Tasted in Savigny with the sisters Juliette and Caroline plus Seiichi Sato, 05 November 2015.
Caroline on 2015:
We’re very happy with quality, the yields could have been better though. Pruning wasn’t easy as there wasn’t much good wood, but the vines now look good for 2016! Despite no hail, we were almost 30-40% down in volume; the youngest vines did okay, though the older vines struggled more to recover from the previous year’s hail.
Caroline on 2014:
Despite the hail, our 2014 harvest volume was close to ‘correct’ vs 2013 where we completely lost a couple of our appellations. It has been fun to have Seiichi here for 1 year – our father still helped but is really retired – before we were Bio now a trio 🙂 But Seiji is helping to dynamise the team which has been a big boost working in the vines.
Juliette on 2014 pricing:
Probably a small augmentation in the prices for 2014.
The wines…
Today there’s no sulfur used at the start when pressing the whites. All the red wines here are showing a little dryness in the finish, but this tannin will be, at most, an anecdote in 6-18 months. The delicatesse of the domaine is clearly evident in the flavours, even if I see a suggestion of more concentration in their style.
2014 Aligoté
From about 70 year-old vines. Bottled in April.
A big welcoming nose. Round in the mouth, good texture and concentration too in the mid-palate. A super aligote!
From 2015 this will be a mix of Saucours and Les Vermots. Bottled July.
A tight nose – there’s depth but its shy. Beautiful texture, weighty, really excellent mid-palate. Yum¨
Les Rouges…
All racked after harvest, so a little over a month ago…
3 parcels at the extremity of Savigny, both on the hill and the bottom of the hill.
Dark red fruit, with a silky impression. Really impressive texture and concentration for the label. The mid-palate is a little more pinched, but then opens beautifully. Some discreetly dry tannin in the finish, but with no grain, only a sensation. A young wine, wait a year but lovely.
All the following are not yet bottled – will start from the end of the year.
2014 Savigny-lès-Beaune
From 5 separate parcels though in 2014 mainly from Gollardes.
Good colour. A weight and width of appealing fruit. Bigger in the mouth, less initially textured, there’s more dimension of flavour here, then the structure comes through. Bright finishing, lovely, and to wait for…
2014 Chorey-lès-Beaune
From Les Beaumonts, half hailed in the last years, but actually a cuvée in both 2014 and 2015.
Big open and floral nose – lovely. Silky, more direct than the Savigny, narrow, still a little tannin, but overall less overt. Lovely wine and finishing quite floral too….
2014 Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Les Talmettes
A very discreet, pretty but faint nose – warming brings a little violet florals. Mouth-filling with good freshness, high-toned fruit. Tannin in the finish, but also floral fruit too.
2014 Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Les Lavières
Deeper, faintly oak spiced. More weight of flavour, more structure too. In all dimensions a bigger wine, save perhaps texture. Long finishing, a wine that you should wait a little longer for
2014 Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Les Clous
More open, delicate and detailed, with dark red fruit. More direct, finer textured, the flavour comes through the structure beautifully…
2014 Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Aux Jarrons
Open wide, still an element of delicacy. Lovely texture, just a suggestion of padding to the tannin. Lovely fruit that is floral inflected. Long with just a faint dryness.