2020 Chapoutier Sélections Parcellaires: En primeur offer
Released en primeur this month, the 2020 vintage of Michel Chapoutier's single vineyard wines or 'Sélections Parcellaires' are some of the finest expressions of classic Rhône terroirs available. The Rhône has no 'Grand Cru' classification, but if it did, these lieux dits would almost certainly a part of it.
Since the early noughties, Michel has launched each new vintage of these with a trade tasting in London. True to his 'misunderstood genius' persona, he decided to present the wines himself, directly to the trade, so that they could make up their own minds, before the critics had a chance to judge them. However, this year, just one critic, Decanter Magazine's Rhône expert Matt Walls, has been given an exclusive preview tasting ahead of the trade tasting in October.
As in Bordeaux, 2020 was the third hot vintage in a row in the Rhône, but the extremes of heat were less pronounced and came at just the right time to retain fresh acidity levels along with the exceptional ripeness. Walls' scores range as high 99 points for some of the top wines and he describes it as a vintage with ageing potential which will also be accessible when young, with 'luxurious' tannins in the reds and 'clarity and freshness' to the whites.
Michel pioneered micro-vinification of single vineyard sites in the Northern Rhône in the 1980s, making cuvées which express their terroir. This was no small matter in a region where it was traditional to blend fruit from different parcels, to achieve a balanced, 'harmonious' wine. An analogy would be if Lafite-Rothschild suddenly opted to release six different wines, each from a different plot of vines.
Producer Profile
Maison M. Chapoutier 'Sélections Parcellaires'
Michel Chapoutier pioneered micro-vinification of single vineyard sites in the Northern Rhône in the 1980s, making cuvées which express their terroir. This was no small matter in a region where it was traditional to blend fruit from different parcels, to achieve a balanced, 'harmonious' wine. An analogy would be if Lafite-Rothschild suddenly opted to release six different wines, each from a different plot of vines.
The highlights of the Sélections Parcellaires range are without doubt the Hermitages. 'L'Ermite' is from vines surrounding the Hermitage chapel itself (surprisingly, Jaboulet's 'La Chapelle' comes from vines further away from the chapel). Fewer than 400 cases are made each year. Le Pavillon comes from vines averaging 100 years of age, with fewer than 600 cases made. Le Méal is the warmest of the three parcels, producing wines with profound depth of fruit.
Less familiar to many will be the white Hermitages; rich, honeyed and mineral wines. We urge you to compare their relative rarity and pricing with white burgundy from some of the top domaines. For Matt Walls, the white wines are a standout success in 2020.
Saint-Josephs 'Les Granits' and 'Le Clos may be from a humbler appellation, but they regularly achieve scores to equal the best Hermitages. The Côte-Roties 'Mordorée' and 'Neve' are from 100% Syrah vines, on the edge of the 'Côte Blonde', both brilliant and relatively affordable introductions to the Selection Parcellaires.
In the Southern Rhone, the Châteauneuf-du-Papes 'Barbe Rac' and 'Croix de Bois' are similarly purist, made from 100% Grenache from exceptionally low-yielding vines up to 100 years of age and have wonderful aromatic complexity and minerality.
