2016 Beaune Teurons 1er Cru

Geoffrey Choppin de Janvry started harvesting on September 24 in 2016, picking “very healthy grapes” in a quick week, with potential alcohol levels between 12.5% and 13%. The average yield for the estate was 22 hectoliters per hectare, which Choppin de Janvry told me was better than in 2013 and 2014. He told me that he had worked the soil just before the frost and believes that the broken-up ground absorbed some of the excess humidity that resulted in so many of the buds being “fried” by the sun on the morning of April 23. Still, several of his vineyards were hit hard, and he did not make either Beaune Grèves or Marconnets in 2016.

He described 2016 as “a classic vintage of Pinot Noirs with elegance, tension, freshness and purity of terroir.” The wines, he says, have the vibrancy to age well, despite their relatively low levels of malic acidity. He views 2015 as “a great vintage but not a great classic Pinot Noir year," adding that the wines will need time to express themselves. Incidentally, since the 2015 harvest Choppin de Janvry has been using a new destemmer that enables him to retain a higher percentage of uncrushed berries. He vinified with about 8% whole clusters in 2016 (and 20% in 2017). The ‘16s were in cuves at the time of my November visit, awaiting bottling the following week.