Tasted in Chénas with Anita Kuhnel, 28 March 2023.m
Domaine Anita
62 Impasse des Caves
69840 Chénas
Tel: +33 4 74 03 55 68
www.domaine-anita.com
Here’s a domain that started life in 1973, it was acquired by Anita Kuhnel in 2015 – Anita studied at the Viti in Beaune before continuing her studies in Dijon. Her starting point here was 10 hectares of vines where 80% of the production had been sold to Georges Dubeouf. “I had some good international critique which helped me to buy more vines in Fleurie and eventually extended my cuvérie too – that was in 2022. I like the fact that I’ve some vines in both north & north-west facing exposures which work very well today with the climate that we have.”
Today there are 17 hectares of vines and all the production is commercialised in bottle… “It’s not a cheque-book that brings the quality to the grapes – it’s the work in the vines and having the grapes in your hands…” About half the production is now sold in France. The export has mainly developed since about 2019 but it’s already a diverse list of client types and countries…
Anita on 2021:
“It wasn’t such a low volume – here in the mid-slope, we didn’t frost. Below us were some foggy areas and they did suffer a lot. The work in the vines was still something of a combat due to all the rain of the growing season – we started each Monday morning and finished each Sunday evening! Fortunately, August was sunny – actually from the 14th of July – and we harvested in the sunshine too. The grapes, in the end, were quite clean and also had good maturity – these grapes were precious and merited our attention. The fermentations were easy. You could say that it was a year of adventure!”
The wines…
My first visit – but what wines! Beautifully constructed, certainly for keeping but a carafe will be your friend if you lack some patience (like me!) A bunch of wines here that are worth a special search!
The bottlings started in March 2022 and the last were completed in the middle of the year:
2021 Chénas
From Brureaux, vines near those of Thillardon
Dark and quite ripe fruit – a roundness of aroma. A very fine tannin frames the flavours – direct flavours – some bitters and lots of complexity. Freshness and length in the peppery finish.
2021 Chénas Brureaux
Old vines that are 80% destemmed then see elevage in cement.
Broader aromatics with the impression of cushioning. Plenty of structure again with some bitters once more, showing more generosity today – still a wine to wait for but definitely more accessible.
This the vines on one side of the domaine and they have some Moriers on the other side of the domaine.
Depth and width here – red fruit. More direct and fluid, juicy – the tannin almost hidden – growing with intensity – juicy deeply fruited – I think that’s great!
Some extra freshness – almost a hint of creaminess. Deeper darker fruit – but the same energy and fluidity – the same juicy style – almost a lick of finishing salinity – that’s great too.
2021 Morgon Château-Gaillard
More airy floral notes with higher-toned red fruit. Fuller, rounder but there’s no cushion here – fluid but architectural – very fine, fading, redder fruit in this finish – a beautiful thing – yes!
2021 Morgon Le Clachet
Some barrel elevage – older barrels that were previously used for whites – and a later bottling too.
Tons of colour – the nose supple and with a hint of sucrosity – growing with more perfumed, higher tones. Supple, concentrated, dark fruit. There is some generosity to this wine – it’s super – I love the texture too.
2021 Moulin à Vent ‘Reine de Nuit’
Vines in MaV mainly around the house/cuvérie – elevage in cement.
An open nose – lots of freshness – almost finely spiced and floral dark fruit. Mouth-filling, a texture of velour, spicy, tannic but with super vibrations and dimensions of finishing flavour.
From Les Caves – Up to 100 years old – a mix of cement and barrel elevage – trying to keep the purity of the granite.
A super, quite forward, complexity – a cloud of complexity – really super. More fluid and open than the last – there is concentration but with a little more accessibility too. Finishing chalky here – that’s a great wine – one to contemplate if opening today – but one that will just keep getting better and better…
2021 Moulin à Vent Coeur de Vigneronne
Also Les Caves – this 80% destemmed and with barrel elevage.
A narrower nose – dark, pure fruit just a little narrower today – widening with some extra floral components. Supple, more fruit forward – what concentration! There is still some structure here but it is largely covered by the wealth of fruit. Faintly of the tannin in the finish but hardly a grain – super wine.
All destemmed with a few days of cold soak.
A broader width of fruit slightly menthol – a herb like bouquet garni, perhaps thyme. Not the largest in the mouth but the wine that seems the most mineral – fluid in style but minerality like on a bed of limestone. The mouth-watering flavour through chalky finishing tannin – ooh that could be a great one too!