Tasted in Chassagne with Fabrice Lesne, the 8th October, 2014.
Au Pied du Mont Chauve
5 Chemin du Château
21190 Chassagne-Montrachet
Tel: +33 3 80 21 98 57+33 3 80 21 98 57
Fabrice on 2014:
The decuvage was taking place this week in the Côte Chalonnaise and would take place the following week for the Côte d’Or wines. “A grand année for whites: the balance of pH and ripeness seems perfect, despite the problems of the year. We seem to have both quantity and quality in Puligny and Chassagne. For the reds we waited 10 more days to harvest after the whites. The acidities are correct, I’m not yet sure there’s a lot of tannin, but clearly the fruit is very nice. Let’s see!”
Fabrice on 2013:
“A relatively late harvest, starting on the 1st October. We finished our reds in Chassagne with correct maturity but nothing exceptional. I did quite a long 10-12 day prefermentation maceration to make a good extraction. We started the harvest a little earlier in the whites because many grapes seemed fragile and there was a little porriture too – actually I was very nervous about this because we had a little fog each morning and then 20°C in the afternoon – heaven for rot! I find the wines not as profound as 12 (or probably 14!) – there was plenty of malic acid so some reds didn’t finish malo until August but the whites went through malo without a problem in the Spring. I didn’t block any malos – though sometimes I do in warm vintages.
The wines…
I found this to be a very high quality set of 2013s. Currently an over-looked domaine where you probably have better pricing and availability than for many other addresses – and you need look no further than tasting blind to see the quality!
2013 Bourgogne Rouge
A mix of Côte d’Or and Côte Chalonnaise fruit, mainly raised in 2 year-old wood. All hand-harvested and destemmed.
A nice depth of dark fruit on the nose. Round, forward acidity but a good balancing sweetness of dark fruit and a hint of extract too. Yum! Seems more Côte d’Or than Chalonnaise to me.
2013 St.Aubin 1er Les Pitangerets
Here is a very pretty red fruit, less deep than the Bourgogne’s but lovely red fruit with a floral side. Sweeter, a little CO2 but also a fine extra dimension of mid-palate flavour. A nice finish too, yum!
2013 Chassagne-Montrachet Concis des Champs
About 70 year-old vines pruned to Cordon de Royat, hand harvested and destemmed.
Medium-plus colour. The nose is less forward than the previous two wines but suggests silky dark-red fruit. Classic, large-scaled Chassagne in the mouth with fresh, herby fruit supported by good acidity. Modest and very fine textured tannin coats the teeth – lovely!
2013 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Les Chaumées
Medium-plus colour. A darker nose of clean and precise fruit. Lithe with high-toned fruit, a little more intensity, then a burst of fresh fruit flavour. The finish is long yet round. Tasty wine.
2013 Corton Clos des Fiètres
Whole cluster, 3 from 4 barrels of new wood.
A very pretty aromatic, slightly spiced against a whole-cluster aromatic. Fuller in the mouth – round shape but with fine energy and a super flavour. The freshness is in harmony with the more mineral flavours of the finish. Will be super.
The whites…
2013 St.Aubin 1er Les Pitangerets
Hand harvested. Elevage was in a new foudre until June when it was transferred to a stainless steel tank.
There’s a little reduction on the nose delivering a forward note of agrumes. Rather rounder in the mouth, slightly richer than the nose suggests and still a strong agrume note in the flavour too. The acidity bubbles below, gently supporting. Today at-least I’d like a little more support.
A fresh and softly floral nose. Lovely, slightly mineral palate that’s fresh with a growing intensity. This is a wine of energy – and it’s lovely!
2013 St.Aubin 1er En Remilly
The nose has a little more depth and roundness. The palate is much fresher than the round nose suggests, offering good width of flavour and a lovely insinuating flavour quality. Nicely fresh and very tasty!
2013 Chassagne-Montrachet En Pimonts
A modest but fresh aromatic, a little lime-skin too. Round, but with a lovely, supporting, slowly growing acidity. Lovely finish too – this is very fine villages wine!
2013 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Les Chenevottes
Modest aromatics, but clearly deeper and riper than the villages wine. Lithe, slightly mineral style. I love the acidity as it grows and rolls over the tongue. Fine – and that was before the reprise of finishing flavour!
2013 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er La Maltroie
A modest nose again – just faintly herbed à la Chassagne. Wide, intense and super mineral dovetailed to fine acidity. Just a little oak flavour showing here too – but not overwhelming. Slowly lingering and very tasty, despite a little coconut!
2013 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Les Vergers
A wide and faintly toasted nose. Fuller and rounder than the Maltroie with a little herb in the flavour and super acidity – actually, super flavour and it lingers well to…
From a 0.5 hectare plot. Only 10% oak – Fabrice noting that this cuvée is very easy to mark with oak, hence, only a small amount of new barrels.
A relatively deep, classic, herby Chassagne nose. Wide and round with a good core of acidity. Few words, but super-tasty wine.
2013 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Les Chaumées
Round with a ripe aromatic core of fruit. Full and concentrated but alway well-balanced. The intensity mounts and helps hold the flavour very well in the finish. Another long and tasty wine.
Just 3 barrels, one of which was new.
The nose is fresh and gives the impression of ‘clean’ – not so deep as the Chaumées. Good texture with bubbling acidity below. The flavour doesn’t peak until after you swallow – only very slowly fading thereafter. This will be super!
In this vintage, a single 350 litre (new) barrel.
Wide with a high-toned sweetness to the nose – very different in style to the Chassagnes. Width in the mouth and a lovely acidity. A really fine extra dimension of flavour presents itself in the mid-palate. Very long finishing – a very, lovely wine, very lovely…