Jaffelin – 2013

30.12.2014billn

DSC05615Tasted in Beaune with Marinette Garnier, 28th November, 2014.

Jaffelin
2 Rue Paradis
21200 Beaune
Tel: +33 3 80 22 12 49

A few bottles from this house dated 2006-2008 left an oak stain on my nose that I didn’t like – but examples in the last vintages seemed more interesting. Time to visit…

Jaffelin today…
Jaffelin has some of the most gorgeous deep cellars in the whole of Beaune – it’s worth a trip just to see these 12th century Benedictine constructs. They are modest in area versus near neighbours Drouhin, but can still accommodate up to 150 barrels. Our winemaker and host is Marinette Garnier who has been with Jaffelin since 2011 – she had previously worked at Méo-Camuzet.

Marinette explains: “Jaffelin is 100% négoce, buying the equivalent of about 7 hectares of fruit, often from less well-known appellations such as Givry and Auxey. We are about 1/3rd white wine and make 15-18 cuvées. We use open-top wooden fermentation tanks, and when the grapes permit, with some stems, before pressing in a new vertical press (virtually all the equipment was new in 2004). Whites spend 1 night in tank before making their fermentations in barrel. We work with 6 different tonelliers, averaging 30% new oak – though that spans a range of 10-50% new oak, depending on the particular cuvée. Elevage is normally 10-12 months. In a good vintage we produce about 40,000 bottles but in the last 2 we had only 30,000…”

The wines…

2013 Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Les Vergelesses
Only 7 hl/ha in this vintage! 2 barrels so 1 new.
The nose is fine; pretty high-toned red fruit. Silky, with good width and a slowly growing depth of flavour. Fine intensity in the finish. Very, very good!

2013 Beaune 1er Sur les Grèves, Clos St.Anne
0.37 ha, 4 barrels of which 2 are new, from Alliers, and very lightly toasted.
Direct and fine aromas – faintly spiced from the oak. More lithe and with extra energy with a faintly saline note. Silky on the teeth – this is very fine!

2013 Fixin 1er Les Hervelets
Four barrels, 2 new, one of which higher toast.
Lots more colour. A round nose; with roses. Lithe and very well concentrated and almost no tannic grain despite it enveloping the slightly floral fruit. Very, very good…

Les blancs…

2013 Rully
From Les Caillou – one of the last harvested in the neighborhood. 20% new oak.
Forward, ripe fruit – underneath some spiced bread notes – not a bad impression of a Meursault. Wide, lithe and with good acidity – much, much more mineral than the nose suggested. Fine mid-palate intensity with a faint cream in the finish. Very good!

2013 Pernand-Vergelesses
A cold area here – this also the last to be harvested here. Again, 20% new oak
A very pretty nose – there’s density but also freshness too. Good concentration and slowly growing acidity – just a little padding to the palate. Here is a very good line of flavour into the finish. Lovely!

2013 Santenay 1er Passetemps
A riper, fuller chardonnay nose with a faint (1/3rd) new oak character. Lovely, slightly padded minerality and fine intensity of flavour. Big finishing – lots of character – very nice!

2013 Meursault
In Les Forges, near the nursery. White friable soil.
Fine and rip, but fresh aromas. Another level of intensity and here, energy. Super!

2013 St.Aubin 1er Sur Gamay
40% new oak.
The finest nose; fresh and detailed, without massive impact but it draws you in. More direct and intense with plenty of acidity and a hint of aniseed flavour. Lots of length. One might say a little more austere than most, but I find this excellent!

Agree? Disagree? Anything you'd like to add?

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