Tasted in Savigny with Pierre Jhéan & Benoit Bruot of Henri de Villamont, 19 May 2021.
Maison Henri de Villamont
3 rue Docteur Guyot
21420 Savigny les Beaune
Tel: +33 3 80 21 50 59
www.hdv.fr
More from Henri de Villamont
I last tasted here in 2012 – their 2009-2010s – they were correct, even for some impressive appellations of the Côte de Nuits but were they worth making a special search for? – I thought not. A few samples two or three years later on a very rainy open day in Savigny left me with a similar impression.
Since that time some larger barrels are put to use for both whites and reds, there’s more stainless steel for the whites too ‘stainless barrels’ – 300-litres or so as this seems less reductive to the team here. Bottling is largely with DIAM today but there are some middle wines in cork – their Auxey for instance – and some wines with Nomacorc. “We don’t have a very long elevage but usually like to see a second winter in the cellar.”
For the reds, there’s some use of whole-clusters these days ‘To add spice and structure but rarely as much as 20%.‘ This year they have started their conversion to organic farming after already achieving HVE 3 certification in the last years. In some places, they are adding fruit trees and beehives. So much has changed in the last 8-10 years – here we can have a look at the effect of all that on the wines.
Pierre on 2019:
“They have all have been bottled. It’s another vintage that needed much less work in the cuverie; less triage and less pigeage as the extractions are much easier than 15 years ago. There was a little blockage of maturity for the while in this vintage but this concentrated the wines allowing a little shorter vinifications, mainly remontage was used. Certain parcels were close to over-ripe, others not – it’s a vintage with plenty of variance. We harvest relatively early, we had one or two parcels approaching 14° but when I can avoid that I do. 2019 reminds me of 2009, all was easy…”
The wines…
I find the oak much better integrated – at this age – in the whites than the reds. Of course, you will have to wait for the gas to fade instead – or carafe. But a range of whites, often excellent and with good clarity. I found some excellent reds too – but young, many are marked by their oaky elevage, so once more, you will have to be patient with them…
2019 Bourgogne Pinot Noir Prestige
The Bourgogne is 50% from contracts; half tank elevage for this. A large part of this from the Côte de Nuits – from the communes of Vosne/Flagey on the other side of the RN, a little more from under Pommard, finished with a significant part from the Côte Chalonnaise – it’s a large cuvée here.
A slightly darker red fruit with a little darker oak impression in the mix. A good and vibrant impression in the mouth – again darker red fruit with a little spicy oak depth, slowly mouth-watering. Holding a very good line of flavour. A fine finish – this is a very good Bourgogne.
2019 Beaune Epenottes
Less volume of aroma, good width, finer, less oak-spice impression. Hmm, directly this is more my style of wine than the Bourgogne – more airy, open, fine red-fruited, mouth-watering – that’s a completely delicious wine – simply excellent…
2019 Pernand-Vergelesses Les Belles Filles
‘Not a parcel you would have searched out 20 years ago – it’s a nice name but a cold place – was – the climate today is super for that though – but there was almost no frost there this year!’
A nose with more attack and darker red fruit, even a little floral complexity starting to push through with air. More structural a little more tannin – a very different character – impressively expanding in the big finish. There’s still plenty of oak bitters here but that’s an impressive wine – carafe today or wait 2-3 years
2019 Santenay La Plice
Ripe but fresh red fruit aromas – that’s a pretty nose, almost a candied style to the aromas. Mouth-filling, good energy a modest faint tannin at the base. Open, less overtly pinot as the Beaune but finishing well – a very interesting and delicious wine.
2019 Savigny-lès-Beaune Le Village
The only wine not yet bottled – a large volume cuvée here.
A nose of silk and of round style – red-fruited again. A little more acidity but like the nose an impression of a little softness. A slowly growing frame of tannin but without any grain. I like the width and depth of finish – a little more character in the finish here versus the easy start of the wine. That’s a very lovely villages wine of Savigny.
2019 Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Les Rouvrettes
About 1/3rd of thia vineyard is premier cru, the higher part.
A medium colour. The nose has a bit of toasty oak impression that dominates a little today – I don’t get and flavours of reduction so I’ll stick with oak. A wine with a little structure but also a more than interesting depth to this flavour – quite broad in the middle. Slowly vibrating in the finishing flavour. I like this a lot but would wait for the dark oak to fade.
2019 Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Clos des Guettes
Plenty of toasty, coffee, barrel notes on the nose here – it hides the wine a little. Broad, energetic – a good spine of acidity. The flavour arriving in fresh waves though all inflected with the barrel notes. I very much like the saline complexity in the finish but today this wine speaks more loudly of elevage. Wait 5 years and you may be rewarded.
2019 Chambolle-Musigny
Half a hectare on the Morey side. Les Athets
Here is oak too but only an accent – very well done – a cliché floral element too – that’s fine. Mouth-filling, fine energy too, framed with a small drag of tannin – very tiny-grained. Long, lingering fine finish. That’s a very good Chambolle.
2019 Vosne-Romanée
‘From the middle of the village.’ The first bottle was corked – so the second:
The nose is open, airy in style. Actually this replacement bottle has a lot of energy and a proper Vosne character despite its cooler cellar temperature. A nice and persistent line of finishing flavour. I really like this finish.
2019 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Les Feusselottes
A fuller nose but mainly of oaky reduction. Wide, growing more mouth-filling. Really a mouth-watering style, almost juicy. The flavours are inflected by the barrel, only modestly framed with tannin. Keep this back 3 or four years for the barrel to fade but there is much here to recommend.
2019 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Les Baudes
Old vines, over 50-years-old, small grapes. This used as massale selection for Savigny Clos des Guettes
The oak is less overt – here a nicely open transparency of red fruit – structural but very attractive. Almost the impression of a little CO2. Open, airy but still flavours of intensity. A width of modest intensity but persistent flavour. That’s very good…
2019 Corton Les Renardes
An extra ripeness of aroma but still with an engaging freshness, practically perfumed – that’s lovely. Fine precision of flavour – there’s concentration here but still delivered in an open style – proper depth and structure to this complex but never heavy finishing flavour. Open and excellent wine.
2019 Grands-Echézeaux
Some extra colour. A clarity of fruit – the 100% new oak is already largely consumed, a stony fruit in the middle. Good presence – lots of mouth-filling volume, sophisticated in texture though a slowly growing grain – very fine – of tannin slowly emerges from the core. The finish is more about the tannic texture but here is much wine, proper wine, proper Grands-Echézeaux… Wait 10 years
Les Blancs
2019 Bourgogne Chardonnay Prestige
Assembly of 60% from Meursault to St.Aubin, plenty of new oak – 40% from the Mâconnais
A pretty freshness – not a bit oaky – good energy. A little round, but a textural comfort and freshness combine the result is mouth-watering, saline and very delicious. That’s an excellent Bourgogne…
2019 Rully
An extra ripeness at the core of this wine – a little too much? Aromatically maybe. A touch of gas, lots of sweetness. This wine is a little brash for my personal taste – concentrated yet still full of energy and interest. The middle and finish are delicious though.
2019 Pouilly-Fuissé Les Grumes d’Or
‘The second Meursault of Burgundy from Vergisson and Fuissé’
Wider, fresher, more mineral than the Rully – that’s nice. Plenty of gas, but slowly relaxing over the palate – an acidulated fruit slowly bubbling with energy. Almost a golden style to this fruit that’s a very lovely PF, slowly lingering. Excellent.
2019 Pernand-Vergelesses
Les Combottes mainly
A narrower but deeper nose. Round in the mouth, good energy, the fruit in the middle perturbed a little by CO2 – almost a roasted style but not a bit heavy. The finish is wide and lovely – the best part!
2019 Savigny-lès-Beaune Blanc Le Village
There’s a little floral, stony core to this wine. I like – freshness, a growing energy that seems like it wants to burst forward – more mineral in the middle. Fine finishing with a phenolic dryness – excellent again!
2019 Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Sous Frétile
The almost reductive, classic, note of PV with a subtle but beautiful floral perfume. Gassy, mouth-filling, lots of energy – carafe – that’s a simply excellent wine. Vibrant finishing – nearly great!
2019 Auxey-Duresses Blanc La Canée
This is practically in Meursault – and it really smells like Meursault with a little floral extra. Mouth-filling good energy – I find an extra sweetness here – perhaps a bit too much – rich but not fat. Super tasty but be aware of the sweetness – not easy after the Pernand.
2019 Meursault Clos du Cromin
A more composed width of aroma, mineral, faintly spiced – a little understated. Again a lot of gas. Incisive though. Fine acidity, nicely vibrant, proper Meursault flavours slowly melting, mouth-watering, over the palate. That’s a lovely wine.
2019 Meursault 1er Bouchères
A lovely clarity and freshness – not a concentrated nose but a fine and inviting one. Gas again – carafe – beautiful minerality, super fine – could it have more intensity? Maybe but it’s simply beautiful over the palate. Excellent wine.
2019 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Clos St Jean
A mineral nose but one that starts with a less overt character than the previous wine, though slowly a floral extra note rises from the glass – that’s very lovely. Super in the mouth – a little saline, a little floral, plenty of minerality – there’s an understatement about this wine but all is in place – potentially excellent wine…
2019 Corton-Charlemagne
Pernand-side.
Another wine with an airy impression to the aromas that slowly starts to grow and impress with aeration. Really the most mouth-filling wine – clarity, minerality, I love the structure, the subtly undertow of oak, the weight and length of finishing flavour. Simply excellent Charlemagne just a faint coconut at the end of of a very long finish – that’s lovely