Tasted in Beaune with Dimitri Bazas, 04 December 2023.
Maison Champy
3 Rue du Grenier À Sel
21200 Beaune
Tel: +33 3 80 25 09 99
www.champy.com
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Dimitri on 2023:
“We certainly didn’t lack grapes. It was a different style of harvest – starting early but finished each day by 2pm. If it’s 35°C you also can’t ask the pickers to work until 5pm each day. A lot of our production is centred around Pernand which is a later harvesting area – for both colours – but this weather has been bonus for this area for density and minimising the hint of herbacity that can be found here. I hope that with this larger volume we can have some easing of prices – we can’t help the previous frosts but some of the increases can’t be justified. Even when we reduced prices for some 2022s the lack of stock has taken the price higher in the market – but with 2023 this should not happen again. It’s two good volume and good quality vintages.”
Dimitri on 2022:
“From 03 to 11 April we flirted with frosts but we just avoided them. There was some deficit of water in the soil when the first of the heatwaves came. Flowering was unsurprisingly quite early followed by some storms towards the end of June – fortunately without any episodes of hail – for our vines. Veraison was finished for us by mid-August – the temperatures allowing maturity but we could avoid sur-maturity – we finished our harvesting 13 September with Clos de Bully which is traditionally our latest place to pick. We have acidities that help bring a classic style – wines that resemble 2018 with a little more concentration – I think a bit more fruit than 18 and I think the vintage will be open quite early. It was good to get the memory of the 2021 behind us with an easier vintage in 2022.”
The wines…
There’s nothing here that I wouldn’t enjoy immensely. There are also a number of great wines worth your time to locate!
Bottlings were based on some time in tank after the barrel elevage, there were some early malos and so they started bottling some wines at the end of June. All DIAM10 for the whites from the 2021 vintage:
2022 Bourgogne Cuvée Edme
The largest cuvée of this ever made – 200 barrels or 60,000 bottles. Mainly from vines in the bottom of Volnay and the plain of Ladoix 30% from domaine the rest contracts for Côte d’Or & Chalonnais. Bottled
Hmm – that’s got a dark-fruited silkiness of aroma. Incisive, almost a suggestion of strict before melting over the palate. Super texture and juicy fruit. For the size of the cuvée, that’s a winner!
2022 Pernand-Vergelesses Clos de Bully
Cistercians started in the 12th Century with these vines. Almost one hectare, high up on the limits of the Hautes Côtes a small amphitheatre. Marne and limestone here. Usually the last vines harvested and there were 50% whole clusters in the fermentation. 0.80 ha and it’s a real Clos.
Darker fruit with a hint of wc perfume and dark oak – very appealing. Fresh and panoramically wide. Another juicy wine of energy. Silky finishing too – keep it a year or two before attacking
2022 Chorey-lès-Beaune
Champs Longs for the majority, the rest from Beaumonts, also certified AB
A rounder nose, some cushion to this dark red fruit. Sleek, direct, just enough cushion to avoid ‘strict’ – but still juicily finishing. That’s absolutely lovely.
2022 Savigny-lès-Beaune
Au Fourches (with deeper soil) and Balliards – AB certified.
Good width of aroma, faintly cushioned and also faintly spiced – that’s a very good invitation. Cool, direct, fluid wine – that’s really a beauty. A simply excellent villages Savigny with a fine finish.
2022 Aloxe-Corton
AB. Mainly from Boutières plus some Combes
A creamier nose, faintly cushioned, redder fruit. More impact still a cool width, creamy accented fruit here – also quite a fluid style of energy. I think this super.
2022 Beaune Vieilles-Vignes
Planted 1947-49 in the plain towards the Pommard side.
A darker, cleaner width of fruit – slowly adding some floral top notes. Also fine volume and width of fresh falvour – Dimitri was right – he has a very classic implementation of the vintage here – still juicy but with real drive and direction. Strong finshing too – that’s super.
AB wine. From Les Cras – ‘facing Rugiens’ like the previous in bottle for a couple of weeks.
A less forward nose but still filling the glass with darker fruit and a really ivinting accent that’s becoming louder and more floral. Silky, mouth-filling wine – but the shape of this wine is clearly more structural. A graphite style of minerality in a supporting role. I think this is my new favourie – bravo!
2022 Volnay
Half a hectare, AB. Famines (minor) Sur Roche (major)
A warmer width of fruit. Direct again – actually no less structure and minerality than the Pommard. Only in the finish is this a little more pliable and accessible – the finish is very lovely and perhaps a little more complex.
2022 Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Les Vergelesses
AB. 0.25 ha and quite steep here – Dimitri used some wc in the ferment.
Deep, dark and complex – a lovely nose. Hmm – really fluid once more, micro-grained with tannin – a texture of velour with a faint cushion too. I’m rarely smitten by a Savigny Vergelesses – but this could be a good candidate – it’s simply lovely wine.
2022 Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Les Vergelesses
About 1/3 is old vines, over 60-years-old. 1.69 ha – in conversion to AB – neighbours to Chandon de Briailles
Darker fruit again, of silky, indeed airy, width. More direct and also of larger scale in the mouth. Not quite the small cushion of the last but more stature in the mouth. Maybe slightly better than the Savigny Vergelesses but not by much…
2022 Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Ile des Vergelesses
0.5 ha between Chandon de Briailles and Thenard
More direct and much more floral – that’s really a great invitation. A calmer width on entry but again with stature and the return of the faint cushion of the Savigny. Just the most complete of these three wines – I think it absolutely excellent!
Certified organic, 0.42 ha. It was only the first two wines that are not AB classified.
Also very floral and this time with a clear wc accent. Gorgeous over the palate, wide and melting – juicy, complex just begging me to take the next sip – yes! Bravo!
2022 Corton-Rognet
0.32 ha – neighbours of Faiveley and JN Méo. No wc used here.
A more vertical nose – but what depth! Yes, super width again but with an obvious extra concentration – yet, with such fluidity and fine acidity, never a suggestion of heaviness. Beautifully proportioned absolutely excellent Corton!
Les Whites…
2022 Bourgogne Chardonnay Cuvée Edme
Another large, 200 barrel, cuvée. Sourced from the Maconnais, Chalonnaise & Meursault – the first two with stainless elevage, the latter with barrel elevage – then all blended.
A large and welcoming nose of saline depth and freshness. Some southern ripeness to the fruit but a more northern energy and directness. The finish is a good one – nice wine.
A large cuvée bought in must, more Clessé than Viré – the cooler part – and all stainless elevage. Malo 100% done
Hmm, that’s a very nice aroma – there’s depth of fruit – not too ripe – and fine little fireworks of attractive complexity. Direct, cool, layered, mouth-watering. A good inner density without overt ripeness. This is an absolute beauty – for such a large cuvée – bravo!
All the following are AB (Agriculture Biologique/Organic):
2022 Pernand-Vergelesses
Three different climats – including the only Derrière Frétille that I can recall tasting. Another large cuvée
A very calm, almost modest nose today. Cool, broad, classy and mineral in the mouth – I really love this fluidity and depth of flavour – today a little creamy so wait 2 years. Just a nose short of being really excellent today.
0.93 ha – an important vine for the domaine – in 2 parcels.
A more creamy width from the barrel here. Fine fresh attack again – this time with more concentration and intensity – with that little PV reductive accent to the flavour. Great finishing – there will be lesser Charlemagnes! Bravo – but wait 2 years for the oak to fade.
2022 Corton-Charlemagne
From En Charlemagne – two parcles – low and high – the bottom parcel with lots of clay is a sur-greffage done on old pinot in 2008. The higher 2-3 days later ripe – about half of each.
That’s a very lovely nose – more structure and a fine vibration of energy – yes! Also cool – a little less width but a more intense almost sherbety complexity. This has got next level intensity and energy. I don’t see any of this wine’s 25% new oak. That’s a simply beautiful Corton-Charlemagne – that, if forced, I would drink today with massive pleasure!