Tasted in Puligny with Philippe Jomain, 06 October 2017.
Jomain Frères
1 Rue Abreuvoir
21190 Puligny-Montrachet
Tel: +33 3 80 21 93 46
www.vins-jomain.fr
Philippe’s summary of the recent vintages:
Philippe on 2017:
“We started on the 5th September. We waited for the vines to finish their physical cycle, August was too early due to the dryness. It wasn’t a big yield here, but with good sugars and correct acidity… There was heat at the end of flowering that roasted them a little too much, so yields were lost there. After pressing we didn’t see a lot of bourbe – the juice was very clean – it should be a good vintage. Our reds in Auxey and Monthelie had better yields, but still ‘correct’ and 12-12.5°. The colour started to extract very easily – but the colours were not super stable. We also lost some chardonnay to frost this year so ended up with 35-36 hl/ha.”
Philippe on 2016:
“Our aligoté gave a good yield, but the chardonnay was about 40% less – we lost all of our St.Aubin Les Friones. The Puligny Perrières and Combettes were down 40% too. Pucelles and Bâtard were lost almost completely – there are no separate cuvées. As usual we bottled directly before the harvest – there isn’t the space for two vintages in the cellar here. I was obliged to move prices a little but they have hardly increases vs the 15s which went up 10% – older bottles can still be bought here, back to 2011, and they are over 10 euros cheaper than the current vintage.”
The wines…
The wines, Combettes excepted, are a little tight and even approaching austere following their bottling, but it’s a mineral austerity that says you should wait – Philippe agrees “Oh yes, don’t drink in the first year, they will be in the hole!” But there is plenty of material in these wines and they will reward in the medium term, as is the usual case here.
2016 Bourgogne Aligoté
A hint of sulfur but decent freshness behind. A nice volume of freshness and a good delicacy of flavour. This plays over the tongue quite nicely. Lots of modest and fresh complexity. Good!
2016 Bourgogne Chardonnay
Parcels in commune of Puligny which are blended. Half barrel and half tank elevage.
A little more aromatic width, a suggestion of more depth. A little more volume in the mouth too, though with a hint of gas but certainly more dimension of flavour. Some minerality and a leaching sweetness – it’s tasting well. A serious bottle here with serious length – needs a little time in the cellar though.
2016 Puligny-Montrachet
A blend of two parcels.
A bigger aromatic profile here, a little more green herb in the mix. Similar volume the the bourgogne but more depth and richness of texture. Good and also to wait for a little.
2016 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Les Perrières
Less attack, more refinement to this faintly spiced and very attractive nose. More depth, more minerality, more intensity – this starts a little less generous than the villages wine, but there is more of everything here. Not an overt acidity, but ingraining flavour and with plenty of balance. Very good – to wait for again. Super length.
2016 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Les Combettes
Hmm not the largest nose, but a very attractive one – a vibration of minerality here. More relaxed, with a wider panaorama of flavour that melts over the palate – still plenty of rocks in this, very interesting flavour and the easist to appreciate. Delicious.
No Bâtard due to the frost.