Tasted in Beaune with Dimitri Bazas, 09 December 2019.
Maison Champy
3 Rue du Grenier À Sel
21200 Beaune
Tel: +33 3 80 25 09 99
www.champy.com
More reports for Maison Champy
Dimitri on 2019:
“Two episodes of frost in April, a flowering that was long so brought coulure and millerandes. Two small episodes of hail – some around Pernand, Ladoix and Savigny. Multiple instances of losses of 5-10%. 16-28 September was our harvest, with an average of 30% losses. No worry about mildew or botrytis but some worries about oïdium in and around Pernand. Grapes with high maturities, naturally high degrees but with quite high acidities. We had some rain which helped to deblock the grapes a little and half a degree less of sugar. The quantity is not great, but the quality in both colours look great.”
Dimitri on 2018:
“2018 was extraordinary in red, good in whites. Earlier harvesting, great weather, no disease pressure – and there was volume! We started with Volnay/Beaune and some Pernand whites, finishing with Pernand reds – 05-17 September harvest. Red, white, quality, quantity – that’s why I say it’s a great and special vintage.”
The wines…
Dimitri has an excellent and rather consistent range – in both colours. Occasional wines have some greatness about them – for their labels!
Domaine vines, almost 2 ha a mix of Volnay and Ladoix, with some new oak. This could be a Côte d’Or labelled wine, but their basic chardonnay wouldn’t and they wanted to keep similar labelling
A nice redness of fruit here – attractive. Supple, weighted, open, that’s very attractive – nothing ‘too much’ in any direction. Even the middle and finishing flavours are open, tasty and not overtly grainy. This is excellent. Bravo!
2018 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. This and the last bottled before the harvest.
Hmm – more airy, almost floral – more attractive invitation than the Bourgogne. More structural, more definition, a suggestion of reduction, long and vibrant finishing with darker fruit – but that could be influenced by the reduction. This is delicious and nicely complex.
2018 Savigny-lès-Beaune
Au Fourches and Balliards – AB certified. A relatively early bottling to keep/accentuate the fruit.
This, like the Pernand a little darker coloured than the Bourgogne. A more compact but almost textured nose. Wide, good open shape, a touch of tannin but no grain, also no herb. This has fine depth and length. Another fine 2018 Savigny…
2018 Chorey-lès-Beaune
Beaumonts and Saucilles, also certified AB
A deep nose, one with a little extra sweetness. Nice combination of weight and freshness here – slightly saline, slightly floral – but juicily dark fruited. Excellent!
2018 Beaune Vieilles-Vignes
Over 70 yo vines, three different parcels totalling 1.35 ha, direction Pommard. AB again
A cooler but still quite dark fruit. In the mouth too – cool fruit, complex, a little herbed complexity. I like the finish very much. This just needs time to add a little charm to its obvious minerality.
AB wine – barrel sample, this was a long malo, so more time. From Les Cras, 2 new barrels from 7
Hmm, now that’s a fine nose – deep but wide and fresh – a certain cool decadence! Bright, lots of energy – good but never heavy intensity. That’s a great wine!
2018 Volnay
Much darker than the previous wines – from Les Famines – started harvest with this one.
A more compact nose, warmer, rounder, not quite alcoholic. Saline, complex, herbed. My least favourite so far, but the finish has a little more charm and certainly good length.
2018 Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles-Vignes
From Champs, planted at the start of the 1950s. Another with late malos.
More modest but still ample colour. The nose is more compact – no problems though. Gas. A good freshness, an open shape. This is good but far from ready – it will get better and better…
2018 Nuits St.Georges
Bottled today.
Hmm that’s a nice nose – perhaps some ripe gooseberry freshness. Full, round but with clarity and energy. Lip-smacking finishing flavour – yum!
2018 Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Cru
Creux de la Nett plus a little Fichots – a relatively anonymous label as already have 2 other named 1er cru bottlings. This bottled before the harvest.
Not a big nose but almost textural and attractive. Open, nicely shaped and energetic. Mineral, great finishing flavour – ooh that’s a great open-ended finish!
2018 Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Les Vergelesses
14° – the most here. 1.07 ha and lots of old vines – a large part over 60 years-old.
Deeper colour but with a lovely perfumed freshness. Full, indeed mouth-filling. Fine-grain tannin, riper fruit in the middle and finish.
2018 Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Ile des Vergelesses
A little more width of aroma – quite airy – very inviting – almost. But there’s power here too – mineral, saline, a little rigour of structure too – but not too much. More core here and very persistent. This is super!
2018 Beaune 1er Aux Cras
Certified bio, 0.42 ha, Bottled 2 weeks ago – racked before the harvest
A deep core of colour – more transparent at the rim. Freshness and perfume on the nose. Clarity, complexity – open as great Cras should be – excellent wine! Nicely perfumed finishing too!
2018 Corton Rognets
Plenty of colour, but not too deep for 2018. Hmm – attractive and complex – thare’s a charisma here! Full, quiet fresh not particularly sweet. Really a nice shape in the mouth – approachable but to wait for – almost cocoa finish and it’s a proper GC finish.
2018 Vosne-Romanée 1er Les Beaumonts
A little graphite minerality to go with the spice. Plenty of volume – cool and wide, a suggestion of reduction but much complexity too. Well made and correct!
2018 Vosne-Romanée 1er Les Suchots
Also a proper colour – nothing too deep. Much more floral, plenty of background spice – very attractive! More energy, more depth of flavour. Complex and delicious – really excellent!
2018 Echézeaux
From du Dessus
Higher toned, some intensity, a touch more alcoholic. (14°) Open, mouth-filling, the finish is delicious – a little less interesting to start.
2018 Mazis-Chambertin
From Bas.
Plenty of colour but again clear at the rim. Hmm – that’s quite a powerful nose – becoming attractively floral. Big in the mouth, but not alcoholic, texturally fine, wide finishing and becoming almost airy – very long. Certainly to wait for but with anticipation. Excellent.
Les blancs…
Whites almost all natural cork – a short capsule – vintage showing on the bottom part of the cork remaining visible below the capsule.
2018 Pouilly-Fuissé
From Fuissé a cold terroir, only with stainless-steel elevage. Here with DIAM
Hmm, despite no barrel I’ve an impression of faint coconut but also a freshness and an invitation.- faintly vibrating with minerality. Open, sweet but freshly mineral too. Nicely finishing, faintly floral. Not a grand wine, but a delicious one.
2.5 Ha represented here – 4 different climats, but two are ‘relative anecdotes.’ AB, largest wine of the domaine. All hand harvested, 25% new barrels. Needs three bottlings – 2 already done, the last is imminent
That’s a lovely nose, fresh, padded minerality, depth of chiselled aroma. Mouth-filling, clarity, super definition – another great vintage for this wine! The finishing weight needs a little time to open out more but super, super…
2018 Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Cru
AB from Creux de la Net the general clientele of Champy ‘don’t value the climat’ on the label
A faint reduction, a little extra sweetness. More attack, reductive though, middle and finish are excellent with a suggestion of floral too. Good length!
0.93 ha – an important vine for the domaine – in 2 parcels. 30% new oak, like the previous 2 bottled before harvest.
A deeply mineral nose though not with overt reduction. Fresh, pure and mineral – this feels great in the mouth -open and airy yet with growing intensity and fine clarity – great Pernand. Bravo!
2018 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Les Chenevottes
Bought in must.
Hmm – more scale but completely open and fresh – super-inviting. Driving, sweeter minerality, a little clarity of ripe fruit. Rich but fresh at the same time. A long finish – wait a little but this is super…
2018 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Les Folatières
Bought in must, High on the slope here.
A more vertical nose – high And low toned – but narrower – a suggestion of ripeness below and similarly a suggestion of floral above. Reductive a little, but the combination of depth of mineral flavour and decent freshness is a good one. The finish surprises by growing and growing – that’s a great finish from an otherwise slightly tight wine.
2018 Corton-Charlemagne
Two domaine parcels that face the village of Pernand. 25% new wood, bottled before harvest.
That’s a nose with a little attractive softness of fruit – but a great nose. Big wine, not quite ready to taste, a suggestion of reduction again but here there is agrume complexity in the profound minerality – vibrant wine – concentrated and intense – you should wait at least 5 years! Love the structure here.