Tasted in Volnay with Sarah and Guillaume Glantenay, 17 June 2020.
Domaine Georges Glantenay & Fils
3 Rue de la Barre
21190 Volnay
Tel: +33 3 80 21 61 82
www.domaineglantenay.com/
More reports for Domaine Pierre Glantenay.
“Everybody is still drinking wine so we stay positive.”
Guillaume & Sarah on 2018 and a little on 2019:
“2018 is a super vintage, it’s obviously a warm vintage but the balance between volume and the weather means we’ve kept a good pinot style. Probably more balanced than in 2017 and certainly more concentrated. It was one of those rare vintages that all went well in the vines – water at the start of the vintage, sun and wind, a characteristic of vintage that brought lovely things. We started 27 August harvesting our white, took 2 a day break from the vines then started our reds on the 30th.
“Unfortunately we have a lot less in 2019; 60% less white and about 40% – it depends on the parcel – less red.”
The wines…
If you want to drink 2018 Chambolle here’s a good address for you – none of the overblown characters that plague so many of the wines. The best wines, for me, are their Côte de Beaunes – and seemingly the same cuvées as most years – some special ones that are worth searching for.
These 2018s were bottled in March:
2018 Volnay
1.8 hectares worth from 9 different parcels – all below the 1er crus, 15-80 years old vines…
A density of aroma but with good freshness too – that’s a good invitation. Hmm – that’s very agreeable – a wine of concentration but with an ease of flavour, nothing is overdone and the flavour goes nicely long. A very good start!
2018 Volnay 1er Santenots
0.4 hectares from Dessous
More width of aroma, more complexity – that’s a fine invitation again whilst staying in the fruit register – no flowers. Rounder but with a certain steel a certain structure. Mouth-watering, Proper Santenots power but no hard edges – that’s already excellent!
2018 Volnay 1er Roncerets
First vine harvested in 2018.
A more elegant freshness, of darker fruits and here some floral notes. More open, less directly structured – deliciously mouth-watering flavour. A strength of finishing flavour. Simply excellent, dynamic, wine and of Volnay!
A stony depth to this aroma with a nice layer of floral perfume above. A synthesis of the previous two wines – the elegance and the structure. Detailed, complex – bravo – you will need to wait for this – a little – but that’s a great Brouillards, as so often at this address.
2018 Pommard
Just half a hectare but ‘good old vines.’
Not the widest nose but this has a very comely depth of darker red fruit – it’s a fine invitation. Supple, not much grain to the tannin but there is tannin all the same. Round, fine of proportion – that’s a delicious village wine, already completely accessible. Excellent stuff.
First vintage for this was 2015.
Not the biggest nose but an open freshness – this is highly attractive. A more structural architecture, a little more direct but such a fine detail – I love the expression here – the most mineral of these so far – mouth-watering, a purity, practically juicy in the finish. Bravo!
2018 Pommard 1er Rugiens Hautes
A wide and finely complex nose – almost a suggestion of mint-leaf in this. Also a structural wine but here with more depth to the flavour – not as instantly attractive as the last but that’s because you need to wait some time – keep this towards the back of your cellar – you will be rewarded!
2018 Chambolle-Musigny
We harvested after the Côte de Beaune but we are still one of the first – 3 different parcels
No extra colour here. Some aromatic density, darker fruit but still retaining a certain elegance. Nicely fresh, nicely structural too. There’s an intensity of young finishing flavour – slightly stony. Nothing overblown here – this is a lovely wine that you should probably wait a little while for… That’s a nice burst of finishing flavour too.
2018 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Les Feuselottes
Two barrels worth per year – first vintage was 2017.
Not too much colour. Floral – almost roses but not in wc sense. There’s a density here – it needs to open a little more but that’s still a fine start. More direct, lovely freshness, then a width of finishing favour. Super – that’s a great result for Chambolle in 2018 – if you want to drink 2018 Chambolle here’s a good wine for you.