Tasted in Puligny with Jean-Michel Chartron 10 October 2023.
Domaine Jean Chartron
8 Bis Grande Rue
21190 Puligny-Montrachet
Tel: +33 3 80 21 99 19
www.bourgogne-chartron.com
More reports with Domaine Chartron
Jean-Michel on 2022:
“2022 was a good vintage – with a decent volume too – except in Rully and to an extent Folatières also. It was the slope for these two and the lack of rain that meant plenty of berries but not much juice – but it was very easy – certainly compared to 2021. We have become used to these early vintages – we started in August again – 26–29th August for most of the reds. Just a couple of days later for the whites – so also a lot was already completed in August. Our Hautes Côtes and Rully were harvested 5-6 September together with Corton-Charlemagne. The vinifications were easy and the malos fast – there wasn’t a lot of malic acid – easy to taste with stable wines during the elevage. I’m happy!
“Premier cru volumes are 4-5 times what they were in 2021 – if 2024 has yields like 2022 and 2023 there’s the chance of some real price drops – okay still maybe not for the grand and 1er crus! We pushed for the maximum rendements in the last two years – if the yields are the same in 2024 we might not do that again…”
The wines…
A very classy result from Jean-Michel Chartron. Not too many ‘great’ wines – the grands, as they should be, mainly are – but a properly excellent quality to this range – well done!
All the Bourgognes are sealed with DIAM, higher wines depend on the vintage – Caillerets/Pucelles are usually in cork like the GCs except Corton-Charlemagne which is also DIAM.
Only 3 wines have been bottled – all the rest were racked during the harvest – they haven’t been fined yet – he will start on that tomorrow!
First, les Reds:
Generally Racked a month ago for bottling just before Christmas:
2022 Bourgogne Côte d’Or (or Bourgogne VV)
Some variations on this label depending on the market – but there is only one Bourgogne at the domaine and it’s the same wine in each case. Harvested 17 September – one of the first
There’s fine volume here on the nose – the fruit still with some airy quality to it. Supple then broadening with fresh, energetic and completely delicious intensity – that’s a simply excellent, delicious wine.
2022 Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Beaune Sous la Roche
Slightly paler colour. Deeper and more perfumed though – it’s a narrower but clearly more vertical nose. Hmm – a more architectural, fresh wine – this could be one of the better 2021s in style – which you know I love. Perhaps wait a hint longer than the already too delicious previous wine.
2022 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Clos du Cailleret (Rouge)
Just one barrel – there will also be a barrel for 2023.
More colour again. A much deeper and wider nose – the fruit has a slightly strained extra ripeness but also some attractive silkiness. Hmm – oh yes. The super ripeness is still present but also a depth and energy to this flavour that is both invigorating and moreish – so silky – so delicious!!
Les Whites:
The first three are bottled – DIAM5 sealed – but only those, for now:
2022 Bourgogne Chardonnay Cuvée Eugénie Dupard
Again a wine that can take multiple labels depending on the end market – but again there’s just one cuvée here at the domaine.
A bright sherbet nose but still some depth. Incisive, almost a little mineral too – the needling intensity growing and growing but never getting out of hand. A delicious wine – juicy finishing. I’d drink this young and enjoy – maybe a slight sharpness might creep in after a couple of years – but now it’s simply lovely*
From hillsides in Nantoux
Broader, it’s a beautiful aromatic clarity – this is much finer I think. Hmm – transparent clarity, coupled to a certain fluidity – broad complex and so drinkable. Bravo Bourgogne!
2022 Rully Montmorans
4 hectares here but about half a harvest in this sector. The last of the bottled wines
A flatter, calmer width of aroma – ripe below but not fully communicative today. Super shape and even some minerality in this palette of flavours. More considered and concentrated – beautifully finishing flavour – certainly excellent wine – the aromatics just need to be more demonstrative.
None of the following have been filtered or fined – just racked 29 August:
2022 Santenay Les Pierres Seche
Just one parcel, indeed only one barrel of this in 2022.
Extra aromatic depth – ripe but not over-ripe fruit with a hint of nutty character. Broad and mineral – that’s got a fine shape and weight of flavour in the mouth – finishing with an extra burst of intensity – this is certainly going to be excellent, possibly even better than that for a villages!
2022 Savigny-lès-Beaune Nourrissants, Théologiques et Morbifuges
Some attractive high tones – quite perfumed – tighter below. Hmm – this sits wonderfully well on the palate with a fine clarity, some fluidity even. Broad, slightly structural and mineral finishing. Really lovely.
2022 Pernand-Vergelesses
% barrels from Belles Filles
Hmm – that’s more floral than the PV archetype – it’s very inviting. In the mouth the shape and architecture are more PV-like – and I really like it! The intensity is fine – this is just so deliciously moreish – finishing broad over the palate.
2022 St.Aubin 1er Heritage Cistercien
Had to pull out our Sentier de Clous, so for a time, here is a replacement cuvée which is a blend of parcels.
A smaller but still fine nose – there’s the tiniest hint of barrel with a good floral top note. Hmm – depth and more than reasonable concentration. The silky texture is fine and there’s a saline accent to the intensity of this wine. The finish holding very well
2022 St.Aubin 1er Perrières
A similar floral component but in this case with more width of aroma. Extra incisive and with more intensity to follow that up. Here’s a super wine – delicious at the same time – yum. I think it a potentially excellent 1er cru!
2022 St.Aubin 1er Murgers des Dents du Chien
Extra roundness, extra ripeness but super inviting. Oh – I love this energy and fluidity of flavour. So much finishing flavour energy here – and versus the other wines a little more zesty too. Lovely.
The normal Benoites but augmented with some young vine Chassagne Caillerets – like last year – ‘it helps!’
Hmm – floral top notes and lots of depth – that’s a super invitation! It’s like the St.Aubins but with more weight/depth of flavour but also no disadvantages – the balance here is impeccable. For a villages I think that’s a great wine – the flavour complexity unfurling over the plate – bravo!
2022 Puligny-Montrachet
Not a lot of domaine villages here but it’s only villages in this!
A less forceful but still fine nose. A more sinewy, structural wine than the Chassagne – I’m even tempted to say ‘more austere’ but the mouth-watering citrus finish quickly has me forgetting such notions – it’s completely delicious!
2022 Puligny-Montrachet Enseignières
Extra breadth and interest to this nose – it’s clearly a small jump in quality. A hint of barrel flavour but also a the edges have been rounded vs the the previous villages. A wine of impressive and delicious complexity!
2022 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Vieilles-Vignes
Of various crus but the majority is from the Hameau de Blagny
Directly the largest and most detailed of noses – yes! Mouth-filling, melting with flavour – I love the melting structure here and the width of flavour on offer. Rolling finishing flavour that goes very long – proper 1er cru – it’s definitely worth your time!
2022 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Folatières
From the shape and aromatics this has much in common with the previous wine. In the mouth I’m sure some oak but it’s hardly visible – rounder, and fuller flavoured but never heavy. I might still prefer a hint extra energy in these finishing flavours but there’s no escaping how delicious it is!
2022 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Clos de la Pucelles
The 105th vintage for this wine at the domaine.
Clean, pure, mineral but with compact aromas. Larger in scale again – yet still growing in mineral intensity. Oh that’s going to be great though currently more discreet, slightly more structured nose. More impact, less round – the architecture is more obvious here . silky then an impressive finishing burst of flavour. Great Pucelles? I’m not sure about that – but what an absolutely delicious wine!
2022 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Clos des Caillerets
Also the 105th vintage for this wine chez Chartron. This, together with the Clos Chevalier and Clos de Pucelles were bought from a Madame Billerey – her domaine had an amazing collection of vineyards. Jean-Michel’s grandfather had half a hectare of pinot in here.
A very pretty vibration of ‘almost’ reductive energy at the base of this hyper-attractive nose. Broader, more sweeping panorama of flavours than the Pucelles – less focused today though. What a tenacious finish – that’s practically a grand cru finish – simply excellent wine.
The following all sampled form barrel:
2022 Corton-Charlemagne
From En Charlemagne.
A deep nose – not wanting to open out in my glass but here is plenty of concentration. Large-scale in the mouth – a little rounder like the Folatières but with a much more visible structure than that wine. This is a wine that clearly has plenty of material but you would be advised to have some patience – it’s got the required balance though.
‘Almost’ Chassagne side
Not the largest nose but the one that’s most ‘in place’ with superb clarity. Impact, minerality, depth of flavour and superb texture. I’d be waiting a couple of years for the (quite modest) oak to fade but here is a beautifully proportioned wine with an extra sweetness to its finishing fruit. A broad, sustained finish – such an impressive finish!
Impressive perfume – less impact than the Bâtard but with such engaging freshness of white-flower perfume. Fluid – directly. Gorgeously shaped wine the first impression is it’s architecture before the flavours melt over the palate – obviously mineral – wonderfully classy. That’s a top wine.
Not a full barrel in 22 – but a full one awaits in 23!
This nose – I suppose unsurprisingly – straddles the impression of the previous two wines. Yes. Clearly, this will be a great Montrachet vintage. Concentration, yet still delivered with fine textural characteristics and plenty of fluidity. A proper finishing burst of flavour that seems like a large ball rolling down a hillside and gaining momentum as it goes. Classic, excellent, Montrachet – great wine!