Tasted in Bligny-lès-Beaune with Pierre Meurgey, 15 May 2023.
Domaine Clos de la Chapelle
Au Château – 14 Grande rue
21200 Bligny-lès-Beaune
Tel: +1 816 223 0257
www.closchapelle.com
More reports with Clos de la Chapelle
Pierre on 2021:
“2021 is our third consecutive ‘small’ vintage – roughly 22 hl/ha – and none of the Volnays delivered as much as 20 hl/ha – so we have lost nearly 2 harvests in the last 3 years. We have not been helped by our new plantings that are often not yet in production. Luckily our Corton-Charlemagne was okay – and that was also the last vineyard that we harvested on the 29th of September.”
The wines…
Probably because of such (unfortunately) consistently low volumes, this is a far too discreet and ‘under the radar’ domaine – there are always great wines in this cellar and the general level of attainment is simply excellent – and in both colours. It’s another fine result this year!
All these wines tasted with the ‘benefit’ of Coravin:
2021 Beaune 1er Les Teurons
0.27 ha, with almost a normal volume.
Modest colour. Airy and quite floral perfumed, above a pretty red fruit. Sparkly, fresh, a little fresh structure too. Keep it a while to make the structure more accessible – but not long – a couple of years.
2021 Beaune 1er Champs Piments
0.63 ha bringing 28 hl/ha
Also of modest colour – here of rounder aroma, still a finely transparent red fruit – just fewer floral references. More supple and silky – this rolls over the palate beautifully with touches of silk and minerality – more direct and a beauty.
2021 Volnay 1er En Carelle
Just below the chapel, same height and exposure as Champans. 0.35 ha planted about 1960 – but this year only 2 barrels. Some brown clay, lots of small rocks on reasonably deep soil. All destemmed as usual.
More colour. A vibrant depth of clean red fruit. There’s depth to the flavour too – red again, very faintly framed with an ultra-fine-grained tannin. The finish is the most imüressive part – energetic and complex – really a super finish!
Bought in two lots by Victor Boillot in 1865 and them 1870. The Lavalle map of 1855 shows this contiguous with the next vineyard – Pitures – but this is 1m higher and the wall is there, so Mark isn’t sure. Here a lighter, browner, as opposed to redder soil vs En Chapelle. Also planted between the mid-1950s and early 60s. The cabotte is now renovated though seemingly with more paperwork needed than for planting a vineyard! This clos extends to 0.55 ha or 13.2 ouvrées. ‘Slightly higher elevation chalkier with more limestone, really those are the elements that I think you can taste in the mid-palate. Here the vines run east-west.’ Since 2020 a part (20%) has been replanted.
Yes! Wonderful, almost cliché attractive fruit and flowers – a great nose. Great shape – and architecture – but growing in intensity and complexity – always juicy – a potentially great Volnay…
2021 Volnay 1er Cru
100% the young vine (2015) harvest from Taillepieds.
A broad nose, almost a little cushioned too. A faint reduction in these complex flavours – a wine that bubbles with energy finishing with fine clean intensity – simply lovely wine – delicious again!
2021 Volnay 1er Taillepieds
Much, much lighter soil. Much stonier too. ‘Totally different – 50m higher in elevation with multiple types of limestone. 0.47 ha.’ About 30% of their surface in Taillepieds is this older parcel. Actually used 25% wc in this fermentation.
Plenty of colour. A more airy width of aroma than the young vines but still with fine depth. Direct, structural, faintly grained with tannin – but such a complexity too – mobile, actively changing flavour, a little accent of salinity too. Super wine…
On the border of Volnay and Pommard. Old-vines, 0.25 ha from 1930 that delivered 45 hl/ha despite their age. ‘It’s a mystery this vineyard – we see fragility with some court noué but the vines keep producing super fruit – it’s a treasure here.’ Only 23 hl/ha but there was nothing from their other Pommard (Epenots).
Not a large nose but one with a wonderfully fine clarity of fruit – beautiful! Always just a little extra depth of flavour to this wine – it’s another great one – supple, mobile, fluid energy – but with the x-factor. Bravo!
2021 Corton Bressandes
There’s no Rognets anymore – part of the separation with Champy – but the domaine got a little more Beaune Reversées which has already been replanted to white – 0.18 ha worth.
A broader aromatic – a hint of spice here – perhaps the barrel. In the mouth, yes there’s the spiciness of the barrel – but also a melting style to the flavours as they spread over the palate. Modest structure, immodest finishing length – that’s a beautiful finish – give it at least 2-3 years for the structure and the barrel to come together but this is a fine Corton…
And les Blancs…
“Less than half a harvest in 2021 whites:”
2021 Beaune 1er Reversées Blanc
A narrow nose – but with a stone-fruit core of aroma. Ooh – that’s very interesting a slight creamy frame to vibrant middle flavours – a little apricot and a lot of minerality. That’s a wonderful wine – quite non-standard but a beauty!
2021 Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Sous Fretille
A tiny plot of just 3 ouvrees – 0.12 ha. ‘Our mini Corton-Charlemagne – it has the same elevation and you can see one from the other…
A beautiful and directly perfumed fruit – super! In the mouth too this is a wine of direct and growing intensity – mineral and saline too. Still more intensity after you have swallowed! Simply excellent wine – I love it.
2021 Corton-Charlemagne
From the Pernand side in En-Charlemagne – Mark particularly looking for leaner, more angular rather than riper style – ‘Because you can’t do that in Montrachet. We don’t pick late, we use a Champagne-style, short, 3-3.5 hour press of whole clusters. Debourbage overnight with an early morning racking into barrel with plenty of lees. Once per month batonnage after malo, until about 2 months before bottling. This is always our last picked vineyard’ – west, north-west positioned.
Direct again and with a lovely freshness – quite narrow and primary today. A hint of reduction in the flavours – and proper CC intensity with a width and an almost austere hint of stony flavour supporting all. It’s the finish that distinguishes this wine – not the most powerful but certainly the wine with the most interesting width of flavour. Hiding much of what it has today but I’m sure it will be a simply excellent Charlemagne!