Tasted with Pierre Meurgey at the Château de Bligny, 04 October 2018.
Maison Pierre Meurgey-Croses
Château de Bligny
14 Grande rue
21200 Bligny-lès-Beaune
Tel. +33 98 18 32 9 04
www.pierremeurgey.com
Pierre explains his current range:
2015 was the first vintage with a range of reds – 3 different wines – then I lost some due to the heavy frost of 2016 as there were no grapes – but now there ares more grapes of-course!
“In the cuverie I did more remontage than pigeage for the 2017 reds and ‘reasonable’ additions of sulfur – I would say less than most people. It’s an overused word, but I prefer to say that I did more of an infusion than mechanical extraction with the grapes in this vintage. My malos were quite precocious, so I’m already expecting to have most things bottled early in 2019!
The wines…
Pierre’s reds are very worthin the context of 2017, indeed having a bit more structural stuffing than at many domaines. I still see his whites as the interesting part – value and high quality Mâcons here.
2017 Savigny-lès-Beaune Les Balliard
It’s organic viticulture here – this was previously a Champy contract – an area with deep soil. The wine was racked one month ago, and Pierre is planning to bottle in November. The grapes were fully destemmed – he says he would have liked a little stems but there wasn’t the space in the fermentation tank! No new oak.
An attractive nose of good definition, fruit with that accent of Savigny herb. Hmm, quick entry before widening over the palate with good sweetness and a little modest structure. Fresh, with good intensity – nicely done wine.
2017 Côte de Nuits Villages, Aux Montagne
Bought, certified organic grapes from Comblanchien, just under the big white house with Fevre painted on the side. Aerated a couple of times during elevage to remove some reduction – 30% whole clusters.
Extra colour vs the Savigny. A much deeper nose too, almost a little cola on the nose augmenting the fruit – there’s 25% new oak. More volume, more energy and more intensity of flavour – darker fruited with a good sucrosity. Excellent but wait two years for the overall personality to soften – this is serious stuff – yum!
Vin de France – Les Vallières
Just one barrel in this vintage, including all the vin de presse. It’s actually Beaune Cras, but in this first vintage the owner didn’t have the right to sell under the name of the appellation – next year it will be correctly labelled as Beaune but under a cuvée name as there will be more than one source/location. Pierre does the vineyard work.
A little less colour but a more engaging red fruit character to the nose. There is depth and plenty of tannin (probably from the last press) but there is energy and complexity – this is engaging wine. Excellent Vin de France – not bad Cras even!
2017 Beaune 1er Vignes Franches
Not organic here – 30% whole cluster and about 30% new oak.
Like the Côte de Nuits this has a little extra lift from the oak – but below is a silky width of red fruit. A hint less tannic than the Cras – only a hint – but with super energy again – really a dynamic wine, edged with the fine grain of the tannin – tasty and long again – very successful.
2017 Pommard 1er Grands Epenots
2 barrels, all destemmed, close to Clos des Citeaux, one year-old barrels
Some spiced oak again, but a sleeker, silkier nose of quite some dark depth – though not reduced. Sleek here in the mouth too – executive texture vs the previous wines – layed and despite the freshness still a wine of width. Delicious flavour, juicy wine. This is excellent!
2017 Vosne-Romanée Aux Commune
Hmm, no overt oak here – spiced red fruit with a floral overlay. Good freshness, not the most concentrated wine, indeed a hint of herb in the flavour, but the drive is fine and it’s a more than drinkable thing. I think it suffers following the Epenots, but it’s tasty wine all the same – the best parts today are the nose and the finish!
Les blancs…
All grapes, like the previous vintages, were bought from friends of the family. Two of these are bottled and the rest are racked into tank.
Wines can be heavy in Uchizy but this place has a minerality that slowly brings balance.’ Bottled in July, all tank elevage. One third of malo was blocked.
A sqeaky-clean nose – attractive. Volume and vivacity in the mouth, a certain softening in the mid-palate towards the finish, but this has fine, melting flavour is a very, very gourmand and freshly attractive wine. Bravo for its level.
2017 Viré-Clesse Vieilles-Vignes
A friend of Pierre’s mother – they were at school together – is a proprietor so this comes from him. Lieu dit Le Monts near Peronne/Quintaine. All 55-85 year-old vines – a little later ripening at this altitude. Fined, in tank, not degassed 25% elevage in larger barrels the rest in tank.
The nose has a certain vibration of agrume – possibly gas too – let’s see. Definitely gas. Muscular but no fat, lots of energy – a mobile wine of some distinction. The finish has multiple dimension. Sleek, energetic, no fat. Super!
2017 Saint Veran
From Leynes south of the appellation next to St.Amour. Bottled just before the harvest. 20% barrel elevage, half of that new.
A weight of aroma, only slowly opening in the glass. The most width and a certain depth of flavour here. There is brightness of energy and still a little gas is encapsulated here. Riper fruit but a wine of fresh and attractive balance. Very tasty, holding an engaging finishing note.
All from Pouilly, 6 parcels from the hillside, deeper soils at the bottom of the hill and some of the middle parcels are now considered premier cru. All barrel elevage. Fined, not filtered, still in tank – probably will be bottled in a month.
A density of yellow-fruited aroma – ripe lemon, slightly waxy. Hmm – this is good! A little richness of both yellow-fruited flavour and to an extent texture too, but wrapped in a fresh, faintly flinty, energy. There’s a hint of gas here that aids that – it would be good to capture that at bottling. Serious and also delicious wine. Bravo!
2017 Pernand-Vergelesses Les Pin
In tank, not yet fined – for bottling in November. Two barrels, one new.
A discrete nose, some vibration of minerality perhaps. Round, very fine structure, like a couple of the reds with a subtle herby quality, but of line, and with flinty, mineral interest. Despite the volume in the mouth, the actual flavour is a little compact today. Tasty wine of fine shape – probably tasted not at the best time.
2017 Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Sous Frétile
This an east-facing plot.
This nose is reductive but in the positive Roulot/agrume sense. Extra volume and here with an open flavour-profile to match. Still with that reductive quality – but a wine with a certain class. Excellent!
2017 Meursault Les Narvaux
This will be fined next week – currently it’s assembled in tank. The last was bought in must, this as grapes.
Hmm – not so wide but this has a fine depth of aroma with a small frisson of reductive agrume at the base. Supple, growing width of flavour, poised, the real flavour of a Meursault. Super wine, delicious and with a little ginger-cake in the finish.