Tasted with Bastien in Meursault, 21 September 2022

Maison Gautheron d’Anost
31 Avenue Charles Jaffelin
21200 Beaune
Tel: +33 6 50 41 98 26

This is a very new label, as 2020 was Bastien’s first vintage. I came to know Bastien when he was working for Olivier Leflaive, in Puligny-Montrachet. Danost is the region of Burgundy, in the Morvan, where Bastien’s mother comes from.

Bastien explained “I had some family vines that were becoming free and it was simply the case of ‘now or never.’ I have only 7,000 bottles in 2021 though – the whites are already bottled, the reds are waiting – but soon!”

Bastien is currently sharing some cellar-space with Pierre-Henri Rougeot in Meursault. Because his volume is a little larger this year he also has a second place for the elevage of his whites. In 2022 there’s a bit more white than reds – his wines are mainly exported but he has sales around Paris too. “My next project will be my own cuverie; I’m from Dijon and I’m planting some vines in Tallon in Dijon where there were vines for more than 1,000 years but also not planted for many years so there were never any chemical treatments here. My new cuverie should be around here.”

The vines are Bastien’s own or are from ‘trusted’ winegrowers (his friends) and worked with organic viticulture. “I’m not a ‘natural’ winemaker – I use some sulfur in the tanks at the start but nothing more until preparing the wines for bottling. I’m more pragmatic than cosmic so perhaps not biodynamic in the vines but why not use essential oils if they can replace some of our over-reliance in copper? I used no new oak at all in 2021, just the same barrels as in 2020. ”

The wines…

I think all of these wines will drink well from the start – they won’t be on the market for a few months yet but will be worthy, tasty, bottles – in particular, look out for the Bouzeron!

All the reds say ~20% whole bunch with very few punch-downs at the start of fermentation – “then it’s done.” All will be bottled at the same time – “I will rent a bottling line but then do it myself – I can’t be renting it 3 or 4 different times…”

2021 Savigny-lès-Beaune Les Goudelettes
Own vines here and also in the Hautes Côtes, certified organic since 2017, planted about 1969…
Bright, fresh red fruit of purity and energy. Supple. I like the transparency, the clarity, of this, with a faint fury finish from the tannin. That’s very good.

2021 Gevrey-Chambertin Combe du Bas
Near the centre of the village. The bottling will be this year, maybe in mid-November.
Again only modest but bright and attractive clarity. A small cushion to the pure red fruit. More energetic dimensions of flavour, fresh acidity too – that’s nice – quite floral finishing. It needs a bit more time for the structure to become visible.

2021 Fixin 1er Clos du Chapitre
From the Dufouleur monopole – had this in 20 and 21 but no grapes for sale in 22
The same medium but pure and bright colour. A deeper nose suggests a hint of reduction but there’s nothing obvious here. Wide, a little more structural but again with moreish energy. Very modest finishing tannin. Thats showing very well already.

2021 Chorey-lès-Beaune Les Beaumonts
Extra colour. That’s a hyper-attractive nose. In the mouth, intense, fresher than the nose suggests but with lots of concentration and intensity, almost some juiciness to this wine. That’s really excellent.

2021 Marsannay Au Quartier
A potential 1er in this area.
Lots of colour here. A narrower but clean nose that’s faintly spiced from the barrel but there’s no new oak here. Wide, comforting texture. Here’s a wine thats perfectly put together.

Les Whites:

2021 St.Romain La Perrière
A modest but clean and attractive nose. Broad, intense, with a small cushion – insistent with moreish acidity. I love the wide, fresh wave of citrus acidity that this wine finishes with.