Tasted in Beaune with David Croix, 18 November 2020.
Domaine des Croix
2 Rue Colbert
21200 Beaune
Tel: +33 3 80 22 41 81
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David on 2020:
It was interesting that all year long I found it quite windy – pruning decisions always had to be adjusted because of that – certainly the first part of the growing season. Rather an easy growing season, no mildew, a bit of oïdium. I’m interested in balance, the malos haven’t happened yet but it’s fascinating with the high alcohols but still such acidity, we kept high tartaric as there was no migration of potassium – hardly – because the vines had so little water to take up. We started and finished our harvest in August – the first time ever for the latter. I chose to wait a little even then, accepting a little higher alcohols for more confidence in the maturity.
David on 2019:
“Some definite similarities with 2020 – of course. We started harvesting 13 September. A hot and rather dry year – less dry than 2020. I’m amazed by how classical the wines taste based on the growing season – they have a combination of ripeness and freshness, of energy – I find that really great. Right now, I think I prefer my 19s from the vintages from 2018-2020, it’s the classical style that impresses me right now. There were days that I was ashamed to show my wines – they were so tight in September/October but then ‘boom!’”
The wines…
Despite quite high alcohols this vintage, it’s a great start here with three sensational villages wines. Of course, there are other great wines in this cellar too in 2019 – discover for yourself…
No whole cluster for the 3 village wines. Most of the wines are 14°+ the Tuvilains is the highest over 14.5°:
This mainly went into David’s Bourgogne in previous years – but he’s now happy enough to let it stand on its own
Ooh, that’s a deeply comforting fruit nose. Wide, mouth-filling, delicious wine – all is in place for great villages Savigny – simple!
A little less volume but here’s a nice width – a very inviting nose. Great texture, extra freshness and zip. Faint oak is visible, small waves of finishing flavour. Bravo villages again…
More red depth of fruit here – perhaps an accent of reduction accentuating that. More driving and energetic again – more mineral perhaps – certainly lacking the comfort of the last two wines – but in a good, energetic way. Extra finishing detail here – love the structural impression here.
Perfumed, around 20% wc, that’s really a beauty. Mouth-filling, modestly structural – but shape not tannin – which is a fine accent, only. Depth of finishing flavour – always perfumed. Special Savigny!
2019 Beaune 1er Cent Vignes
A much more oak-spiced, less perfumed nose – though it comes slowly with aeration. Direct, fresh, growing wider, modestly tannic. The impressive part of this wine is the middle to finishing growth of flavour. This could be excellent, though certainly more spiced, perhaps spiced-oaked, than the previous wines… – actually the sample was 50% new oak when the final wine will be 15% so certainly excellent wine with better balance than my sample.
2019 Beaune 1er Bas de Teurons
A little less power, but still nicely perfumed. Nice mouth-filling shape, with freshness, more finishing drive and direction, less growth vs the Cent Vignes. Very long though, certainly excellent wine.
2019 Beaune 1er Tuvillains
Ex Champy via some Paris investors… there was also some in 2016 – almost – which went into the generic 1er. 80-year-old vines, all destemmed,
A more weighted, denser perfume here – very impressive. In the mouth too, you sense the extra depth, the richness of fruit. This is generous but never heavy – the texture exemplary. Simply excellent wine.
2019 Beaune 1er Bressandes
A little smaller nose but fine, silky and still perfumed. Nice drive, cool-fruited freshness. A good shape to this too. Mineral finishing – ooh, that’s rather good. Lovely combination here. Excellent or more…
2019 Beaune 1er Pertuisots
A cool area, with shallow topsoil closer to Pommard.
A bigger nose, more airy, slightly structural, some perfume too. In the mouth too, this is a bit more structural than most vintages – fine textured and very complex – there’s really a lot to find here. The finish wide and growing with mineral intensity. Certainly different to most vintages but excellent all the same…
More perfumed, still not the biggest here but wonderfully pure. Drive, minerality, open and fresh – that’s not the most generous of the Beaunes but it’s a knock-out compilation of the best of them. Subtly but very long. Bravo
That’s beautifully perfumed, with a little more openness and depth than the Beaune Grèves. Sleek, fresh, very fine – certainly not the width of Grèves here but I’m loving the sleek drive that this wine is showing. Extra, and more finely, perfumed here with violets, not roses, in the finish… Bravo!
2019 Corton Grèves
Deeper, wider nose, still perfumed but less-so – some cherry-stone style too. Faint gas. Harder to assess with a suggestion of reduction. More powerful wine with a finish that broadens impressively. A wine to wait longer for than the Vigne au Saint – though not necessarily longer lived – the balance is so good on the former. Excellent wine here.
A punchy nose of forward, very expressive, fruit and energy. Drive and direction in the mouth too – this wine is taking you places – there’s fruit along the way too – almost an orange-tinged agrume. Holds brilliantly with that tactile touch of 2019 finishing tannin. Excellent Charlemagne with the potential for great.