A range of wines tasted 29 April 2021. Moved to the May report as it includes the visits to a trio of very impressive new names for this appellation who provided great wines for this tasting.
Summarising
2019 was a middling volume vintage (see below) in an area that has seen boom to bust volumes in recent vintages. It’s a vintage that had no problems acheiving ripeness yet produced alcohol levels that were not excessively high – as were often seen in 2017 and 2018:
Volumes are expressed in hectolitres: 1 hectolitre (hl) = 100 litres = 133 bottles
From 40 samples I noted 7 as being wines that were worth a special search and several others that were excellent and potentially great wines too – 2019 is clearly a very successful vintage in quality if not volume. My favourite 7, in the order they were tasted, were the following but see the image below for the three that I chose to follow-up on:
2019 Franck Givaudin, Irancy
2019 Verret, Irancy Palotte
2019 Thierry Richoux, Irancy Palotte
2019 Christophe Ferrari, Irancy Paradis
2019 Les Pinots Blacks, Irancy Vallée de Coigny
2019 Christophe Ferrari, Irancy
2019 Stephanie Colinot, Irancy Les Cailles
I’ve chosen to highlight three wines from producers that I don’t already know, one of which is a simply fabulous thing – the wine of the Pinot Blacks. I should add that I have always (blind) put wines from Christophe Ferrari very close to the top of my selections and this tasting was no different. Additionally, it’s also worth noting the strong showing of the wines of Thierry Richoux – it’s now the sons of Thierry who are making the wines and they were the only ones of the tasting that showed some of their oak treatment – but that will only be visible for a little while longer – and they remain really fine. And my three (new) winners, who I made time to visit in this month’s report, were:
The wines…
The wines in the order that they were blind tasted:
*We have two of these wines – one could have been the oaked cuvée but was not marked on the spreadsheet of names so I can’t say which is which – the blind notes could be for the same wine, however…
Directly this is the nose of Irancy – a forward, aromatic, almost redcurrant accented fruit over a slightly earthy base – it’s very inviting. Juicy – plenty of mouth-filling volume – a faint fur of tannin but not drying and no grain. Wide and long – that’s a great start.
Much more colour. More serious, concentrated and deep, less open. Cordial-style concentration but with an extra finesse of texture, a touch of licorice, and a single line of flavour that disappears into the distance. Very different but also superb – if the rather quiet nose develops more, as it should, I’d say great!
2019 Maupertuis, Irancy Veaupessiot
A colour that’s intermediate to the previous two wines. A rounder nose, lightly textured, faintly warm spice in the mix. Supple, mouth-filling, lots of growing concentration with a fine energy too. The finish is long, considered, slightly earthy. Very good, very tasty wine…
2019 Dylan Camu, Irancy
Another very deeply coloured wine. This nose is deep but compact. More direct intensity – such impressive freshness here – the tannin, whilst showing no grain, has more astringence than the previous wines. Long, slow, decay of finishing flavour. This is a wine for keeping but the quality is very high…
2019 Denis Pommier, Irancy
Here a return more to the style of the first wine with a nice acid-cherry and redcurrant-inflected nose – not quite as open as that wine but a similar style. I love how this floods the palate with flowers and energy. Faintly earthy, but vibrantly long – like the Verret, a wine that’s just a nose short of being a great wine today.
2019 Maison La Chapelle, Irancy Batardes
A jammy style to the fruit here – but fine purity too. Easy on the palate, actually a doe-eyed quite seductive style here. Slowly moving, contemplative finishing flavour. Delicious wine.
An increased amount of colour, again. A very different nose – a little reduction here that darkens the perception of the fruit. Super silky – great, direct entry. Depth of flavour – ooh – that is potentially a really top wine – but today it definitely needs some help from a carafe.
2019 Jean-Hugues & Gulhem Goissot, Irancy Les Mazelots
Not the fullest nose but one with a very inviting, candied, perfumed impression. Supple and wide over the palate – I like the texture even though there’s a faint astringence – but no tannic grain. The finish is a wound-up ball of flavour and textural dryness. I like this but it’s clearly a wine to have some patience with.
*2019 Verret, Irancy
Pure, forward, perfumed fresh fruit – almost a little pyrazine but so low as to be positive. Ooh – now that’s flighty wine, one that’s focused on its fresh acidity – but the texture here is velour. Yes, a little pyrazine in the finish too! Lots of energy and flavour to be tamed with a little cellar patience, I think.
2019 Jean-Louis et Jean-Christophe Bersan, Irancy
The freshness of the last with more depth to the darker fruit – super clarity. Wide over the palate – growing in both intensity and the presence of the tannin too. Very red-fruited, a little earthy in the finishing flavours too. The last impression a modest astringence though the tannin shows no grain. Good wine.
*2019 Verret, Irancy
A nicely vibrant nose despite some pyrazine in the mix. Cool fruit, mouth-filling, vibrant acidity and sustaining a long finish. This needs some cellar time to add a more charm to the presentation.
2019 Dampt Frères, Irancy
Freshness with a purity of red fruit. Hmm, that’s lovely on the palate – mouth-filling, mobile, mouth-watering, good but not too overt energy. A perfumed style to the flavours and even a lick of salinity. That’s very good.
2019 Olivier Morin, Irancy
A nose that’s deep but a little tighter above. Lots of presence in the mouth – cool fruit, nicely structured – the tannin showing a lick of astringence. The finish has many dimensions and a great energy. Young wine so have patience, but this is excellent wine, perhaps with the chance to be even better!
2019 Christophe Ferrari, Irancy Bergères
Hmm – not the largest nose but one of class – of purity to the fruit which brings a big invitation. Mouth-filling. I love the energy, the depth and also the complexity of the fruit flavour. Certainly excellent, possibly great Irancy.
2019 Domaine Grand Roche, Irancy
A depth of earth-accented dark fruit, but generally, here’s a more compact nose today – aeration does bring out more, very fine, perfume though – eventually a suggestion of pyrazine too. In the mouth here is a wine of volume and rounded corners – the texture is very nice, supple rather than direct. Holds a tasty finish of some weight too – that’s very good.
2019 La Croix Montjoie, Irancy
A deep nose, almost a little coffee accented – no I’ve not had one – yet! Nicely mouth-filling with a blend of freshness and nice shape. Tasty flavoured, no overt astringence – that’s a super, very fine, Irancy.
2019 Jean-Hugues & Gulhem Goissot, Irancy La Voie de Cravant
Here’s a super width of aroma – a little more herb than many – but it’s a lovely complexity. Very silky, a super entry, a very sophisticated texture here. The flavour needs to open out more for great but it’s clearly excellent – with some extra potential…
2019 Jean-Marie Bardet, Irancy
Here is a nose of both depth and clarity – darker-fruited clarity – that’s lovely. With aeration the fruit ‘gains’ a slightly roasted character. The impression is the same in the mouth – but the wine is also perfumed and very long. Deliciously long – that’s very good!
A much more airy nose – impressively inviting. Lovely freshness, great purity of flavour – a structural side to this wine – but nothing painful. Textbook young wine – bravo!
2019 Maupertuis, Irancy
A rounder nose, still of freshness, more candied. A big wave of fresh flavour to start – vibrant, a little mineral too. A wine with super energy. It needs cellar time but it’s excellent.
2019 Maison La Chapelle, Irancy Beaux Monts
Not a full nose but another with an extra candied invitation from the aromas. Energy, dimensions of flavour – great fruit – another young but very excellent wine!
2019 Christophe Ferrari, Irancy Mazelots
A little redcurrant again though this nose is slightly timid. Plenty of width and a good energy here. The fruit is red and fresh. A more mineral style of finish. This is very good.
2019 Maupertuis, Irancy Mazelots
Deeper coloured. The first nose that’s not really to my taste – intense though seemingly stewed fruit – is that skin contact? In the mouth the shape and freshness are first class – indeed very classy – but the flavour profile is more reminiscent of the nose.
2019 Christophe Ferrari, Irancy Plein Sud
A narrow nose but of clarity and dark-fruited depth. This has great volume and a slowly fading fine finish. The flavour is excellent – a super wine.
2019 Céline & Frederic Gueguen, Irancy
A nose of depth but with an obvious pyrazine note too. A little prickle of CO2 to this wine. Energy, the tannin grows because of the gas. The flavour long and tasty but also with plenty of pyrazine. If you’re not sensitive then this is an excellent wine.
2019 Thierry Richoux, Irancy Les Cailles
A more compact nose but seemingly a concentrated one – there’s plenty of darker red fruit here. Vibrant, some oak flavour to note, but also lots of fresh, concentrated fruit too – I like the clarity of this fruit. The finish is a good one too. The oak’s not too bad but I’d still wait 2-3 years before returning because of that. The potential for excellent wine here.
2019 Maupertuis, Irancy Palotte
Another nose of darker-fruited depth. Fills the mouth with flavour, an accent of dryness to the texture – but very small. Supple, mobile and very well finishing – that’s a delicious finale. Very good wine.
2019 Thierry Richoux, Irancy
Hmm – not a full-power nose but an open one that’s airy and super-inviting. A little CO2 on the tip of the tongue. Freshness, indeed a fine clarity of fruit flavour, that slowly fades with style in the finish. Another very good wine.
2019 Jean-François et Pierre-Louis Bersan, Irancy
A red-fruit nose – good depth too – still open at the top. Easy over the palate – again a red fruit that reflects the nose. The tannic astringance is modest but more present that the previous few wines. Tasty flavour with a lovely mouth-watering finish too. For keeping a couple of years before attacking but this is a very good Irancy.
A narrower nose but at the same time, this is a very perfumed nose – probably some well-deployed whole clusters – it’s a beauty! In the mouth too – the perfume of whole clusters but none of the disadvantages. It’s a perfumed beauty – non-standard for Irancy, perhaps, but a brilliant wine – bravo! My wine of the day.
2019 Thierry Richoux, Irancy Vaupessiot
A much more roast-fruit style to this nose – some extra skin contact too? Supple, sweet, concentrated, Long and fine finishing – I don’t like the start but the finish is lovely, even with a small accent of oak here – only the second wine I’ve noted with some overt barrel…
2019 Verret, Irancy Mazelots
A nose of open freshness above and a little more serious, darker, stony fruit below. Plenty of volume to this flavour to fill the mouth – again a darker fruit. The finish is top – a wine that grows wider and I appreciate more and more as I head to the finish. Excellent!
2019 Clotilde Davenne, Irancy
Not a large nose but one of complexity and distinction – that’s super. This wine is vibrant and very red-fruited on the palate. A little lick of not too dry tannin and refreshing in the finish. It’s very good.
A lovely nose of darker fruited freshness. Yes! Mouth-filling, perfumed, plenty of intensity but just so succulently flavoured. A great Irancy – bravo!
2019 Stephanie Colinot, Irancy La Comme
One of the rarer, more reductive wines. In the mouth a little too – but the shape and fresh energy – allied to fine concentration – bode well. You should carafe. The finish is delicious here.
2019 Maison La Chapelle, Irancy
A nose of depth – stony dark fruit – almost textured – lovely. There’s a faint pyrazine here but one that nicely accents the rest of the wine. Long finishing too – simply an excellent wine.
A depth of concentrated but fresh dark-red fruit – the top notes are tighter but tending towards the classic Irancy redcurrant. Lovely texture and attack – very redcurrant flavoured but completely delicious wine with plenty of concentration. Bravo.
2019 Stephanie Colinot, Irancy Côte du Moutier
Lots of colour. A fine nose – no attack but an aroma that mounts – really perfumed. Nice volume a fresh and direct style – tasty wine – with a super finish. Possibly an excellent wine
2019 Felix et Fils, Irancy
A silky nose, a little compact but very attractive. Plenty of mouth-filling energy here – fine-textured too. The finishing purity and freshness I love. That’s a super wine – lovely and mouth-watering in the finish. Simply excellent.
2019 Clotilde Davenne, Irancy Paradis
A little freshness of stony – cherry-stone – fruit on the nose. Really mouth-filling and with fine energy too. Supple, saline, long, mouth-watering. Just a delicious encapsulation of Irancy – excellent wine.