Jacqueson, Charton, Lumpp
Plus today's Burgundy themed Free Friday Tasting
Our 2018 Burgundy en primeur campaign ends in the same place as our trip last November: the vineyards of the Cote Chalonnaise. When Colin and I arrived early for our appointment with the Jacquesons, we drove to the top of Rully and went for a walk. Soon we found ourselves squishing through the clay soils of the steep, east-facing Cloux vineyard, kicking up nuggets of limestone with every step. Below us lay Rully; over the brow of the hill to our back, there was a fine view across the valley to the parallel vineyards of Bouzeron. The Chalonnaise is not like the Cote d'Or, where most of the great vineyards sit on one long slope. Hills and valleys run in many directions here, and vineyard aspects are more varied. In some years the wines can seem lighter. But a hot, ripe year like 2018 can work magic in these vineyards.
It's no wonder the Jacquesons' wines are so good; their fruit come from wonderfully-sited vineyards which they only work by hand, using mimimal treatments. Cellar work follows a low-intervention regime, with the judicious use of new oak. 2018 has been as successful as any vintage here; Marie Jacqueson led us through a tasting of wines poised between ripeness and freshness, sensuousness and minerality.
In Mercurey, Vincent Charton finds himself at the head of a renaissance, rescuing the village from the reputation it once held for 'rustic' wines. His wines proudly showcase the potential and variety of the terroirs here. Francois Raquillet's superbly sited old vines have produced some rich but nor overripe wines in 2018. His policy of moderate extraction and severe grape selection have paid off again. And down in Givry, Francois Lumpp is another of the undoubted stars of the Chalonnaise. He started his domaine from scratch and has acquired some great vineyards; his layered and complex wines shone in our tasting at the domaine. The whites were crisp, fresh and floral, and the reds combined crunchy acidity with succulent, sweet berry fruit.
Following on from this week's Chassagne and Cote Chalonnaise offers, today's Free Friday Tasting will include 2016 and 2017 wines from Lumpp (Givry), Dureuil-Janthial (Rully), Sigaut (Chambolle) and Bernard Moreau (Chassagne). /NT
View all 2018 Burgundy releases
Offered subject to remaining unsold; for shipment Winter 2020/21
