Tasted with Jean-Marie Chaland in Hurigny, 08 November 2021.
Domaine Sainte Barbe
Rue En Chapotin
71260 Viré
Tel: +33 9 64 48 09 44
www.jeanmariechaland.com
More reports with Domaine Sainte Barbe
Jean-Marie on 2020:
“It’s a good vintage for us – the return of some classic style of tension and balance and not too much alcohol or acidity. It was dry of course but all the harvest was in in early September. We didn’t get any frost so it was a decently generous vintage with 50 or a little more hl/ha. A part will mainly be bottled before Christmas the rest from January.”
The wines…
A mix of vintages and colours shown by Jean-Marie – but very good wines – some worth a special search!
All cork seals for the wines here, each individually checked for TCA:
2020 Viré-Clessé Vieilles-Vignes
North of the appellation.
A direct nose of mineral freshness, ahead of the supporting citrus fruit. Quite a round style and shape but melting with good freshness. Indeed the last impression is really great as you get the purity of mouth-watering citrus – it’s super here.
30-yo vines on a plateau. Frosted so the wine is a little dense due to the concentration.
Deep, with clarity of aroma – golden fruit in style. Bright and vibrant – super energy – melting with gorgeous flavour. A great 2019!
A clos only 200m from the last wine, quite high – 0.30 ha of older vines – 80-years-old – under the forest so it’s a cool place. This the first vintage – a family purchase in 2017 – grey-blue marne here.
A similar vibration of attractive energy as shown by the 2019. Mineral, but wider at the base – cooler style to the fruit flavours, extra layers here. The last wine is currently a little more delicious but this could be a great wine for me in another year or two. I love the cool style and complexity of this – it has a more discreet but not shorter finish.
Et les reds:
The higher slopes of the domaine’s Viré-Clessé VV where it’s all pinot
The nose a little smoky – ‘yes that’s the silex in the soil in Bugey.’ Bright and mouth-filling – that’s a lovely complexity and freshness of fruit – that’s so deliciously drinkable but never with ‘easy’ simple sweet fruit – really lots to find in here – bravo!
2019 Mâcon-Bugey Terres Rouges
Planted with two types of gamay and some chardonnay.
Quite an aromatic nose – and not overtly of gamay – faintly smoky again. Big and structural but no hard edges and full of energy. Love the line of finishing flavours here – fine and long – almost elegantly long.