Tasted with Jean-Paul Dubost in Lantignié, 02 July 2020.
Domaine Jean-Paul Dubost
9 Impasse du Tracot
69430 Lantignié
Tel: +33 4 74 04 87 51
Other reports with Jean-Paul Dubost.
Originally named the Domaine du Tracot – that’s the address – Jean-Paul is the 3rd generation in charge of what is now a 50-year-old domaine; Jean-Aimé Dubost then Henri Dubost and it’s now Jean-Paul who’s been here since the 1990s. His two sons point to the possibility of a 4th generation at the domaine. The Domaine do Tracot had only 6 ha of vines when bought by the Dubosts back in the 1960s, today it’s ‘much more – approaching 30 hectares of which 9 are Beaujolais Villages,‘ and they commercialise about 150,000 bottles per year, the rest being taken by the négoce. About half the production is exported.
In my blind tasting of 2018 Beaujolais Lantignié, a highly memorable wine came from the cuverie of Jean-Paul, so I took the opportunity to pay him a visit – it turns out that this cuvée is sold in Harrods in London! He explains about the appellation of Lantignié: “The winemakers from here spend lots of time eating and tasting together, it wasn’t like that before. There’s a lot of energy from the producers here.” We finished with a nice selection of older wines too – practically it is only Giles Gelin that opens similar bottles – though occasionally at Château Thivin too – so that was a nice surprise.
Jean-Paul explains that he uses carbonic maceration for a maximum of 15 days whether he’s making his Lantignie or Moulin à Vent. Most production is tank elevage, but there’s also some use of demi-muids here, of 400 and 500 litres – “I like their softer elevage,” he says.
The wines…
Here is a winemaker that I didn’t know all that well, but one that seems to have quality cuvées throughout his range. Highly recommended!
2018 Beaujolais Lantignié Blanc
JP has used the Lantignié label for three years now. Alluvial terrain of about one hectare, planted to white in 2006.
A compact yet quite inviting nose, slightly sweet. Mineral, open, no harshness, a little steely even. Finishing with a touch of salinity and it’s a persistent finish too.
2018 Beaujolais Villages Les Cerises (Lantignié)
Round, lots of depth, clarity of fruit and a little graphite impression. Mouth-filling, lots of freshness to the fruit, but there’s depth to the fruit too – long, long finishing – this is really excellent wine – lovely!
2019 Beaujolais-Lantignié
The nose has higher-toned more floral impression – that’s very nice. Higher-toned an airier style – not lacking any depth of flavour. Finer but wait 12 months before ‘harvesting’ from your cellar. Simply lovely…
2018 Brouilly Pierreux
2 ha here.
Quite an airy and open nose for 2018 Brouilly – more structural – mouth-filling, no grain to the tannin just a little astringency. Sweetly fruited but well-balanced with the graphite minerality. Excellent again.
High in Morgon near St.Joseph
A beautifully floral nose – airy again – that’s very inviting. Plenty of mouth-filling presence, A little astringence but open, and delivering lovely flavour in successive waves over the palate. Intense – for saving, but another excellent wine – I like this very much. Bravo
From the bottom of the appellation near Moulin à Vent. ‘Always a constituted wine’
That’s a great nose – complex and wide, almost more Moulin à Vent than Fleurie. Easy, open to start but behind there’s a proper structure that slowly starts to show. Here’s a wine for keeping a couple of years, but it’s already delicious if you can’t wait. The finish is a super reprise – unexpected. Bravo again.
2018 Moulin à Vent En Brenay
At the bottom, 4 parcels in this more manganese area.
More colour that the Fleurie. A much more profound nose too – this is another world – a heavier perfume and such depth too. Fresh, driving, extra concentrated, a lick of astringence, floral components in this finish – Very complex here too. Wait a couple of years but this is impressively excellent.
From magnum, the 2018 is still in barrel.
Wide, florally complex nose. Hmm, this has a lovely open but growing intensity of flavour on the palate. Structural but nicely layered, then a great succession of finishing waves of flavour – aromatically I found the 18s to have a bit more clarity – perhaps the oak is making the difference – but this finish is regal. Bravo!
2018 Morgon Côte du Py
Tank sample – Jean-Paul’s not sure if will be bottled before or after the harvest.
A bigger, almost pungency of aroma – it’s much better than my description! More silken, concentrated – a fuller wine – brilliant texture, a suggestion of oak-flavour – growing to more than a suggestion as it finishes. Wide and delicious all the same – a suggestion of more heat here but still a delicious almost liquoreux in style. Excellent
2007 Beaujolais-Villages
Only Lantignié vines
Complex, floral, brilliant nose! Narrower than the previous crus – of course. But layered, mineral, slightly metallic, not as overtly sweet as the 2018s, also of course. A floral spine to the flavour.
2006 Beaujolais Villages
‘2007 more on the fruit, 06 was less overtly ripe as vintages but each improved in the bottle.’
A more profound, slightly younger nose on this wine – not as evolved – still a fine invitation. Almost a prickle of acidity, open, floral, less ripe yet with a fine mouth-perfume. Not a bit mouth-puckering, and there’s a certain intensity here too. The finish is lovely and still with a lick of astringency – a treat.
2001 Beaujolais Villages
‘Normally an interesting vintage – not usually mediocre’
Wide and complex – much maturity here – in a good way. Nothing of the marsala style to the aromas, even at this age. Round, easy, supple, growing some minerality. A ripeness of macerating fruit at the core. Softer after the 2006 but still with some finishing tannin.
“The vinification was ‘lighter in these days’ but with the esprit and freshness of gamay. Today a little stronger, for the domaine wines – still less for the wines that the négoce take.”
1990 Beaujolais Villages
More modest of colour. The nose is far from modest, however, still showing floral elements as part of an inviting complexity – à point! Depth of flavour and concentration, a faint marsala as part of a super, almost smoky complexity – still accented with tannin. Full-flavoured and very fine – finishes with persistence – a treat again!