Tasted in Savigny with Nick Harbour, 17 November 2022.
Maison Harbour
24 Rue Chanson Maldant
21420 Savigny-lès-Beaune
Tel: +33 6 95 59 08 55
www.maisonharbour.com
More reports with Maison Harbour
Nick on 2022:
“Things were more comfortable in 22 – the fruit was beautiful and it was possible to replenish the cellar a little. A lot of vigilance in the winemaking but from beautiful grapes – the wines are very nice at this stage.”
Nick on 2021:
“I think we started harvesting about the 16th and finished around the 24th of September – ‘normal.’ Quantities were, of course, very low – we really enjoy these whites but it was hard to see the extent of the losses. We have plenty of cuvées but lots of single barrel lots in this vintage – which emphasizes our wish/need to have vineyards of our own, though we did manage to pick up some extra contracts too – 2 in Pommard for instance. The fermentations were relatively easy in this vintage, though I question if I should have extracted a bit more but we like the wines and think that our customers will too.”
The wines…
I’ve always enjoyed the earnest wines from this couple – in 2021 the reds are lovely but many of the whites are downright brilliant – bravo!!!
Nothing is bottled:
2021 Côte de Nuits Villages Prieuré
Vines in Brochon
Modest colour – but a far from a modest nose – it’s beautifully perfumed. Round, silky, with sweetness of red fruit coupled to just a couple of millimetres of cushion. That’s a beautiful, mouth-watering wine.
2021 Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Dominode
About 40-45-year-old vines. All destemmed.
More aromatic cushion but also more structural impression too. Yes, there’s extra cushion here too but also more juiciness in this red fruit – very well balancing each other today. Fine finishing – there’s some breadth to these flavours.
2021 Pommard En Mareau
There’s more colour here – a spicy energy to this forward and still very attractive nose. Broad, velvet texture, mouth-watering, almost mineral and with a certain tension. Fresh and delicious…
2021 Pommard Les Lambots
The opposite end of Pommard, high up towards Volnay.
Airy perfume – again with some spice. Sits beautifully on the palate – airy, melting, juicy again – a wine that compels you to swallow and then take another sip. Yum!
2021 Gevrey-Chambertin La Justice
This nose is more shy – fresh, with a certain airy precision – but not effusive. Beautiful over the palate – melting with freshness and energy but too much energy – mineral & pure – I just love this clarity and, again, the invitation to take another sip.
2021 Corton
From secret location 😉 but from the 2021 vintage this is also organic certified.
Modest colour – ‘yes it actually lost colour during the elevage’ – a depth of pure aroma, suggesting a mix of cooking herb complexity – tighter, if a little smoky, in the higher tones. Beautiful texture and width – again a wine of clarity despite a little of the barrel smokiness in the flavours too. Should Corton be about finesse? Well, this one is, and it’s none the worse for that. Simply delicious wine…
2021 Charmes-Chambertin Aux Charmes
Freshness but also a little reductive so attenuating a little. More volume in the mouth – the shape is very different to the Corton – rounder. Still mouth-watering and easy – perhaps there could have been a bit more material in this particular wine as, today, I don’t see the same intensity as the others.
Les Whites…
For both colours, no bottling is imminent, wait until next year:
Wow! Such a nose of attractive freshness. Direct, mineral, juicily citrus too – simply a great Bourgogne that you won’t want to stop drinking!
2021 Savigny-lès-Beaune Dessus les Vermots Blanc
A hint more ripeness at the core of this nose. In the flavours too – but still open, wide and absolutely mouth-watering. My preference today is the Bourgogne – but this remains absolutely delicious and does have a bit more complexity in the finish…
Relatively young vines, worked raisonée. ‘This was a miracle for us to find in 2016 when we had practically no volume – we took a chance – thank goodness – we love this parcel.’
More open, less overt sweetness. Oh yes, there’s a hint of barrel here but also a beautifully textured cascade of delicious flavour. Still slightly less forward than the Bourgogne but excuisite in the finish – bravo!
Hmm – the granular spiced aromatic of Meursault – classic! Hmm, beautifully mouth-watering flavour. That’s a knockout Meursault but classic also – in an easy open style but absolutely refreshing. Bravo!
2021 Meursault-Blagny 1er Cru
The same parcel the last 7 years.
Aromatically a bit more incisive, and silkier too but still with some ginger-spice. More structure – lovely shape – this should see a bit of cellar time but it’s clearly a wine of exquisite balance that will repay 2-3 years in your cellar – yum- interesting citrus bitters that surface long into the finish…
2021 Meursault 1er Poruzots
Hmm – that’s a super nose – great high and low tones – a beauty. There’s a little cushion here – and that’s good because Porusots can be a bit structural – but this melts its classy, pure, flavours over the palate. Really very fine.
2021 Corton-Charlemagne
From Languettes
Hmm – that’s a fine and open width of freshness – very appealing. Cool, faintly framed with tannin, lithe muscle, a touch of the barrel but this is finely detailed if not quite chiselled Corton-Charlemagne. It’s absolutely excellent.
A bit of sneaky wood on this nose but clarity and freshness too – It has my attention! Broad, detailed wine – as so many in 2021 with silky texture and cool-fruited width over the palate. Not for chugging (Glou-Glou) this has a serious side and finishes beautifully. This wine deserves a couple of years in your cellar – bravo Bourgogne!