This is a topped-up, ouillé bottling that I had not tasted before. It comes from a vineyard close to Beaumont, with a southeast exposure. The 50-year-old vines were planted in 1976 on grey marl soils, the classical soil of Château Chalon. It had a classical fermentation in mostly 500-litre barrels and some 228-litre Burgundian pieces, where it’s currently ageing.
They’re hoping to bottle it with 3.5 to four years of élevage, as he wants to age the Savagnin for one year more than the Chardonnay, and longer for the warm years. This is at the level of the best single-vineyard Savagnin. This should have a bright future in bottle.
This is from very venerable terroir, named after one of the plots in Château Chalon that has limestone soils with some stones and marl. It has superb aromas of yellow fruits, spice and a twist of Islay malt whisky, complexed by an irresistible mineral lift. It is powerful and very complex in the mouth, with serious depth and complexity. It’s very young now and will start to unfurl over the coming years, then keep for the next 20 or more. This is always one of the treats on a visit to see François!
