Tasted in Puligny with Jean-Michel Chartron (and family) 04 October 2022.
Domaine Jean Chartron
8 Bis Grande Rue
21190 Puligny-Montrachet
Tel: +33 3 80 21 99 19
www.bourgogne-chartron.com
More reports with Domaine Chartron
Jean-Michel on 2022:
“2022 was a good vintage – with a decent volume too – except in Rully and to an extent Folatières also. It was the slope for these two and the lack of rain that meant plenty of berries but not much juice – otherwise we are happy.”
Jean-Michel on 2021:
“21 brought about 50% of the normal volume of wine – and we made a couple of treatments to achieve that, too. We had more in the regionals and Bourgognes and less in the 1ers and GCs – which were between 60% and 20% of the allowed rendements.”
The wines…
As fina a result as I have come to expect from this domaine – there are a number of wines here that are worth a special search to find – and at all levels too!
All the Bourgognes are sealed with DIAM, higher wines depend on the vintage – Caillerets/Pucelles are usually in cork like the GCs except Corton-Charlemagne which is also DIAM.
First, les Reds:
Generally Racked a month ago for bottling just before Christmas:
2021 Bourgogne Côte d’Or (or Bourgogne VV)
Some variations on this label depending on the market – but there is only one Bourgogne at the domaine and it’s the same wine in each case. Harvested 17 September – one of the first
Deep, fresh, and with floral-accented red fruit. Broad and clean-flavoured, plenty of vibrancy due to the forward, but not too forward, acidity – faint finishing bitters too. A wine of energy and not too ‘easy’ too…
2021 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Clos du Cailleret (Rouge)
Not even a barrel this year – also picked on the first day of the harvest.
A smaller nose but of interesting extra complexity. Here is a little more padding and indeed balance – the wine is easier to assimilate, with extra, almost creamy depth to these finishing flavours. That’s very good indeed!
Les Whites:
Three are bottled – the first three – but only those:
2021 Bourgogne Chardonnay Cuvée Eugénie Dupard
Again a wine that can take multiple labels depending on the end market – but again there’s just one cuvée here at the domaine.
Incisive, pure aromas – that’s a great invitation. Broad, nicely mineral, and growing in citrus-juciness. Textbook, delicious regional wine!
2021 Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Beaune Blanc Vieilles Vignes
From hillsides in Nantoux
More width and depth to these aromas – still a nice aromatic of citrus energy here. Broad – more overtly mouth-filling than the first Bourgogne – the acidity showing a bit more but this is just so juicy. Yum!
2021 Rully Montmorans
4 hectares here but about half a harvest in this sector.
Here the nose is more vertical with some pineapple fruit impression. Mineral width and lovely texture too. Here is a wine with a modest cushion to its acidity – it’s more supple but still with a citrus zing. More salinity in the finish but it needs to open out a bit more too. More of everything except enjoyment today – wait for that.
The following are all samples:
2021 Santenay Les Pierres Seche
Just one parcel, indeed only one barrel of this in 2021.
A deeper nose – at the base with a modest coating of creamy oak – above tighter but also fresher. Direct and mineral – vibrant even. There’s a strong and concentrated core of flavour here – keep this in the cellar for 2 or 3 years to unwind and you will be amply rewarded.
A wider freshness of aroma – that’s so damn good! Slightly structural and mineral but also mobile and complex from the citrus aspects. Juicy and delicious with a great nose – Bravo Savigny Blanc!
2021 Pernand-Vergelesses
Mainly (80%) from Belles Filles
The depth and interest of PV here – that’s a lovely blend of citrus and minerals. Some gas still, and an off-ripe impression to this citrus landscape that is admittedly really juicy in style. Great finishing. It’s a great ride…
2021 St.Aubin 1er Perrières
More depth – faintly reductive today? – Extra gas here and an accent of the barrel too – but like many it’s a wine of mouth-watering citrus energy – perhaps a hint more concentrated than some that have gone before. The barrel also visible in the finish but by the time it reaches your market, I expect all will have been absorbed. Very tasty again
2021 St.Aubin 1er Murgers des Dents du Chien
Airy, wide, a little more class to this fresh fruit. Also in the mouth – a wine of fresh energy, very faintly framed with tannin. A lovely and pure finish, creamy with a little oak too. A super wine as always.
The normal Benoites but augmented with some (very young) grapes from the replanted 1er in Caillerets.
Clearly the classiest nose so far – a vibration of minerality that is great. Direct, mouth-wateringly mineral – a decent slug of citrus acidity too. The most complete wine so far – and despite the relatively high acidity – simply a great villages!
2021 Puligny-Montrachet
Not a lot of domaine villages here so this an assembly with multiple contracts too.
Aromatically a little rounder and more obvious yellow citrus fruit. Wide and vibrant flavoured – actually this is really great – I didn’t expect that it would better the Chassagne but in this respect, it’s a real beauty. The nose is a little behind the Chassagne – today – but not the rest of the wine – it’s simply excellent!
2021 Puligny-Montrachet Enseignières
A rounder nose – the yellow citrus with a modest cushion but still with an endearingly vibrant depth. Hmm, structurally a little more serious, but beautifully constructed, strict even – to wait longer to start drinking than the last – but not too much – also an excellent wine.
2021 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Vieilles-Vignes
The largest part of this is from Hameau de Blagny but the final blend may also get a little Caillerets too…
Good aromatic volume but not the same incisive clarity of the last wines – none of the wines have been fined at this stage. Bigger in scale, faintly oaked, certainly vibrant. Another wine of structure, today softened by the barrel. To see again.
One of the smallest yields here – about 20%
A smaller nose but one that’s classically floral for this climat. Ooh – now that’s really great in the mouth – again slightly strict but open, structural and so juicily delicious. Bravo!
The 104th vintage for this wine at the domaine. ‘Actually not to bad a volume here – 50% of what was allowed.’
Clean, pure, mineral but compact aromas. Larger in scale again – yet still growing in mineral intensity. Oh that’s going to be a great wine. Concentrated – these virgins lift weights! Bravo.
Also the 104th vintage for this wine chez Chartron. This, together with the Clos Chevalier and Clos de Pucelles were bought from a Madame Billerey – her domaine had an amazing collection of vineyards. Jean-Michel’s grandfather had half a hectare of pinot in here.
Yes! – the first wine since the Chassagne villages whose nose tells me ‘yes!’ Hmm, here’s an extra fat – concentration – vs the Pucelles – the flavours are just as good and complex – and indeed just so moreish – and perhaps even longer too. Grand!
The following all sampled form barrel:
Domaine plus 50% from 2 other sources, Aloxe, Pernand and ‘Charlemagne’
Here the nose is the tightest yet – some modest yellow citrus notes and an impression of roundness but no more. Hmm. The vibration of deep minerality here is really impressive – this is a great Charlemagne that finishes with successive waves of great flavour. I’m hooked – bravo – even while waiting for the aromas to compose themselves!
2021 Bâtard-Montrachet
Mainly domaine with a little additional from the Chassagne-side.
A little more open but not a lot! Here we have an undertow of impressively deep, muscle-flexing citrus and mineral flavour – great texture too – but today the flavour matches the nose in the compactness that’s on show – this needs time but it’s great finishing as it should be.
Just a little more open again, yellow citrus and mineral complexity. Mouth-filling dynamic wine – there’s structure but nothing hard – a fluidity of flavour that’s not found in the other cuvées. Still, a little like the Batard, this is not fully open or expressive but I expect that there’s enough here to properly describe this as great wine in 2+ years – the finish is already a marvel!