Tasted with Jean-Claude Lapalu in Saint-Etienne la Varenne, 21 February 2023.
Domaine Jean-Claude Lapalu
Les Quatre Croix,
69460 Saint-Etienne la Varenne
Tel: +33 4 74 03 50 57
More reports with Jean-Claude Lapalu
Jean-Claude on 2022:
“22 was relatively easy in the vineyards – not so easy in the cuverie though – the latter needed a lot of attention as the fermentations started to slow – it’s the first vintage in 20 years I needed a gram of sulfur during elevage in 2 or 3 cuvées in order to stop the potential for volatiles. But I think we have some good wines. I’m already starting to bottle some as the 21s are sold! I’ve a lot of sand and granite – in July I was looking at like having a fine volume – but there was a time in August I think that I lost as much as a third of the volume due to the dryness. We harvested early – in August – I think Gamay is made for maturing in September, not August, but the wines have worked out well. I harvested for a month in 22…”
Jean-Claude, last year, on 2021:
“In volume not too bad but I had frost over about 40% the vines and that made for some fragility, allowing mildew and black rot to take hold. Then there was 3x with hail too. My last treatment was about 5th of August but we continued to lose some grapes after that. But for all that, the wines are much more interesting than the year sounds – lower alcohol – 12-12.5° – we will probably drink them with pleasure before the more dense and structured 2020s which have more like 14-14.5°.”
The wines…
Alway a pleasure to visit and to taste – we majored on the young 22s – but still found a few unsold 21s to taste – there are some great wines to search for in both vintages!
2022 Beaujolais Blanc
Assembled with plenty of BJV but labeled BJ – malo was done – ‘the whites were the easiest to vinify in 2022, no problems’
Plenty of colour – a nose of width and some ripe slightly exotic citrus. Hmm – nicely incisive then broadening over the palate – juicy and ripe – no rigour – excellent and very long!
2022 Beaujolais Villages Vieilles-Vignes
This wine is bottled – 1 week ago – augmented with some long-term contracts from sectors at altitude – the relative proportions depend on the vintage yields ‘It’s a nice balance with my lower lying vines – there’s 2 weeks of difference in harvesting date so they are fermented separately before assembly.’ All tank elevage – concrete and a little stainless.
Lots of colour. Deep, dark, vibrant nose – that’s a good invitation. Really mouth-filling – but with energy. Another finish of intensity and length. Very good.
2022 Brouilly Vieilles-Vignes
Also tank elevage. Bottled – ‘but really for drinking towards the end of the year.’
Fresh top notes and deep, dark pure fruit depth. Extra width and a little depth to this flavour – slightly savoury style – extra black cherry style too. Very good.
From tank:
A bright, vibrant nose – still of darker fruit but here with some perfume too – and broadening all the time. Gorgeous over the palate perfumed red fruit, still with good intensity but here extra fine texture. That’s a great one! It will be bottled in March – not filtered, not sulfured.
2022 Tentation Syrah
There was a blend of gamay/syrah in 21 – but the syrah was bottled separately in 22 – though with exactly the same vinification and elevage.
A little reduction to start but becoming more complex and interesting with air. This is lovely in the mouth – with not too much energy – just simply a balance. That’s completely delicious and perfumed – I wouldn’t guess syrah – it’s much more a local wine – and an excellent one!
VdF. Beaujolais Villages and some Brouilly with carbonic maceration. Similar vinification to previous, organic, older vines of 35-50 years old. This for an April bottling…
Still with some perfume but here are extra bass-notes – it’s fuller here. Wide and silky with super intensity – another winner – a very different intensity – silky and precise – that’s a great one!
2022 Côte de Brouilly
North-facing on blue-stone and clay.’
This nose not as ready as the all the previous – still a little herby and fermentary. The most impressive of all in the depth and energy of its finishing flavours but a wine to wait for…
2022 Brouilly Croix des Rameaux
Also not quite ready, slightly reductive, but more in place than the CdB.
Mouth-filling – fine clarity – a little more tannin – though no grain. Slowly mouth-watering. The structure is more visible here, more architectural, but with a fine dark fruit behind.
2022 Brouilly des Fous
Ooh – narrow but oh-so deep, faintly floral perfumed top notes – a much more ‘ready’ nose. Structural but not hard – impressive wine – super scale to this flavour and a touch of barrel – and so broad finishing – a great finish!
2021 Beaujolais Villages Le Rang du Merle
Bordeaux bottle – ‘I’ve made this for about 10 years – slightly extractive whole clusters and cold macerated – quite ripe fruit but I think I manage to retain the drinkability. Not carbonic but with expressive fruit.’ In 2022 Riper grapes but a shorter vinification
Much less colour. An airy, quite complex nose – Open, easy, pretty red fruits – mobile, always appealing. A wine with finesse. A beauty… Today a little behind the Tentation(s) but not by much!
And maybe a few from 2021?
2021 Eau Forte
Super width of airy aromatics. Hmm – top – open, still intense, fluid. Love the finishing energy – another wine of finesse – simply wonderful stuff!
2021 Côte de Brouilly
A wine that opens out very nicely in the glass – becoming ever more floral, pure and attractive. Hmm – gorgeous – direct melting, clean dark fruit with floral accents. That’s delicious!
More density and power to this nose. Super width – extra energy after the CdB – here is such a great mouthful of wine – a rare 2021 for keeping a while – I’d keep this a couple of years. That’s a great one.
More width than depth to this nose – still power but more airy. Structural though less tannic, more juicy, dark fruit. That’s also a gorgeous wine – bravo!