Domaine de la Bongran
Cuvée E.J. Thévenet Viré-Clessé Chardonnay
Viré-Clessé, Mâconnais, Burgundy, France
Special today. Little bit of residual sugar, very rich. Starting to develop some age at the nose.
Special today. Little bit of residual sugar, very rich. Starting to develop some age at the nose.
Apr 14th, 2024Nicely evolved from half bottle, with nutty aromas, ripe apple, a bit of orange blossom, a salty whiff, just a tiny hint of marcipan. So intriguing. Needs a moment in the glass to fully develop.
On the palate this starts off rich & very ripe but then the juicy acidity kicks in. And the minerality & the hint of tannin. Good depth & precision with over ripe lemons, orange peel marmalade and ripe yellow apples.
Good stuff!
Nicely evolved from half bottle, with nutty aromas, ripe apple, a bit of orange blossom, a salty whiff, just a tiny hint of marcipan. So intriguing. Needs a moment in the glass to fully develop.
On the palate this starts off rich & very ripe but then the juicy acidity kicks in. And the minerality & the hint of tannin. Good depth & precision with over ripe lemons, orange peel marmalade and ripe yellow apples.
Good stuff!
Inexpensive enough to pop one straight off the truck after its week long journey from the east coast. Right there with the 16, less botrytis than the 14 & 15 which is what I was hoping for.
VM94
Rated 94 by Vinous Media
The 2017 Viré-Clessé, which will be bottled at the beginning of 2022, has a killer nose with an almost Germanic feel, intense nectarine, melon and damp earthy scents with just a hint of petrol. The palate is beautifully balanced with a line of acidity keeping everything taut and linear. The 2017 is a little waxy in texture with orange rind, stem ginger and white pepper furnishing the very persistent finish. This is superb - a Viré-Clessé with genuine substance and longevity.
Winery
100% Chardonnay. Bongran is Thévenet's original home estate (Domaine de Roally, also in Viré-Clessé, was added later). Cuvée Tradition is its single bottling of dry white wine (in certain vintages, a sweet botrytized wine is made). The old vines are organically farmed and harvested manually and notably late at a very high ripeness level. The grapes are pressed very slowly and gently. After settling, the juice is fermented in tank with indigenous yeasts, very slowly, taking up to two years to finish; there are often a few grams of residual sugar remaining in the wine. The wine is aged in tank only, then in bottle for several years before release. It has an extraordinary richness of flavor and texture along with firm acidity and minerality.
Inexpensive enough to pop one straight off the truck after its week long journey from the east coast. Right there with the 16, less botrytis than the 14 & 15 which is what I was hoping for.
VM94
Rated 94 by Vinous Media
The 2017 Viré-Clessé, which will be bottled at the beginning of 2022, has a killer nose with an almost Germanic feel, intense nectarine, melon and damp earthy scents with just a hint of petrol. The palate is beautifully balanced with a line of acidity keeping everything taut and linear. The 2017 is a little waxy in texture with orange rind, stem ginger and white pepper furnishing the very persistent finish. This is superb - a Viré-Clessé with genuine substance and longevity.
Winery
100% Chardonnay. Bongran is Thévenet's original home estate (Domaine de Roally, also in Viré-Clessé, was added later). Cuvée Tradition is its single bottling of dry white wine (in certain vintages, a sweet botrytized wine is made). The old vines are organically farmed and harvested manually and notably late at a very high ripeness level. The grapes are pressed very slowly and gently. After settling, the juice is fermented in tank with indigenous yeasts, very slowly, taking up to two years to finish; there are often a few grams of residual sugar remaining in the wine. The wine is aged in tank only, then in bottle for several years before release. It has an extraordinary richness of flavor and texture along with firm acidity and minerality.
New vintage just released and could not resist to check-in. Golden yellow color, rich scents of tropical fruit. On the palate overripe fruit, orange peel bitters, citrus fruit. This is thick, full and on the sweet side. No oak used and it doesn't need it either. Still nervous with rough edges so this can use some additional cellar time. Upon aeration the last glass revealed honey and gave a glimpse of what is to come. I see this moving to 94 with some age. Next bottle in 2 years.
New vintage just released and could not resist to check-in. Golden yellow color, rich scents of tropical fruit. On the palate overripe fruit, orange peel bitters, citrus fruit. This is thick, full and on the sweet side. No oak used and it doesn't need it either. Still nervous with rough edges so this can use some additional cellar time. Upon aeration the last glass revealed honey and gave a glimpse of what is to come. I see this moving to 94 with some age. Next bottle in 2 years.
Dec 7th, 2021