Dominique Piron Chénas Quartz 2020

Dominique Piron Chénas Quartz 2020

Dominique Piron had been eyeing this property for more than thirty years. It was the Domaine Robin, and they even had a fine restaurant as well. He had always been impressed with the wine, and then in the past few years, after the death of the patriarch, a very strong personality, the domaine and restaurant went under. Since he had remained on good terms with the family, he was one of the first to know that they needed to sell the vines.

The domaine comprises ten hectares of vines in Chenas, all in one parcel, which is very rare in Beaujolais. Normally a winemaker’s vines are scattered around a 10-20 km radius, much like further north in the Côte d’Or. The entire parcel is en coteau (on a hill), and faces directly east. Chenas is the smallest appellation of the Beaujolais crus and it is also the highest in elevation from 300-500 meters. Located just east and uphill from Moulin à Vent, in the past, some of Chenas wine made it into its more famous neighbor’s best cuvées.

The soil is granite based clay with bands of quartz running through it. This is where the wine gets its name as the quartz imparts a mineral quality to the wine which makes it very expressive without being heavy.

The vineyard is planted to 100% Gamay and the average age of the vines is over 60 years old. They are all pruned in the traditional goblet (head-pruned) style of Beaujolais. The harvest is done entirely by hand.

The wine has excellent concentration and character and plenty of forward dark red/purple fruit. The balance is perfect and will enable aging over the next 5-7 years, but it’s delicious to drink this evening. This is a perfect example of why the best cru Beaujolais can stand side by side most Burgundies from the Pinot Noir grape.

Vinification
Hand harvest, sorting table, part destemming. A first short stage of semi carbonic maceration is followed by a more classic Burgundy maceration with remontage and pigeages, for a total of 18-20 days. 30% of the wine is aged in French oak foundre and oak barrels (no new oak) for 12 months.

Reviews

Wine Enthusiast – “Chénas may be the smallest Beaujolais Cru in terms of surface area, but don’t miss out on bottles like this one that capture the heart of the appellation. Strawberry, dried cherry, black plum, dried mushroom and Darjeeling tea open on the nose followed by elegant black fruit that tempts and pleases revealing minerality on the finish. The wine carries a characteristic freshness that permeates through the length of the taste.” (93 Pts)