Beaune 1er Cru "Les Sizies" 2017

The vintage

The 2017 vintage at Domaine de Montille started off with a very tricky spring.

The vineyards on the slopes withstood the frost, unlike in 2016, where the frost damaged, the vineyard untypically, unevenly and mainly in the white vineyards. The 2017 spring concentrated the cold in low lying parcels meaning that the majority of vignerons lost buds in their Bourgogne or even Aligoté parcels. The loss is usually considered acceptable compared to losing fruit in village or primer cru appellations.

The 2017 reds are of great freshness of fruit, with notes of raspberry, strawberry and other red fruits including sour cherry, with a floral touch and spice passing from the entire harvest. The palate is full, ethereal, with crunchy fruit and slightly acidic.

The tannins are very well integrated in the fruits with a rather light texture and silky, comparable to the 2010 and 2002 vintages. What’s surprising and enjoyable, is the salinity present in our whites, and also in our reds, which is quite rare. The balance between the fruit and the structure allowed us to work with high percentages of whole cluster for many of our cuvées.

2017 is a particular vintage; thanks to the quality of the tannins and more generally the profile of the wines, theses will be pleasant to taste young (especially for the wines of Beaune, Volnay, Pommard) and also after ageing more than 10 years (especially Corton and Côte de Nuits). It is quite rare and deserves to be mentioned.

In white, it is a great vintage, crystallized, beautiful aromatic complexity, mixed with hawthorn, white flowers and citrus fruit. Early harvest, started on the 29th of September, so we were able to quite the freshness and tension of the vintage. The texture is fluid, the mouths are big, deep and saline. It is closer to 2014 and 2007, than the last vintages will be in my opinion, ready earlier (3 to 7 years) even if these wines will flourish over time.

Enjoy the vintage !

Tasting notes

The 2017 Beaune Les Sizies 1er Cru, which is due to be bottled before Christmas 2018 and contains a little less new oak than other crus, has a well defined and vibrant red cherry and wild strawberry scented bouquet. The palate is well balanced with supple tannin, ripe dark cherry and blackberry fruit leading to a nicely structured, graphite-tinged finish that lingers in the mouth. Recommended.

BY NEAL MARTIN | JANUARY 10, 2019   Score 90-92  Drinking date 2022-2032