Tasted in Puligny-Montrachet with Jacques Carillon, and the return of his red jacket, 07 October 2020.
Domaine Jacques Carillon
1 Impasse Drouhin
21190, Puligny-Montrachet
Tel: +33 3 80 21 01 30
www.jacques-carillon.com
More reports on Domaine Jacques Carillon.
Jacques on 2020:
“March was a little cool but dry so we avoided the frost with the help of some candles – just one time. Minus 2°C but the wind and dry saved us. Then was a perfect flowering, much better than 2019. Regular rain came until July, there was plenty of heat in the daytime but then nights were fresh. From 20 July until mid-August we had heat. We made a nice harvest three days earlier than in 2003 but we also easily finished in August – I should add we were really helped in the bottom of Puligny to have plenty of rain in the first months of the vintage, so we never really had a strong deficit.”
Jacques on 2019:
“2019 was more complicated. We had frost the end of April then at the beginning of May it turned very cold – we had minus 0.5°C at the start of the month of May. There was some burning of straw but it didn’t really help that much as, at the time, it was quite windy – we had about 20-30% losses depending on the location, but mainly the bottom of Puligny. The weather remained unsettled in May and June so the flowering was poor, then followed by the heat and the dry which gave us concentration and size – a certain richness too.”
The wines…
There’s always plenty of clarity to the wines of Jacques – which is why I like them so much – wrapped in an extra richness in 2019 whilst retaining good balance. His Perrières is fabulous this vintage.
Jacques is currently testing DIAM in his villages cuvées.
2019 Puligny-Montrachet
7 lieu-dits, 9 parcels, 2.7 ha. ‘I lost about 1/3rd of the volume in 2019 – at least 14°. I find it a little large in the middle’ says Jacques, who likes a more direct and mineral wine
Width an a nicely transparent yellow citrus. Supple, interesting energy and a good depth of flavour. Not hyper-energetic but this has a growing mouth-watering finishing intensity – it’s very tasty wine – nicely mineral finishing.
2019 Chassagne-Montrachet
A single plot planted in 2013 – in 2016 there was none due to frost – before this parcel was planted to red. Vines on the plain below the Château de Chassagne-Montrachet.
A little more aromatic attack – a certain extra freshness to this. Round but clearly more mouth-watering – always growing in intensity. Almost a juicy wine here. More layered, eventually showing a little richness – but this is deliciously fun and I’d take it in preference to the Puligny today.
2019 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Champs Canet
A little less width but more hieght to these notes, faintly floral in this case. A touch of gas is visible (tasteable!) but here is an openness and beautiful depth of flavour. Simply excellent wine, melting with delicious flavour. Complex, endearing, never heavy. Excellent!
Completely different, a little reductive a lot mineral, very attractive in this style. Driving, direct, almost juicy citrus fruit – that’s already great wine – bravo! One of the best of these that I can remember.
2019 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Referts
Here more width of riper citrus – but no lack of fresh interest. Wide, melting but fresh – almost a combination of the two previous wines – ooh – now I don’t know which I prefer – elegance plus the juicy finish.
Just a little cushioned citrus is visible in this much more compact nose. Ooh! Mineral width but with a direct style too. Mouth, watering, a little cushioned. That’s really a super, super, wine, just a hint of the saline too in the finish – what a finish.
As we are here, why not take a look at some 2018s? All bottled in March 2020:
2018 Puligny-Montrachet
A little tighter nose offering a subtle peppery spice. Ooh, that’s a beautiful combination of silk and mineral. A fine finishing intensity too – that’s very lovely – I’d wait still a year or two to let it open more but great tasty balance here.
2018 Chassagne-Montrachet
Also a very calm, very compact nose. Like the Puligny, mineral, a faint touch of richness and this case a small reduction too – intense finishing again – a great finish.
Only a little more open this nose – suggesting again a small floral extra. Mineral, super-silky, mobile over the palate another with a suggestion of reduction. This I really love as it ingrains its minerality into the tongue. Bravo
2018 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Perrières
Again these from Coravin’d bottle showing very tight aromas. Not the massive leap in minerality seen with the 19s – more but not massively-so in 18. Layered, melting flavour. Completely delicious too.
2018 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Referts
This nose is a little more open – showing florals and high-toned yellow citrus. Mineral in both directions – width and line – that’s really good. Complex and layered but with such a fine, and delicious, melting of flavour over the palate. Vibrates a little more in the finish, holding superbly – bravo!
2018 Bienvenues Bâtard-Montrachet
Once-more a tighter nose. More direct, taking its time, considering, before slowly releasing the next layer of flavour and extra sweetness of the minerality over the palate. The finish as vibrant and interesting as the Referts, perhaps a little more. Super!
