Tasted with Antonin Cosnier in Pernand-Vergelesses, 23 July 2021.
Maison Antonin Cosnier
15 Rue Jacques Copeau
21420 Pernand-Vergelesses
Tel: +33 7 68 21 76 37
www.instagram
The ‘domaine‘ in this small cellar in Pernand is clearly all about Antonin but he winks as he says that the wines are officially made by his cousins – this is because he’s still waiting for his qualifications to be ratified but ‘It’s iminent‘ – though probably in the French administrative context of that word!
Antonin may have learned about winemaking in Portugal – hence the local requirement for ratification – but he is of good, local, Pernand, stock – he is one of the heirs to Domaine Marius Delarche. Antonin came back to Pernand from Portugal, where he’d been working in the food industry, in 2018. “I started with only 1.05 hectares – but some nice appellations – and with more to come too!”
On the subject of more to come: Domaine Marius Delarche is an important domaine in Pernand, covering 22 hectares. Marius, himself, died in 2007 with his son Etienne taking on the responsibility to make the wines. It was when the wife of Marius died – Jeanne, the grandmother of Antonin – from whose family vines the domaine was originally created, that the question of family succession arose. So, in the years to come, this is going to become an important exploitation in Pernand-Vergelesses. For now, Antonin says “My only objective is to make good wine, so if that takes time – my bottling machine and corking each bottle by hand – then so be it.”
These wines are mainly sold in France today but there are some exported bottles too – in the US for instance…
The wines…
A person and whose wines I really enjoyed; the tasting may have jumped around from colour to colour and from vintage to vintage but there is character here and a number of delicious wines too. I hope to get the chance to better follow these wines!
Starting with a few whites, tasted from barrel. When bottling, Antonin mainly uses cork but is testing the ‘higher-end’ DIAMs:
2020 Pernand-Vergelesses
The smallest parcel – just 3 ouvrées (~0.13 ha) of steep vines when leaving village – in Les Morins. Currently it’s a metayage agreement with 2 barrels here and 2 for Antonin’s cousins. In 2022 it will all come here.
Fine, faintly reductive. Nicely shaped in the mouth, a good energy. Particularly fine and long finishing.
2020 Pernand-Vergelesses 1er En Caradeux
For a time there was battonage once per week for this wine
More expressively the typical reductive Pernand style – this nose is very typical and faintly floral. Some gas, more energy and fuller flavoured. Holding a lovely finish
2020 Corton-Charlemagne
A 300-l barrel for this one. ‘I find a better balance here than when using a 228-l barrel – and this one was a new one.’ From 2 parcels on Pernand side, one mid-slope and the other at the bottom of the hill near restaurant Charlemagne. Additionally, a third parcel opposite the winery of Delarche.
A narrow but deep nose, faintly smoky from the oak. Some gas again, the oak smoke through the core of the wine but just an accent. More scale again versus the Caradeux – that’s already quite impressive.
2019 Corton-Charlemagne
Not yet bottled
Also a little smoky oak but already this is largely covered by a Pernand-style reduction. A little more depth of concentration, super texture too. A great finish!
Now something red?
2020 Corton-Renardes
A very typical deep colour for the vintage. There are some higher tones and perfume here. Mouth-filling, a little whole-cluster flavour, some oak flavour too – this wine started in a new barrel and was then switched into an older one.
In 2019 Antonin made three different cuvées of his Renardes: he called them Barnaby, Marius and Anatol:
2019 Corton-Renardes Barnaby
Not yet bottled, another is…
More modest colour though more perfumed. Mouth-filling with a vibration of energy, tannin too. A width of finishing flavour, smoke, licorice, lasting long. I like.
2019 Corton-Renardes Marius
The smallest cuvée, a mix of barrels and sstainless-steel
Big in the mouth, faintly smoky, high toned with good energy.
2019 Corton-Renardes Anatol
Ooh – thats a lovely nose. Fuller on the palate too. Lovely wine that’s bigger in the finishing flavour – the tannin shows more with aeration.
2018 Corton-Renardes
Not aerated to start
A bigger nose – all new oak but not too marked. Super depth of flavour and open concentration, when aerated the nose is less overt, a width of moderately tannic flavour. Big but impressive wine in 2018
Now for something bottled:
2019 Bourgogne Aligoté
A purchase from St.Romain, with oak elevage
A nose that starts small but soon adds an attractive floral accent with swirling. A good acidity, nicely energetic fkavour with a touch of fat to the texture. Thats a very lovely wine.
2018 Pernand-Vergelesses
This is bottled
Very aromatic, some oak today but still a very attractive aroma. A creamy oak frames the flavour too, more overt but still not excessive – certainly delicious wine.
2018 Pernand-Vergelesses 1er En Caradeaux
Here’s a floral/reductive attractiveness. A fine grain of tannin at the base but with no dryness. The oak here is practically gone. Long, very very, tasty wine.
2019 Pernand-Vergelesses 1er En Caradeaux
More airy, floral, finer nose. The palate more mineral, slightly dry tannin but still a direct wine. Super but more for waiting than the 18…
2018 Corton-Charlemagne
Hmm, thats a nicely vibrant nose – super attractive. Mouth-filling, complex, a fine grain of tannin, less focused than the 19 but delicious and with fine waves of finishing flavour too – very long finishing. Another good effort.