Philippe Pacalet – 2018

1.5.2020billn

Philippe Pacalet 2020Tasted with Philippe Pacalet in Beaune, 12 March 2020.

SAS Philippe Pacalet
12 rue de Chaumergy
21200 Beaune
Tel: +33 3 80 25 91 00
www.philippe-pacalet.com

Philippe on 2019:
Another sunny vintage, but the sun shows differently in the wines when compared to 2018. We had lower volume – difficult flowering the main reason. We had more light than 2018; over 130 hours more sun – there’s a bit more of everything in the wines versus 2018.

Philippe on 2018:
Like 2017, another sunny year – this one with plenty of volume – 35-40 hl/ha. The wines have some opulence but there’s freshness too. I try not to follow anyone, it’s more about intuition as to when I harvest – I used to follow the idea of phenolic maturity, but that doesn’t seem a good fit to the recent cycle of weather – in 2018 I was early, in fact I was all alone harvesting in Pommard. I could tell you that it’s all down to my large crystal ball, but…

The wines…

A range of 2018 reds that is peppered with great wines. The whites are more variable in style, but they deliver plenty of tension for the vintage and some are quite delicious too.

2018 Moulin à Vent
The resulting blend of 3 parcels; 2 parcels near the Moulin, and one lower down with more manganese. Still in foudres.
That’s a lovely, bright, pure-fruited nose. A touch of gas but open, vibrant, great wine, super, super Mav.

2018 Ladoix
This the second vintage for this wine – in bottle 1 month – 50-year-old vines in the direction of the Clos des Langres.
This has a fine and round nose, well-fruited, practically with a little chocolate. Deep, fresh, nice energy and a little minerality showing through the palate. That’s got a fine, fine personality – excellent wine!

2018 Pommard
A blend of Trois Foulots, Rugiens, Combes and Vaumuriens – all vines on the hill.
That little chocolate impression again – aromatically this has beautifully inviting and open fruit – so good! Very silky, with more direct flavour – muscled but no fat, vibrant finishing too. Great villages wine.

2018 Nuits St.Georges
From the Bas de Combes, in the direction Vosne but on the hillside.
Open, fresh, just a little floral too. Bigger in the mouth – but open, a good vibration of energy and the flavour is wide. It’s a very aromatic style of flavour, and delicious, but wine to wait for! A finish with a little tannin to finish – to remind you of where it came from.

2018 Gevrey-Chambertin
This bottled. From 5 different plots.
Open again almost floral, this time the nose is a little more cushioned and showing a deeper aroma. Fresh, mineral, more Pommard than Nuits shape. Again muscled, lovely texture and delivery of the flavour. Fresh and floral finishing. Close to a great wine for villages!

2018 Nuits St.Georges 1er Chaigniots
Here the aromas have a more dense approach – a more serious nose. Wide, more tannic but no grain – showing chalky, mineral, mouth-watering flavour. This has an important finishing concentration, some tannin here too. Very long. Excellent, but a wine that needs 3-4 years of patience.

2018 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru
From Sentiers and Feuselottes – Chambolle with a modest colour versus many domaines in 2018.
A compact nose but one of flowers, this could be a rare very typical Chambolle in 2018. Wide, silky, with a more sophisticated flavour profile and structure than the Chaignots. Waves of mouth-watering finishing flavour. Delicious and excellent!

2018 Corton Bressandes.
80 years old vines.
There are stems in all of these wines, practically all of the stems, but this is the first where I consciously recognize them in the aromas – but with a floral aspect too. Open and fresh, full of ultra-fine tannin but the fruit balances. Strong finishing.

2018 Clos de Vougeot
By the wall across from Grands-Echézeaux
Deep, a little of the stems with some florals again, plus lovely red fruit. Super shape and texture – properly architectural in shape. Fine and pure fruit – proper purity of fruit too – nothing austere. Great wine, more than excellent Clos de Vougeot.

2018 Cornas
Here is colour! A more exotic, full-spiced, olive-tapenade nose. Fresh and quite direct, almost a dark chocolate in the finish – that’s super – very dark olive impression in a positive sense.

Les blancs…
The whites were bottled in November:

2018 Ladoix Blanc
The first vintage – had the vines since 2016 but that was all frosted and in 2017 it was just pruned to help the recovery.
This nose is deep and mineral, a more savoury oxidized style of fruit. Mouth-filling, layered concentration but with fine balance, even a little tannin – again mouth-watering this time with a pear flavour. Very yum!

2018 Puligny-Montrachet
Two parcels, one on the hillside of Trezin
The nose again wide and mineral, not the same oxidised style. Tension, vibrant, saline – that’s got great energy – that’s a super finish too. Non-standard but delicious and, once more, a tannic edge to the finish.

2018 Meursault
From Grand Charrons, Narvaux, Limozin and Tillets – assembled only after elevage
A rounder nose, creamy, recognizably Meursault. Lovely driving flavour, direct-shaped – a wine of the slopes – and delicious. A little fat to this texture but it’s very modest. An extra intensity in the finish – with a tension here too. Excellent – I love this.

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