Tasted with Olivier Pezenneau in Charantay, 08 February 2022.
Domaine Olivier Pezenneau
747 rue du Chapoly
69220 Charantay
Tel: +33 6 14 19 02 65
Olivier is responsible for two domaines:
The first, is the family domaine in the south of Beaujolais – 8 hectares, more than half in the Pierres Dorées, and mainly planted to white. Olivier worked here since 2002. There was plenty of red but he said he saw the writing on the wall and chose to change to chardonnay.
The second, began in 2015 when he took on the domaine of someone who was retiring. “I’d looked for 10 years to find the right one – and this year I managed to add a little Moulin à Vent too – so I’ve now 8 hectares in the south and another 8 here. Six hectares are Brouilly and I vinify 6 different wines while selling some Combiaty – which is half of the total. All triaged at the vines and again at the cuverie – and I do lots of destemming too.”
Olivier will be bottling his 2020s in the next weeks – March is planned. For now, there’s only a little export – “It’s planned but at the moment sales are in France, we have a wineshop in the south of Beaujolais where the wines are also sold.”
The wines…
Whilst the alcohols are relatively high – I would forgive you for not noting as the balance renders it invisible. Excellent to great wines in 2020 – bravo!
2020 Brouilly Combiaty
Normally they finish harvest here as it’s so high but they started here in 2020
The nose is of super-pure red fruit. The structure shows with a little grain, the flavour supported by some minerality – but this is wide and mouth-watering with a core of concentrated and delicious red fruit. A little structural but very tasty. Yum! Persistent – you won’t note the 14.5°!
Starts in similar aromatic fashion with a super clarity of pure red fruit. More direct, silkier still with a proper structure – it’s much more perfumed – that’s a great Wine! Lots of finishing sucrosity – also 14.5°!
2020 Morgon Corcelette
Also very fine and pure – more complex fruit aroma. More direct, more mineral – this a structural wine but nicely vibrant in flavour. Finishing really well – and only 13.7°!
And for the road:
2019 Brouilly
Colder wine – fresh, tighter, more berry fruit. More direct, lovely shape and texture. Growing in intensity. Modestly tannic but hardly any grain. Finishing well, with energy. Excellent wine!