Since quitting my sales job earlier this year, I’ve become much more fond of Mondays and today’s tasting with Maison Chanzy’s head of Digital Sales and Customer Experience, Nicolas Corne, reinforced this sentiment IN SPADES.
Over the course of two and a half hours, Nicolas generously gave us his time to show no less than 10 whites (2 Aligotés and 8 Chardonnays) and 7 Pinot Noirs, which included 5 Premier Crus and 3 Grand Crus, while giving us a comprehensive overview of the wines. He also gave us a potted history plus latest developments for this sizeable but quality-led producer.
Here are my notes on the ten whites tasted and when I think they’ll be best enjoyed (in the same order tasted):
2017 Bouzeron Les Trois
100% Aligoté blended from three vineyards or climats, ‘Les Clous’, ‘La Tournelle’ and ‘Les Cordères’. Lovely and bright with a pale lemon core, this is vibrant with a sherbet lemon intensity. You can also sense the limestone-clay soil both from the ‘fumé’ aroma and through the heart of this wine underpinning the floral, citrus fruit. The mouth-watering but balanced acidity is accentuated by the six months spent in stainless steel. Ideal now until 2023.
2019 Bouzeron Clos de la Fortune (Monopole)
The oldest part of this exclusively-owned vineyard was planted in 1963. The yield is therefore small but the flavours in the grapes are super-charged. Chanzy makes just three barrels of this wine in an average year which equates to around 880 bottles. One barrel is new while the other two are well used. For a wine so young, this wine is highly expressive. The youthful but complex aromas hit your nostrils long before the glass reaches your nose. There’s a gentle floral spice, green coffee bean and even a touch of caramel. It’s linear in the mouth yet textured and has great balance and freshness. The flavours linger long after swallowing. I’ve never tasted Aligoté like this and I’m not surprised to learn that this is the best-selling wine in the wine bar. Enjoy from 2023-27.
2020 Bourgogne Chardonnay Les Fortunés
Just bottled (end of May) so very young. Although the 2019 is still the current vintage, Nicolas wanted to show me Max’s latest release. The wine has a raw, natural feel from the lively aromas to the pithy texture in the mouth. There’s the scent of lemon and wet pebbles and flavours of grapefruit and slightly under ripe melon. Expressive yet elegant and should integrate nicely with another six months in bottle. Enjoy from 2022-24.
2019 Rully En Rosey
From a relatively high altitude vineyard (230m) and east facing, so gets the morning sun. The soils have a high calcium content and are very rocky. Max vinified this in stainless steel only and chose not to agitate the lees. Put all these elements together and they translate into a fairly taut wine with grippy acidity in this youthful stage, almost prickly and yet it still has a lovely roundness. I love the delicate floral scents and lemon curd-like tang on the palate. Enjoy from 2023-26.
2018 Rully Les Cailloux
This climat sits right next door to En Rosey. 2018 gave a smaller than average yield but it was a hot year and the fruit was therefore picked much earlier than usual. The acidity is noticeably softer than the En Rosey giving the wine a creamy sensation in the mouth but despite this it still has an overall leanness. The texture reminds me a little of a Chablis from a ripe vintage. There’s a touch of nuttiness on the nose too, a result of the ten months ageing in used 450 litre oak barrels. Ideal now until 2024.
2018 Mercurey Les Caraby
The wines from this village are generally weightier and richer than Rully and this has a lot to do with the marl-based soils with large limestone deposits. The Les Caraby climat lies on the south side of the village and faces south and south-east on a gentle slope. This wine is full, rich and expansive in the mouth and accurately reflects the warmth of the vintage. It finishes opulently with a touch of creaminess and spiciness too. Ideal now until 2024.
2019 Santenay Premier Cru Beaurepaire
This climat sits at the top of a hill and is slightly cooler than the more renowned Les Gravières vineyard. If you’re a fan of the fuller-bodied styles of white burgundy like me, this will be right up your street! A clear step up from the Mercurey, this is full but has a lovely saline streak that keeps it lively. Gently spiced from the ten months spent in small used barriques of 228 litres, this also lends an appealing buttery note along with undertones of hazelnut and acacia. I like this a lot. Enjoy from 2022-29.
2019 Puligny-Montrachet Les Reuchaux
This vineyard abuts the road that runs through Puligny village to Meursault. Just two barrels made which equates to around 600 bottles. This is very young and was quite closed in the glass with little aroma present. Also, quite taut in the mouth but you can see the components are all there, various white stone fruit flavours, floral hints, good acid structure and a touch of oak nuttiness on the finish. Enjoy from 2024-29+.
2019 Puligny-Montrachet Premier Cru La Garenne
If you wanted a demonstration of why Premier Cru vineyards are superior to Village level vineyards, then look no further. This site is up on the hill overlooking Les Reuchaux and is made using exactly the same methods and produces two barrels only, just as the previous wine. The only way I can describe this is it’s like turning up the volume from 1 to 10. Although it’s also young, it’s far more open on the nose and has much greater volume and intensity on the palate. A very smart and impressive wine. Enjoy from 2024-34+.
2018 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
This famous Grand Cru vineyard faces south and south-east and spans two villages in the Côte de Nuits, Aloxe-Corton and Pernand-Vergelesses. It sits on a high ridge between 280-330m above sea level and the soils are calcareous marl, similar to Mercurey. As soon as the glass draws near you can smell the intensity and complexity in this multi-faceted masterpiece. There are grilled nuts, yellow fleshed stone fruits, even a touch of exotic fruits, vanilla bean and coffee too (30% of the wine is fermented and aged in new French oak). Very expansive in the mouth but with a juicy core of acidity holding it all together. The flavours linger on and on after swallowing and no, I didn’t spit any of this wine! Outstanding. Enjoy from 2023-38+.
• For more background on this progressive producer, click here
This was my first introduction to Maison Chanzy. I heard about them just as I was leaving Alliance Wine to turn to freelance content writing.
Taking advice from my former boss, another fellow Burgundy lover, I bought a few bottles of their more affordable wines to try back in May and was really impressed. So I was keen to set up a visit.
Where Exactly is Maison Chanzy?
The Cotswold-like village of Puligny-Montrachet may look quaint and unassuming from the outside, but looks can be deceiving. Behind those limestone façades lies some of the world’s greatest white wine domains.
Being mildly obsessive about Chardonnay, and Burgundy in general, this is about the closest I’m going to get to wine utopia. Something my wife clearly noticed by my animations as we approached!
As we drive along the Rue des Creux de Chagny onto Place des Marroniers, it’s easy to spot the newly opened Maison Chanzy wine bar and tasting room on the opposite side of the square.
Occupying the former family home of Vincent Leflaive of Domaine Leflaive fame, the imposing 18th Century house now proudly bears the ‘Maison Chanzy’ name.
Chanzy’s Impressive Tasting & Events Venue
As we enter the building, it’s immediately apparent that its new owners have invested heavily here.
The fully-restored 16th Century vaulted cellars are the centrepiece for the wine bar and tasting room which extends outside, to the rear of the building, to a large terrace and courtyard-style garden.
The floor above is being converted into an impressive venue space.
Nicolas Corne, Chanzy’s head of digital sales and customer experience, is our host and begins by giving us a quick tour.
A Room Dedicated to Le Montrachet
My ears prick up when he shows us a smaller cellar off the main vaulted room which, he proudly tells us, will hold bottles of Le Montrachet from all 21 producers.
In other words, a collection of arguably the greatest single-vineyard Chardonnays that money can buy.
This, in itself, is worth a revisit!
Bouzeron: Maison Chanzy’s Spiritual Home
In 1974, Daniel & Catherine Chanzy bought and renamed a 50-year-old, 8 hectare domain in the commune of Bouzeron.
It lies between the villages of Rully and Santenay in the Côte Chalonnaise region of southern Burgundy.
Bouzeron village was promoted to AOC status in 1997 for its still white wine made exclusively from Aligoté. This makes it the only Village AOC in the entire Burgundy region dedicated exclusively to this grape.
Over the years, the Chanzy couple not only extended their Bouzeron holdings to 15 hectares, they purchased additional vineyards too.
Plots in nearby Mercurey, Santenay and Rully as well as further afield in Puligny, in the Côte de Beaune, and Vosne-Romanée, in the Côte de Nuits, took the domain to 38 hectares.
In 1997 they completed work on a new cellar and adjoining laboratory to accommodate their increased production. In 2001, Daniel and Catherine were officially joined by their son and daughter.
Maison Chanzy Changes Hands
In 2012, the Chanzy family sold their estate to another prominent wine family from Santenay aided by a group of investors. Five years later, this new consortium acquired a majority stake in Domaine Pagnotta, another local Chalonnaise producer.
This effectively doubled their vineyard holdings to 80 hectares and overnight, made them the largest vineyard landowner in the Côte Chalonnaise.
Chanzy Adds Top Burgundy Wines
The final crucial component in the Chanzy portfolio, that was instigated by Jean-Baptiste Jessiaume – the former group’s head winemaker, is the négociant side to the business.
Essentially, using long-term contracts, they gained access to grapes and white wine musts (freshly pressed grape juice) from some of the most prestigious vineyards in the entire region. In other words, Grand Crus and top Premier Cru wines in the Côte de Beaune and Côte de Nuits appellations.
A New Chapter at Chanzy
In 2019 Max Blondelle, former head winemaker for Domaine Chanson, joined the fold. He instigated a fairly radical change to the winemaking philosophy which is already showing great results in the newest vintages, some of which I tasted.
Max has a very ‘hands-off’ approach in the cellar and is more interested in expressing the key natural elements that affect the grapes. Namely the soils on which they’re grown.
The owners are also fully committed to sustainability and biodiversity in the vineyards. They’ve already achieved Haute Valeur Environnementale Level 3, the most respected certification for agriculture in France. They’re also joining a fast-growing trend in the region towards organic viticulture and all their vineyards are currently in conversion, aiming to be certified from the 2024 vintage.
More on Max’s Winemaking Philosophy
I ask Nicolas if Max is an advocate of using whole bunches in his red wine ferments, a trend that is becoming increasingly popular around the world for more vibrant, elegant wines. He explains that as Max is focused on terroir, texture and rounder tannins in his wines, he’ll use anything between 20-100% whole bunches in his ferments.
When it comes to oak, Max uses it sparingly to build texture or nuanced flavour rather than adding obvious structure or tannin. Although he prefers to use the traditional 228 litre Bourguignonne oak barrels at present, he’s open-minded enough to experiment and is currently trialling six foudres (very large used oak casks) as well as other intermediate sizes.
He’s also trialling four different coopers so he’s clearly a ‘details’ man. He replaces only 15% of his barrel stock every year saving the new oak mainly for the top Premier Crus and Grand Crus.
• For my notes on the whites tasted today, click here
• For my notes on the reds tasted today, click here
Here are my notes on the wines tasted and when I think they’ll be enjoyed at their best (all tasted in this order and all best served between 10-12°C):
2018 Saint-Véran
This appellation runs to the north of Pouilly-Fuissé and south. Bénédicte explains that 85% of their vineyards are in the north and 15% are in the south next to Beaujolais.
Vinified in stainless steel only, with battonage (lees stirring) to improve mouthfeel and add a little fatness. This has a freshness that reflects the chalky and granitic soils upon which the vines are planted.
The aromas are lifted with citrus and peach notes dominating and a faint whiff of hawthorn flowers. It has a lovely salty tang in the mouth on entry after which follows a finely textured, ripe-fruited wine with a clean and refreshing finish. Nice length. The perfect partner for sushi and shellfish.Ideal now until 2025.
2019 Pouilly-Fuissé, Tête de Cuvée
Bottled in January/February this year, this is the flagship wine of the estate and blends hand-harvested grapes from 45 different climats scattered across Fuissé and Solutré. Fuissé’s soils are mostly clay based while Solutré’s are limestone. The former adds weight and richness and the latter, freshness and salinity. 70% of the wine is fermented in oak barrels ranging from new to 5 years old. Around 20-30% of this component is new wood so relatively little.
This clearly feels young but the nose is quite full and assertive already. This vintage is around 30-40% lower than average so there’s plenty of concentration. The oak is a little pronounced at this stage but not in a bad way. It has floral elements and plenty of ripe melon and fresh grape scents. Rich and powerful on the palate, it has a mineral touch and the oak is surprisingly well-integrated for such a young wine. A lovely persistent finish rounds it off nicely. Pan-fried fish with an herb butter sauce would be ideal.Enjoy from 2022-28.
2018 Pouilly-Fuissé, Les Combettes
A small, north-east facing vineyard towards the western edge of Fuissé, flanked to the west by a small patch of woodland. This is a 0.8 hectare vineyard and produces just 2,000 bottles. There’s a high limestone content in the soil which becomes very evident when you taste the wine. One of the climats set to be promoted to Premier Cru. 100% fermented in 3-5 year old barrels.
On the nose, the oak is well concealed behind the citrus and white flower scents. This is linear in the mouth showing a soft but marked acidity that keeps a sense of precision. It’s elegant and harmonious and shows a nice floral and white peach character with a touch of spice from the oak. This would work really well with Monkfish or Salmon but no creamy sauces.Ideal now until 2024.
2018 Pouilly-Fuissé, Les Brûlés
Sitting on the top of the hill around 200-250m away from Les Combettes, this south-facing vineyard, also destined for Premier Cru status, is aptly named due to its full exposure to the sun (‘brûlés’ meaning burnt). The soil is a mixture of blue clay and marl with limestone pebbles. In an average year, they produce around 3,000 bottles. In 2021 there will be half that due to the extensive frost and hail damage. The corpulence and structure of this wine means that it can take 100% new oak for both fermentation and maturation.
Interestingly the oak doesn’t dominate either the nose or palate as might be expected for a relatively young wine. There’s great intensity of fruit and spices too, like a classic apple Tarte Tatin. Expansive on the palate, there’s a lovely mineral freshness underlying the textured fruit, hazelnut and spice notes with an underripe pineapple-like bite on the finish. It lingers on and on. Pair with turbot, skate wing or even poultry with a creamy sauce.Enjoy from 2022-28.
2018 Pouilly-Fuissé, Le Clos (Monopole)
A mere 20-30 metres away from Les Brûlés, this solely-owned vineyard rises up a gentle slope from the rear of the Château. This will be the only Monopole Premier Cru vineyard from 2020. Clay at the bottom of the vineyard adds weight to the wine, marl in the middle adds finesse and balance and limestone at the top brings freshness and minerality. The vineyard was re-planted in 1929 by Bénédicte’s Great Grandfather Jacques and some vines have been replaced, when necessary, over the years. Some are over 90 years old and many are still over 50 with the youngest around 30-35 years old. In 2020, they started picking on the 25th August. This year it will be a month later! New oak is only used for the clay component and the rest goes into used oak.
Power and intensity make the first impression as soon as the glass moves under the nose. There’s hazelnut and frangipane and the soft floral tones of ripe, yellow-fleshed fruits too. Another powerhouse on the palate but lovely balance and salinity from the limestone component making it complex and well integrated. Multi-layered and weighty yet wonderful finesse too. The finish is outstanding and doesn’t stop. This can handle more flavoursome foods similar to Les Brûlés, plus rich pâté’s and Asian influenced fish and poultry dishes. Enjoy from 2023-30.
Once the tasting had finished in the historic ante-room, within the 15th century pentagonal tower, Bénédicte walked us round to the base of the Le Clos vineyard to show us the three single-vineyard plots relating to the last three wines that we’d just tasted. This was a great way to understand how the characteristics of the vineyards translated through to the wines.
• For an overview on this iconic producer, click here
I was particularly excited about the prospect of visiting this iconic estate in the heart of the Mâconnais for two main reasons. Firstly, I’ve loved Pouilly-Fuissé from the moment I tasted it back in the mid-90s during my Fortnum’s days and secondly, because I managed to sell quite a lot of their Vieilles Vignes back in the early noughties when I was selling to top central London restaurants and corporate dining rooms. Very occasionally, I could even stretch to buying a bottle or two.
We arrived fashionably late for our tour and tasting with Bénédicte Vincent, which wasn’t the best start, but fortunately there was another couple on our tour who was receiving the introductory talk ‘en Français’. It transpired he was a French caviar salesman so that was an encouraging start!
Who are the Vincent Family?
Bénédicte, who’s in charge of tours, exports, marketing and pretty much everything other than winemaking, along with her brother Antoine, who’s the winemaker and General Manager, represent the 5th generation of the Vincent family to own and manage this historic estate. Bénédicte is also assisted by her Dutch husband Philip in running the commercial side of the business and papa Vincent, Jean-Jacques, is still actively involved and was busy with the pressure washer in the yard during our tour. This is very much a full-scale family affair.
The Château de Fuissé Estate
The vineyards cover 40 hectares in total over five separate appellations with Pouilly-Fuissé being by far the largest at 25 hectares. Within these 25 hectares, their parcels are spread across some 45 climats which they mainly blend for their ‘Tête de Cuvée’. In addition, they bottle a few outstanding single-vineyard wines.
They also have around 8 hectares of Saint-Véran, 3 hectares of Mâcon-Villages, 1 hectare of Mâcon-Fuissé and 3 hectares of Juliénas in neighbouring Beaujolais.
The Château itself datesback to the 15th Century and was bought by the Vincent family in 1862. The ‘Le Clos’ Monopole vineyard surrounds two sides of the Château and formed part of the original purchase. Some of the oldest vines are planted within this 3 hectare stone-walled vineyard but more about that later.
More Specifically on Pouilly-Fuissé
The Pouilly-Fuissé appellation incorporates five villages from Vergisson down to Chaintré, spanning around 10km from north to south. There are over 300 owners covering 800 hectares so the average holding is small. There are some 104 separate vineyard plots within 45 individual climats so it’s a pretty complex and fragmented region.
Last year, Pouilly-Fuissé finally got the green light to introduce a new hierarchy system which will see 22 climats recognised as Premier Crus, starting to show from the 2020 vintage labelled wines. This will represent around 23% of the total vineyard area in the Pouilly-Fuissé appellation (194 hectares). The Mâconnais is the last region in Bourgogne to be granted this system following a 13 year application and represents the first major re-classification for the Burgundy region since 1942. Finally, common sense prevails!
Winemaking Philosophy
The family practise ‘Lutte Raisonée’ (reasoned fight) in the vineyard which minimises the use of artificial herbicides and pesticides in favour of natural preparations. All grapes are hand-harvested and carefully transported to the winery for gentle, whole-bunch pressing. Antoine has a light-touch approach to winemaking, following traditional methods but isn’t afraid to embrace technology where appropriate.
Fermentation happens naturally with native yeasts and malolactic fermentation will be encouraged either partially or fully depending on the vintage and desired style. The overarching theme here is to maintain each vineyard’s identity (terroir) within each wine.
The wines generally spend a maximum of nine months in barrel but if the vintage is exceptional and the wines warrant it, this can be extended to 12 months. They replace around 20% of their barrel stock each year.
This was a highly-informative and enjoyable couple of hours discovering the unique history and provenance of this emblematic estate. We couldn’t resist buying a few bottles and plan to revisit again next year in order to see their main winemaking facility in Fuissé village and to meet Antoine too.
