Tasted in Cheilly with Pablo Chevrot, 13 November, 2019.
Domaine Chevrot et Fils
19 Route de Couches
71150 Cheilly-lès-Maranges
Tel: +33 3 85 91 10 55
www.chevrot.fr
Pablo on 2019:
“I think we were lucky; yes the whites are down a little more than 20%, but the reds were correct – though that means still a maximum of 35 hl/ha here. The frost did very little damage, it was really the flowering that caused the most problems. Luckily we had some rain before the first heat spike in the year, and I think biodynamic working helped us too – so down a little but not much.”
Pablo on 2018:
“In 2017 we had frost, like in 2016, so we were worried for the other vines expecting something very vigorous – there was lots of rain too at the start of the year – mildew was a constant worry. Some of the storms hardly seemed to move and were always overhead – 100mm in 2 hours! There was a lot of earth that needed to be transported back up the hill after those rains! Fortunately, from 10 June we had virtually no rain until the harvest. Flowering was perfect so we had lots of grapes – it’s the second hottest vintage on record, just behind 2003 – so with whites and crémant included the domaine made 61 hl/ha – the biggest I ever saw – so far! My father says 1999 was similar though, possibly more – despite that no yields were higher than those allowed. The one thing was that just about everything was ready at the same time, unlike 2019 when it took more than 3 weeks to harvest – we had to almost double the picking team from the usual 30 to 50. 1,050 hectolitres in 10 days – 30 August to 9 September – it was inevitable that some of the last were over 14°. So, relatively high sugars in the last picked vines – but the grapes were clean. Fermentations were long for both colours, some fermented for almost a year in white – the reds were okay. In the end a good result but with a lot of work behind.
“It’s a great vintage for Maranges, more-so than Santenay in 2018. I’m really happy with my whites, of-course I worried about dilution or lack of acidity, but no…”
One important quote from Pablo “The harvest volume of 2018 and 2019 was enough together to recoup the losses of 2016 and 2017 – assuming the wines all sell!”
The wines…
As you would expect there are same great reds at this domaine in 2018 – what you might expect less, is that there are also many great whites too – let your bank account shed a little stress, try shopping here for one vintage, instead of Chambolle-Musigny. You might start to make a habit of it!
The domaine produces about 30% white wine, 20% effervescent and rose, 50% red.
2018 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 elevage, none new. Bottled. This will have a Côte d’Or label from 2019.
Composed, spiced red fruit nose. Silky, sinuous, concentrated – great texture. Not massively energetic, but I have to say, massively delicious. It will need 6-12 months for the structure to settle, but it helps bring lots of finishing dimension. Excellent – pure pinot fruit in the finish!
Gamay from Comblanchien
More depth and a little more mineral impression to the aromas too. Fresher, more attack, nice line and complexity – cool fruit, and there’s a tannic drag to the texture but no grain. A little barrel but really on a subtle level – wait 6-12 months for that. Delicious! Bravo.
2018 Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Beaune
Gravel soils all around the domaine.
Depth of aroma though tighter above. Hmm, wide, mineral, fresh – a little herb – but attractive. Wide, freshly saline long and complex. Love the freshness and finishing flavour. Needs time – the first part of the wine is more for the table, but the finish is already a honey – excellent!
The following were all barrel/tank samples, some wines have been racked, some not, some have not yet seen any sulfur:
2018 Maranges Sur le Chêne
Plenty of colour. Depth, almost a little texture to the nose. Fresh, mouth-filling, very slightly cushioned but without fat. Like the Hautes Côtes there’s a lovely development of complexity in the finish. Another wine to wait for but with a finely mouth-watering, rewarding, finish.
2 parcels, Charmes and Poirons blended, one Chassagne-side of old degenerated vines, the other nearer Maranges, roughly equal sizes. They have similar geology despite on different sides of the village.
A little narrower but a nose that’s pure, fresh and of depth. The freshest yet – a wine of drive but also width – super texture too – just a very modest drying from the tannin. My favourite – there is power but also a delicious dimension of finishing flavour – bravo!
2017 Santenay 1er Clos Rousseau
Rocky not much clay. Grand and Petit Clos Rousseau, ‘we’re replanting some of the petit clos to white and it’s good, the red was always behind that of the grand clos…’ This a blend of the two.
Lots of colour. Deeper, faintly spiced darker-red fruit. Nice freshness again though – I wasn’t expecting that – almost a little chocolate in the middle flavours, sweet, long, good energy. More weight here – in fact, more of everything – but in terms of shape I prefer the villages.
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.
A little less colour. A touch of reduction but this is big, complex and a great invitation – I would say wow! Mouth-filling, but open, fresh and with a growing, bubbling, complexity. Long, layered but never too rich. Great Maranges, faintly saline on the tip of the tongue!
More colour here. A more saline, slightly mineral width of aroma. Much more drive and freshness here. The flavour slowly melting over the palate. Plenty of finishing structure – a Maranges de garde – wait a couple of years, but here’s another great wine!
2017 Maranges 1er Croix aux Moines
70% whole clusters in this wine – the most of the range. Each year I keep expecting this to be the best of these, but it never quite is – perhaps it simply needs a longer elevage than the others…
A more considered depth of fruit here, showing some ripeness but also a little floral perfume above. A hint of gas. Open, sinuous, silky, fruit-forward perfumed delivery of flavour – but nothing suggesting over-ripe. So long. Certainly the fruitiest wine here but really beautifully flavoured – the best texture too – it’s excellent.
Les Blancs (mainly)…
2018 Sakura Rosé de Pinot Noir
Deep, a vibration of salinity to go with the fruit. Mouth-filling, actually good freshness, really mouth-watering, some apple-style flavour but all the malo is done. Fresh and tasty in a food-friendly style. Yum!
2017 Bourgogne Aligoté Cuvée des Quatre Terroirs
Hmm – nice – a little early aligoté rigour but the fruit is inviting. Faint gas, but freshness, depth of flavour. Some finishing salinity, deliciously long. Always reliable tasty wine here. Excellent!
The Hautes Côtes here are not really so ‘Haut’ as they are the same altitude as many villages appellations. Always elevaged in barrel – usually! As we had practically no wine in 16 and 17 then we also didn’t have enough barrels for 2018, so this about half tank elevage.
A little impression of low sulfur to the nose – a little savoury but inviting at the same time. Lovely width over the palate, mineral, perfumed, great shape – ooh, the nose understates the brilliance of this wine in 2018 – bravo!
2018 Bourgogne Aligoté Tileuls
This is usually a barrel selection as there are about 6 barrels which are slowly whittled down to 2 or 3. The rest for the standard cuvée of aligoté. “Ploughed by horse, long elevage and (there will be) no fining or filtration.” There was no wine in 2016…
Deep, interesting, slightly reductive – growing with freshness and interest. Ooh – the oak is subtle this year – open, easy complexity – super over the palate – long, layered freshness. Ooh that’s really super!
2018 Santenay Comme Dessous Blanc
Here with high limestone content…
More width, more perfume and fresh sucrosity to the nose. Gas. Mouth-filling, fresh, some oak flavour to wait for. Fuller but of fine freshness – this will be excellent – wait 18 months to 2 years.
2018 Maranges Blanc
1.12 ha and 6 different parcels. Base of hillsides of Maranges. Bottled.
Less open but there’s still a width of freshness here. Hmm, that has a nice line, saline, mineral, direct but not too narrow – no oak in the way, just layers of excellent flavour – yum!
Not bottled. First vintage since planting in 2013 – early vintages sold to négoce – ‘they were anyway not easy vintages.’
Hmm, that’s an inviting nose – deep, faintly textured but with agrume freshness too. Gas. Bright, mouth-filling volume, width of fine, slightly cushioned, agrume, a subtle but almost gone oak, a super line, a wave, of finishing flavour – ooh – already this is borderline bravo wine – what a great first vintage here!
This part of the vineyard is ploughed using a cable-pulley as it’s so steep. “Very young vines here, just 9 years old. Planted at the top of the slope where there’s lots of limestone and Fermentation not long finished – might wait until April to bottle.
Yes the nose a little fermentary. Ooh, fine shape in the mouth, bright, fresh, mouth-watering citrus. A little too young in elevage for real notes, but so juicy finishing – this could be great!
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