Au Pied de Mont Chauve – 2016

18.11.2017billn

Tasted in Chassagne with Fabrice Lesne, the 19 October, 2017.

Au Pied du Mont Chauve
5 Chemin du Château
21190 Chassagne-Montrachet
Tel: +33 3 80 21 98 57

Fabrice on 2017:
Everything started growing early in the year – and an early year is always a worry. I always think that we will end up with the right amount of sugars but maybe not the right phenols. Rain came on the Thursday and so we waited until Monday for some balance.

Fabrice on 2016:
We were lucky that we had a small press – because the cuvées were so small! I’m very happy with the reds – they have good concentration, in fact I prefer them to 2015 with their slightly higher acidity. Some of the whites, like elsewhere, still have a little sugar, but I’m not worried as I’ve no plans to do any bottling before the Spring. In the end our production volume was 70% down…

The wines…

Nothing is in bottle yet, some are still in fining in tank, others still in barrel – even a few that had not finished fermenting their sugars when I visited.

Ultra fine, sleek, wines with ‘zing’ here.

 
2016 Bourgogne Chardonnay
Some from Chassagne, the rest from near Rully, fermented in a mix of barrel and foudre.
A modest nose with some richness of aroma. Lovely. Wide, fresh, structured wine. A bright finishing flavour. There’s some power here.

2016 St.Aubin 1er En Remilly
Not finished fermenting, and the the nose shows it. Bright, wide, with a super line and just a little fat to the texture. Long. This will be super…

2016 St.Aubin 1er Les Charmois
A deep but also unfinished nose. Even more volume in the mouth, more mineral too. There is energy here and a good ripeness of fruit to make the balance. Like the last, it will be worth waiting for…

2016 St.Aubin 1er Les Pitangerets
Here a little reduction – it’s a barrel sample. The reduction is on the palate too, but like the last two, there is volume, energy and lovely tension to this wine.

2016 Chassagne-Montrachet En Pimonts
Hmm this is more correct and mineral with a lovely vibration of energy behind it. Really an ultra-mineral wine, but slowly mouth-watering with a sweetness of flavour that balances – yum!

2016 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Les Chaumées
A faint toast frames plenty of volume and a really engaging yellow citrus fruit. A hint of gas. Intense flavour that slowly melts at the edges – like the last. Direct but finishing with a caress – super!

2016 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er La Maltroie
Ooh – perfectly formed, fresh, mineral but largely fresh yellow citrus – that’s quite an invitation. Just a little more width and ease across the palate, the intensity is still there though. Waves of finishing flavour here, this has a thrilling finish. Bravo.

2016 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Clos St.Jean
From a 0.5 hectare plot – Only a feulette!
Of course, unsurprisingly there’s an oak aspect here but fortunately the spicy variety rather than vanilla – and it does fade in the glass. Hmm, but this has structure and clarity of flavour. It’s delicious but there’s virtually none!

2016 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Les Vergers
Fine and open citrus freshness. Cut from rock, fresh, mineral but with enough sweetness to balance. This is wide on the palate and it lingers very well. Super wine.

2016 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Les Chenevottes
There is some sugar here but aromatically it seems ready to me with good citrus definition and a nice volume. There’s gas here, but with width on the palate too. A melting flavour – this is really excellent. It should turn out to be a bravo wine I think!
2013 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Les Caillerets
Fine width of freshness. This really fills the mouth, then there’s the mouth-watering intensity, then there are the waves of mouth-watering finishing flavour. This wine has plenty of waves!
2016 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Les Demoiselles
It’s only Guy Amiot, Philippe Colin and here for Puligny Demoiselles
An almost done nose – there is still a little sugar here too – but it’s still impressive. Full of energy, really turning over with complexity, turning, turning, great wine.

Agree? Disagree? Anything you'd like to add?

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