Tasted in Beaune with Arnauld Goichot, 20 October 2020.
Maison André Goichot
Avenue Charles de Gaulle
21200 Beaune
Tel: +33 3 80 25 91 30
www.goichotsa.com
Here’s a producer with some very modern-looking wine-making facilities and a wine-shop on one of my jogging routes through Beaune. I was introduced to the owner by another vigneronne and it was only after I agreed to visit that I realised I knew the address!
The facilities in Beaune may be modern, but here is a domaine/maison that began life in Meursault in 1947 as a maison de négoce. Since that time they have been responsible for the logistics of a number of well-known domaines, both bottling and warehousing their wines at the newly updated place in Beaune – where they also have a retail operation – not just of Burgundy wines. The first bottlings for themselves were done at the start of the 1990s, before that it was companies such as Corbet and Boisset that took their wine in bulk.
2016 was the start of a change of direction for the family with the purchase the 10-hectare Domaine Guignottes, near Buxy in St.Valeran. Next, in 2017 Château du Cray (en fermage) with another 25 hectares of vines – also in Buxy. Arnauld Goichot says that a lot of replanting was needed here in the first years – so they weren’t jumping directly to harvesting 35 hectares from their original family holding of just 1.5 hectares!
For their historic business, Arnauld emphasises that “Our contracts with the growers, have, in many cases, been with the same vigneron for over 25 years…” Arnauld’s father is still part of the business – Arnaud is the oldest of 3 brothers and one sister. Also, a new approach for the domaine is the buying of grapes – they bought 20 hectares worth in the last year – this is new for the business.
Unsurprising from the location of their hectares – around Buxy – here is a producer that majors on whites – but not only whites. I took a wander through their latest vintage, split into the three main labels that they commercialise the wines under.
The wines…
A broad and interesting range of wines, though often, they are obviously oaked. I found the most consistent to be those with the André Goichot label. Their wine-shop, which was being updated when I visited, will be worth a visit if you are in Beaune, in post-covid times…
Practically all the whites are sealed with DIAM. First their Château du Cray label:
2019 Château du Cray, Bourgogne Pinot Noir
Medium colour. Hmm, that is a very inviting and open fruit – crunchy. Supple, easy over the palate, modest tannin, not so modest flavour – easy – that’s excellent – deliciously long too.
2019 Château du Cray, Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Beaune
All Cray wines have elevage in barrel.
This is open, more herbed, less directly attractive but certainly more complex. Punchy, concentrated, more structured for sure. The palate is very good here. Modest finishing bitters and good intensity.
2019 Château du Cray, Mercurey Champ Rain
More colour here. A more compact but finer textured nose. Mouth-filling. This has fine shape and good fruit – the oak slowly coming to the fore – rather vanilla in style – I wouldn’t touch this for 2-3 years – hopefully, in that time it’s faded. Lots of finishing flavour complexity…
2019 Château du Cray, Bourgogne Aligoté
That’s an easy, bright, perfumed nose – an invitation. Round, modest, a little easy structure, lacking a bit of zip or shape but the taste is okay, the finish is the best part.
2019 Château du Cray, Bourgogne Chardonnay
A more incisive and interesting nose. Mineral, flowing, great acidity – a wine whose flavour broadens from the middle onwards. Slightly structural, a little rustic but good.
2019 Château du Cray, Montagny 1er Cornevent
An open nose, more complex – partly because of the barrels, but not as overtly ripe-fruited. Bubbling with energy, a richness but well balanced with mineral energy. More floral finishing – that’s a fine finish!
2019 Château du Cray, Mercurey Blanc Les Douées
This has a good width of aroma – touched by its oak for now. Supple, mineral, but at the same time rich. A wine of concentration – long finishing – needs time to open but there’s a lot of wine here.
Domaine les Guignottes:
2019 Domaine les Guignottes, Maranges
A parcel of 0.5 ha.
Medium, medium-plus colour. The nose is okay, higher-toned, some complexity. This sits well on the palate – decently concentrated, a little savoury in style but the fruit is good. Give this 1-2 years to stabilize – I think it will be tasty.
2019 Domaine les Guignottes, Santenay
Again a little savoury in style, swirling brings a more attractive base of red fruit. Mouth-filling, I like the shape of this, the finishing fruit is excellent. This will be very good – like the others, benefitting from a little patience.
2019 Domaine les Guignottes, Bourgogne Chardonnay
This bottled. The nose is ripe with exotic fruit. Mouth-filling a cool personality with warm fruit! The shape is not so well-defined, the flavour coming through – again a little rustic and meagre. Not my style.
2019 Domaine les Guignottes, Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Beaune
A little freshness of aroma despite a fruit in the direction of slightly exotic. Nice shape, direct and mouth-watering – a width of flavour here. This is good.
2019 Domaine les Guignottes, Montagny
A nice open freshness of aroma. Mouth-filling with freshness and a lovely structure – a nicely put together wine, the fruit a little plump in the finish, but good wine here.
2019 Domaine les Guignottes, Montagny 1er Les Reys Monopole
About 1 ha
A little more opulent fruit aroma. This has a very fine presence on the palate, a certain sweetness here but quite well balanced by the energy. Good.
Lastly their André Goichot label:
2019 André Goichot, Mercurey 1er Byots
Organic
A little more colour. The nose is more compact. Full-flavoured – plenty of impact, concentration and balanced complexity. There’s structure but very well done. Excellent finishing flavour – length too. That’s really very good!
2019 André Goichot, Santenay 1er Maladière
Medium-plus colour. A tighter nose, fine fruit in there tough. Mouth-filling, depth of flavour too. The finish has an extra, more floral, dimension and a more subtly oak undertow. That will be very good.
2019 André Goichot, Savigny 1er Aux Guettes
Medium, medium-plus colour. A little reductive but I like the fruit behind. Sweeping, fresh, direct-flavoured. A small grain of tannin, and some extra depth of finishing flavour like most here, slightly helped by the oak. Another very good wine though.
2019 André Goichot, Givry
The only wine that’s been bottled.
Plenty of colour. A higher-toned fruit, faintly floral – nice. The shape of this is fine – a little open structure, mouth-watering with flavour, that little lift to the flavour with some oak like the other reds but mouth-wateringly tasty. I like…
The whites:
2019 André Goichot, Bourgogne Les Dresolles
From Meursault commune, climat of the same name.
Here the nose is vibrant but also has plenty of reduction. Nice shape, a little richness, some barrel too – this has fine texture and concentration but the reduction dominates today.
2019 André Goichot, Montagny Chateau de Laguiche
An owned parcel
A width of aroma but tighter above and below. Mineral, more driving, a decent intensity here – the barrel much less evident. It could be more succulent and there’s a modest rigour to this minerality but this is the most successful of all the Montagnys I think…
2019 André Goichot, Pernand-Vergelesses
Not a big nose, but a correct and inviting nose of Pernand. Mineral, long, nicely structural, that’s excellent!
2019 André Goichot, Rully 1er Le Cloux
A more modest volume of aroma – but the width is nice. Hmm, I like the style of mineral shape here, not overly touched by the barrels. The finish lasting well – this will only get better and better. This will be very good, there’s even a mild touch of tannin on the end of the tongue.
2019 André Goichot, Meursault Vireuils
The only wine to be sealed with cork… Why?
That’s a very attractive nose, pure, lovely clarity a great invitation. Wide, concentrated, beautifully balanced, long finishing – that’s a super finish. Properly excellent.
