Day 2. Corton from Savigny’s Aux Vergelesses

An earlier start for me as I wanted to be in the vines with the pickers – Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Aux Vergelesses – and the views were worth the early alarm call!

So far we have avoided rain though storms are currently forecast for the late afternoon and evening tomorrow – but let’s enjoy today…

The home domaine has plenty of vines (right) in Aux Vergelesses – red and white – today was a white day here, with the reds still biding their time. Optically, these were super grapes – smaller and cleaner versus the whites that were picked yesterday in Hautes Jarrons. Just the upper part of two rows was less attractive – greyed by oïdium – the domaine didn’t treat this part properly and the result was that the grapes wouldn’t be picked. Our boss comments “Sometimes it happens but it also helps to reinforce why we do what we do and how important the treatments are.”

Triage already started in the cuverie at 07h45 as it was just about light enough to start picking a little after 07h00. Cosmetic triage except for occasional bunches showing some oïdium. The odd bunch had some grilled grapes too – but much fewer than in 2018-2020 – and certainly less than the reds this year. Currently, our boss thinks the acidity is comparable to 2020 – let’s see… Anyway, this was an appreciable parcel so we didn’t finish triage before 13h00.

Did somebody say lunch? If they did, it was only to say that it was delayed – the picking team had decamped to Corton – time to set up the de-stemmer – red Corton was on its way.

The 9th vintage of Corton-Renardes for our domaine, and the extra consistency and finer shape of the grapes/bunches was clear versus the Savigny’s of yesterday. There was still some triage to be done though; many of the bunches hid some small, completely dried berries that we didn’t want in the macerations/fermentations. The last few vintages have provided only 1 barrel of this – there was clearly much more this year – emblematic of most of Burgundy this year – where frost or hail didn’t make inroads.

Of course, more fruit means more time needed to triage – the last bin of fruit was emptied and triaged and the vibrating table was switched off – at 15h00! Could we now have lunch? Yes, we could!

The pickers also had a late lunch but the Corton was the last vineyard to be picked – so an earlier finish than normal – if only an hour by the time we’d finished eating 🙂

There was some wine too:

1999 Faiveley, Corton Clos des Cortons Faiveley
I couldn’t match yesterday’s Haute Jarrons on a Haute Jarrons day – but Corton on a Corton day was close! Yet another cork that split in the middle – but I’m on a run – once more the second part of the cork was extracted in one!
But what’s that? Is that corky? Swirl the glass and it seems better – but it’s there – what the French would describe as ‘liegeux.’ Behind was a wine of impressive richness and depth of flavour – and eminently approachable – but corked!
Rebuy – Well, not a corked one!

To save face:

1979 Louis Voilland, Beaune 1er Montée Rouge
The domaine has vines here – typically one of the last parcels to be harvested – but not the same parcel. Another cork that split – which I can forgive as it’s 43 years old!
A colour with more brown than the Corton but no smell of cork – actually a little café in a slightly torrified style – that’s nice. Open, mouth-filling – I’m so rarely disappointed with Côte de Beaune 79s and here’s another completely sound example. Almost no tannin to speak of but with concentration and an engaging, sometimes slightly metallic – steely – impression to the flavour. This was very good wine.
Rebuy – No chance!

Tomorrow the team will be harvesting in Beaune – probably some villages and certainly 2 premier crus – but I have clients for 2 days so won’t be back in the cuverie (to work!) until Sunday…

Tada! Day one of the home domaine harvest in Beaune.

About half the domaines in Burgundy have started harvesting by now, my home domaine choosing to wait until the 31st having originally considered the 27th – so why? – let’s first get that out of the way…

Our boss answers: “It’s true that the grapes would also have been properly ripe if we’d started on Saturday but for me the aromatics were still missing – today I’m much more confident in how they smell – I think that waiting was the right decision. The only issue with this delay is that we will lose all the student pickers next week as the new school year starts on Tuesday…”

This is certainly going to be quite a pressurised harvest as most vineyards will be ready for picking quite close together – there is less disparity between the reds and whites this year too – and it’s not just the colours, Chablis is starting to pick now – so it’s geographically ‘compact’ too.

Yesterday evening there was rain in the forecast – Nuits got some and part of the Côte Chalonnaise got plenty – over 20mm – but here in Beaune, all was dry this morning. The boss suggested about 2mm in Savigny – so the possibility of being damp underfoot in the vines – but of no consequence to the grapes we were about pick.

So today was a day of Savigny fruit, starting with 1er cru Hautes Jarrons white and then in the late morning changing over to Hautes Jarrons red – right – also 1er cru. With much cunning (guesswork!) I brought a 2005 Hautes Jarrons for lunch. This being a warm, harvest, we will, almost habitually, be picking the whites in the morning when they are cooler and the reds later in the day. Already at 11h00 the red grapes were warm to the touch – it’s less of an issue for the reds because as soon as they are destemmed they go into the tanks where they will be cooled. We finished our day with a small parcel of Savigny 1er Les Narbantons – finer, cliché, bunches, many with smaller grapes if not quite as ripe as the Hautes Jarrons – but the Jarrons is expected to come in at around 14.5°!

I’ll get more into the analytics as the days progress but the grapes themselves were rather uniformly ripe; not the smallest of grapes but our triage was largely cosmetic – a little of everything could be found – rot, oïdium, dried/raisined grapes and even a few hail impacts for the white – but very little in each case and quite rare were the unripe bunches except where the second-set had been picked. Clearly, the reds have plenty of soluble phenolics – judging by the staining of my fingers already on the first day – but perhaps a little less than in 2019 or 2020.

Of course, more detail as the days proceed and the numbers become available.

2005 JC Boisset, Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Les Hautes Jarrons
A cork that broke in two – fortunately the second part came out in one.
A slightly funky, bretty, leathery nose that could have been 10 years older – air cleaned it up a little but not completely. In the mouth, this was altogether fresher and more interesting – it also showed fine energy. Just a modest – but correct – structure. Quite tasty but I never really warmed to the aromatics.
Rebuy – No

Today was the, relative, calm before the storm.

Yesterday, the small matter of more than 2.5 hours jogging in the mountains – with nearly 1,100 vertical metres of climbing – and even more of descending. Good training for tomorrow’s harvesting start in Beaune? I think my legs disagree today 🙂

As for our harvest timing – we are far from the earliest – but I would say roughly in the middle of the starters. I note multiple ‘famous’ domaines in Vosne-Romanée were already picking their grapes yesterday.

Just to tie a few loose ends together – here are a few notes on the most recent wines at home – with, of course, a few interesting wines lined up for the harvest lunches!

2009 Gilles Bouton, St.Aubin En Creot (Rouge)
In handy 500ml bottles
If I’m honest, it’s taken this many years for this to come into a nice phase of drinking – balanced, not overly ripe (in the modern context) and very tasty.
Rebuy – Yes

2012 Dampt Frères, Chablis Les Preuses
A magnum
The last of my 3 mags and, whilst seemingly faultless, the least interesting of the three. Very good wine but previous experiences brought a level of anticipation that remained unfulfilled…
Rebuy – Maybe

1981 Clavelier, Corton-Rognet
A magnum, and of course, that’s the Clavelier on the way to NSG – not Bruno Clavelier in Vosne…
Pale colour but a nose of engaging – indeed inviting – clarity. The flavour? Well, this was singing on all fronts. Medium bodied for Corton but with proper growth of middle and finishing flavour to mark it out as a grand cru – lacy and pure in style – that was a brilliant 1981!
Rebuy – Yes

2006 Lucie & August Lignier, Morey St.Denis Vieilles-Vignes
Yes, yes, yes! Kellen made some great wines but also some ordinary ones but here we have a winner on all fronts. Aromatically engaging, complex, with aromas and flavours on the cusp of proper maturity. Completely delicious and with some power too – all was finished on the same day!
Rebuy – Yes

2020 JA Ferret, Pouilly-Fuissé, Clos des Prouges
I tasted this earlier this year on the day of its bottling and was wowed – an order quickly followed.
The oak is clearly more visible than my tank sample suggested – but air dislodged some of that. Day two and it was singing – 80% of the oak had left the scene leaving a wine of extraordinary dimension, precision and shape to fill my glass. I won’t open another for 2-3 years but this is a great PF!
Rebuy – Yes

2020 Roland Lavantureux, Chablis Vieilles-Vignes
Another wine showing some oak – though less than the Pouilly. I like the shape and dimension of this and if there is any pyrazine, the oak has it completely smothered – I can’t see any. Give it 2 years for that oak to fade – it could be a super 2020!
Rebuy – Maybe

2019 Laroche, Chablis Vieille Voye
What a wine – precision, fine, driving, energy and super Chablis precision – no oak to be seen. Classic, delicious, and bravo 2019!
Rebuy – Yes

2017 Maison de la Chapelle, Irancy
A highly floral nose but with obvious pyrazines in tow too. Open, delicious floral-infused flavour but, like the nose, with a lot of pyrazine accompaniment. I could still find enjoyment here but too much pyrazine…
Rebuy – No

2020 Tupinier-Bautista, Mercurey 1er En Sazenay (Blanc)
There’s plenty of oak showing on this young wine too – but what a lovely, sizzling, acid-intensity to this flavour. I love the ride that this wine provides – great, great Mercurey Blanc!
Rebuy – Yes