Tasted with Hervé Kerlann at the Château de Laborde, 17 April 2023.
Maison Hervé Kerlann – Château de Laborde
1 Route de Geanges
21200 Meursanges
Tel: +33 3 80 26 59 60
www.herve-kerlann.com/
More reports with Château de Laborde
I have tasted a few of these wines blind and always been impressed with the quality – so, of course, it was worth the time to pay a visit to learn a little bit more.
Hervé has about 3 ha of vines near his pretty ‘château,’but vinifies the equivalent of about 9 hectares that includes vines in Santenay, Volnay and important villages in the Côte de Nuits. His production is mainly exported – and that’s about 40k bottles per year…
Hervé: “There are crossroads in everything that you do but the accumulation of the right choices makes all the differences – my grandmother had a domaine in Bordeaux and my lovely memories as an 8-year-old are filling bottles directly from the barrels at that time.”
The wines…
“Some of my 21s are a bit more marked by the barrels but that’s the lower volume that’s speaking.” No surprise after all the blind-tasted wines that I found so good. Here is an excellent ‘under-the-radar’ producer!
2022 IGP Aligoté
Old vines in Corcelles les Arts
Depth and intensity – there’s plenty of aromatic concentration here. Large scale – mouth-filling but nicely fresh and citrus-flavoured. Simply a delicious wine – slightly structured but moreish too.
2022 VDF Blanc de Pinot Noir
A width and weight of aroma. Round, generous, supple – still with some structure – bottled a few days. That’s actually a delicious finish – lovely wine.
2021 Bourgogne Pinot Noir ‘H‘
A vibrantly red berry nose – lovely energy. Mouth-filling, with finely growing intensity – very red berry crunchy fruit – oaked but subtly – this is very tasty Bourgogne – super wine!
Actually in the area of Monthelie
A little extra colour. Hmm – really aromatic – perfumed fruit – that’s a beauty. Direct, fine shape and intensity – a simply excellent Bourgogne – the aromatics are great! The finish persists too – top!
2021 Bourgogne Côte d’Or Au Prunier
Vines in Gevery – next to the villages.
A deeper nose – plenty of fruit. Direct again – a little more intensity and more mouth-watering – super but my preference rests with the more perfumed style of the Hautes Cótes…
All the wines that follow are now sealed with cork – previous were all DIAM:
2021 Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles-Vignes
This from Corvees, Billards, Crois des Champs, Fourneaux and Grand Champs
A little spicy width – part barrel elevage showing here. Wide, more supple – growing with layers – this is a very lovely wine and clearly worthy of the label.
2021 Gevrey-Chambertin Au Etelois
Again a small spice but even more inviting. Wide, cool, energy again – a wine that’s a little more direct but with a certain extra complexity vs the VV. It’s just delicious!
Near the cemetery of Brochon – 70-80 year-old vines here. Made this cuvée without sulfur in 2020.
A deeper nose, darker fruit still the attractively spiced higher tones of the other wines but again a wine with something extra. Here is great fluidity – supple mobile, fine texture – that’s a simply great villages – bravo!
2021 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Les Corbeaux
More airy but also finely complex aromatics. The structure is more visible – not particularly the barrel but a little more the architecture – only the barrel showing a little in the finish – some dark chocolate bitters here.
2021 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Goulots
Silky width – needing more air to open – perhaps a faint tobacco complexity. A more direct and mineral wine – growing more vibrant as you head for the finish – the tannin more visible – faintly grained – then growing wider at the end – this is is a wine to wait 5-8 years – possibly 20 if you wish but it’s a beauty!
2021 Chambolle-Musigny
Three parcels; Enseignieres, En Echanges and another at the top of the hill near the forest.
A silkier nose less energetic or effusive but still a silky aromatic invitation. Direct, silky texture – growing more velvet with a little growth of visible tannin. Growing wider over the palate – growing more vibrant too – the finish is excellent and persistent. Super villages.
2021 Chambolle-Musigny Les Bas Doix
Not far from Amoureuses.
More airy – quite open – very attractive – not a lot of impact but who cares this is soooo lovely! A hint of gas – a little more mineral – growing wider over the palate – here is more – there’s extra clarity and complexity – Not a ‘big’ villages but it’s an excellent villages!
2021 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Les Borniques
Only 0.05 ha- just enough for a barrel.
Not a large-scale nose but one with a vibrancy of deep-red fruit – and what fruit – very impressive. Hmm – sinuous, direct but energetic – growing wider over the palate – faintly tannic but remaining silky. Super finishing intensity – simply an excellent premier cru – also for Chambolle.