In the ‘square’ of Romain Escoffier’s Table du Square in Beaune (right), and with an occasional interloper, the brave young producers of Beaujolais set up stall in the heart of the Côte d’Or during the week of Burgundy’s Grands Jours de Bourgogne.
This tasting was not in the official programme of the Grands Jours, so was not cancelled like the main event – the fact that it was held outdoors – so-long that there was no rain – also helped with that decision.
For practically an hour I was the only visitor who came to taste, but these producers were very happy to taste in their own company. As the clock approached 5pm, however, came more and more tasters. I chose to mainly taste the wines that I missed in my tour of the Beaujolais in February:
Château de Rougeon
Tasted with Florence Bouchard.
Château de Rougeon
Rougeon
71390 Bissey-sous-Cruchaud
Tel: +33 3 85 92 02 54
www.chateauderougeon.com
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2018 Bourgogne Aligoté Arenite
No barrels used in elevage, just tank with the fine lees. This was bottled last July.
Fresh and pretty. Lots of weight here but open and showing an almost layered character to the fresh flavour – showing much, much better than when last tasted 6 months ago. Lovely, weighty and long. Yum!
2018 Bourgogne Aligoté La Cabane
The cabane is a small building near these vines that was once used as a distillery here. It’s an old parcel of vines but also on granite soil, like the last.
A nose that’s finer and very pure – that’s really a great invitation. More supple, fuller, actually you should still wait for this – there’s more here than the last but today with a bit less definition – to wait for – but excellent!
2018 Bourgogne Chardonnay Ostria
Chardonnay from 30 years old vines.
A little touch of reduction here – a vibration. More mineral, mouth-filling, a baby, definitely to wait for, but it has a super finish – love that!
2018 Bourgogne Chardonnay Gryphée
Thats a pretty nose – narrower but more vertical. Ooh – more energy, more changing, lovely over the palate, you could, indeed should, wait for this but it’s not a must! Lovely wine.
2019 Fleurie
New vines from Poncié – not yet bottled.
A nice open nose with a little graphite minerality. Mouth-filling. Full, energetic, thats a fine Fleurie – lovely energy.
2019 Fleurie 2
This with barrel elevage, but these two cuvées will probably be blended – both are still in elevage.
A rounder nose, but not a big nose. Here you can taste the oak a little, almost a riper fruit impression too – though it’s the same fruit! More mineral finishing is the impression.
The parcel is a blend of co-planted gamay and pinot
A more floral nose, high tones, less of the depth of previous wines. Nice shape in the mouth, lovely texture. That’s super – both delicious and complex. Bravo and long.
David-Beaupère
Tasted with Louis-Clement David-Beaupère
Domaine David-Beaupère
La Bottière
69840 Juliénas
Tel: +33 9 75 92 61 19
www.domainedavidbeaupere.fr
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An equal mix of 2 parcels – not very close to each other – including some of the old vines of Jules Chauvet.
Hmm, a very pretty and fresh, pure red fruit. Driving, direct, fresh, lots of vibrant energy, a little herb in the complexity, but this is a wine to drink and drink. I love the energy! Bravo!
2019 Beaujolais Nouveau
Fuller, rounder – some more weight here. Ultra-carbonic. Round in the mouth too, more saline. A good drink.
2015 Moulin à Vent Chassignol
Hmm – that’s a complex but also a vibrant nose. Lovely freshness again but with much more depth of flavour. Vibrant, tasty wine – possibly to drink now given its 16.2 degrees! But I don’t think you’d ever guess the actual level – not today, anyway – this is surprisingly well-balanced.
Louis-Claude Desvignes
Tasted with Louis-Benoît Desvignes.
Louis-Claude Desvignes
135, rue de la Voûte
69910 Villié-Morgon
Tel: +33 4 74 04 23 35
www.louis-claude-desvignes.com
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A contract purchase. Vines on granite with a relatively high altitude – this a tank sample.
Bright fresh and saline. Delicate, fresh – wine with beautiful potential. This is already great but it won’t be bottled until after the Easter break.
2019 Morgon Montpelains
A new-ish cuvée but in the domaine for a long time, was made in 2005 too but is normally in the St.Vincent – some clay here so a little like Javernières. Again a tank sample.
A little tighter nose. A little more driving though not austere but a wine that really says ‘Morgon!’ Tasty already but with plenty of still modest structure. It’s super but more to wait for than the Corcelette.
Domaine Sérol
Tasted with Carine Sérol.
Domaine Sérol
1 Montée des Estinaudes
42370 Renaison
Tel: + 33 4 77 64 44 04
www.domaine-serol.com
A domaine from the Loire, but with granite for terroir – between 400 and 500 metres, the height here means harvesting 2 weeks after their friends in the Beaujolais:
2019 IGP, Oudan – De Butte en Blanc
Viognier here, on a 2ha granitic hillside.
Bright, heavily perfumed fruit. Floral in the mouth but fresh and slightly saline. The flavour cuts easily through the sweet perfume – an apricot compote! A lovely mouth-watering finish
Young vines
This gives a more saline impression – mineral too. Wide, energetic, super fresh intensity – a great apero wine!
2019 Côte Roannaise, Cabochard Rosé
This from gamay
Thats a pretty nose. Fine, nicely structured and pure. Vibrant, driving, lovey width, the aftertaste is delicious there’s structure here but so tasty too. Delicious and juicy rosé.
2019 Côte Roannaise, Originelles
Young vines from more sandy and flat plots. Literally just bottled.
Hmm, round inviting – a lovely gamay nose. Supple, fine depth, a certain, almost reductive, character but obviously a fresh mouthful of tasty gamay too.
2019 Côte Roannaise, Eclat de granite
This not yet bottled.
A cleaner, deep, nose. Wider, a little more intensity. More weight of flavour here.
2019 Côte Roannaise, Les Blondins
A steep, granitic, slope of nearly 2 hectares.
A little rounder nose. Vibrant more overtly mineral, a touch more tannin, but slowly melting. I love the finish here, slowly mouth-watering. Lovely!
2018 Côte Roannaise, Les Millerrands
From 480-500 metres of altitude, again a granitic hillside, here with 50-95-year-old gamay vines that produce small grapes.
Clearly with more colour. Wide yet a little more compact aroma. This has an impressive depth of flavour, a little more structure too. I love the finish!
2018 Côte Roannaise, Oudan
Plain south-facing granitic hillside, about 20-year-old vines.
Thats a nicely deep and fresh nose – very attractive. Wide and easy in the mouth – in fact very tasty.
2018 Côte Roannaise, Perdrizière
1.5 ha at about 400m – granitic, but more iron in this soil.
A roundness of aroma. This is lovely and has fine and fresh energy. The style is a little more direct and mineral. A super finish jet again.
2018 Côte Roannaise, Chez Coste
In the heart of Perdrizière, from the “chez Coste” lieu-dit, planted on deep granite soils, effectively the same grapes as last but this in amphora
A fresher nose, less impact than the last but with good purity. Vibrant – again I love the energy here – a more mineral and saline impression. Super wine, but today I prefer the last.
Domaine Lafarge-Vial
Tasted with Clothilde Lafarge.
Domaine Michel Lafarge
15 Rue De La Combe
21190 Volnay
Tel: +33 3 80 21 61 61
www.domainelafarge.com
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All of these were bottled in November:
A deep, full, nose – plenty of graphite energy here. In the mouth too. Really open and mouth-filling, long finishing, actually beautifully finishing, thing. Delicious and maybe bravo!
Extra freshness, this has much higher-toned fruit but it’s a fine invitation to drink, all the same. A little more supple, very fresh plus more intense and succulent, ooh thats a great finish but with super mouth-watering effect too – great!
2018 Côte de Brouilly
A more mineral width to this aroma, a nose that’s less overtly of fruit. Also in the mouth, driving, fresh full of energy – not quite electric but getting there! Love this – but it’s for when I want ‘fast,’ normally I’d take the previous. Excellent wine, with lovely fresh purity.
Domaine Saint Cyr
Domaine Saint Cyr
Les Perrelles
31 chemin de Tréchen
69480 ANSE
Tel: +33 4 74 60 23 69
www.beaujolais-saintcyr.com
A big domaine, that I don’t really know, but one of 37 hectares and all certified biodynamic:
2018 Beaujolais La Galoche blanc
A vibrant mineral note, not too hard a nose. Hmm, in the mouth that’s pretty good. Density but with energy, the finish with a hint of rigour, but that’s tasty wine.
To be bottled in the next few days.
A saline nose. Lots of gas. Energy of-course, growing with a red fruit. The finish intense and interesting – a wine that gets better and better in the glass – outstanding value.
2019 Beaujolais Terroir de Bellevue
The produce of 70-year-old-vines. Also bottling soon.
More depth of fresh aroma. Lots of bas here too. But this has a lovely finish.
2018 Chénas Les Blemonts
More depth of aroma again. This the most mouth-filling and energetic. A weight of finishing flavour – indeed, what a lovely finish.
2018 Morgon Les Charmes
A little more intensity rather than depth in this case. Wider, more depth here, fresh, energetic, love this more structural shape yet still super tasty wine.
2018 Moulin à Vent La Bruyère
A smaller, tighter, nose. Density here but a wine that’s fresh and mineral too. A vibrant finishing flavour. Long but always easy over the pakate. Yum!
2018 Chénas Les Jornets
‘Very small grapes, so not much juice.’
A deeper, fuller, nose that makes me think of Thillardon. That’s delicious, complex, deeply flavoured but always with freshness and a touch of salinity. That’s excellent wine!
Domaine de Fa
‘Fa’ was created in 2013 with its first wines in 2014, owned by the Graillot brothers of Crozes-Hermitage:
2017 Fleurie
That’s a nice nose – fruit and floral – very attractive. Mouth-watering, driving, long, nicely mineral, ooh that’s excellent wine!
Vines next to the St.Amour, but over the border into St.Veran – ‘it’s not fully granitic, there’s some clay here but no limestone.’
A low sulfur nose – there is some ‘but not a lot.’ Wide and tasty, that’s an excellent wine, all the more-so for the label. Bravo!
One foudre of 30 hl, vines in Besset, next to Capitans
This a little more mineral. Structural, impressive, good energy and lots of concentration. This needs patience, but there’s a great wine in here.
Domaine Richard Rottiers
Tasted with Richard Rottiers.
Domaine Richard Rottiers
La Sambinerie
71570 Romanèche-Thorins
Tel: +33 6 63 38 16 35
www.domainerichardrottiers.com
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A couple of older wines with Richard:
2013 Beaujolais Villages
Ooh, thats got a nice complexity, leafy, marsala, nice drive and freshness. There’s a lot of maturity here, the structure might suggest waiting a bit longer, but it’s anyway delicious!
2009 Moulin à Vent Champ de Cour
Less overtly mature, more floral. Mouth-filling, still plenty of tannin. A bit of oak here, still?