Tasted in Charentay with Julien Bertrand, 08 February 2023.
Domaine Bertrand
108 Chemin de Bonnege
69220 Charentay
Tel: +33 6 95 53 55 91
www.domainebertrand.f
It was the grandfather of Julien Bertrand who started the domaine in 1956 with 3 crus from Charentay; Beaujolais, Beaujolais Villages and Brouilly – the domaine is just down the hill from Château Pierreux in Brouilly.
A domaine in Fleurie was taken on in 2009, expanding the range. Julien joined in 2014. Julien laughs “My grandfather planted a lot, my father not so much – so there’s plenty of replanting underway right now. My parents peaked at nearly 20 hectares but we reduced the area to aid our conversion to organic – 5 hectares on metayage from the coop were relatively easy to let go!”
Julien is part of a collective who pursues agro-ecology – planting trees at the borders of their vines, etcetera. “It’s interesting that the previous generation was looking for the largest surface area, the new generation is looking more for the maximum that they can manage with ecology, and organic approaches in mind – so often downsizing.”
Julien uses only whole clusters, semi-carbonic, no sulfur – no long macerations. “I try not to have too many interventions. A little sulfur just before bottling. I like concrete for elevage but have some larger format barrels and foudre too.”
The domaine’s main market is France.
Julien on 2021:
“We are low here – under 200m altitude – so we really suffered from the frost and lost a good 60+% here – only our Julienas at over 400m wasn’t touched – a shame it’s a small parcel! We also lost all our Moulin a Vent – at the bottom of the appellation with deep soils – which helps us in dry years but not years of frost. Triage was a lot of work but afterwards, in the cuverie, it was a very easy year to make the wines – we harvested quite late but didn’t try to extract from the grapes. We also suffered in 2022 but because of the dryness – we were maybe 25% lower but I’m happy with that.”
The wines…
A fine address – some lovely, delicious wines – no green notes in 2021 either!
2/3rds of the domaine was certified organic in 2020 and the rest joined in 2021 – so all these wines tasted are AB on the labels:
2021 Fleurie Le Deduits
Demi-muids of 500-litres. Bottled end of spring 2022.
A nose that slowly opens with a clean and attractive dark berry fruit. Hmm – this moves nicely over the palate – a little touch of tannin, small-grained, but not drying. A good concentration in the middle flavours, holding well into the finish. I’d keep this at least a year before attacking.
2021 Brouilly Vuril
In bottle 90 minutes! The Brouilly a third of the domaine’s production. A mix of young and much older vines. With concrete elevage. They have an old vine Pisse Vieille too but not separated in 2021
Good colour. Dark aromas – slightly reductive. Mouth-filling, clean and fresh flavours – a suggestion of structure, the flavour growing in intensity – open and always interesting. A wine to keep 12 months – like the Fleurie – but I like this a lot.
2021 Julienas Les Fouillouses
Les colour than the Brouilly – bottled just a few weeks. Almost 400m of altitude here. Two-thirds with concrete elevage the rest in large-format barrels
The nose is a little tight and savoury – I’d carafe this. But incisive red fruit and lovely clarity and just enough structure and tannin here. This is very lovely – clean and complex red-fruited wine. Like the others, I’d keep it for about a year. Lovely finishing – that’s an excellent wine!
For context:
2019(!) Brouilly Pisse Vieille
Longer elevage – demi-muids and foudre before 6 months in tank then bottling.
More concentrated, slightly spiced red fruit. Vibrant wine – there’s energy here – a slightly drying tannin too today but almost balanced by the juicy, mouth-watering style of the wine. The fruit is still a little roasted in style but I like the energy here and would drink this with pleasure.
The Blanc:
2021 Beaujolais Blanc
In the east of the village (Charentay) planted at the end of the 1990s – have nearly 2 ha of whites here. ‘I can’t tell you why, but here the malo hardly ever takes place – certainly not in 2021. Easily 13° natural here – even in 21 – it was more like 13.5° in 2022. Made in stainless steel to drink now – I didn’t make it to drink in 10 years.’
Plenty of aromatic intensity, slightly spiced. Hmm, incisive at the start, rounder in the middle but silky and mineral – slightly exotic fruit even with a faint tannin. That’s a lovely white.
2022 Beaujolais Blanc
A small first bottling just before Christmas. ‘I like to ferment cool – around 15°C’
A more powerful aroma – not so wide but very deep. Despite the power, there’s a nicely incisive side to this wine too – direct, concentrated but cut by fine acidity – there’s plenty of flavour energy and a mouth-watering finish. Very fruity but that’s young 2022 – not just here – it’s the same in Chablis too!