Chanson Père et Fils - Saint-Véran 2016

Bettane & Desseauve

About wine:

The best Mâconnais wine from the estate and a serious rival for the villages of the Côte d'Or. Precise nose, between lemony honey and yellow fruits, ripe grapes, without any hint of greenness, all it lacks is a little more sophisticated aging.

About the estate:

Founded in 1750 by Simon Verry and acquired by the Bollinger group in the late 1990s, the oldest of the Beaune houses owns 45 hectares of vineyards located in the benchmark crus on both sides of the river. The négociant reds are mainly sourced from purchased grapes, vinified by the house to preserve the unity of style with the estate. Brilliantly managed on a technical level by Jean-Pierre Confuron (since 2001), this estate has become a model of viticulture, with the introduction of plowing, the abandonment of soil amendments, and the adoption of organic viticulture. Chanson wines preserve a very high proportion of stems during vinification, both for whites and reds. The watchword is balance in tension. The whites are fermented with a maximum amount of lees to ensure a reductive aspect throughout the 14 to 20 months of aging in barrels (20% new wood). The reds, whose Pinot maturity is pushed to the optimum, preserve a tannic structure and vibrant acidity and are adorned with fleshy fruit with underlying notes of sweet spices and licorice. These are wines that deserve a few years of patience in both colors.

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

About the estate:

Founded in 1750 and owned by Bollinger since 1999, this classic Beaune-based house has now fully found its feet and its style. It rivals the best thanks to its precise and pure white and red wines. Vincent Avenel has taken over the reins of the house, succeeding Gilles de Courcel, who was responsible for its revitalization. State-of-the-art winemaking facilities and the expert advice provided until June 2020 by Jean-Pierre Confuron, both in the vineyard and in the winery, explain the clarity of expression of the estate's wide range up to the 2019 vintage, a vintage in which we perceive subtle aging in certain cuvées, a tone below previous vintages. We will wait to taste the 2020s in bottle to judge whether this great estate is moving in the right direction with its new team.

Jancis Robinson