2018 Chénas Chassignol

Wine Details
Place of Origin

France

Chénas

Beaujolais

Color

Red

Grape/Blend

Gamay

Reviews & Tasting Notes

00

Drinking Window

2022 - 2035

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- By Author Name on Month Date, Year

During my short stay in the region, I visited one of its leading winemakers, Paul-Henri Thillardon, at his winery in the village of Chessignol. “I cropped at 38hl/ha in 2018,” he explained as we toured the vines between showers. “It was a generous vintage as we had good concentration. But it was difficult to vinify due to a slow fermentation that didn’t finish until winter. I did a little bâtonnage to complete it. I decided to bottle early with 10mg/L of total SO2 in the bottle. The 2019 season was warm and dry. I began harvesting on 18 August, but the wines do not reflect the warmth. Despite the lack of rain, the wines didn’t really suffer. I prefer 2019 to 2018 as it is more juicy.” Thillardon’s wines are beautifully balanced, and I concur that the 2019s have more complexity and terroir expression compared to the 2018s. That said, his 2018 Chénas Chassignol, from vines located behind his winery, is an absolute peach, while his 2019 Chénas “Vibrations” from granite soils just edged out the Les Blémonts and “Coup Double”. Readers will also find notes for his Vin de Table, Le Sud du Nord, and a very commendable 2020 Petnat made from grapes that didn’t quite reach ripeness.