Tasted in Beaune with Jean-Pierre Confuron, shortly after meeting with Vincent Avenel, the new chief here who has replaced Gilles de Courcel, 04 December 2017.
Chanson Père et Fils
10 Rue du Collège/r Paul Chanson
21200 Beaune
Tel: +33 3 80 25 97 97
www.vins-chanson.com
Jean-Pierre on 2017:
“2017 is a super vintage, it was the correction, but one degree centigrade of difference and we would have been like the rest of France – Chassagne lost some to the frost though. Those vines that were strongly frosted in 2016 were still down on volume ~20-30% but otherwise we were okay. The weather was lovely afterwards, with a good maturity, almost a blockage of maturity at the end of August – the wines more concentrated due to water loss than due to maturity, so early picking was not always the best approach. ”
Jean-Pierre on 2016:
“In 2 to 3 words, what was left was very nice. There was a gross deficit in Marsannay and Chambolle. We had 16 hl/ha average for the whites. Reds saw 4 hl/ha in Champimonts, 10 hl/ha in Fèvres – but then some were 0. We don’t have much volume but we have concentration. The wines are like 2015 but more digestible – the 2015s are for saving. I think these will already be great in 6-8 years.
“In 2016 we didn’t change our philosophy on stems – it was still 100% – we had enough tanks! Yes quite late malos, unlike 2017. It’s a dichotomy, if we had more wine, then they wouldn’t be wines like this! The wines from frosted vines seem like a blend of 2013 and 2015, the non-frosted are closer to 2014 in style. It was even more difficult for the whites; they were frosted, then it was hot, sometimes they had blocked maturity – whites don’t like to be stressed as much as reds!”
The wines…
The whites are already bottled, they are now starting to do some villages reds – most will probably be done in the Spring. “When they taste okay they will be racked for bottling.”
Some fabulous wines chez Chanson in 2016 – and in both colours too. The extra concentration of the (red) wine from frosted vines seems to have done a better (whilst young) job of sucking-up the excess whole-cluster style of the wines. Concentrated as such wines are, they are much more approachable than usual in 2016!
Deep of colour, depth of inviting, faintly spiced aroma. Supple, volume, very modestly overt tannin, subtle energy to the deep layers of flavour. Ooh, this is as good as I’ve ever tasted here! Really wide, a little herb complexity, broad and long finishing – bravo…
Again really a deep colour. Less aromatic width, but profound with a hint more florality. Extra sweetness, extra energy – a direct, mouth-watering wine of energy – more so than the Dominode even. Less width but very fine and long. More delicious, slightly darker fruit today. Encore bravo!
2016 Domaine Beaune 1er Clos des Marconnets
A rare Beaune with no frost – 40 hl/ha
Deep but more modest colour. A wide nose, more red, a little stems. Direct, more fresh, more structured with a little stem flavour. Delicious floral finishing. More the standard style of Chanson here – it will benefit from more aging vs the previous two… more persistent in the finish – and it’s a great finish.
About 10hl/ha here.
Really deep colour again. A bright, crystalline attack before a little more stem complexity. Supple, fresh, great energy – a more open Les Vergelesses in style, modest, perfectly ripe fine tannin in the finishing flavours – and so complex too. Waves of finishing flavour.
Almost the same yield at harvest as Clos des Mouches
Deep colour. Less floral attack, but deep, more herby, stemmy but with impressive depth. A hint of gas but also a more open, slightly more opulent texture. The tannin just a little more overt – but that’s the gas. A layered, supple, slowly moving target of flavour. Luxurious on the palate and very long. The Clos des Mouches has more joie de vivre today, but wait… wow length of finish here.
2016 Gevrey-Chambertin Les Perrières
Bought grapes, not frosted
Good colour. A nice aromatic freshness, an extra something in the depth, stems in style. Open arms, supple, great texture, layers – delicious, really delicious. A little easier because there’s less overt concentration, but I won’t hold that against it. Behind the frosted vines of ^both Côtes but simply lovely. A style reminiscent of 2014 here.
2016 Charmes-Chambertin
Also not frosted.
Colour similar to the Perrières. Less overt, but very fine depth of aroma – more class, less volume. Ooh, more floral – open, interesting complexity – this is really lovely in the middle – it is indeed a more complex, more floral wine with a touch more sweetness vs the Perrières – particularly in the finish. I started by thinking it would be better to save money and buy the Perrières, but the mid-palate and finish are simply gorgeous here…
From Rognets but not on the label. Not frosted.
Deep colour. A beautifully wide, floral complexity – striking! Volume in the mouth, a little cushioning to the texture, slowly moving layers of flavour – opulent, gorgeous wine. The energy is modest today but this is a decadent indulgence. Wow….
Les blancs…
2016 Chablis Preuses
Bought the must and made the wine here in Beaune.
A nice big open nose with a twist of barrel, only slowly a does the Chablis-ness come to the fore. Deep, supple texture and concentration – really a concentrated wine but pure fruit in the centre. Mouth-watering, long, it’s a good fit with the Corton. Because whilst it’s not overtly energetic, it is so long and its very delicious.
2016 Meursault
Mainly high parcels in Clous and Vireuils – not so touched by frost.
A very much more modest nose, a suggestion of sulfur and a modest width. Wide, clarity, nice energy, fine depth and concentration. This has good complexity and I would carafe it before serving in the next months because this is really improving with time/aeration. Yum!
Not the most frosted corner of Savigny, but still roughly half a harvest.
Ooh – good open, saline freshness – this is a great invitation. Lots of volume in the mouth, followed by complexity, a blend of herbs and spices with fine concentration and texture – the energy is in place, everything is in place – a really great Savigny blanc!
The whites not so frosted here.
A good open nose, yet still attenuated by a hint of reduction. Ooh – mineral, wide, slowly growing complexity, always with good energy. Pure fruit and rocks. A vibrance of finishing, mouth-watering flavour. Started good, finished absolutely great – bravo!
Not frosted – this 300 metres from Caradeaux where there was 4hl/ha, here was 40…
Modestly open with fresh high notes – a more intense, less open depth of fruit, more of a tight core lower down. Big, fresh, with growing intensity, really a growing intensity – energy, saline-inflected pure flavour. A really big chunk of finishing concentration but fresh – so it’s more of an intensity than a concentration. Really the only wine here to definitely wait for but a really super wine – bravo!