Tasted in Villié-Morgon with Thomas Collonge, 15 February 2024.
Domaine de Colonat
4505 Voie Romaine,
69910 Villié-Morgon
Tel: +33 4 74 69 91 43
Domaine Instagram
www.domaine-de-colonat.fr
Thomas Collonge is the 7th generation of father and son vignerons here – “But I’ve two daughters,” he laughs!
Thomas started working at the domaine in 2008 and worked for 10 years with his, now retired, parents. Thomas now runs the domaine with his wife, Julie, whose family are vignerons from Corcelles. 13 hectares of vines are exploited by the family – it was as high as 16 hectares with Thomas’s parents but he found it too much work when alone – ’13 ha is right for now!’
Thomas on 2022:
“2020 and 2022 were both hot and dry. I prefer this type of vintage because the grapes are so clean – you ‘just’ have to be patient to find the right time to harvest. My reference vintage is 2020 and 2022 is not far away from that. I like the balance in these 2022 wines. I think the old vines of gamay have no problem with the climate – it’s not the same for young vines of course…”
About a third of the domaine’s production is exported and it’s only for about 3 years that all the production has been commercialised by them in bottle – previously and for many years, there were 25,000 bottles that the kept to commercialise and the rest of their production was sold in bulk.
The wines…
My first visit and what a beautiful range of wines – they are excellent – except for those that are great 😉
And Thomas on his DIAM seal: “2009, what a great vintage, I think we had a great quality. But 1 in every 6 of the wines was corked – we have been DIAM ever since – I felt that the corks removed all my joy from what was a great vintage.”
2022 Morgon Charmes
This bottled in November – there was a first bottling in July too.
Not a large nose but a certain silkiness and inviting darker red fruit aroma. Broad, with a fine grain of tannin – this is a flavour that eases slowly into the finish. It’s a delicious wine but to wait a year-plus for.
2022 Moulin à Vent Vieilles-Vignes
‘It’s noted VV but all our vines are old! This is a blend of 4 terroirs’
More width and interesting, indeed inviting, complexity. Mouth-filling, complex again – rounded a little by its 30% wood elevage – but the flavour of the wood is hardly visible. And then there’s a wave of pretty finishing florals too – that’s really lovely wine!
A ‘second domaine’ as here are all the vines that are either organic or in progress to certification. This with some months of elevage in jar. ‘I think it needs the warm years to work well with this type of elevage – you can’t make a wine like this in tank, cement or oak! I’m not sure that it makes for a wine of long ageing though’
Not panoramic but here is a very inviting width of airy, quite floral aromas. I love the structure here – serious but not hard, the micro-grain of tannin and then the mouth-watering, almost cascade of juicy flavour this is a beauty – certainly excellent, potentially great wine.
2022 Morgon Les Charmes-Ruyère
400m. Here is stony with some clay – very different to the sand of Charmes lower down the hill.
A tighter nose but one also of obvious concentration. In the mouth we have plenty of open volume and a grain of tannin that frames the flavours – but with hardly any drying. A clarity of fruit mixes with a small bitter – more dark chocolate than citrus – but the finish is really very long – it’s a beauty!
2022 Morgon Charmes au Pillets
Here 350m and it’s a sandy soil.
Fragrant, perfumed, top notes – more weight at the base. Cool, juicy – the tannin framing the flavours again – what a great and growing finish we have here – a wine to have a little patience with – perhaps 2 years in the first instance – but the lasting flavours are top!
‘Every year my father had his best cuvée from here – now 88-year-old vines – a little lower on the hill again. It’s mainly destemmed.’
More open and more energetic aromas – a mix of graphite mineral and fruit – almost tobacco too, slowly some florals. The most direct and mouth-watering – there’s a cascade of juicy flavour here. Hmm – that’s a completely beautiful wine – long, perfumed, finishing. You should be patient but I think it great!
2022 Moulin à Vent Les Thorins
A nice width of faintly spiced complexity – becoming ever-more floral with air. Hmm, mouth-filling but with such a drinkable, fluid, delivery of flavour. Not the largest finish but a fine one and just so drinkable today – simply excellent wine – and no need to wait.
Low on the slope, already a deeper soil – still with granite, but less.
Not a large nose but one of beautiful precision. In the mouth too – another wine of open energy, fluidity even. Cool fruit with a micro-grain of tannin. Versus the Thorins, here is more finishing power and bitters – for this you should have a little patience, but here is another potentially great wine.
And Le White:
2022 Beaujolais Blanc
From Julie’s family – 6-7 year old vines in Corcelles – 20% elevage in demi-muids and the rest in stainless.
Not too ripe, complex fruit – freshness too. In the mouth, there’s a cushion, a generosity to this wine but it has a nicely mouth-watering acidity too. Complex and delicious without rigour – well done!