Domaine Chandon de Briailles (Savigny-lès-Beaune)

François and Claude de Nicolay certainly had their share of challenges in 2012 and

2013, as not only was there all of the difficulties of the 2012 and 2013 vintages to contend with,

but on top of that, all the rain in the summer of 2013 pushed the small river in Savigny to

overflow its banks and one of the Chandon de Briailles cellars was flooded and barrels were

floating around until the waters subsided! François noted that they were lucky that there was

very little hail in Savigny in 2012 (the 2013 vintage was a completely different story and they

have lost a huge percentage of their crop in this coming year, with some vineyards so badly

damaged that they will not make any wine from them and there is a real question that of how

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well the vines will recover from the damage in this coming year!) and the crop loads for the

Savigny wines were the best of the family's entire range in 2012. As is typical when I visit here in

November, some of the wines were still in barrel, while others were already racked and

assembled in tank for bottling in the spring, while a couple of the whites were already bottled in

September. Despite not every wine overly sanguine about being tasted at the time of my visit, it

was very clear that the 2012 vintage is a ringing success at Domaine Chandon de Briailles and

there are some stellar wines in the making in these cellars this year. I did not taste the domaine's

Bourgogne Rouge "Cuvée Louise” this year. The 2012 white wines from the de Nicolay family

are also excellent and cut in a quite forward and accessible style that will make them delicious to

drink right out of the blocks, but also with the requisite framing acids and balance to age long

and gracefully as well. They possess the concentration of the low yields of the vintage, but are

not overly concentrated and are really quite classic examples of their respective appellations. I

would think that they are quite similar to the domaine's 1992 whites (which I have tasted

recently, but did not have in their youth) with perhaps a bit more depth and transparency. They

are a very strong set of wines as well, though far more forward in style than the Chandon de

Briailles reds in 2012.

Vins Blancs

2012 Pernand-Vergelesses "Ile de Vergelesses” Blanc- Dom. Chandon de Briailles

The 2102 Ile de Vergelesses Blanc had already been bottled in September of 2013 and

the wine was showing very well at the time of my visit. This is a deep, bright and perfectly

balanced example of the vintage, wafting from the glass in a ripe and refined blend of quince,

tangerine, beeswax, chalky soil tones, spring flowers and a discreet base of vanillin oak. On the

palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and nicely concentrated (but certainly not overly so!), with

lovely focus and balance, bright, framing acids and excellent length and grip on the fresh and

vibrant finish. This will drink very, very well in its youth, but is balanced well enough to age as

long as self-control may last. 2014-2025+. 90+.

2012 Corton Blanc- Domaine Chandon de Briailles

The 2012 Corton Blanc is another concentrated, wide open and very classy example of

the vintage that is going to be very hard not to drink in its youth! The deep, complex and very

classy nose soars from the glass in a blend of pear, peach, clementine, lovely soil tones, crème

patissière, orange blossoms and a touch of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is deep, fullbodied

and very pure on the attack, with superb complexity, a succulent core, fine acidity and a

lovely sense of backend minerality that almost vibrates on the long and perfectly focused finish.

Fine juice and really tasty out of the blocks! 2014-2025+. 92.

2012 Corton-Charlemagne- Domaine Chandon de Briailles

The domaine's 2012 Corton-Charlemagne is also quite forward in this vintage, but with

stunning mineral drive, impeccable balance and plenty of ripe acidity to also carry it far down

the road. But, it is going to be very, very hard not to want to drink this stellar wine in its relative

youth, as it is complex and wide open for business right out of the blocks! The brilliant nose

delivers a very complex blend of apple, pear, deep and complex chalkiness, a nice touch of pink

grapefruit, dried flowers, citrus zest and a gentle base of vanillin oak. On the palate the wine is

pure, full-bodied and beautifully delineated, with bottomless depth, sound, framing acids and

laser-like focus and great grip on the very, very long, soil-driven and simply delicious finish.

Great juice! 2014-2030. 94.

Vins Rouges

2012 Savigny-lès-Beaune "les Saucours”- Domaine Chandon de Briailles

The 2012 les Saucours is going to be a really lovely village wine. This was already

assembled in tank, but was showing very well in its complex aromatic mix of black cherries, a

touch of dark berry, cocoa, woodsmoke, Savigny spice tones, incipient gamebirds and a lovely

base of soil. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and quite ample on the attack, with lovely

focus and purity, modest tannins and excellent length and grip. This should drink well from an

early age. 2017-2035. 89-90.

2012 Savigny-lès-Beaune "Fournaux”- Domaine Chandon de Briailles

The 2012 Fournaux from Chandon de Briailles was still in barrel at the time of my visit

and was really singing. The deep and utterly superb nose jumps from the glass in a complex

blend of black cherries, dark berries, gamebirds, Savigny spices, a lovely base of dark soil,

woodsmoke, currant leaf and a hint of the gamebirds to come with further bottle age. On the

palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, pure and very suave on the attack, with a sappy core of fruit,

moderate, ripe tannins and a very, very long, beautifully balanced finish. Fine, fine juice. 2019-

2045+. 92+.

2012 Savigny-lès-Beaune "les Lavières”- Domaine Chandon de Briailles

The 2012 Savigny-lès-Beaune "les Lavières” from Domaine Chandon de Briailles was

also still in barrel and was really showing brilliant potential. The deep, pure and utterly refined

bouquet is a blend of black cherries, red currants, woodsmoke, a beautifully complex base of

minerality, vinesmoke, a nice touch of spices from the stems, incipient notes of both orange peel

and coffee and a topnote of raw cocoa. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, pure and quite

sappy at the core, with great focus and balance, fine-grained tannins and outstanding length and

grip on the nascently complex and very, very transparent finish. Great wine. 2020-2050+. 93+.

2012 Pernand-Vergelesses "les Vergelesses”- Domaine Chandon de Briailles

The 2012 les Vergelesses had already been assembled into tank prior to my visit, but the

wine was showing just fine and is clearly going to be lovely. The classic nose delivers scents of

dark berries, black cherries, coffee bean, incipient notes of venison, iron-infused soil tones,

woodsmoke and a spicy topnote. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and very soil-driven

in personality, with a lovely core of pure fruit, ripe tannins and a long, focused and tangy finish.

A fine example. 2018-2035+. 91+.

2012 Pernand-Vergelesses "Ile de Vergelesses”- Domaine Chandon de Briailles

The 2012 Ile de Vergelesses was still in barrel and was really singing in November,

jumping from the glass in a complex aromatic mélange of red and black cherries, currant leaf,

woodsmoke, a nice touch of youthful stems, iron-like soil tones, gamebirds and exotic spices

tones of cardamom and allspice. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, young and even

more defined by its terroir than the lovely les Vergelesses, with a rock solid core, suave, chewy

tannins, bright acids and beautiful focus and grip on the very, very long, classic finish. Great

potential. 2020-2060. 93+.

2012 Aloxe-Corton "les Valozières”- Domaine Chandon de Briailles

The 2012 Aloxe-Corton "les Valozières” was still in barrel at the time of our visit, and

though this wine is going to be lovely, it did suffer a bit having to follow on the heels of the

stellar Ile de Vergelesses! The bouquet is bright, pure and quite vibrant in its mélange of red and

black cherries, woodsmoke, a bit of game, lovely spice tones and a fine base of soil. On the

palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and nicely broad-shouldered, with a good core, ripe, chewy

tannins and lovely length and grip on the focused finish. This is not the most refined of terroirs and there is a bit of chunkiness to the wine, but it is also a very good bottle in the making that

may have shown even better if served a bit earlier in the lineup! 2019-2035. 89.

2012 Corton "Maréchaudes”- Domaine Chandon de Briailles

The 2012 Corton "Maréchaudes” from the de Nicolay family had already been

assembled into tank prior to my visit, but the wine was showing lovely potential. The complex

and very classy nose wafts from the glass in a blend of red and black cherries, a bit of roasted

venison, cocoa, woodsmoke, dark soil tones, a touch of youthful stems and a very stylish and

gentle underpinning of Corton spice tones. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied and

complex, with a fien core, very suave tannins, lovely focus and balance and a long, pure and

classy finish. This is going to be very high class juice! 2020-2055. 92-94.

2012 Corton "Bressandes”- Domaine Chandon de Briailles

The domaine's Bressandes was still in barrel and absolutely singing at the time of my

visit. The gorgeous bouquet is a complex and very pure blend of red and black cherries,

gamebirds, Asian spices, iron-like soil tones, coffee, woodsmoke, cocoa and a touch of fresh

nutmeg in the upper register. On the palate the wine is deep, full-bodied, pure on the attack and

very stony in its soil profile, with a sappy core, superb transparency, ripe, well-integrated tannins

and simply stunning length and grip on the young and very, very refined finish. A great bottle of

Corton in the making! 2022-2060. 95.

2012 Corton "Clos du Roi”- Domaine Chandon de Briailles

The 2012 Clos du Roi had already been racked into tank, but it was clearly the star of this

superb lineup this year! The great nose soars from the glass in a mix of red and black plums,

cherries, cocoa, a very, very complex base of soil, raw cocoa, gamebirds, woodsmoke and a nice

touch of violets in the upper register. On the palate the wine is pure, full-bodied and rock solid at

the core, with a superb synthesis of transparency and sappy fruit, very refined, substantial tannins

and outstanding length and grip on the nascently complex, very classic finish. A great wine in the

making. 2022-2065. 95-96.