Tasted in Beaune with Thibaut Marion, 28 November, 2019.
Maison Seguin Manuel
2 Rue Arquebuse
21200 Beaune
Tel: +33 3 80 21 50 42
www.seguin-manuel.com
More reports for Maison Seguin-Manuel
Thibaut on 2019:
“2019 is a big surprise – a succession of events; the frost, then rain and cool during flowering, then drought, then a heatwave – even some hail. So we had just about everything you fear when growing vines, but also my first conclusion is that it’s true that when vines suffer, you produce good things – exceptional? That’s too early to say. The yields – Côte de Beaune was more affected than Côte de Nuits. Definitely we have tannins and acidity – useful elements. Again it’s hard to say exceptional as we would be saying that each year, I try to calm my superlatives – but we will see.”
Thibaut on 2018:
“I think the main thing about this vintage is that despite such a hot July and August, we had some thunderstorms in July, so the vines were hardly affected by drought – not really a problem with ripeness and it was important to pick at the right time of course. The maturity didn’t come as fast as in 2019, but the border to over-ripe was still close. Rendement for whites was more than expected but we still have tension and good quality – a nice surprise. For the reds, we have less than in 2017, with 41-42 hl/ha on average – 50 years is the domaine average vine age.”
The wines…
Thibaut has some super wines on his hands in 2018 – I think a more successful vintage here than the 2017s – certainly showing much more potential than the 2017s at the same stage.
All the domaine wines are certified organic – ‘AB‘ – and all the whites are sealed with cork.
2018 Bourgogne Pinot Noir
Côte de Beaune with a tiny proportion of Hautes Côtes. Will be bottled soon.
A compact nose, but one with a certain freshness to the ripe red fruit. A grain but also a nice flavour accented with a lick of tannin. A touch of finishing salinity. Yum!
Racked last week.
A wider and higher-toned nose – still a little compact. Hmm – lovely, open, with depth to this flavour. Long finishing – more saline but more joy also in this finish – bravo!
2018 Savigny-lès-Beaune Vieilles-Vignes
From the foothills of Savigny – much in Picotins – gravels and good drainage, about 80 year-old vines. The first harvested vines on the last day of August.
A brighter, higher-toned nose. A brightness and freshness here – faint reduction in the middle. But tasty finishing with a good freshness.
2018 Savigny-lès-Beaune Les Godeaux – Classic
A deeper nose though fresh ‘up top.’ Hmm, that has a little more muscle and a nice line to the flavour – good texture before a little tannin raises from the floor. Long finishing – wait 1-2 years but this is nice wine.
Also a deep nose but a little extra complexity. More gas. Fresher, more direct, super energy, really a fine and dynamic wine – more delicious. Bravo!
2018 Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Lavières
A tighter nose the red fruit is certainly open in style. Open and more structural in style. A growing well of finishing flavour – it’s a big wave that cascades over the palate – this has a super middle and finish – it just needs to become more demonstrative at the start. Super wine I think.
2018 Volnay Vieilles-Vignes
A single vineyard, low down – 40 years-old. Cask sample.
More aromatic intensity here – red, a little vibrant, not much complexity. Hmm – lovely – melting fresh flavour over the palate. The nose didn’t augur much but this tastes super – excellent wine!
2018 Pommard Petits Noizons
Also from cask
Here is a little more aromatic complexity. Faintly reductive, muscular, deep flavour, fine mouth-watering intensity. A good finishing weight of flavour. More patience requited than the Volnay but well put together wine…
2018 Beaune 1er Cent Vignes
Less depth but here’s a nice width of aroma, modestly spiced complexity. Mouth-filling it’s not soft but gives a softer impression vs the Pommard. Long finishing – this will be good – like all these cask samples, will benefit from a bit more aeration.
Perhaps a hint less colour. One of the nicest noses so far – an accent of reduction but fuller and floral too. Super shape and texture – this is a more complete wine – concentrated, long, a little mineral and a lot delicious – Bravo!
2018 Vosne-Romanée Au Communes
A 1.8 hectare plot – since 2013. Was previously made with some whole clusters but Thibaut doesn’t think that they brought much, so this vintage has none.
Modest, faintly high-toned wine – tighter below. Lovely drive, energy and texture – red-fruited and of growing complexity – lovely freshness. Mouth-watering in the finish. Slightly structural shape, super.
Hmm – that’s attractive – despite a recent racking a suggestion of reduction. A little extra sweetness to balance the fresh drive. This is deliciously complex and energetic. Quite long too. Bravo!
2018 Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles-Vignes
A deep, possibly reductive width, tighter in the higher notes. Supple, a more overt concentration with a little depth to this texture. More finishing bitters but also much, much complexity too – that’s potentially a great finish for a villages. Excellent wine!
Recently racked. The last to finish its malo – done in May/June.
Fresh and with an attractive complexity. Bright, fresh attack. Insinuating intensity, complex, creamy in the middle, this is a proper Gevrey not of rusticity, but still of serious structure and bright fruit. I think it could be great. Bravo!
The following all tasted direct from barrel:
2018 Chambolle-Musigny 1er Les Charmes
Hmm, thats a big, textured nose, but also a very attractive one. Round, beautifully textured, almost a caramel coffee depth. Thats so good. Excellent wine.
2018 Corton Rognet
A more intense core of ripe but high-toned fruit. Also an oak here, but melting, fresh flavour too. A perfumed long finish. That’s good again!
2018 Clos de Vougeot
A spiced oak on the nose. Depth of concentrated flavour here, but no worries about freshness. Wide and impressive but I probably wouldn’t guess CV as today I don’t see the architecture here. But it’s a compellingly delicious wine.
2018 Echézeaux
From En Orveaux
Higher toned a little more floral – actually becoming rather intense. Hmm, I like this, it’s melting with super flavour. Fumé from the barrel, but complex, super wine…
Hmm – just a little more compact but this has a finely textured and inviting width to its nose. That’s super in the mouth – absolutely gorgeous texture. This is absolutely great, super-expressive wine!
2018 Chambertin Clos de Bèze
Higher toned – a more vertical nose. This is more open and openly complex, great finishing too, but by comparison a little more serious/austere after the Charmes.
Les Blancs…
All the whites are all bottled, the reds start soon and will not be finished until the Springtime. Natural cork for the whites:
2018 Bourgogne Chardonnay
A mix of Meursault and Montagny commune fruit, part of the elevage (and fermentation) in oak.
A very open, easy, quite inviting nose. Wide, and mouth-filling. A saline style of complexity that gets better and better as you get into the finish.
2018 Bourgogne Chardonnay Côte d’Or
Just from the commune of Meursault.
Some depth to this nose – faintly reductive. That’s a nicely incisive and vibrant entry. Concentrated, and again vibrant flavour in the middle. Super wine. Excellent
2018 Rully Vieilles-Vignes
A more open, more crystalline nose. Supple, concentrated, slowly melting fresher, more citrus flavour. The finish is considered but completely delicious too. All the parts for great but not fully in sync today – wait 6 months. I think it will be excellent.
High on the hill, only 50 cm of soil, last vineyard harvested around 8-9 September.
A more golden nose here of ripe fruit – a little aligoté style. Fine fresh attack, love the texture here too. Citrus, with a lick of salinity – lots of energy, Great and mineral and juicy finishing. Bravo!
2018 Meursault Les Clous
A suggestion of reduction as the nose is so deep, but it’s also properly ginger-bread spiced. Lovely concentrated width of flavour, but this is also incisive and mineral. The finish is more open and gorgeous – excellent wine with even higher potential…
2018 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Les Embazées
A pungent weight of energetic, if slightly reductive, mineral fruit. Supple, very elegantly silked texture, some barrel here in the middle then a long finish. The shape and length are impressive so wait for this…
Will be increasing the production in the future.
A more open nose – clarity of fruit – agrume, perhaps a little melon. Beautiful entry – clarity, energy, some oak again, but what a super, quite intensely mouth-watering finishing flavour. 2-3 years more then bravo!
Composed, wide, inviting – proper Genevrières. Supple, gorgeously flavoured – it’s a contemplative wine vs those that went before but it’s bright and there is energy. What a delicious and long finish. Give this time too – you will be rewarded. Bravo!