It’s better to wait for a proper picture – but today’s ‘red warnings‘ of hail in the Côte d’Or were not for nothing:
Uh-oh……… https://t.co/skAiSb0kko
— 🅱️ill nanson (@billnanson) August 1, 2020
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June 2020’s report – now online
‘Eventually!‘ I hear you say.
I’m in agreement – never has 13 weeks of absence seemed so long! It’s much worse for some of my US colleagues – they haven’t been allowed to return to France since their mutual borders closed in mid-March!
All things considered, I managed to pack in a reasonable schedule into those last two weeks of June: Visits to producers in the Côte d’Or, Mâconnais and Beaujolais plus a deeper look into Gevrey 1er cru of the Clos des Issarts and the hot ‘new’ label of Beaujolais-Lantignié.
The report went live – HERE – today. I hope that all you subscribers will enjoy it 🙂
July and some of August is, and will be, Puligny-Montrachet time, with a deeper look at the terroirs of Puligny with the winemakers (mainly) of that village…
these hills are made for walking – & even jogging!
Left or right?
All countries seem to be recommending taking your holidays at ‘home’ this year – and I’ve seen images of terrible queues in the Swiss mountains in the last couple of weeks, but it seems that we found a beautiful and only modestly visited area: Guarda in the Swiss Engadin. Back now – so I must finish my June Report for publishing before the month-end:
Images only with my ‘phone:’
Piz Buin – it’s not just a sunscreen!
adieu poncié-ponciago
Or at least the version of that producer who was part of the Henriot group.
I had known for a few years, since the time of the previous Bouchard CEO, that for the right price, Château Poncié in Fleurie was ‘available.’ It seems that at the end of June a deal was signed – it just became public at the end of this week:
Lyon entrepreneur Jean-Loup Rogé has just acquired the Château de Poncié, formerly Villa Ponciago. The largest Domaine of Fleurie* thus leaves the group of the Henriot family.
*40 hectares
The new team announces that it is fully committed to the objective of organic certification for the entire vineyard by 2022 – so not much change from the time when Joseph Bouchard was running things locally. On the cellar side, Jean-Loup Rogé and Marion Fessy – yes previously of Henry Fessy who will take on responsibility for the domaine – also intend to continue the work started during the Henriot era. “The wines are well vinified, straight, with good acidity, and show respect for the terroir. It’s a spirit that we like.”
[EDIT] I hear that, at least, initially, Joseph Bouchard will be helping the new team get to grips with their new acquisition.
What with this and the (still available?) Château Ravatys – that would be a great combination for the ambitious 😉
visits week 30 2020
My thanks to the vignerons who hosted me this week – all important producers of Puligny-Montrachet – if not all based in Puligny!
Versus last week, the water leak in the Beaune apartment is fixed – but more work is required – though I’m not sure when as it looks like there will be a small ‘vigneron vacation‘ pause in my visits.
veraison – two sides of the road…
Veraison is everywhere in the pinot – almost!
In Gevrey-Chambertin, it depends on which side of the Route des Grands Crus you look. Here are some images from yesterday afternoon and you can see that the lower side of the road – Charmes, Griotte & Chapelle-Chambertin – here there is lots of colour, but on the other side of the road – Latricières, Chambertin, Bèze, Ruchottes – you have to really search for a little colour – these latter vineyards are, for the most part, still ‘green:’
Charmes
New Drouhin plantation in Griotte – emphasising the short but appreciable slope
Griotte
Griotte
Chapelle
Chambertin
Ruchottes
vintage 2020…
Puligny-Montrachet, 22 July 2020
Steady as she goes – and still 3-4 days ahead of the 2003 growing season.
Many in the Côte de Beaune are looking to have their teams back from holidays by Monday 17th August to prepare for their harvest but actual picking around 18th-20th August is not out of the question for the early pickers. The earliest estimated start that I know of in the Côte de Nuits, so far, is 22 August but habitual late-picker Pierre Damoy is thinking more along the lines of 8-25th September, for now.
This week we see temperatures of 31-35°C – the first time this year with such consistency of temperature – and for the very first time there are a few yellow leaves starting to appear on young vines – that’s a combination of the heat and dryness – last week’s few mm of rain (3-20mm) hasn’t really done very much. Most vines look in great shape; veraison is underway in most red wine vineyards now and is becoming much more visible in Hautes Côtes too – right, Puligny 1er Clos des Caillerets. Mildew is very rare this year, and as the sugar starts to rise in the berries, those areas with a little oïdium are being less affected.
The last treatments in the vines are largely done now, tractors in the vines more likely to be doing a little trimming of the vines – overwhelming now it’s the start of the domaine holidays…
Food traps have been set up* to follow the evolution of the populations of common fruit flies and their Suzuki cousins – this monitoring will continue until the harvest. There have been, for the last two weeks, some reports of ‘large populations’ of Suzuki close to fruit orchards (cherry, plum, etcetera) but nothing yet in the vines.
*Chambre d’Agriculture
a littlle puligny, beaune & pommard today…
nuits for the weekend
And for a change, three great, robust, corks too!
2007 Mugnier, Nuits St.Georges 1er Clos de la Marechale
There’s a little ageing to the colour of this, but not to the extent of many from the vintage. The nose has bit of ‘pluminess’ to the fruit, but it’s generally got a nice line of purity, plus a perfume that recalls the stems. The palate is full, clean and in a very good place to start your drinking. There’s just a little of the Premeaux tannin* in evidence – but only a little. Round but with energy, this is drinking very well.
Rebuy – Yes at the old price!
1995 Grivot, Nuits St.Georges 1er Les Roncières
Unsurprisingly the colour is showing plenty of age – this bottle with plenty of sediment too – but granular rather than fogging up that last glasses with something very fine-grained. The nose starts a little blunt versus the extra clarity of the Mugnier, but with air, this is a wine with so much more width, complexity, and shows flashes of purity too – that’s really excellent! Broader yet still more direct and with great freshness. Also more energy than the Mugnier. Today I like the Marechale very much, but I love this – it’s the best it’s ever shown since I bought the bottles ~2000! There’s still a little southern Nuits tannin to be found but at this age, I’d say practically anecdotal. Excellent – I really enjoyed it!
Rebuy – Yes at the old price
2007 JC Boisset, Nuits St.Geaorges Aux Lavières
A northern Nuits – and it shows! The colour, if anything a little younger looking than the Marechale. The fruit on the nose is very much in the vernacular of that wine without any plummy characteristics. Less full than either of the 1ers, but showing admirable purity for the vintage, and a more elegant structure as befits its place closer to Vosne-Romanée. Young, delicious and a wine that was an absolute bargain back in those (still!) heady days of 2009!
Rebuy – Yes even for a good price!
*All the wines of Premeaux-Prissy – so Marechale, Arlot, Argillières, Clos St.Marc, Clos des Corvées, Clos des Forêts – kick me if I missed one – have a grainier style to their tannin, than Les St.Georges and onwards north to NSG and beyond… – oops, also Perdrix, Terres Blanches and Didiers, though less so Grands Vignes on the ‘wrong’ side of the RN74 – at least how Louis-Michel Liger-Belair makes it!
Nuits St.Georges
Nuits St.Georges