By Maison Champy
Savigny-Les-Beaune 2015 Premier Cru "Les Vergelesses"

Varietal
100% Pinot Noir

Vineyard
The vineyards of Pernand-Vergelesses are in a very hilly area, stretching over the slopes between Aloxe-Corton and Savigny-les-Beaune. Pernand-Vergelesses has only six Premier Crus: "Les Fichots", "En Caradeux", "Creux de la Net", "Ile des Vergelesses", "Les Vergelesses" and "Les Plantes des Champs et Combottes". This village is located at an altitude of between 250 to 350 m.

Tasting
Beautiful, intense garnet colour. Complex nose with aromas of red and black fruit, as well as fruits in alcohol with stony hints and wild notes. The attack is intense and the density combines the firm tannins, the freshness and the strength of this wine.
[Information provided by Maison Champy]

Maison Champy 2015 Les Vergelesses Premier Cru (Savigny-les-Beaune)
Points: 93
Designation: Les Vergelesses Premier Cru
Variety: Pinot Noir
Appellation: Savigny-les-Beaune, Burgundy, France
Winery: Maison Champy
Bottle Size: 750 ml
Category: Red
Importer: Verity Wine Partners
Date Published: 11/1/2017
Structured, ripe and with great fruit, this is a bold warm wine. It has plenty of rich berry fruits, ripe tannins and layers of spice and toast. With its concentration, this is going to be a rich wine. Drink from 2022.

CHAMPY Savigny-les-Beaune Les Vergelesses 2015
Score: 91
Release Price: $94
Country: France
Region: Burgundy
Issue: May 31, 2018
Ample cherry and raspberry fruit has a lightly macerated feel in this intense, layered red. Starts out with a fleshy feel, giving way to a matrix of acidity and tannins on the finish. Best from 2021 through 2030. -BS

Champy
2015 Savigny-les-Beaune "Les Vergelesses" 1er Cru Red barrel

Producer note: Long-time winemaker and head enologist Dimitri Bazas commented that 2015 "gave us a markedly hot and dry growing season that had an incredible 130 hours of sunlight more than an average season. There was no disease pressure to speak of and other than some hydric stress in the better draining parcels we really had no difficulties. We picked from the 3rd to the 11th of September and with the possibility of 2005, I have never seen cleaner fruit. The dryness also had an effect on the size of the berries which didn't have much juice in them, which explains why they were lighter than average. In terms of extractability of the solids, it was on the same level as what we obtained in 1999. As such I chose not to push the extractions as it would have been remarkably easy to make super-tannic wines that might have been interesting 30 years from now but tough to like in their youth. As to the wines, they're clearly ripe yet they retain good freshness and transparency and should be capable of drinking well young but they should also have no trouble of aging well for years. I also believe that the Cote de Beaune produced slightly better wines than the Cote de Nuits as the yields were lower, the wines are denser and they may very well age more successfully as well." I found the quality of the Champy 2015s to be consistent with what I found elsewhere in the context of what is typical for the vintage though the amount of wood some wines display isn't subtle.

Tasting note: Once again there is plenty of wood and menthol surrounding the pretty floral, black fruit and earth-scented nose. This too possesses a velvety mid-palate with fine density and punch to the mouth coating middle weight flavors where a touch of minerality adds lift to the lingering finish. While there is a trace of rusticity present it is much less evident, which is undoubtedly partially due to the finer tannins.

Score: 89-92
Tasted: Apr 15, 2017
Drink: 2022+
Issue: 66