Tasted in Chénas with Paul-Henri Thillardon, 22 February 2023.
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 not the worst – we were 100% hailed in 2008 and 2017 – we’re farmers and we accept. But also in 2021, in the low parts we had no harvest – the frost started it and the mildew finished it. But for the juice that we had, in the cuverie it all went fine – the grapes came in at 11.5-12° and we did ‘soft’ vinifications – we pushed a little in this vintage but didn’t want to go too far. I like to compare the wines with 2016”
The wines…
Always a pleasure to taste here – low intervention, high enjoyment – very!
All bottled:
2021 VdF Raisin Libre
16 days of maceration
Easy, open, a lovely embrace of red fruit. Nicely perfumed, a little direct – a wine that is just far too easy to drink – vin dangereaux! Delicious stuff!
The first vines from 2008. From the sedimentary section towards La Chapelle de Guinchay, on silex here – 3 small parcels. 50% elevage in old wood. Some years there’s a little sulfur – but this year, not.
Pale, less clear than the Raisin Libre. Round, red, almost a little orange fruit here. Mouth-filling, more energy and intensity – great, great finishing – even more dangerous! For drinking over the next 2 years.
2021 Chénas Vibrations
A base of grapes from Chassignol plus some from all the other terroirs.
Broader aroma – and yes – a small vibration of energy! A small gas here – more intense but fuller too – broader finishing with proper energy and even a modest salinity – that’s very lovely
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. 25 days of maceration – there’s more colour here too.
A deeper nose but still with airy top notes – more notes of meat complexity here. Wide – ultra incisive – pure – clean finishing – great wine!
2021 Moulin à Vent Sous la Roche
Planted in 2016 at 400m.
An airy width – a cloud of red fruit. There’s a nicely incisive side to this wine too – not to the extent of the last but this is broader and has more finishing depth.
2021 Moulin à Vent Alizes
Two parcels – different lieu-dits – more granite.
The colour a little deeper and more clear. There’s depth to this nose with freshness – a texture (as much as anything) that invites you to taste. Fuller, rounder but cool red fruit with a slowly growing frame if fine-grained tannin. A contemplative wine, a delicious wine.
Le blanc:
2020(!) VdF Cuvée Georges
First vintage from a small parcel of family vines in the south of Beaujolais – 0.77 ha – a very small cuvée of 300 bottles. Aligoté, chardonnay rose and chardonnay – north-facing – like the reds, no added sulfur
A really attractive, creamy, lactic width of aroma – a super invitation. In the mouth it’s round, and creamy – vibrant finishing flavour before a long, more haunting, memory of the wine.