Tasted with Cosima Bassouls in Lantignié, 01 March 2023.
Domaine Château des Vergers
150 Chemin des Vergers
69430 Lantignié
Tel: +33 6 69 71 18 31
chateaudesvergers.com
More reports with Château des Vergers
Cosima on 2022:
“Yes I’m happy. The volume wasn’t great as we had not much rain with lots of weeds between the vines.”
Cosima on 2021:
“It was lovely, I adore the wines – though it was very difficult during the time of treatments. But the wines fermented easily, probably due to the lower alcohols – they are more my image of Beaujolais. It’s about half a harvest – or less – 15-20 hl/ha. Some wines were bottled in April others just over a month ago. I’m lucky that I can still commercialise a little more volume – I just sold a little less in bulk.”
The wines…
A lovely result at this domaine – and nothing green!
2021 Beaujolais-Lantignié Aux Saules
Two types of granite – south-facing. ‘100 sheep in the vines but only for 2 days to attack the weeds but not long enough to make much of a change in the soil.’ Some young vines in this, this year.
Good colour. Broad aromas, with depth to the fruit – that’s an impressive nose. Supple – wide over the palate – nicely textured. Finishing long, complex, and a little saline – quite contemplative. This needs a bit of time in bottle but probably not more than 12 months – it will be lovely…
2021 Beaujolais-Lantignié Aux Vergers
On blue-stone, three parcels but assembled for one cuvée – semi-carbonic with whole clusters. With the same vinification, started with a pied de cuve this year…
Lots of colour. Much more open with extra fresh notes of pretty red fruit and slowly more perfumed too. Supple again, a little more tannin – again saline but more generously textured and super mouth-watering. Then bursting forward with absolutely delicious energy – that’s a simply excellent wine.
2021 Beaujolais-Lantignié l’Assemblage
Second vintage for this. The mix of both terroirs with multiple vine ages – the maceration longer – 18 days then 12 months of barrel elavage, 228-litres but always older barrels.
Plenty of colour. Directly open – nicely vibrant red fruit here. This seems more mineral and lithe – a wine that’s showing its structure more but its floral-infused flavours are less strict than the first wine – the generosity of that last has tempered the whole. This is a fine combination of the two. It’s also excellent but for waiting a little – like the first – though without the slightly strict finish of that wine.
2021 Beaujolais-Lantignié Cuvée Salomé
New wine – a single parcel of ‘very old’ vines – all destemmed and with barrel elevage. ‘Made for my sister’s marriage but I might keep a similar wine in my range in future years.’ The soil is different here – more alluvial with some clay. About 1/3 destemmed…
A little extra colour. A fine nose – fine fruit too, slightly salted – becoming perfumed. Round, cushioned, a hint of the creamy oak in the background flavours, long and satisfying – plenty of finishing tannin but neither dry nor grained. This is a lovely wine – with lovely balance.
And two whites:
For the whites – I had very low volume – so made just a single cuvée with a mix of elevage types:
Vines in a pocket of blue-stone but also with some clay in the soil.
Hmm – this has a fine nose of energy and crisp but ripe fruit – a lovely invitation. Direct and mineral, with vibrant energy – nothing of rigour – and a moreish finishing intensity – slightly chalky finishing. That’s a great 21 white!
Pet Nat
Rosé colour. That’s a nose of invitation – lovely. Broad over the palate – extra-brut – just how I like it. Nicely accented with some finishing tannin – pure clean flavours – an excellent wine – but there’s not much!