Tasted in Bully with Fabien Romany, 24 February 2023.
Domaine Aurélie & Fabien Romany
Chemin de Saint-Barnabé
69210 Bully
Tel: +33 6 70 39 81 05
www.aurelie-fabien-romany
More reports with Domaine A&F Romany
Fabien on 2022 & 2021:
“2022 with the dryness was a bit disappointing – volume-wise – we didn’t have much rain the vines work well with some hydric stress but we had a bit too much stress! I think that they are wines for keeping and they are good – but I’ve less volume than in 21. In 2021 we had some frost but given the amount of rain the grapes were full – fewer grapes than in 22 but fuller! 21 was about 75% of a normal volume – closer to two-thirds for 22 – neither a catastrophe but I have the impression that the vines support much better the dryness now than versus 10 years ago when we started in organics. In 2021 we did some leaf-thinning – it’s a more Burgundian vintage, more finesse than those vintages around it but it’s not a ridiculous difference vs 22 except that I find them quite closed right now. I thought them a little fragile so decided that a little sulfur was necessary at bottling – to avoid any mousiness – it’s the vintage that decides. I’m not asking for the moon but it would be nice to have a normal year this year!”
The wines…
My second visit here and despite the more challenging vintage some excellent wines again!
2022(!) Beaujolais Le Moulin
60-year-old vines from a granite soil – I think of it as a wine for drinking young with friends. Manual harvested and all destemmed – in 22 all tiaged on a vibrating table too.
Lots of colour. A depth of darker fruit – almost textured. Supple, easy over the palate but with a growing intensity too. I’d wait 6 months for some of the finishing bitters to round but this has a ton of accessible flavour – it will be delicious.
2021 Beaujolais Into the wild
This a ‘natural’ wine – sulfur only introduced for the bottling, elevage with an inert atmosphere, 50% older (2-3 years) barrels. These vines of 40-years-old and others dating from 1918 which planted by the grandmother at the end of the war … 30% destemmed.
Plenty of colour. A little barrel frames good depth of aroma. Supple, decently concentrated, wide flavours that today are a little too oaky for me – but this has fine texture and width of flavour. It’s delicious in this style.
2021 Beaujolais Aux Ecully
On granite. This 100% destemmed
A broader freshness of aroma. There’s a suggestion of barrel but this is altogether more interestingly aromatic. Supple, more direct than the last – again with nice texture plus the extra complexity of the stems – this is excellent wine – and in 6-12 months will be completely delicious. The last notes also with a little graphite minerality
And a blancs:
The whites account for about 10% of the volume here. BJB on granite with tank elevage, the BB on clays with barrel elevage – though no limestone:
2021 Beaujolais Blanc
This parcel in conversion – the 23 harvest will be AB.
Light colour. Fresh – a forward, slightly musky aroma – but of ripe fruit. Direct, ripe fruit, not too much rigour that’s a very tasty, indeed very attractive white, almost juicy, finishing a little dry and tannic.
2021 Bourgogne Chardonnay Les Gouttes
Name of the lieu-dit. Chardonnay in the commune of Saint-Germain – ‘Clays that have mainly lost their limestone.’
A hint more colour. Also a pretty nose – perhaps prettier – the oak is subtle in the aromas. In the mouth direct and juicy – more directly citrus but with plenty of floral accents too. The citrus is more incisive in the finish – the oak more present here but in 6 months you will see less of it. That’s a super wine.