Berthet-Bondet - Château-Chalon Vin Jaune 2017

Bettane & Desseauve

About the domain :

The estate dominates the whole of Château-Chalon, perched on its rocky outcrop at an altitude of 450 metres. Jean handed over the reins to his daughter Hélène, who took over from him after a first life as a translator in Brussels, and ensures the smooth running of the 15-hectare estate. Certified organic since 2013, the wines are among the vineyard's success stories, particularly the sailing wines, the estate's great specialty. The yellow wines (4.5 hectares of Château-Chalon) are matured in magnificent vaulted cellars.

Guide Hachette des vins

About the wine:

Beautiful green highlights underline a golden color. Ample and flattering, the nose takes time to discover itself. It unveils itself very gradually, taking us quietly but surely along the secret path of yellow wine and its fragrances of nuts and spices. The palate, full of nuances, is in line with the olfaction, with power (measured), balance (assured) and length (infinite).

About the domain :

Domaine created in 1985 by Jean Berthet-Bondet, former mayor of Château-Chalon and an agricultural engineer, like his wife. Conducted according to the rules of organic farming, the 13 ha of vines and vaulted cellars have been managed since 2018 by their daughter Hélène.

Robert Parker - Wine Advocate

About the wine:

Château Chalon 2017 is from the first year of the recent frost years, which now occur every two or three years (2019, 2021, 2024), in contrast to the past, when they occurred every 30 years. After the frost, the rest of the season was magnificent and perfect (unlike other frost years). The wine has a pungent, incisive nose, with notes of peat, iodine, walnuts and morels. The flavors are piercing, very intense, long, savory and complex, even for such a young wine. It's 15.5% alcohol. This must be one of Château Chalon's finest vintages. They produced 10,000 bottles of this fantastic wine. I also tasted a bottle of 1997, which was magnificent. I think the 2017 will be superb with time.

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

About the wine:

In 2017, Château Chalon admirably combines power and finesse. A deep, ample, voluble nose, punctuated with peat and fresh leather, a very fine concentration on the palate, tamed by an inspired fresh vein, and what persistence! Great art...

About the domain :

Chantal and Jean Berthet-Bondet, both agricultural engineers, left the city in 1985 to create this 11-hectare estate, located equally in the Château-Chalon appellation and Côtes du Jura, and certified organic since 2013. Jean's daughter Hélène is now at the helm. Quality is progressing in the direction of fruit expression and purity. New cuvées and wine labels have been cleverly redefined, even if the cuvées matured under sail remain the undisputed stars of the domaine, with a Château-Chalon that can serve as a model for the prestigious appellation.

Vinous

About the wine:

Bottled a week before my visit, the Château-Chalon 2017 won me over in the blink of an eye. It jumps out immediately, offering an expressive, precise perfume of chamomile, dried grass, bread dough and white almonds. On the palate, this multidimensional wine unfolds in all directions, dazzling with its remarkable sense of harmony despite its power and substance. Readers will note that due to heavy spring frosts, the estate didn't produce any Savagnin Côte du Jura in 2017 - all that was left was integrated into Château-Chalon.