Tasted in Savigny with the sisters Juliette Chenu, 19 May 2021.
Domaine Louis Chenu Père et Filles
12 rue Joseph de Pesquidoux
21420 Savigny-lès-beaune
Tel: +33 3 80 26 13 96
www.louischenu.com
More reports for Domaine Louis Chenu Père et Filles
Juliette on 2020:
“The vintage that was very particular; exceptionally early starting for the vegetation, nice weather and warm – all the time – from April. It was directly warm and stayed warm – the earliest of harvests, all was done the 02 September. No climate problems – except the lack of water in August – we had some at the end of August but that was a bit late for the as reds we’d already harvested! But we were waiting for the whites and it did a lot of good. A little less white than normal, okay if low for reds. The balance of the wines look great though. The fermentations were without problem.”
Juliette on 2019:
“We have a more pinot style, crunchy fruit, less overtly sunny wines as in 2020 – ‘ripe acidity’ – we can definitely compare the esprit of the wines to 2010 except – we do (I hope) all our work and our attention to detail is on a higher level today than was the case in 2010. I’d say we have more rigour in what we do – that and our ‘softer’ destemmer too!”
I asked about 2021:
“It depends on the sectors, of course, but we can say that it’s not quite so bad as in 2016 here – which was very bad!”
The wines…
Another chance to revisit the 2019s now that they are bottled. The quality/price has always been impressive at this domaine – it is undiminished in 2019 – it has, perhaps, even increased!
2019 Bourgogne Rouge
An assembly of 3 parcels, Boutières, plus two that are in the Hautes Côtes – three very different terroirs. Tank elevage for this wine, including some foudre.
Medium, medium-plus colour. Bright attractive, vibrant berry fruit. Crunchy red fruit – very mouth-watering, modest structure but immodestly tasty with a lovely finishing intensity, almost cherry stone finishing. Excellent and completely delicious Bourgogne.
Rented these vines from aunt Hugette since 2007 and bought about 3-4 years ago. Here is a little barrel elevage but none new – the only domaine parcel outside of Savigny – always sold out…
A similar forward purity of red fruit but with a little depth and width to the aroma. Broader, more intensity – the Bourgogne turned up to ’10.’ More finishing intensity too – I love the clarity here – it’s a great Chorey…
2019 Savigny-lès-Beaune Vieilles-Vignes
Multiple parcels, a mix of plain and hillside vines. Bottled in January.
A less forward nose yet with a hint more floral top-notes – the same enviable clarity as the previous wines. More structural wine – a hint more mineral too – a touch of grain like the others. A more mineral lead to the finishing flavour. Lovely villages
2019 Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Talmettes
Bottled in August.
A deeper nose – much wider at the base. So elegant – such pretty red fruits – juicy fruits. Like the others there’s tannin but less forward and finer. Mineral/floral in the finish. A beauty….
2019 Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Le Clous
Not so forward but here’s a rounder nose, also of very attractive red fruits. Incisive, nicely structured – so mouth-watering. Properly mineral finishing. Not for drinking today – as you could the last – but this is really super and sustains a long and delicious finish.
2019 Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Les Lavières
3 small parcels
A modest tightness to this nose but with an impressive depth, a slightly earthy accent too. The previous wine was incisive but here I would say a wine with more impact. There’s a fine concentration in the middle here. Structural but also vibrantly finishing – here wait 2-3 years but that’s a very fine finish.
Probably the most compact of all these noses – a little darker red fruit. Broad, the most mouth-filling of these, certainly an impressive concentration – never heavy – almost a layered style to the flavour delivery. Energy, perhaps a little menthol in the strong finish. Such very impressive wine – if the nose becomes more generous then bravo wine!
Les Whites:
2019 Bourgogne Aligoté
Old vines, over 60, in Boutières – deep soil producing a slightly non-standard wine. Now Nomacorc as had too many returns ‘despite not cheap corks.’
Despite the tank elevage there’s ripeness and roundness that resembles a toffee note. A pineapple freshness and vibrant energy combine to give quite a mouthful of wine. That’s very impressive – not really my style of white but I stand impressed all the same – super balance for the concentration…
2019 Bourgogne Chardonnay Les Bruchots
At the limit of the Hautes Côtes near Bouze-les-Beaune – not a large yield – 30 hl/ha in this limestone area, vines about 30-years-old.
The nose a little tight and mineral to start, slowly growing with higher tones. I love the texture – a width of mouth-watering flavour too – almost juicy, slightly sweet but not too much.
2019 Savigny-lès-Beaune Blanc Les Saucours
There’s a little pinot blanc co-planted here – less than 10% – two parcels the older 55-years-old the younger more like 25, blended. ‘We prune very late, we also protected with candles – so probably lost only 30%… But we probably have no Talmettes’
Ooh – that’s a lovely aroma – faintly aniseed, not so faint freshness – lovely! Freshness, energy, a little roundness but kept on the straight and narrow with a good minerality. This is excellent as was my last 2006 of this a couple of months ago…