Tasted in Chénas with Paul-Henri Thillardon, 23 February 2022.
Domaine Thillardon, Paul-Henri & Charles
Les Brureaux
69840 Chénas
+33 6 07 76 00 91
www.domainethillardon.com (new)
More reports with Domaine Thillardon
Paul-Henri on 2021:
“It’s about half a harvest – it’s not the worst – we were 100% hailed in 2008 and 2017 – we’re farmers and we accept. We don’t have new investments – okay that’s not true – we’ve got a new horse and a nicely refurbished collar for it! From Blémonts we have nothing in 21 – the frost did enough damage to make the vines fragile and the mildew that gained entry did the rest.”
Paul-Henri on 2020:
“We had 40 hl/ha – a good volume for us. The juice not always easy to vinify as we harvested in August – but we had a mobile refrigerator to cool the grapes and that helped. We have no wines here at 14° which helped us a lot I think.”
The wines…
Impressive wines here but really not in the style of the average 2020 – lighter in colour – extra freshness and, frankly, drinkability too – they are more 2021 in style.
All bottled:
2020 Chénas, Les Carrières
The first vines from 2008. From the sedimentary section towards La Chapelle de Guinchay. On silex here. 50% elevage in old wood.
Modest colour. That’s a pretty and pure nose – very red-fruited. A saline edge to tasty mouth-watering fruit – from what I’ve tasted of 21 this is more in that style – far too easy to drink too!
A base of grapes from Chassignol plus some from all the other terroirs. Only 12°
Attractive, faintly lactic red fruit. Vibrantly red-fruited and open and again just such a drinkable practically 2021 style of flavour and delivery. The finish more serious and concentrated but also so vibrant. If the nose cleans up a bit more and becomes more expressive – this will be a great wine.
2019 Chénas Les Blémonts
1 ha of vines, more manganese here.
Reductive – but only a little – saline too to accent the red fruit. Wide and fresh – so energetic – almost juicy and growing more intense. Great finishing – exploding wider. A dynamic wine!
2020 Chénas Chassignol
Old vines of 95 years behind the domaine – a 3-hectare plot in organic for a number of years – the young vines not yet ready to be included, they go into the ‘vibrations’. 50% elevage in wood.
Starting shy – growing more fruit from the base – almost peppered. Extra direct, juicy, mineral, a wine that rushes you to the finish but then bursts like a firework over the palate.
Planted in 2016 at 400m.
Elegant, faintly floral – a small nose to start but very attractive. Mouth-filling but like all here, very open and mobile – a vibrant style to this wine – fuller finish and absolutely delicious finishing. Top – a great wine for such young vines…
More colour. Fine, wide, complex dark fruit but perfumed with florals too. Extra impact – more mouth-filling – there’s plenty of wine here but all delivered with a fresh style like the others – just an extra intensity. Melting with flavour in the finish – less padding than the last and more intense. Great wine…
Le blanc:
2019! VdF Cuvée Georges
First vintage from 0.77 ha – a very small cuvée of 300 bottles. Aligoté, chardonnay rose and chardonnay – north-facing – like the reds, no added sulfur
Rounded by some barrel but here’s an attractive ripeness of fruit – not over-ripe. Supple – no oak to see – ooh – that’s really juicy and fine fruited – slowly a few accents of barrel. Not an orange wine, just a super wine – the fruit is pure and fresh though almost a little mango exotic and very faintly phenolic finishing.
2017 Vin de Paille
Delicious – like Pedro Ximenex!