Tasted in Beaune with Christophe Chauvel, pictured with (left) Albéric Bichot, 14 December, 2021.
Albert Bichot
6 Boulevard Jacques Copeau
21200 Beaune
Tel: +33 3 80 24 37 37
www.bourgogne-bichot.com
More reports with Maison Albert Bichot
Christophe on recent vintages:
“Since 2018 – which had volume and quality – we’ve had two more warm vintages but the 2019s and 2020s were lower in volume. In 2020 the whites had more volume than we expected a week before the harvest – there were a lot of grapes but we didn’t think much juice. The reds were quite variable from a volume perspective, some locations with rain, others with virtually none – and with the heat of the harvest time, you could easily lose 20% of your juice in 5 days of dryness. The amount of solids versus liquids was really high in 2020 so it was harder to judge how the wines would turn out – and that’s ignoring the 22 August start – 3 days earlier than in 2003! The tartaric acidity was high in this vintage and though the total acidities are not very high it has brought an attractive freshness. In the end, I think that 2020 was a vintage where the vintage is not more visible than the terroir – unlike 2003…”
The wines…
This year I’m slightly more impressed by the reds at this address – there are plenty of really great wines – and not just the expensive ones! The whites often gave the impression that they needed a bit more elevage – no problem with that, only my timing!
Most of these wines wear ‘AB’ badges on their labels. The first three were already bottled:
2020 Domaine de Rochegrès, Moulin-à-Vent
5 ha in the domaine since 2014. ‘The second wine isn’t always made as the differences can be small but in other vintages it is far from small!’
Wide and faintly spiced, pure, warm, fruit. Very attractive. Mouth-filling, purity, intensity finishing bitters. Fine texture and long. This is very good.
2020 Domaine de Rochegrès, Moulin-à-Vent Rochegrès
A more intense and direct fruit. Wider, a more vibrant, less intense but more complex width. This has a beautiful finish – long and for keeping a while if you wish to. Simply excellent wine.
Côte de Nuits fruit here.
A classy, pure dark fruit nose. Mouth-filling, such impressive depth of concentration, and juicy flavour. I have to keep reminding myself that this is a Bourgogne – Bravo!
Certified AB. Not yet bottled – it will probably be March before all are done
Higher tones of highly attractive redder fruit. Wide, vibrant and mouth-filling. The depth and energy here accented with some barrel in the finishing flavours. I’d want this to fade but the wine will be a great Chalonnaise…
2020 Domaine du Pavillon, Pommard Clos des Ursulines
Also AB, not yet bottled
A fine nose of energy and slowly growing floral accents too. Direct, subtly reductive – growing wider in flavour and scale – increasing in intensity too. I love this finishing energy and fine complexity – almost a complexity of dried fruits too. That’s simply excellent…
2020 Domaine du Pavillon, Pommard 1er Les Rugiens
AB not bottled
More depth and clarity to this aroma – growing an accent of wc perfume too. Rounder, silkier – or perhaps more velour as the tannin asserts itself – but always without grain just a suggestion of dryness. Simply a super and vibrant, delicious finish. That’s really super wine.
Here’s a more forward and captivating nose of fresh red fruit complexity – that’s a great invitation. Mouth-filling, mouth-watering, energetic wine. I love the texture here too. Vibrant, quite chalky finishing too. Great Aloxe!
2020 Domaine du Pavillon, Corton Clos des Marechaudes
Not always the case, but this was harvested the same day as the previous wine within the same clos.
A more crystalline width to this aroma – just a less cushioned impression. More open, more architectural shape. Nicely fluid flavour and with some growing, and mouthwatering, intensity. Clarity and precision – that’s the difference. A super wine…
A Côte de Nuits Selection:
The domaine does the work, the team here keep watch but are very happy with the place and the work but still offer a little consulting. From multiple sectors, roughly the same each year to get the best feeling of the Clos
That’s an impressively complex and attractive nose – surely Côte de Nuits! Airy but lacks no concentration – a more saline edge to this flavour. Really a super growing width of finishing complexity – that’s a simply great finish. Excellent wine – no, great Fixin!
2020 Morey St.Denis 1er Les Sorbets
A fuller nose but with some fresh clarity of dark fruit too. I think there’s a little reduction disturbing the flavour but the width and the clarity are present here too, just a faintly dry, but nothing grainy, tannin modifying the texture at the end. Super length to the finish…
2020 Nuits St.Georges 1er Château Gris
The three terraces… AB
Less width of aroma but still with a good and seemingly textured presence. A little more direct and intense – still a decent width though. The shape of this is slightly more architectural and fluid but not really ‘structured’ in a Nuits sense. That’s a lovely wine, deliciously mouthwatering in the finish – a Nuits of elegance!
That’s a more airy and open nose – adding some extra floral perfume – very attractive. Seductive texture, mobile – oh-so vibrantly flavoured – that’s a great, only partly elegant, Evocelles! Bravo
2020 Chambolle-Musigny 1er les Chabiots
Continuity of Musigny above Amoureuses.
A narrower but deeper well of aroma – fine clarity too. A wide and vibrantly growing intensity of flavour. Slowly fading, a little mineral. This good.
2020 Domaine du Clos Frantin, Vosne-Romanée
Different harvesting dates for the Damaudes and the Basses-Maizières. AB.
Ooh – that’s a beautiful perfume. Mouth-filling with lovely energy. The tannin visible as a slow drag on the texture – the impression of a small accent of wc. Simply excellent wine. The finish is direct and more mineral and lasting well.
2020 Clos Frantin, Vosne-Romanée 1er Les Malconsorts
AB. 1.75 ha from 6 sandier parts and lower down heavier soil – the bottom left which is more sandy and the rest which is more clay – there can be 3 days difference in maturity between these two sectors – ‘clearly different wines too, the lower part more massive less complex. Our biggest problem with these vines is that the alcoholic potentials grow much faster than the actual phenolic maturity.’
A little narrower but deeper aroamtics again – slowly adding some higher complexity but remaining a little compact. Really a fine and mouth-filling impression here. Still shy in divulging its secrets but the finish is long. Overall I find a wine of fine shape but one that doesn’t really want to speak with me today…
2020 Clos Frantin, Clos de Vougeot
A low and a high parcel.
More airy, red-fruited complexity – pushed forward by a base of concentration. That’s poised and lovely in the mouth. Fluid, mobile flavour – a little cooler fruit. Holding in a fine fashion too. Another elegant but pure interpretation. Yum!
2020 Clos Frantin, Echézeaux
They have decided to replant their Grands Echézeaux after successive vintages of very low yields – so showing just this one. The soil here in Champs Traversins is very draining but there was no impression that the vines had suffered from the drought in either 2019 or 2020
Another airy, complex, and really attractive nose. Mouth-filling, fine energy, and a super line of intense but still elegant fruit flavour. I find this completely delicious – and neither heavy nor assertive…
2020 Latricières-Chambertin
Another airy nose but with a bit more overt concentration – this has a beautiful complexity – it’s highly attractive. Good attack, plenty of volume in the mouth and there’s an intensity to this flavour too. Chalky finishing complexity. That’s a very good Latricières – and you know how I love Latricières!
2020 Clos Frantin, Chambertin
‘In a big vintage there are 3 barrels – 2020 wasn’t a big vintage!’
Another nose that is elegant rather than forceful. Mouth-filling and with lots of energy – there’s a vibration to these flavours. The finish is impressively broad. Still a sort of calm to this presentation – like many.
Les Blancs
All is DIAM sealed here today:
2020 Domaine Adelie, Bourgogne Aligoté Champ Renard
Vines in Mercurey. This bottled
Plenty of colour. Starting with a quite savoury aromatic profile. Mouth-filling, good energy, nice shape though the flavours, like the nose, are a little more savoury than I like…
2020 Mâcon-Lugny Les Charmes
More direct, slightly mineral, golden fruit, plenty of aromatic depth too. Wide with mobile, sweeping, flavours. That’s a nicely mouth-watering and tasty Mâcon – even a little floral finishing, perhaps muscaté. Good!
2020 Bourgogne Secret de Famille
All Côte de Beaune fruit
More direct, more aromatic mineral impression. Super shape in the mouth, wide, mouth-watering. Deliciously flavoured wine, slightly golden style fruit. That’s simply excellent Bourgogne.
2020 Domaine Adelie, Mercurey les Champs Michaux
AB. ‘There’s a lot of clay here, also lots of rock and altitude too – 350m! Not yet bottled.
Wide and perfumed – a ripe, almost pear, fruit supporting. Nice action in the mouth – there’s energy and a slightly sweet complexity of fruit. Always mouth-watering and growing some acid-intensity too. Warm, delicious finishing.
2020 Nuits St.Georges Les Terrasses de Château Gris
Close to the transition with Hautes Côtes here. The Lupé-Cholet label is gone, no-longer-used since 2010 so this is Albert Bichot. Young vines, not yet 1er cru.
A ripeness of fresh and complex fruit. Plenty of mouth-filling flavour here. Growing intensity too. I really like the slightly perfumed width and persistence of this finish.
2020 Domaine du Pavillon, Meursault Les Criots
AB – a red sector here near Santenots but the neighbouring vines of the Hospices are white too.
A deep nose, some vibration of energy, golden fruit again. A little more depth to this texture – but more deliciously mouth-watering – in fact juicy. Energy that balances the richness.
2020 Domaine du Pavillon, Meursault 1er Charmes
Here’s a more airy width of fruit, less golden fruit. Mouth-filling, vibrant – beautifully structured wine. That’s a really delicious wine too – very good!
2020 Domaine du Pavillon, Beaune 1er Clos des Mouches
Planted same time as Château Gris with the same plant material – 1999 – ‘so it’s the ‘place’ that makes the difference!’ AB like all the Pavillon wines…
Airy, more intense a golden fruit style. In the mouth, this is muscular, large-scaled but gives me the impression that it needs a racking, modestly phenolic texture in the finish – nice.
In Languettes 1.20,ha.
Like all the whites a width of more golden, ripe fruit. Sinuous, beautifully shaped, slowly mouth-watering and very long. I think there’s great potential here but this wine is in the same stage as most of the others…
Lots of aromatic freshness – the same stage as the others. Mouth-filling, a different shape; a softness but at the same time balanced with an extra structure. That’s a super shape and so mouth-watering in the finish. That could be a great wine – on with the elevage!