2017 Chandon de Briailles Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Cru Île des Vergelesses Sans Soufre, Cote de Beaune

This is a stunning, limestone-rich vineyard, relatively high up on the slope, atop Les Vergelesses, and directly facing the hill of Corton. The cool east-by-northeast exposure means that this vineyard is often picked quite late in the harvest, and it produces a wine with great depth of liquorice-inflected, dark cherry fruit yet equally with an intense minerality (in both white and red). The Domaine consider this to be “Grand Cru quality” and the wine’s quality and and spicy tension often back this up. Actually, the site was a hair’s breath from being classified Grand Cru in 1936 but missed out as it could suffer in cooler vintages. This of course is hardly an issue in this day and age! This vineyard is also home to some of the oldest vines of the Domaine, planted in 1938. There were 80% whole bunches used. The notes below refer to the classic bottling with the small sulphur additions.

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Outstanding. Here too there are background vestiges of wood and reduction to the cool and airy mix of both red and dark currant, spice and plum nuances. The mouthfeel of the middle weight flavors is conspicuously more sophisticated and more mineral-driven as well and particularly so on the focused, delineated, youthfully austere and impressively long finish.

The bouquet is fresh and detailed, featuring mineral-rich dark berry fruit laced with bay leaf and black tea. The palate is medium-bodied with supple tannin. This comes replete with crunchy red berry fruit laced with cracked black pepper and an insistent grip toward the almost Morey-like finish. A very sophisticated Ile de Vergelesses that should give 12 to 15 years of drinking pleasure.