Tasted in Meursault at Château Gaunoux the 17 March 2021, with Jean-Pierre Tournier & Claudine Gaunoux.
Domaine François Gaunoux / Château Gaunoux
23 Rue du 11 Novembre
21190 Meursault
Tel: +33 3 80 21 22 40
www.gaunoux.com (flash)
More reports with François Gaunoux
Jean-Pierre and Claudine on 2019:
“There’s a big demand for 2019s – we made a decent volume – not euphoric – but we aren’t crying. We avoided the frost and we had good degrees. The wines fermented quite well so we’re happy! The market definitely paused for a while but it has returned quite well at the end of the year. All our 2019s were quite recently bottled.”
The wines…
The whites showed in very good to excellent style – but one only needs to taste something older (see the 2009) to gauge how they improve with age. The reds, on the other hand, showed in great style already. Som e wines worth searching out in the cellar in 2019…
2019 Meursault Clos Meix Chavaux
A 5 hectare south-east facing plot
This nose has a nice width though a more modest depth – still a good clean invitation. Round, depth of flavour, growing in mouth-watering flavour. Long finishing – that’s a lovely finish!
2019 Meursault Clos de Tavaux
1ha monopole next-door to the domaine – 50 year-old vines
Rounder, deeper – a nose that’s nicely open. Bright – plenty of energy here – layered but mineral too. I love the energy here – that’s super. Layers of very tasty finishing flavour – a lovely wine.
2019 Meursault 1er Gouttes d’Or
This nose is deeper, with a certain aromatic richness. That’s a proper mouthful of wine, nicely textured too. Layered flavour, slowly moving over the palate but very nicely indeed and impressively long.
That’s got a lovely leafy ‘extra’ from some maturity – concentrated of course. In the mouth, it’s also concentrated but with a lovely volume and texture – this wine is in a great place – not really mature but completely delicious – bravo!
Les rouges:
2019 Beaune 1er Clos des Mouches
From 2 parcels at the bottom near Boucherottes.
Pure fruit and with plenty of depth and accents of flowers too. Energy and volume, etched with a fine tannin, a rolling complexity, it keeps returning – that’s a really super Beaune!
2019 Volnay 1er Clos des Chênes
2 parcels again
A deeper nose, wider in the depth, darker fruit – a large wine is the impression. Hmm – that’s full of energy like the Mouches – more open than I expected – holding strong and persistent in the finish. That’s more than a very good wine – not the rich, extra-ripe excess that can often be found in this place. Simply excellent Clos des Chênes.
Also two parcels – one above Comte Armand and the other next to de Courcel. – One has vines of 120-year-old vines.
A width of aroma to this nose – that’s got a real finesse – it’s very inviting. A little ripple of tannin but here is fine depth and intensity holding superbly in the finish – a great wine for the future and it’s already excellent.
2019 Pommard 1er Grands Epenots
The nose is more open here – similar to Epenots but with a little smoky extra too. Mouth-filling, more supple, richer, less energetic attack – layers of flavour, simply lovely wine, a grain of tannin, so not fully silky – the flavour infused with a floral perfume too. Richer and more perfumed – quite a difference here.
There’s volume of aroma here but with an airy style – rather than with impact. Ooh – depth. Layers of flavour. A wine that fills every space in your mouth, it’s much more contemplative than the GE but it has everything. Bravo – it’s only a question of time for this great wine.