Tasted in Chassagne-Montrachet with Armand Heitz, 22 October 2020.
Domaine Heitz-Lochardet
24 Rue Charles Paquelin
21190 Chassagne-Montrachet
Tel: +33 3 80 21 33 19
armandheitz.com
More reports on Heitz-Lochardet
Armand on 2020:
“2020 was really rather easy as the rain came in good waves. We were not frosted but we had a bit worry and lit some candles – this helped some areas as they had -4°C. After no risk of frost followed by a season that had great flowering followed by the dryness – some of the pinots showed this dryness and heat with some grillure – the chardonnay supported these conditions very well. The chardonnay volumes were good to very good, the pinot not catastrophic, but a small volume – all balanced. I’m quite confident with the gamay in Beaujolais!”
Armand on 2019:
“Less easy – we were properly frosted, mainly in the chardonnay. A longer cycle as we harvested a few weeks later than in 2020. There was some oïdium pressure and a potential for maladies it started with some stress. This showed in the harvest too as the parcels were quite heterogenous, 18 is the easiest vintage in the vines so far, 20 was close – 2019 definitely not!“
The wines…
Really a fine range in 2019. At this stage of elevage there’s a certain amount of discretion to a number of the wines, but the base quality is already in place.
DIAM for all wines, both colours – “I appreciate the regularity.”
2019 Côteaux Bourguignone Folie Sauvage
Mix of Cote d’Or pinot and Beaujolais Gamay. Very little sulfur
A lovely depth of aroma – cushioning the senses – yes. Energy, mouth-fillng, tasty, less than expected from the fine nose, but this is well proportioned and still a tasty glass – finishing more floral.
2019 Juliennas
Vines on the hill – some altitude here. Wines made with whole clusters.
A little less colour – more open aromatic freshness – particularly the high tones. Driving, more energy, more depth and energy to the flavour – well-structured with a grain of tannin to offset the mouth-watering flavour – that’s delicious, excellent wine!
Bottom of Pommard, planting plenty of new vines here too. This doesn’t have the necessary planting density for the Côte d’Or label – ‘I left space for the sheep!’
Plenty of colour. This has a fine, cushioned, very superior Bourgogne nose. Silky, slowly growing a little tannin but with virtually no grain. Sweet, comfortable and completely delicious. Bravo Bourgogne
2019 Pommard Vaumuriens
A deep nose, growing with wc perfume and flowers. A little more structural, layered, and complex. I like the freshness here and there’s less cushioning of the texture – the height of the vines. Mouth-watering deliciously. Less comfy than the last wine, but my favourite of the two…
2019 Pommard 1er Clos des Poutures
On the right-hand side just as you leave the village heading to Volnay, a monopole of this domaine – Half whole cluster.
A little less colour – only 50% wc in this vs 100% for the last. A little tighter nose. This is very open, silky, structural in style – the flavour slowly melting from the frame like you might expect from a Clos de Vougeot. The finish opening out in great, mouth-watering, fashion. Excellent.
2019 Pommard 1er Rugiens
From Haut – There’s less clay in this sector
But a big and punchy nose – floral attractively spiced too. Mouth-filling, open, a little more astringence from the tannin but with zero obvious grain. Mouth-watering deliciously. Fine wine without a doubt…
Bottom – a purchase from a friend – first vintage. All destemmed
Not a lot of colour. The nose is attractively airy, touched by rose petals, but far from powerful. Mouth-filling, with energy, the width of flavour is very interesting here – creamy depth of finishing flavour – old-vines here. That’s a lovely, lovely, finish with a modest accent of tannin – great Santenots.
2019 Volnay 1er Les Taillepieds
A mix of younger and much older vines, the latter pulled out for replanting after this harvest. Vines situated just above the road in the bottom part of the vineyard near Lafarge and d’Angerville
The return of the stems here – very well perfumed wine. Extra freshness and energy – quite a direct wine, mouth-watering. The finish is complex and wrapped in a young structure – wait for this, but with much anticipation!
Les blancs:
A new Blanc de Noir
Probably to be labelled VdF
A big bright nose, grapey. The palate is more interesting than the nose – bright, wide, practically a melon style. Very tasty here.
The 2019 aligoté was completely frosted – the vines in the bottom of Meursault.
2019 Bourgogne Chardonnay
A mix of Meursault les Durots and fruit from the bottom of Pommard
A fresh width of open, riper citrus. Plenty of volume but less than the nose suggests – but round, nicely mouth-watering and with a very pretty agrume fruit finish. Tatsy wine.
2019 St.Romain Combe Bazin
A deeper nose, airy above – needs a little air. On the palate this is wide, energetic and delicious, slowly insinuating its flavour into your tongue – creamy at the end and quite long – a crowd pleaser and long too…
2019 St.Aubin La Travers de Chez Eduard
Villages wine.
A brighter, higher-toned nose. Fresher and more direct, not hard either. The acidity bubbles under the surface bringing a lovely mouth-watering finishing flavour. Excellent villages and sustaining the finish very well.
2019 St.Aubin 1er Le Combe au Sud
Airy, but a less forward nose. A little more intensity and fineness of texture, it’s a wine of width and slowly melting, quite supple texture and flavour. A fine, narrow but very long finishing flavour – tasty wine.
2019 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Petit Clos, Morgeot
The second vintage here. ‘Really a great selection of plants in here’ says Armand, despite them being not so old.
A little more aromatic intensity – slowly adding floral complexity too. Bright, wide, quite mineral – lovely agrume/citrus flavour in style. A super finish of both intensity and a touch of finishing tannin – slightly creamy – this is quite a wine!
2019 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Maltroie
The bottom of the domine’s garden! Another very different terroir in Chassagne here with more clay. Three different ages of vines from 4 to 65.
Where the last wine had aromatic intensity, here’s aromatic depth – a touch of honey-inflected citrus. Big, fresh and energetic. A steely minerality but not hard as the flavours slowly embed in the palate. This has a fine width of complexity. Finishing with some barrel today so wait for 2-3 years. Super all the same. The finishing grain of tannin here too.
Next to the tree of Meursault-Charmes; here the soil is more humid than Charmes – the resurfacing of the water from winter snow on the top of the hill is the reason that here is classified villages.
There’s a nicely ariy style to this wine slightly Meursault-spiced but not a big nose today. Silky, clean, direct, very modestly cushioned – great villages. That’s lovely – slowly widening with flavour for the middle onwards. Not the biggest finish, but an absorbing finish. Simply lovely wine.
2019 Meursault 1er Perrieres
First parcel is next to (cousin) Vincent Dancer, recently recovered from Drouhin. The second parcel is next to another cousin, Ballot-Minot.
More width of aroma – freshness of aroma too. Wider, a little brighter – more open and airy but also more mouth-watering. Less depth of texture only than the Gruyache. Small but long finishing waves of flavour. A certain discretion here – but very long all the same.
2019 Chevalier-Montrachet
Two small parcels between Leflaive and Bouchard
Hmm, a little more attention-holding freshness in combination with a certain but not excessive ripeness of citrus fruit, almost showing a little floral complexity too. Plenty of mouth-filling flavour, just a touch of barrel softness, but the intensity is also growing, slowly, but growing. A certain understatement to this wine too – but that’s the elevage – be patient. Proper wine here – and very long too!