Chanson Père et Fils – 2017

4.1.2019billn

Tasted in Beaune with Vincent Avenel and Jean-Pierre Confuron, 13 December 2018.

Chanson Père et Fils
10 Rue du Collège/r Paul Chanson
21200 Beaune
Tel: +33 3 80 25 97 97
www.vins-chanson.com

Vincent & Jean-Pierre on 2018:
2018 brings a good feeling. No maturity problems, not actually such a big vintage – we made more in 2017. The characteristic of the vintage, of-course, is the second time that we started a harvest in August – 28 for some young vine parcels – 3 sept was the equivalent in 2017. But early is always a ‘technical’ problem as people are usually on holiday. We had to rush the vineyard work in the early season as the growth came so fast – but it was the same for everyone. Hydric stress was a factor for sure. Elevage is not easy. It’s clearly different to 2003 as that vintage was so consistently hot – we didn’t have that in 2018.

Vincent & Jean-Pierre on 2017:
Much more regular in terms of the equilibrium between red and white – the consistency for both colours. 2017 is got better and better with elevage. I really think that it’s a vintage that demands elevage because it keeps improving. The terroir transparency is very good – the wines have good balance – I would say a Burgundian balance.

The wines…

As each year, a range with absolute personality. Wines of volume, concentration, energy and depth – both colours. Bravo!

A large part, in terms of volume has been bottled – perhaps half of the cuvées. Though much of what follows not. All the wines, reds too, in DIAM – 10 and 30 – started in 2010 and for all whites. ‘Cork is simply not pragmatic.

2017 Givry
Do harvesting here, harvested 7 September.
Lots of colour and quite a large aroma too – fine fruit of depth. Deep, round, fine textured – a cushioned depth of delicious flavour – saline, nice balancing, finishing, energy. Fine finishing – great Givry!

2017 Marsannay
Recently bottled, ‘demand for this appellation is shooting.’
A touch more colour. Deeper, a little tighter, dark fruited and fresh. Good mouth-filling volume – transparent, playful, complex, faintly touched by tannin. More drive and floral finishing energy Ooh – I like!

All the red that follow are sampled from barrel:

2017 Vosne-Romanée
A little less colour than the Marsannay, all vinified here.
Fresher, more open nose – attractive for sure. More sucrosity, fine energy – less depth of texture than the Givry for instance but more openly and deliciously complex in the middle and finishing flavours. Particularly tasty finishing.

2017 Nuits St.Georges
Champs Perdrix, and Chalandins – high and low. All Premeaux side
Ooh – a beautiful floral perfume here. Mouth-filling, more structural, more energetic too. Lots of action, faintly astringent but no overt grain to the tannin – simply an excellent villages but have patience – great finish!

2017 Gevrey-Chambertin
Contracts since 01 between Brochon and Gevrey.
Deeper colour and a deeper, slightly tighter nose – there is much waiting to get out here. More density to the flavour a similar astringency and texture as from the Nuits but more density of flavour – the nose suggested to me there might be some reduction – but I dodn’t find any. Excellent and really fine finishing complexity.

2017 Domaine Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Dominode
Lots of colour. The nose starts a little tighter but swirling releases an attractive florality. Wide, fresh, faintly astringent but less-so than the last two. Depth of flavour, here is much more freshness and a playful depth of great flavour. Less dense but more profound!

2017 Domaine Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Les Vergelesses
Darker colour. Dark but more open and transparent fruit. A deeper register of fruit but very transparent*, airy wine – not a density of flavour but there’s intensity and complexity. Ooh this is really good – some astringency really on the end of the finish – only.

*Transparent not the best word in France – it means facile – should use clarity when speaking with the wine-makers!

2017 Domaine Beaune 1er Clos des Marconnets
Dark colour and equally dark fruit, that’s sweetly coffee, almost chocolate-edged. More weight of flavour – density perhaps – but with a freshness. Mocha inflected fruit, modestly tannin, but like all wines of depth.

2017 Domaine Beaune 1er Clos des Mouches
Deeply coloured again. Fresh, deep, modest width but a very different freshness of aroma here. Fuller, rounder but with depth of flavour and textural depth too – perhaps more serious but waves and waves of wide, delicious flavour. This is simply great wine – you could drink a glass today but this will be a faithful friend for a long time if you buy. Bravo!

2017 Domaine Beaune 1er Clos des Fèves
A deep nose – reflecting a little of the mocha of the CdMarconnets, but that’s transient as a forward floral component takes over. More direct, a wine of fresh drive, of weight of flavour but not overt concentration – an easy but palpable growth of flavour. More labile over the palate, a touch of herb complexity too today, less ready, and a faint grain. Excellent, indeed drinkable but this really needs more time.

2017 Gevrey-Chambertin Les Perrières
Bought grapes.
A higher toned and a more intense aromatic – immediately this is less approachable – today. Concentrated but freshly energetic, framed with modest astringency, dark chocolate fruit, weight of finishing flavour. This is really quite a great wine – much more so than the nose suggests it will be. Tactile, deep, great flavour. As good a Perrières as I can remember – Bravo.

2017 Charmes-Chambertin
A nose that’s in the same direction as the Perrières but melting below – making it a hint more approachable. More open, layered, less overtly concentrated. Small coffee accents to great kirsch fruit – very good – but for me the Perrières has something extra and takes the trophy from this pair.

2017 Clos de Vougeot
A profound nose, cushioned, textured deeply chocolate-tinged fruit. Big in the mouth – there’s tension and tannin in tandem. A touch of barrel tannin here. Less well-formed than many but with undoubted grand-cru material – in 10 years you will be more than happy – this is still a super wine – as everything is here, but the previous wines make more of an impression today.

Les blancs…

2017 Chablis
Chablis is 10% of the total sales of Chanson – Viticulteurs in Chablis, pressed there and vinified in Beaune. Still made their volume as were able to buy more grapes in 2017. Some demi-muid elevage, none new – mainly for the micro-oxygenation.
A little reductive toast but saline and fresh, classic Chablis. Fresh open, good depth of flavour, slightly toasty depth but very fine clarity and mouth-watering flavour. Really a great density of finishing flavour. Super villages.

​2017 Viré-Clessé
Also an important cuvée for Chanson – it’s in big demand these days – predominantly in France but is growing everywhere.
A more floral nose. Floral flavour too but with clarity and density of flavour – fuller, sweeter but minerally fresh – this is delicious, not the steel of the Chablis, but it doesn’t need it…

2017 Rully
More aromatic volume, fresh but golden fruit, very finely and warmly spiced. Open, a wine of volume and clarity – easy but with more finishing interest, in fact the finish is really great.

2017 Montagny 1er Cru
No new oak here.
A nose that needs some coaxing, but comes through with a very fine and mineral complexity – very inviting. A touch soft at the start but with a growing combination of depth and energy. Interesting flavour – this particular example not really my favourite.

2017 Meursault
Multiple origins about 75% bought as grapes, harvested by the team here.
Rather a classic nose, faintly spiced and inviting. Fine fresh volume on the nose. Open, modestly complex. Very good Meursault of complex tasty finishing flavour. Lovely wine, and great finishing, actually.

2017 Puligny-Montrachet
Clearly and directly a little more aromatic class to this nose – fresh, and of exciting depth – I hope that’s not just the faint oak! Mouth-filling, fresh, open, tension, complexity, citrus and stones. Excellent, proper Puligny

I laugh to myself as with each glass my hosts just discuss the plates that they would eat with each wine!

2017 Chassagne-Montrachet
Mainly but not entirely domaine vines.
Ooh – now that’s not a big nose, but it’s an ultra-fine, delicate, slightly floral thing – a baby 1er cru. More mineral, beautifully textured. The first white where I would say wait a little – but I find it great for the label, touched by oak in the finish – beautifully textured, slight tannic finishing.
2017 Domaine Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Hautes Marconnets
A little matchstick, but in the context a fresh volume of aroma. Line, drive, energy. A mineral touch, stony citrus, great finishing – wide, saline, citrus again – great!

2017 Domaine Pernand-Vergelesses 1er En Caradeux
Not a wide nose, fresh but great high and low tones. Mineral line, a wine of tension, of melting, mouth-watering flavour – melting cool fruit over the palate. Ooh this is delicately delicious beautiful wine with small finishing waves of flavour!

2017 Beaune 1er Clos des Mouches Blanc
A more composed nose, faintly reductive mineral, fainter custard notes. Clarity, volume, faintly reductive, it’s richer but has the reductive style of a great Chablis. Very fine – I think the red better today.

2017 Domaine Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Chenevottes
A touch more colour. A tour de force of a forward, complex, fresh, faintly spiced nose. Lovely in the mouth, a more finely complex and spiced wine, very mineral – expected more muscle but didn’t get it – here is a super wide, mineral, absolutely delicious thing.

2017 Corton-Vergennes
300 metres from Caradeaux.
Ooh – an absolutely great – top to bottom – fine nose. More impact, more weight, structured like a red, touched by barrel today but not too much, a weight of fine more spice-mineral flavour in the finish. This has greatness. Fluid, fresh – you would never guess 14.35° at harvest, never!
2017 Chablis Les Preuses
Changing register, demi-muids for elevage, none new.
A forward nose, freshly – young perfumed – a young girl, not your aunt. Big, energetic, not the same density but a more overt combination of complexity and energy. A different fruit register for sure – easier to appreciate than the Corton today – open, but with everything. Great Chablis with a fabulous, elegant finish!

Agree? Disagree? Anything you'd like to add?

Burgundy Report

Translate »

You are using an outdated browser. Please update your browser to view this website correctly: https://browsehappy.com/;