Knowing we were to taste some of the new releases from La Soufrandiere, we dusted off a bottle of Bret Brothers (the original La Soufrandiere) Terroirs du Maconnais 2016. And what a lovely bottle of wine it was too. Vintage 2016 in Burgundy is a favourite of mine. Cool, vibrant and fresh with plump fruit cut, diced and framed by mouthwatering acidity. From our tastings, Burgundy’s from 2016 have held very well indeed, and this was no exception.
The aromas, could only come from the sun kissed Maconnais. Yellow peach, nectarine, honeysuckle, spring jasmine, apricot and Brazil nut. Lovely width, with great purity of fruit and poise. Effortless power and concentration. Medium bodied, yet full flavoured. Utterly absorbing, detailed and layered, absolutely exceeding expectations. For a region renowned for its hedonism and huge wines, this was positively cool, coiled and chiseled. And it matched with a variety of Japanese dishes perfectly.
New vintage – 2020
Vintage 2020 is an exceptional vintage for Burgundy, combining great power, brightness, precision, and in the case of La Soufrandiere, tension. It has to be said that I love the opulence and hedonistic luxury that wines from Burgundy’s southern appellation can attain. If there is an inconvenient truth to the notion of terroir it is the remarkable fact that the same vineyards can achieve totally different wine styles.
The flavours here are familiar and, like the 2016’s, most definitely southern but the tensile width, size, compactness, shape, texture, poise and tippy-toed ballerina balance are markedly different to commonly held assumptions.
All wines possess salinity, a feature of this estate in most vintages, but it is more pronounced in 2020. As the wines age the salinity falls away, whilst the wine fleshes out, becomes more open and lengthens on the palate. I would certainly recommend cellaring all the wines. Delicious and vital upon release, time will to a shimmer.
La Soufrandiere St-Veran La Combe Desroches 2020
A more chiseled St-Veran, but also the most fleshy and open wine of the estate. Yellow fruits of apricot, white peach and nectarine, sage and orange blossom. Absolutely absorbing, explosive power, incredibly bright highlighted flavours, yet in no way heavy. Refreshing almost, if it wasn’t for the sheer concentration and intensity. The feel of peach skin a constant, massaging the palate until the final flourish of salt-infused freshness. Compact and tense, again that expanse and width of palate. Stunning.
La Soufrandiere Macon-Vinzelles Le Clos de Grand-Pere 2020
Delicate aromatics, not so much closed but hinting. Cool, herbal notes with lemon, preserved lime, grapefruit, white peach and nectarine. Super energy, not surging, but rather like a dancer, each step revealing something new. Chiseled and compact, this has so much more to offer if you can be patient. Mandarin, sage, lemon oil, green mango, orange blossom and zest, and not just the taste, but the textures too. Almost whimsical as flavours are teased, peeled from the whole. Intense, pure and tensile, the palate is very long and elegant, yet showing great strength. Salty notes absorb the finish, all indicating a very long life ahead.
La Soufrandiere St Veran Climat La Bonnode 2020
Riper and deeper than the Desroches, weightier too, yet the chisel, tenseness and precision are on another level. Pulpy and fleshy with lime, white peach, nectarine, dried and fresh apricot, citrus blossom and savoury spice. Absorbing funnel-like shape. Upon entry, an attack of high-toned coolness before fleshing out, enveloping all the space with textured fruit, freshly picked from the tree. Dramatic and surging, chalky and mineral, frothing towards a narrowing saline and preserved vine leaf finish. Remarkable.
La Soufrandiere Pouilly-Vinzelles Les Longeays 2020
Perhaps the emblematic wine of the estate, combining tension, palate weight and power. The high tones, flowers, saltiness and fruit weight are dialled up here, and at this point are in contrast to each other. Time, preferably lots of it will see these two sides come together, although this is one of the most remarkably elemental chardonnays in the world. Slightly subdued nose of white flowers, green apple, vine leaf preserved citrus and stone fruits. The aromatics are less defined than the other wines, but wait for it… Bracing and tense, compact and tightly wound, surely the stiffest spring of this release. Coaxing doing little to reveal the depths. Dense and concentrated, and a further element, extract. Flavours and textures duck and weave, but are not interwoven. Teasing, because there’s greatness alright, but just not yet.
