Tasted in Cheilly with Pablo Chevrot, 16 November, 2018.

Domaine Chevrot et Fils
19 Route de Couches
71150 Cheilly-lès-Maranges
Tel: +33 3 85 91 10 55
www.chevrot.fr

Pablo on 2018:
“I won’t say it was easier, as it was a long and wet winter, the vines seemed to wait and wait for budbreak but then came some heat and the time between budbreak and flowering was maybe the quickest I’ve ever seen – we went from being late to an early year in a very short period. We’re used to it now, but we can almost forget the old saying of 100 days from flowering to picking. I had to do a little green harvesting in 2 1ers, the crop remained quite high all the same. We harvested 28 August to 30 for the whites, then restarted on the 5th September for the reds. Finally, I was really happy with the work in the vines but had to split the teams to keep up with the work. Three weeks of storms from mid-May – it was very hard in organic viticulture and we had mildew that took about 20% of the potential crop – in the end that was a good thing given the volume we finished with. The higher yields here were in 2018. It was a really dry and hot summer yet the vines still didn’t suffer as there was enough water in the soil from the first half of the season. But debudding was key here in the south, and not everybody had the time to do it… Fortunately we had previously invested in our reception ability – the harvest would have gone much longer without that. The reds are certainly ripe but they are not too sunny here…”

Pablo on 2017:
“Here it wasn’t a big crop in 2017 as we had some frosts – it’s practically normal. In 2017 I can tell you that the Springtime smoke was efficient, those vineyards that had some smoke around Dezizes were well protected, in areas around Cheilly without smoke there were losses. On the other hand there was less frost here in 2016 – not everywhere was saved, but like in Santenay it was okay, so there wasn’t a big compensation from the vines in 2017. An average to slightly less volume for me in this vintage. Again this has made me very happy because the fermentation always seemed complicated – I didn’t like the smells that were developing in the reds, but the longer the elevage went the happier I became as the masks to the aromas slowly fell away – but only because we did an extra racking – or maybe only because we did an extra racking.

“I think it’s really brought some beautiful white cuvées in 2017, provided the yield wasn’t too low. The reds in the context of 15,16 and 18 they will always be ‘small’ wines – good wines, but the white 17s will be big wines!”

Pablo told me that “The market is going quite well and it’s nice to see that contract prices are reducing, of-course it makes no difference to domaines, but given the volume of proper production for 2 consecutive years, there is no pressure to increase prices of the domaine wines.”

The wines…

Pablo Chevrot has engineered some great wines in 2017 – and of both colours. Yields in Santenay-Maranges were not so high as in some more famous appellations – he has his rewards, as will you with the wines from here.

The domaine produces about 30% white wine, 20% effervescent and rose, 50% red.

2017 Bourgogne Pinot Noir
All the grapes from around Maranges – all villages actually but mainly young vines or the first part of some rows near the roads where there’s a bit too much nutrients. Barrel, none new. Bottled in the first days of harvesting.
A nice herby but ripe and enticing nose. Supple, concentrated, ripe fruit flavours – rather floral in the mid-palate. Silky with a nice peak of fresh finishing flavour. The nose could be hint more attractive but the flavour and texture are simply excellent…

All following from tank, the first one racked, none of the others have been racked yet:

2017 Maranges Sur le Chêne
A fine and slightly spiced width of aroma. Silky, transparent, beautiful flavour – lovely purity here – a little more impact from the fruit together with very well covered tannin that shows itself only at the end of the finish. Delicious again – Excellent!

2017 Santenay 1er Clos Rousseau
Rocky not much clay.
Plenty of colour. Deep from some reduction – Growing in aromatic volume with fine dark red fruit. Great volume, more depth of very fine tannin, the texture is excellent behind that tannin. A bright intensity of mid-palate flavour with a super finish. Excellent.

2017 Maranges 1er Clos Roussots
Pablo notes “It’s a hard vineyard to cultivate as the top and bottom parts have permeable soil, but the middle is all clay. I think it will take a little time to bring equilibrium to the vines. Not far apart from the previous vines in distance, very far apart in terms of geology. Here is marl and clay.
Hmm – a lovely freshness and with dark fruit. Lots of volume in the mouth, finer tannin – more architectural but no hard edges to the structure. Long, very persistent flavour…

2017 Maranges 1er Croix aux Moines
70% whole clusters in this wine – the most of the range.
Deep colour again. A less open, more modest nose, pretty and wide red fruit. Ooh but that’s more interesting on the palate, fresh – open, floral a hint of wc notes, long vibrant finishing. A very elegant wine less open and ready than the others. Beautiful wine awaits…

Les Blancs…
About half of the wines are now bottled. The first two wines sealed with DIAM, all the corks of the domaine now individually guaranteed for TCA…

2017 Aligoté Cuvée des Quatre Terroirs
Hmm a big nose, open, fresh and very inviting. Hmm, wide, spiced pear, fresh – great energy. A little grain of phenolic tannin in the finish. Delicious.

2017 Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Beaune Blanc
The Hautes Côtes here are not really so ‘Haut’ as they are the same altitude as many villages appellations. Very low yields – only 10 hl/ha after frost and some bursting of skins.
Hmm a more composed nose of depth and interest for sure but less energy than the aligoté. Hmm, silky, concentrated, citrus, I like the phenolic side, and with fine citrus. I think this a triumph but the nose still has to develop.

2017 Maranges Blanc
1.12 ha and 6 different parcels. Base of hillsides of Maranges.
Hmm, more open, more mineral, less concentrated fine depth of flavour. A pretty finish with lots of complexity, very subtle oak in the mix of flavours. Very good…

2017 Santenay Comme Dessous Blanc
Very different soil, here with high limestone content…
Hmm here’s a beautiful depth of pure aroma. Volume, energy, depth of flavour, energy – creamy oak in the finish. Great texture – wait two years – a great white, again with a little phenolic touch on the finish! Super wine!