Baron Thénard – 2020

23.12.2021billn

Jean-Baptiste (left) and André Bordeaux Montrieux (2nd right) 2021 Team Baron ThénardTasted in Givry with André & Jean-Baptiste Bordeaux Montrieux, with more team members in the photo, 22 November 2021.

Domaine Thénard
7 Rue de L’Hôtel de ville
71640 Givry
Tel: +33 3 85 44 31 36
More reports with Baron Thénard.

André has been pushing his dad to speed up, a little, the very long elevage that was once favoured here – so I got to taste the 2020s, like at other domaines. This means I mainly missed the 2019s though – just managing a sneaky taste of one of the Givrys and the 2019 Montrachet last year.

André & Jean Baptiste on the 2021 vintage:
We had only 10-12 hl/ha in Givry. We were completely down in Montrachet too.

André & Jean Baptiste on the 2020 vintage:
We finished harvesting the 20s in August – the first time ever, having started 18 August. Unfortunately, only 18-22 hl/ha in the Givry – so not a lot better than in 2021 – and that’s practically all down to the dryness and a little ‘grilled’ grapes. The hillsides were worst affected, they are all old vines. So 18 hl/ha and we were worried that it might cook the grapes a little as the degrees started to rise – but tasting the wines, not at all. We’ve never seen maturity come so fast – from not ripe to approaching too ripe in about 5 days. Not much malic acid but the malos still took their time, some are not long finished.

The wines…

This is the third consecutive vintage 2018-2020 that has delivered great red Givrys and I’d go as far as to say that the 2020 villages white is a great success too.

2020 Givry Les Bois Cheveaux
A vibrantly attractive nose – darker red-fruited. Wide, shimmering, mineral flavour. Nice drive with super acidity. That’s completely delicious wine…

2020 Givry Clos Cellier aux Moines
Starting the use of more 350-litre barrels – they are still easy to manoeuvre and ‘they work well with the wine’
Less full but a fine extra floral character. Open, red fruit, the acidity showing through a bit more this time, a suggestion of pyrazine too.

2020 Givry Clos St.Pierre
A pure red fruit – that’s a beauty. Fresh, open, vibrant, quite direct but definitely a beauty – lovely finish with proper intensity here with a little graphite minerality…
2020 Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Ile des Vergelesses
Wow! that is really so perfumed. Mouth-filling, saline, vibrant – a little touch of tannin but ripe. Bravo!

2020 Corton Clos du Roi
A little oak here but it fades to reveal another great perfumed nose. Fuller, finer tannin but no less tannin, almost a smoky accent to this complexity, very long too. This will need more time for the barrel to fade but the quality is there.

2020 Grands-Echézeaux
‘We have a plant that doesn’t have a big acidity’ Tasted from a 350-l barrel
Perfumed again, almost an aromatic structure. Wider, more mouth-watering – lovely finishing, layered and spiced in the finish. This is very good.

Les blancs:

2020 Givry Blanc
All tank elevage. Not yet bottled.
Another perfumed nose. This is fresh, mobile and showing plenty of energy to match the richness – modestly mineral and not too exotic, thats very tasty.

2020 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Clos St.Jean
Barrel elevage thats finished in tank – this tasted from barrel.
A little mineral width of aroma. Complex, super balance, a little barrel spice, nice texture – to wait for.

A compendium note based of the different coopers – they are always blended:

2020 Montrachet
Airy, attractive, very fine. Wide, this is ultra mineral, completely harmonious. Chassin brings a fuller aromatic – a little more volume in the mouth, but keeping the vivid, mineral purity. Rousseau, is full nose again, more mouth-watering. Cadus, the oak a little more visible, but here is vibrant wine vibrant finishing.

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