Tasted in Pontanevaux, with Philippe Bardet & Frédéric Maignet 15 March 2022.
Maison Jean Loron
1846 RN 6
71570 Pontanevaux
Tel: +33 3 85 36 81 20
www.loron.fr
Other reports with Jean Loron
Frédéric on 2020:
“2020 started with a lot of grapes though, in the end, we lost a lot due to the heat – we can say maybe as much as 25% lower volume in places so not a large volume but we can say correct. We see various profiles for the wines – some we had to wait longer for the maturity and because of that there are some places with higher alcohols too – the altitudes and exposure exacerbating the differences. We have the ‘politic’ of ripe grapes here.”
The wines…
Fewer wines worth a special search this year versus 2019 – but that’s my taste – perhaps the higher level of alcohol in these 2020s was the deciding factor. But, still some seriously great wines in this line-up.
Whites are DIAMs but the reds are cork, usually Trescasses:
2020 Jean Gamay Noir
‘From nothing to a big volume wine in 6-7 years it’s our entry wine to the world of Beaujolais but the only wine where we don’t talk about terroir…’
Plenty of colour. A compact nose with a round warmth. Fine shape in the mouth, texture too – a little saline accent to obvious concentration with some faint finishing bitters. Round fruit – I’d like a little more energy and crunch to this fruit but it’s a tasty wine.
2020 Domaine Cornillac, Beaujolais
Pierre-blue in the area of St.Véran
Deeply coloured. Deeper nose, spiced and slightly roast – but lower alcohol than the previous – here is 13°. Extra energy – really mouth-filling. The texture is of velour and there’s a certain juiciness to the flavours. I like the extra energy and finish of this wine – the nose, sadly, doesn’t interest me as much but this is very good.
2020 Croix de l’Ange, Beaujolais
From Moroncé in the Pierres Dorées – 13° an exclusivity of Nicolas
Deeply coloured again. Here the nose is wider and more perfumed – but below is concentration – this is a fine invitation. Mouth-filling, the faintest suggestion of pyrazine but as an accent, this is quite attractive. The finish wide and impressive – this is excellent wine!
2020 Château de la Pierre, Beaujolais Villages
A domaine with 30 hectares – this wine up to 13.5°
Deeply coloured again. Not the most forward nose but faintly warm spiced and attractively perfumed. Mouth-filling – here is concentration. A modest bitterness but also freshness of flavour, holding quite long too. Keep this 2 years before attacking!
2020 Château de la Pierre Régnié Pur Gamay A no sulfur wine
Have been making this cuvée since 2009 – quite an early adopter here. No sulfur – also not for the bottling – but there’s a light filtration. 13.5° again
The nose needs some air – but it slowly opens with the impression of some silk and a growing and vibrant purity of fruit – well-done! Mouth-filling with both intensity and energy. A super finishing width a nice purity of dark fruit in this finish too.
69 is the department – I had to ask! The ‘rift’ is the fault that separates Beaujolais and Mâconnais. Another wine without added sulfur – more southern vines in Beaujolais after the crus. Back down to 13°
Much more airy and vibrant nose. More open freshness and energy – a more juicy, crunchy, redder fruit. Delicious and bravo!
2020 Château de la Pierre, Brouilly
Very different soil – lots of blue-stone here. In 2020 there’s a parcel selection (following) from here too – ‘for us it’s something of a 1er cru here – it’s about the soil, not the age of the vines.’ Up to 14.5° from the south of Brouilly
Lots of colour again. A wide nose – one of concentration – dark fruit but still of good purity. Large-scaled wine, with sweetness of ripe fruit, modestly spiced. Holding a slowly mouth-watering finish. Very good.
2020 Château de la Pierre, Brouilly Bonnège
A different label for the parcel selection of 3 hectares at the foot of Mont Brouilly, mainly blue-stone – 14.5°. ‘These north-facing ‘blue-stone’ soils delivered correct volumes despite the dryness of the high summer.’
Deeply coloured again. Higher tones – more fresh complexity – little flashes of extra interest here. Mouth-filling with extra freshness-fine finishing flashes of complexity again. That’s a properly great finish – excellent, possibly a great wine…
2020 Château de Fleurie, Fleurie
14°
The colour of the vintage. There’s the impression of heft here but what’s visible is just an airy and attractive width of perfumed fruit. Nicely vibrant fruit, that’s a very good wine.
2020 Château Bellevue, Fleurie Montgenas
A mere 13.5° – from young vines.
Deep colour. A deeper, wider nose – that’s got a lot of extras – I like. Mouth-filling, silky wine. Mobile in the mouth, nicely textured. With an easy, mouth-watering, modestly mineral finishing style, today not the longest. The nose is extra – the rest very good.
2020 Domaine de la Vieille Eglise, Juliénas
A mix of clay and blue stone.
A nose of darker-fruited scale. Direct in style, layered concentration. Very modest bitters in the fresh finish. This has a delicious almost minerally, mouth-watering, finish. Simply excellent!
1.5 ha – 14.5° A mix of younger and older vines.
A width of silky aroma – not really distinguished by a particular complexity. Ooh – that’s super in the mouth – the most vibrant and mobile and delicious wine since the Rift 69 – bravo!
2020 Domaine Jean Loron, Moulin à Vent Champ de Coeur
1.8 ha of mid-slope vines – 14°. Vinified at Bellevue, again the label in the reserve caveau style – but nicer.
A fragrant nose – wide, plenty of creamy barrel too. Sits very well in the mouth – volume, open, slowly mouth-watering – the finish distinguishes itself very well. This is rather discrete in the first flavours but finishes well. Possibly excellent but let the (mainly) aromatic oak fade for 2-3 years…
These reserve du caveau labels are not usually commercialised before their 5th birthday. 15°
A deep width of aroma – tighter above – very modestly accented by the creamy barrel. A luxurious texture in the mouth – filling every space, this wine showing its oak tailoring more than the last but this is moreish -like a creamy dessert – I can see this becoming a great wine though I’m (personally) not a buyer with 15°…
2020 Château Bellevue, Morgon Les Charmes
Hmm – that’s got a fine freshness and complexity of aroma – more open than most. Mouth-filling with a super energy and modest extra sucrosity. This a delicious wine with a little structure to wait for – but 12 months will already help. Possibly excellent wine.
2020 Château Bellevue, Morgon Côte du Py
14° vs the 13.5° of the previous.
An easy, fine width of aroma – not showing particular complexity, eventually a little floral perfume. Extra structural shape here – growing a broad width of intensity – this is clearly a wine for keeping but it’s potentially excellent if less overtly classy vs the 2019…
So deeply coloured. More open, faintly rounded by the barrels with a faint oak extra. Extra sophisticated texture and fluid in style – faintly with cream in the finish too. Great wine but for keeping 2-3 year – 5 would be even better!
Only 13.5°
Such depth to this nose, faintly aromatic from the creamy oak, almost a faint tobacco. Hmm, melting over the palate – cooler fruit, growing in intensity. The structure trumps the purity of fruit today – but not for too long – another potentially great wine…
14.5°
A different aroma – more cushioned and perfumed – it’s a great invitation. Perfumed in the mouth too – though with stone-fruit at the core. That’s a particularly delicious wine. Simply super – bravo!
2018! Clos Des Billards St.Amour Reserve Cuvée
The 2020 is not in bottle
A nose of impressive depth – it needs some carafe action to open things up more. Concentrated, monolithic style today – certainly compared to the open charm of the previous wine – it needs the carafe here too.
Les Blancs:
The Pouilly is still sealed with cork, the rest are now with DIAM:
Also no sulfur at bottling.
Ripe fresh fruit but more mirabelle than citrus. Beautiful clarity and drive, I love the purity. Flavour that resembles a crémant without bubbles. Different and delicious – bravo!
2020 Jean Loron, Saint Véran Les Ombrelles
Ombrelles – A brand rather than a place. Historically elevage only with tank elevage but now ‘a small amount of the total’ sees barrel too.
More aromatic volume and freshness, subtly citrus. Round, very nicely mouth-watering – with a really super finish- that’s more than very good – there’s a sparkle to this finish!
2020 Jean Loron, Viré-Clessé Vieilles-Vignes
A selection of old vines, also a large cuvée of more than 10 hectares – mainly from Clessé. This appellation just 24 years old now.
A riper fruit freshness – almost a suggestion of lime in this citrus fruit. Structured and mouth-filling – but in the best sense of those words. A modestly strict style but zero hard edges and finishing very well. Lovely wine…
2020 Château Bellevue, Beaujolais Blanc, ‘Princesse Lieven’
Pierres Dorees, young vines at 400m – once planted to gamay. A little more than a hectare
Complex, tart au citron, possibly with a little pineapple in the mix! Super silky – wide – a wine with some power and a modest accent of salinity. Finishing ripe and delicious.
Concentrated – wide, beeswax and honey but full of freshness too. Rounded a little by the oak, but this is a so delicious and with a burst of finishing flavour not shown by any of the previous wines – bravo!
2020 Loron, Pouilly-Fuissé 1er Au Vignerais
Bottled November. And, of course, the vintage with 1er crus…
A little more rigour and structural style to this nose. Some faint gas here. I like the shape of this very much. The flavour has a depth of something extra, a little riper too. Actually, I prefer the Vieux Murs – but that’s showing more oak today, still a super wine.
Something red for the road:
2019! Loron, Bourgogne Pinot Noir L’Or des Fous
Not the widest nose but one of depth and a very nice perfume. Mouth-filling, nice shape and texture – mouth-watering red fruit with a nice weight of fruit. Not easy to taste after the last whites, yet quite delicious. Super wine!