Tasted in Beaune with Geoffroy Choppin de Janvry, 11 October 2023, image from 2022.
Domaine Albert Morot
20 Avenue Charles Jaffelin
21200 Beaune
Tel: +33 3 80 22 35 39
www.albertmorot.fr
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I’m, personally, sad because it’s over 20 years since Geoffroy gave me a tour of his vines in Beaune; explaining the intricacies of their position and how they were worked – and of course the resulting wines that I’ve had the chance to taste in the years that have followed. Easily, this together with Domaine des Croix, has been the greatest source of Beaune 1er Crus over the last dozen-plus years.
Of course, times must change, and for a variety of reasons, the domaine was purchased in 2023 by an investor from Paris; Geoffroy was in his final weeks at the domaine when I visited. Pierre Jean Villa is the face of the new team here, installed as a consultant by the new owner, and will take up the challenge of what was harvested in 2023 and how to manage the domaine’s 8 hectares for the future – but today we will focus on the 2022s.
Geoffroy on 2022:
“2022 is a rather classic vintage. Less warm than 2018 and between 2019 and 2020 in terms of style – we had a decent rendement but also concentration – it’s a good vintage to finish with. We started Monday 26th August with Grèves and Pommard then waited until the following Friday to restart our picking.”
The wines…
A fine range of wines – truth be told, fewer great wines than I’ve become accustomed to – but delicious wines all the same. I wish Geoffroy all the best for what he chooses to do in the future.
The team already changing some elevage – historically all were bottled in November – two or three will remain so but the rest will see second winters of elevage and then be bottled in the Springtime. Since 2018 all the corks are NDTec:
2022 Beaune Le Dessus des Marconnets
Plenty of colour. Bright flashes of pretty red fruit – only 2 barrels worth. The width and depth of this flavour are very impressive – there’s a core of ripe fruit but with out the excess sweetness of some wines from other days. Simply a super villages Beaune!
2022 Pommard La Rue au Porc
Lots of colour. Deep, dark fruit, partly because of a suggestion of reduction. Another fresh and energetic wine. Vibrant and impressive – more saline but still juicy – clearly with a different tannin but finishing very, very well.
2022 Beaune 1er, Cents Vignes
More clay and silt here at the bottom of the slope, vines planted in 1962.
A faint smoke to this nose from a little stems. This is also a wine of energy and in this case slightly petillant. Finer tannin and very juicy finishing – It’s a fluid wine with a pretty, fading, red fruit that holds very well.
2022 Beaune 1er Toussaints
The last vintage for this, for a while, as the old tired vines are being pulled out and will be replaced with chardonnay. 2023 the grapes were sold so there’s no cuvée
That’s a highly attractive nose. Wide, supple, silky – that’s got plenty of presence – I think it lovely – a shame to lose but I’m sure that the chardonnay will be interesting…
2022 Beaune 1er Les Aigrots
Near the Clos des Mouches, 1 ha of vines, 1/3 of which are planted to white – there’s more limestone and sand here.
Plenty of colour. A narrower nose but complex, and faintly spiced. Fine freshness, broad and with more juicy acidity. That’s a simply lovely finish. Excellent wine. 100% destemmed – all the rest have a little whole cluster.
2022 Beaune 1er Grèves
A more subtle width of aroma but with silkiness and a fine, understated complexity. Bright and complex. Mouth-filling but not overtly, the flavour delicious the finish more structured with a faint extra tannin but a beautifully presented wine. Super.
2022 Beaune 1er Marconnets
Right at the top of the hill of Beaune. Lots of young vines were planted in 2013.
Also a more subtle nose but here with some extra floral elements. Mouth-filling again. Sleek, intense, growing in intensity – it’s a wine with lots of scale. Faintly tannic and very long. Always super!
From higher up in the vineyard.
A beautiful, fine nose – that’s really top. Silky, sinuous, a subtle salinity too. Intense finishing before slowly fading. That’s a great Beaune!
2022 Beaune 1er Bressandes
From above Toussaints, there’s more limestone in this plot.
Lots of colour. The nose has depth but also a fine floral top note – it’s a fine invitation. More strict in shape and architecture – but with a flavour that melts over the palate. Finishing mineral. Super wine but for keeping some time – wait 5 years but probably it won’t be at it’s best for 10-15+
2022 Beaune 1er Bressandes 2!
This with 100% wc and 3 barrels worth – maybe for a separate bottling
Fresh, spice but not a suggestion of austerity. Juicy, mouth-filling wine – the extra flavours of whole cluster are certainly more visible on the palate. Wide fresh, slightly more structural tannin but actually less strict in this case.
Sited in Savigny’s Les Vergelesses. One-third of this mid-slope 1.8-hectare monopole, 0.6ha, has been uprooted and planted with chardonnay. ‘5 barrels from 1.2 ha!’
Like all, plenty of colour. The nose has a width and a slightly flora aspect. Impact and concentration – juicy flavour again. Really a chewy depth to this flavour – great Savigny.
And some white?
2022 Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er La Bataillière Aux Vergelesses Blanc
This bottled end of August.
Some energy on this nose with a little barrel and salinity. Supple, depth of flavour – lots of sweetness and a faint caramel. Lots of scale and good flavour here – very good.
2022 Beaune 1er Les Aigrots Blanc
A finer nose of width and freshness – almost airy. That’s super. Still a certain roundness on the palate but with a beautiful flavour that’s open and melts over the palate. Today a faint salinity and impression of the barrel right in the middle of the long finish but that will fade over the next 6 months. An excellent Beaune blanc.