured and open – full of mouth-watering energy. Really a juicy wine this, and full of flavour. It also requires patience – but maybe 1 year will be enough – bravo!
2020 Juliénas La Bottière
A more mineral and red-fruited width to this one. Ooh – now that’s another beauty – the tannin is even less visible but here is still a proper structure with mobile fresh flavour, a little more cushioned and considered in the finish – very long. Super wine.
2020 Juliénas Les Demi-Muids
No added sulfur cuvée. Elevage in 600-litre barrels and assembled into cement tanks before bottling – three lieu-dits assembled here. ‘Always a better acidity here so it’s more practical to make a ‘nature’ cuvée vs the Fleurie’
Lots of colour. A much smaller nose to start but also one with a lovely floral accent. Extra mouth-filling, extra energy too. A little more tannin is visible but without grain. A larger-scaled and completely delicious. The quality is just as good as the last – excellent – but this would be my personal choice – I’d accept the extra €2 charge for that.
There’s also a small cuvée of Burdelines that’s not yet been bottled
A darker and deeper fruit, also a little shy to start but slowly releasing a super perfume. Top – the texture the fluidity, slowly turning to velour from silk as the tannin starts to show itself. Subtly but hauntingly long. Bravo!
And to finish:
2020 Beaujolais Blanc
Mainly from Denicé
A round nose, with richness. Again silky, rather generous and well textured. The minerality holds a finishing line quite long. Good wine…
2020 Bourgogne Blanc Le Soly
The village of Cogny west of Villefranche. 1 ha of 30-year-old vines all hard limestone here – ‘you never taste a great gamay from here!’
Bright, fresh, wide – generously oak-accented – slowly starting to the fruit a little more. This is really nice in the mouth – melting, mouth-watering, a little mineral, then oak. That’s really a wine that just keeps getting better and better – I’m not a fan of the oaky nose – which will fade a lot in 12 months – but the rest is really fine and the oak less overt.