Tasted in Chassagne with Sébastien Fossier, 22 April 2024.
Château de Chassagne-Montrachet / Domaine Bader-Mimeur
1 Chemin du Château
21190 Chassagne-Montrachet
Tel: +33 3 80 21 30 22
www.bader-mimeur.com
Domaine Instagram
Since the 1600s, Charles Mimeur’s family owned and worked vines in the area of Maranges. Following the end of the First World War, Charles Mimeur sold those vineyards in 1919 so that he could acquire around 5 hectares of vines in Chassagne-Montrachet. It is the descendants of Charles who own the domaine today – in the form of brother and sister Sébastien Fossier and Nathalie Bernard – the name of the domaine – Bader-Mimeur – the combination of two families and it’s the descendants.
Today the domaine covers 8 hectares – 5 situated in the clos that adjoins the buildings of the domaine. It’s a mix of red and white here – 65% white. About 60+% of the domaine’s production is exported to more than 30 countries. In addition to the domaine wines, there are also some négociant cuvées but they are not produced every year – Volnays or Meursault Charmes, for example.
The domaine is not organic certified as they choose to treat ‘when needed, like in 2021‘ – but also in some vintages, Sébastien thinks he would need to treat more often when certified organic. Biodynamics are very interesting to Sébastien and he’s also been ploughing part of his clos by horse for a while now…
Sébastien on 2022:
“We use small cases to collect the harvest and bring back to the domaine grapes which are, mainly destemmed. The grapes, pre-fermentation, are cooled to 6-7°C. Our 2022 harvest started 28th August. The last wines of the 2022 vintage were actually bottled quite recently – in March. We prefer a later bottling – but the regionals were already bottled in July. In 2022 we didn’t make all the volume that we’d have liked to but after the volume of 2021 we were quite happy to finally have some wine!”
The wines…
My first visit and I found very tasty wines – aromatically I missed a little variation – in isolation, that’s clearly not an issue though !!
2022 Bourgogne Pinot Noir ‘Dessus les Mues’
Vines in the commune of Chassagne so could be labelled Côte d’Or.
A nice width of cherry freshness. Mouth-filling – hmm – super concentration and a small accent of creaminess to the finish. Some modest structural rigour to finish – keep this wine for 6-12 months before drinking – but there’s delicious fruit here. That’s a simply excellent Bourgogne…
2022 Chassagne-Montrachet
An extra high-toned intensity to this width of aroma – slowly floral accented. Extra direct but mouth-filling, faintly creamy accented fruit again – there’s a more saline width. I’d be keeping this for 2-3 years to let the finishing bitters fade a little – but I think it’s a fine red Chassagne.
Les Whites:
Tests before of course but since 2015 have been using DIAM – it’s more and more today for the whites but reds have found this seal a little too reductive:
2022 Bourgogne Aligoté Les Pierres
Always the last parcel harvested at the domaine.
A stony, almost mineral depth – sugar-powder florals in these aromas. Good volume and growing intensity in the mouth – a delicious sweet-sour finishing combination with a modest generosity that would have me reaching for a second glass!
2022 Bourgogne Chardonnay Dessous Les Mues
High toned – quite an intense citrus nose. Good scale, more obvious sweetness vs the aligoté. Supple, cushioned – quite large scale and very tasty – a good wine.
2022 St.Aubin 1er En Remilly
A parcel of young vines harvested since 21 plus the produce of an older, higher, parcel.
A more concentrated core of yellow citrus – but still freshness. More mineral and direct – a faint tannin framing the flavours. Another generous 2022 – nicely mouth-watering to balance. Slowly fading. Good wine again.
2022 Meursault Limozin
There’s a strong aromatic similarity to these wines – the family intense, ripe, citrus here again. Extra width and fresh energy though – not the generosity of the previous wines. I like this slightly strict finish more than the generosity. Finishing very slowly – that’s very good.
2022 Chassagne-Montrachet
Like the red from the Clos next to the domaine representing more than 3.8 ha
Here’s a different nose – extra depth with a small toast and a vibration of energy. I like this very much in the mouth – good scale, energy and modest minerality. I like !!
2022 Chassagne-Montrachet Les Houlières
Soil worked by horse here – 0.36 ha – oldest vines of the domain planted in 1947-48.
A large width of high-toned aromas – almost a little stony fruit. Extra fleshy depth to these flavours – a small warmth to this fruit but not really spiced. The finish is supple and really very tasty – that’s a delicious wine.
2022 Chassagne-Montrachet En Journoblot
‘The vine clone that we have here delivers really small grapes – and, of course, from a very well-sited plot between Blanchots du Dessus and almost Criots!’
That’s three Chassagnes in a row with similar aromatics – though this a little stonier. Open, more fluid style than the last wine – I love this finishing intensity – broad and deep – that’s a super wine!
2022 Chassagne 1er Morgeot
This a maison wine – an exchange of grapes – so from ‘somewhere’ in Morgeot. The only difference on the label is lack of the word ‘Domaine.’
A step more intense than the last but with an almost essential oil – oregano – style to this nose. Hmm – this has fine style in the mouth – not larger than the Journoblot – but with a fine melting middle and finishing flavour and that’s a super finish. Holding very well – finishing excellently.
2022 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Champ Gain
A nicely vibrant and cool-fruited width of aroma – airy yellow citrus fruit. Extra attack and energy here – this flavour has a lot of sucrosity and becomes rounder and rounder in the finish – juicy and delicious but I have more love for the more fluid finish of the Morgeot – yet this is a little more persistent finishing.