Tasted in Meursault with Marion Javillier, the 10 October, 2019.
Domaine Javillier
9 Rue des Forges
21190 Meursault
Tel: +33 3 80 21 27 87
www.patrickjavillier.com
Marion on 2019:
“2019? It’s finished! I’m happy with the quality that we have but there’s usually a down-side, this year it’s because there’s less than we’d like. That said, there was a little more than we had been expecting. The frost of 5 April was the main thing – we lost 80% in one vineyard, the weather wasn’t great during flowering either – but they were good grapes!”
Marion on 2018:
“2018 – different! Very nice volume in white, good in red – clean nice grapes too – we haven’t seen a vintage like that for many years. It was a wet start to the year but we still lacked water later in the summer – just a little came before harvesting. Actually, we had no really exceptional events to note. The volume helps us breathe as the cellar was empty beforehand. It’s a vintage of ‘material’ and balance for the wines it’s not a hot vintage in the glass. I rack my brain but there’s really not a vintage like it I think – you can say this resembles that and that resembles this – but it’s all small parts, and different parts, that in the end don’t help!”
The wines…
What a fine set of wines – the reds are often forgotten as this is principally a Meursault domaine, but unfairly, as they are always pure and delicious – 2018 is no exception. The whites are a very fine set of wines – probably because they are in tank, fined, most are a little aromatically compact today – but there’s very little that’s missing in the mouth – each is different, all delicious, some are great.
All wines still in tank – no bottling yet. I asked Marion about cork vs DIAM – “We’re testing DIAM but not all tests are finished yet – I do think that the reds close too much after bottling with DIAM though”
There’s a little more colour here than I remember from the 17s. What an inviting nose – but as always here! Supple, good concentration, practically silky wine – a width of attractive flavour here, and growing in the super finish – bravo Savigny!
2018 Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Les Serpentières
A narrower nose, hinting at more depth, but this is essentially tighter – though with very fine flashes of pure berry fruit. More intensity, a wine that drives with energy – the flavour slowly widening over the tongue – more freshness – delicious – floral extra in the finish too! Simply excellent. None of the Savigny herb in these two wines – just deliciousness!
From a single parcel.
Deeper colour. A deeper nose too – darker fruit but still with a perfumed uplift of flowers. Broader, more depth to the flavour – more packaging to this texture – depth of texture too. I love the layered flavour in the middle and finish – this is my new favourite! Bravo!
2018 Aloxe-Corton
Also lots of colour here. This one is showing a little biscuit-style reduction. Nice shape, freshness and concentration – the flavours slowly relaxing from the core which shows the reduction too. Silky texture – this will be very attractive, but today it’s only suggesting what’s to come…
Les blancs…
Also all in tank:
2018 Bourgogne Côte d’Or Cuvée des Forgets
To be bottled in January, now on tank
Hinting at aromatic depth, mainly showing a little sherbet freshness above, but with citrus accents. Hmm, there is depth here, flavour that slowly melts over the palate – a touch of fat to the texture but finely balanced. Persistent and precise – no lack of balance but not an energetic wine today.
From Pellans, half of Pellans is Meursault. Normally 10,000 bottles of this vs 20,000 of the latter
Not a large nose but of fresh citrus fruit – it’s very inviting. More drive, more intensity and energy – less padding, a mobile wine of fine and growing width. Pure, delicious – you would not guess from a hot vintage. Bravo!
A nose that’s high-toned, open and fresh but hints at requiring a little more elevage. In the mouth this is driving, deliciously flavoured wine – as good a Savigny blanc as you could wish for with its fine texture and direct, fresh fruit. Mouth-wateringly tasty wine with a really fine persistence of flavour! More than excellent.
2018 Puligny-Montrachet Les Levrons
There’s a width of faintly toasty aroma here but this nose is much tighter in the bass notes. Hmm, but here is something extra – more depth and dimension to the flavours – a certain ripeness but with fine shape and bubbling energy. More complex and absolutely delicious and persistent – excellent wine!
2018 Meursault Clos du Cromin
There is more volume to this fresh nose, but it’s giving precious little away for now. Very different in style – silky, fresh a little more composed but this wine is about a very fine width of flavour, almost stony – pure – delicious!
2018 Meursault Tillets
A modest volume of aroma like the last, faintly toasted and here also showing some flashes of fine yellow citrus. Wide but also with more mouth-filling volume. Supple, faintly grained, beautiful broad finishing flavour – very pretty citrus fruit here – and like all with fine persistence. Still a wine that’s in its shell a little but it has everything a (good!) Tillets should!
Ooh – this nose is more open – deep, mineral, some agrume – highly attractive. Lots of volume, lots of energy, always a slight cushion to the texture – but that’s appreciated! Layered delivery of fine flavour. Although this is more composed than the last, it’s also showing so much more today – delicious – bravo!
2018 Meursault Tête de Murger
Back to the slightly more reticent nose – volume but not too much to comment on. More direct freshness and overt minerality. My palate adjusts – with pleasure – here the flavour is wide and classically Meursault it’s also of generous length. Really excellent, proper Meursault of freshness and zip.
2018 Corton-Charlemagne
From Pougets. Always a small cuvée here, 1200 bottles.
That is a fine if not a full-volume nose – showcasing a shimmering depth of more structurally mineral notes – but the citrus fruit has real elegance. Completely different; fresh, mineral, citrus juice squeezed over rocks – yet with a subtle plump packaging in the middle so there are no hard edges. Wide, mobile flavour – waves of which lap over the palate in the finish – not super extravagant for a Charlemagne, but a very fine Charlemagne!
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