Jean Loron – 2020

5.5.2022billn

Philippe Bardet & Frédéric Maignet 2022 Maison Jean LoronTasted 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.

2020 Beaujolais Villages, Rift 69
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!

2020 Domaine de la Vieille Eglise, Juliénas Clos des Poulettes
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…

2020 Château Bellevue, Mouliun à Vent La Roche Reserve Caveau Vieilles-Vignes
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…

2020 Château Bellevue, Morgon Côte du Py Javernière
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!
2020 Château Bellevue, Morgon Corcelette Les Clos
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…
2020 Heritiers Loron, Domaine des Billards St.Amour
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:

2020 Loron, Mâcon-Villages Rift 71
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.

2020 Jean Loron, Pouilly-Fuissé Les Vieux Murs
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!

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