Tasted in Beaune with Geoffroy Choppin de Janvry, 6 June 2017.
Domaine Albert Morot
20 Avenue Charles Jaffelin
21200 Beaune
Tel: +33 3 80 22 35 39
I visited Geoffroy back in November, but his 2015s were so backward (still with malo and lots of gas) that, other than to say ‘Hi’ and learn a little about the vintage, there wasn’t that much that I could usefully say about the 2015s. So here’s a revisit to see how they look after bottling.
To get a flavour of Geoffroy’s comments about his 2015 (and 2016!) vintage, you can take a look here: https://wp.me/PjmsF-bqQ
The wines…
Geoffroy is never shy with his oaking – always 30% new – but the proof of the pudding is in the eating, and after 3-4 years the oak is barely an anecdote. Super wines for the cellar at this address in 2015.
2015 Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er La Bataillière au Vergelesses
Sited in Savigny’s Les Vergelesses. One third of this 1.8 hectare monopole, 0.6ha of which has been uprooted and planted with chardonnay. Bottled at the end of March – 30% new barrels with a medium toast.
A deep, vibrant nose with some oak impression and dark fruit. Big, supple, layers of acid-led flavour. Plenty of oak, but exceedingly tasty wine…
2015 Beaune 1er, Cents Vignes
More clay and silt here at the bottom of the slope.
Some slightly more modest oak aromatics followed by a growing floral component. More lithe, with a growing volume and intensity. Waves of flavour, still with the barrel accent but it will fade. Super.
2015 Beaune 1er Toussaints
There are not many who label this…
Higher on the slope. Deep, vibrant dark fruit slowly filling out with flowers too. A little more muscle, more intensity too. Really holding a fine, crisp finish – hmm, very yum. Such a super wine.
Near the Clos des Mouches, 1 ha of vines, 1/3 of which are planted to white – there’s more limestone and sand here.
Here there is a little oak too, but more fragrant, less dark notes. Hmm, this is beautiful, wide and showing fine focus, still a little oaky. Great young wine.
2015 Beaune 1er Bressandes
From above Toussaints, there’s more limestone in this plot.
An oaky, wide, complex nose. Freshness, and fine, lithe flavour that’s really a tenacious in the finish – great weight. Floral dimensions in the finish too.
From higher up in the vineyard.
A less focused and rounder nose. Hmm, really layered flavour though – wow, lots of complexity too – despite the nose today, easily my new favourite!
And just to see:
2013 Beaune 1er Teurons
The oak is barely noticeable now, mainly replaced with floral notes and faint smoke – really inviting with a twist of more maturity. Big floral flavour in the mouth, still some tannin, delicious complexity but the structure is more overt than the 2015 today. Delicious but more overtly young.
2012 Beaune 1er Cent Vignes
A little oaky-style reduction here – with a more red berry style fruit. Intense, moth-watering, long, plenty of structure with a hint of finishing bitters.