Tasted with Sandrine & Yannick de Vermont in Vaux-en-Beaujolais, 16 March 2022.
Château de Vaux
Rue Gaspard Braillon
69460 Vaux-en-Beaujolais
Tewl: +33 6 08 83 33 71
www.lesvinsyannickdevermont.com
Whilst the château dates from the 12th century, the family have been here for roughly 150 years.
The vines of the château were in metayage for many generations but for the last 4 generations the family have worked them themselves – and today there are 14 hectares. A large part of the holdings are to be found on the hillside behind the château.
The domaine’s main market is France but export is growing here. The salons of the Vignerons Independants Salons has long been an important market.
Sandrine & Yannick on 2020:
“It’s a smaller vintage – in terms of volume – though not the 60% less that we suffered in 2021! It was the dryness that was the main reason for lower yields in 2020.”
The wines…
Wines of fine quality – approaching greatness for one cuvée!
2020 Beaujolais Villages Blanc
All from granitic soils, planted in 1995 – ‘Everyone thought we were mad at the start.’ Nomacorc seal for this.
There’s freshness here – a citrus accent to the minerality too. Supple, mouth-filling, easy but attractively shaped and easy in the finish. Attractive wine!
2020 Beaujolais Villages Rosé Intuition
Elevage in barrel (previously used for white) for this wine, long elevage too – it was only bottled in January
The colour is modest. A nose with an interesting and different perfume – a width. Round, silky, lacking a bit of energy for this palate – but complex – almost a little caramel and aniseed. Tasty wine…
Les Reds:
Currently, it’s the 18s and 19s that are being commercialised, not yet these 2020s:
2020 Beaujolais Villages Les Verseaux
The historic vines of the domaine – 70-20-year-old vines – the name is the lieu-dit here.
Plenty of colour. Here’s a nice depth of darker fruit aroma – that’s very attractive. Nicely round but with energy and silky texture. Sweetly fruited in the finishing flavours – clean, easy and very, very tasty wine.
2020 Beaujolais-Vaux ‘Originem’
2020 the first vintage. Old vines, only about 20 hl/ha; thermo-regulated, no sulfur until bottling. A heavy bottle!
Lots of colour. That’s a nose of freshness and complexity, modestly spiced and full of interest – yes! Broad, a little more structure than the previous but no grain from this tannin. Almost a little coffee grain in the finish – this is excellent, complex, wine that I’d carafe today, or even better, wait 2 years in the cellar.
2020 Beaujolais Villages Le Clos de Valentin
The old clos of the chateau – 1,5 ha – 60% slope and all old vines.
Another good nose – but more spiced and with darker fruit – I have a preference for the previous in this respect. Wide, open, more fluid – that’s really beautiful over the palate and finely mouth-watering, the long finish quite mineral but never hard. The nose of the last and the palate of this would be a great wine – this is anyway excellent!
2020 Brouilly
A deeper nose with extra sweetness and a darker depth of fruit. Mouth-filling a little austerity today – but modest. Really mouth-watering, modestly with finishing bitters. There’s lots to find here in this very good wine – and it’s also a wine to wait for. For my preference, I’d take either of the two preceding wines ahead of this.
2020 Beaujolais-Vaux Cuvée de Jacques
From 3 year-old François Frères barrel – to be bottled in the Springtime.
This nose starts concentrated and serious – but it only needs air – the last drops have a lovely perfume. Round, concentrated flavours but with fine balance – there’s something of the barrels but it’s not too overt – anyway, you should have a little patience but the structure is more hidden here. That’s going to be another excellent wine.
2016! Beaujolais Villages Les Verseaux
Plenty of colour. Round, some freshness and some early development – that’s a good invitation. Open, fluid, mouth-watering style in the mouth. Very tasty wine.