Tasted with Franck and Fred Buisson in Saint Romain, 16 October 2019.
Domaine Henri et Gilles Buisson
21190 Saint Romain
Tel : +33 3 80 21 27 91
www.domaine-buisson.com
On 2019:
“The vine growth in 2019 started quite early – before 4-6 weeks of cold – but the real heat started at the end of June. We had a strong pressure from oïdium, even in parcels that usually don’t get any – the driest parcels particularly! For 2 months we were completely dry with not much water reserve in the soil either – but August wasn’t too warm so the grapes were fine. It was, though, a low volume overall. One other thing of note was that we were certified Biodynamic in 2019 – so will have new labels – actually, the labels for the 2018s are also new!”
On 2018:
“A good volume, we’ve had small vintages since 2012 – it’s not really been possible to serve all our clients in the last years with the volumes we’ve had. 2015 was not bad, 2017 was good for reds but we made less than in 2016 for whites. I think we will have super wines 12.8-13° and decent acidity at harvesting, there’s balance and intensity. The Winter and Spring were wet – it gave us a good reserve of water which was later required as the summer was hot, with two periods of heatwave – but the vines weren’t perturbed and the weather allowed all the grapes to ripen well. It’s incredibly impressive to see the ripeness of the grapes, given the volume but also with good, correct, acidities.”
The wines…
Singing St.Romains of both colours and some interesting new maison wines too.
Half bottles and generics are sealed with DIAM here, the rest are all natural cork – Ndtech for most of their production. With the new label also comes a small wax seal on top but no capsule. The chosen corks are 3x the price of DIAM and as a Biodynamic domaine they explain that an agglomerate cork with glue holding it all together is a hard concept for them to accept – “It’s not a noble material” – plastic and screw-caps work very well but are not accepted by some of their customers.
3 hectares, a lot of massale selection and over 60-year-old vines – these older vines in the heart of the valley a mix of south and more west-facing vines. This will one bottled sometime soon.
A nice big, dark cherry nose of fine freshness – it’s an invitation! Ooh, supple, fresh, mouth-watering, weight of flavour, almost a little peppery in the finishing flavor – bravo!
The natural cuvée – Bottled at the end of July
Deep colour – a round nose of dark fruit. Ooh, extra relaxed flavour, melting with freshness and purity – nothing ‘natural’ about this wine, it’s pure, delicious but with cut too. Bravo!
2018 Volnay 1er Les Chanlins
Again, plenty of colour. Weight, depth of dark fruit – a little more perfumed above. More direct, incisive wine – lovely acidity here, melting flavour, mouth-watering and intense. Plenty of finishing power. Excellent!
2018 Corton Le Rognets et Corton
‘A fresher area here, always a tannin of finesse’
Almost saturated colour. Wide, silky but more compact above and below. Ooh, that’s great fruit! There is both concentration and structure but wrapped with balancing, mouth-watering precise fruit – a weight, an impressive weight, of finishing flavour. Grand cru! Excellent!
The whites:
2018 St.Romain Le Jarron
This was classified as Bourgogne until the late 2000’s. The only white of the domaine on this side of the valley, all their other chardonnay is on the opposite side.
Hmm, a hint of sherbet and a lot of attractive depth to this full, open, nose. But it’s a wine of drive, of freshness but still lots of width on the palate – more peach/apricot fruit in the middle but fine citrus acidity to finish.
2018 Saint Romain La Perrière
80 metres between the bottom and top of the vines, sometimes 5 days between harvesting everything. A cooler, more stony area.
A fresher nose, more floral, very inviting. Also, there’s zip and drive to this wine – lovely mouth-watering more citrus fruit – but ripe at the core – ooh super finishing too. A wine of fresh tension – and it’s excellent!
The heart of the valley, more clay here, also the oldest vines of the domaine, almost 80 but other plantings too – more than 2 hectares in the middle of the slope
A more vibrant nose – ooh drink me it says! The freshness of the last but delivered with more mouth-filling volume and a little salinity, mouth-watering again. The most complete wine yet – delicious and bravo!
2018 Meursault Marguerite
Named for their Grandmother, a mix of Luchets and Chevalier, just a small road separating the two parcels, very old vines, 80 years
A big nose – open-armed and inviting – modestly Meursault-spiced. Ooh – now that’s a different shape – the freshness of the other cuvées, some mineral base too – but more deliciously mouth-watering – perhaps the faintest touch of oak, but very modest. Ooh, that’s an impressive finish too – Excellent wine.
2018 Maison H&G Buisson, Puligny-Montrachet Les Rochots
Tank sample. Vines in conversion to organic
Deep, faintly biscuity. Ooh, round, but open and growing in intensity, a subtle lick of oak, an extra flash of minerality, more open but also more direct in the finish vs the Meursault. Long finishing. Very nice!
2018 Maison H&G Buisson, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er En Remilly
Also a tank sample. Organic production
Here is a more profound depth of aroma. Mouth-filling, fresh again but with both more weight and intensity – sweeter fruit – this wine is ready for a racking I think – but the shape, texture and length are first class – the finish is already great!
Not yet racked, vines on fermage.
Less direct width but deeper and higher-toned – a more vertical nose! Ooh – now that’s in great shape – there’s a touch of barrel-derived flavour, but modestly so. But here is also width, a vibration of energy and a brilliant line of flavour that’s simply bravo!
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