Chanson Père et Fils - Beaune 1er Cru Grèves 2021

Bettane & Desseauve

About the domain :

Founded in 1750 by Simon Verry and acquired by the Bollinger group in the late 1990s, Beaune's oldest wine house owns 45 hectares of vineyards in the benchmark crus of both côtes. Negociant reds are essentially made from purchased grapes, vinified by the house to preserve the unity of style with the estate. Brilliantly led technically by Jean-Pierre Confuron (since 2001), this estate has become a model of viticulture, with the introduction of ploughing, the abandonment of soil amendments, and the adoption of organic viticulture. The wines of Chanson preserve a very high proportion of stalks in both white and red vinification. The watchword is balanced tension. The whites are bottled with a maximum of lees to guarantee a reducing aspect throughout the 14 to 20 months of barrel ageing (20% new wood). The reds, whose Pinot maturity is pushed to the optimum, preserve a vibrant tannic and acidic structure and are adorned with fleshy fruit and underlying notes of sweet spices and licorice. Wines that deserve a few years of patience in both colors.

Decanter

About the wine:

The fruit isn't particularly exuberant, but it's complex, with ripe plum and blackberry aromas enhanced by earth, menthol and wood smoke. The texture is firmly tannic without being astringent, and the overall balance is muscular and powerful yet elegant. The grapes come from a total of 2 hectares, spread over 3 different parcels. Each plot is cultivated and vinified separately. The grapes are fermented entirely in whole bunches before being aged in barrel.

RVF - La Revue du Vin de France / Guide des Meilleurs Vins de France

About the domain :

Founded in 1750 and owned by Bollinger since 1999, this classic Beaune house has now fully found its feet and its style. It competes with the best thanks to its precise, pure white and red wines. Vincent Avenel has taken over the reins of the house from Gilles de Courcel, who is responsible for its revitalization. A state-of-the-art cuverie and Jean-Pierre Confuron's pertinent advice, both in the vineyard and in winemaking, until June 2020, explain the clear expression of the domaine's wide range until the 2019 vintage, a vintage in which we perceive fine ageing on certain cuvées, a tone below previous vintages. We'll wait to taste the 2020s in bottle to judge whether this great house is moving in the right direction with its new team.

Wine Enthusiast

About the wine:

Fresh and perfectly ripe on the nose, aromas of rhubarb, white strawberries and black plums harmonize elegantly with red rose petals and crushed white peppercorns. The wine is lively. The palate is dry, with black plums and white strawberries balanced by clove and cardamom. Mouth-watering acidity tames the juvenile tannins, giving a lovely persistence of cherry, white tea and rose petals on the finish.

Jancis Robinson

About the wine:

Pale purple. Rather bewitching fragrance. The most elegant of the Beaune Premiers Crus de Chanson 2021. Tasty but not aggressive finish after flattering, suave fruit. Vigorous.

James Suckling

About the wine:

This Beaune 1er Cru has a striking nose of mint, Amarena cherry and licorice, with smoky oak more in the background. The depth and tannic structure are impressive, the latter certainly requiring a little time to fully resolve. For the moment, the finish is too velvety (strange as it may seem), but this is a very young wine, with excellent fruit and a nice savory component. Drink now, but better from 2025.

Inside Burgundy - Jasper Morris