DOMAINE MARQUIS D’ANGERVILLE 2018 VINTAGE, EN PRIMEUR EXCLUSIVE TO CORNEY & BARROW IN SINGAPORE
“A new paradigm” GUILLAUME D’ANGERVILLE
DOMAINE MARQUIS D’ANGERVILLE 2018 “It's the climate change, stupid!” GUILLAUME D’ANGERVILLE
2018 was a dry, sunny, warm vintage – the climate change, stupid... We will get into that afterwards but Guillaume d’Angerville’s quote sets the scene for a vintage in which, as he says, “it became definitively clear to us that… we would have to entirely re-think our vinegrowing and vinification processes to adapt to these new weather and seasonal patterns: a new paradigm.”
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Domaine Marquis d’Angerville is a jewel of Volnay and an ambassador for Côte de Beaune Pinot Noir. The estate’s ownership by the Dukes of Burgundy in the 12th century is acknowledged in the name of its most illustrious vineyard, the premier cru monopole Clos des Ducs. Since 1804, the estate has been owned by one family. The highly respected Jacques d'Angerville placed the wines firmly on the global stage during the second half of
the 20th century. Following his premature death in 2003, he was succeeded by his son, Guillaume d’Angerville, who returned to the family domaine following a career in banking and represents the family’s fifth generation. The changes brought about by Guillaume d’Angerville include converting the estate to biodynamics. He works alongside his brother-in-law, Renaud de Villette, who assisted Jacques d’Angerville for many years, and François Duvivier, the domaine’s Régisseur. The d’Angerville family has always been closely involved in Burgundian professional associations and in this, Guillaume is no exception, being president of the Climats du vignoble de Bourgogne, which successfully applied for the vineyards of the Côte d’Or to be recognised as a UNESCO World Heritage Site.
GUY SEDDON March 2020
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GUILLAUME D’ANGERVILLE
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VIEW FROM CLOS DES DUCS
HISTORY Today’s Domaine Marquis d'Angerville is largely unchanged since first recorded, in the village of ‘Vollenay’, in 1507.
In 1804, Baron du Mesnil acquired the Clos des Ducs and the surrounding plots – Taillepieds, Caillerets and Champans – which, in the 12th century, had formed part of the famous holdings of the Dukes of Burgundy. In the second half of the 19th century, the estate passed to Baron du Mesnil’s son, Eugène du Mesnil. On his death in 1888, Eugène du Mesnil, without direct heirs, bequeathed it to his nephew and godson, Sem, Marquis d'Angerville, then aged 15. Sem took possession almost 20 years later, after the phylloxera crisis that ravaged the vineyard at the end of the 19th century. From 1906, the recently renamed Domaine Marquis d’Angerville began to reconstruct its vineyards, replanting them with what are now the prized Pinot d’Angerville clones. Sem d'Angerville was an early adopter of estate bottling and exports, initially focused on the United States. He was also a founding member of the National Institute of Appellations of Origin, the INAO. When he died in 1952, his son Jacques took over the domaine. As quality-driven as his father, Jacques d'Angerville expanded the domaine’s reputation and did much to raise the image of Volnay. He held positions on several Burgundian bodies, including as chairman of the BIVB (Burgundy Wine Board) predecessor. He died prematurely in July 2003, leaving behind 52 vintages and a magnificently maintained estate. Jacques’ son Guillaume d'Angerville took over the domaine in 2003. He is supported by his brother-in-law, Renaud de Villette, who worked alongside Jacques d'Angerville for 15 years, thereby ensuring the family-run continuity of the estate.
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© DOMAINE MARQUIS D’ANGERVILLE
2018 VINTAGE NOTES “In recent vintages, specifically 2018 and 2019, we are entering a new trend whereby it is much harder to relate to historic vintages. However, 2018 is certainly not like 2003 – closer to 2009 in my mind.” GUILLAUME D’ANGERVILLE
In Volnay and the Côte de Beaune generally, the 2018 season (from April to September) was characterised by a number of unusual records versus historical averages: low rainfall (285mm vs 403mm), a high number of sun hours (1,559 vs 1,299) and high average temperatures (19°C vs 17°C). By contrast, winter 2017-18 was wet and cold: “depressingly gloomy”, in Guillaume d’Angerville's words. It rained every other day between November and end of January, and then again in March. There was even some snow in late January and early February. A freezing wind from Siberia (the ‘Moscow Express’) saw temperatures drop to -7°C in Volnay on 26th February, under a beautiful blue sky. The weather was cold until the end of March, by which stage the vegetative cycle was late, in line with 2013. The soils were very wet indeed. Everything changed in mid-April. The rain stopped, the sun came out and temperatures rose quickly, becoming summer-like in a matter of days. By 20th April, temperatures were 20-23°C, and the vines reacted quickly. Budbreak took place and the first 4-5 leaves appeared quickly thereafter. The 2018 season was now ahead of average: earlier than 2015 at the end of April and more like 2007 and 2011 by early May. May continued warm and dry, with temperatures 1-1.5°C above average. The vines liked it – and the lack of mildew
pressure too – growing quickly. In Volnay, flowering started around 28th May and was very quick. The weather was ‘tropical’: warm during the day, with wet and stormy evenings. A hailstorm was announced for 30th May, but fortunately the domaine escaped unharmed. Guillaume described the following ten days as “extremely stressful”, however. The new moon on 13th June halted this storm cycle, and clement weather returned. Sun hours were exceptionally high in the second half of June and July, with temperatures 2°C above average. The vines remained unstressed however, most probably due to the soil water reserves after the very wet winter. The season ended smoothly and the final biodynamic preparation of silica was sprayed at the end of August. Harvest dates varied widely in 2018, another sign that growers had trouble deciding whether to start early at the risk of not achieving phenolic maturity, or start late and risk high alcohol and over-ripeness. The domaine opted to begin picking on 1st September, finishing on the 6th. Harvest and vinification went smoothly, although it took the indigenous yeasts a while to eat up the high sugar content of the musts. Guillaume d’Angerville describes the 2018s as “dense, concentrated and outgoing (like the season), but… also fresh, fluid and long.” He notes, “Beautifully ripe tannins have come to compensate for a lower than usual acidity and give excellent balance and energy to the wines.”
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THE VINEYARDS The domaine owns 16.5 hectares of vines. The vast majority of this – 12.9 hectares – is premier cru, representing over 10% of the total premier cru plantings in Volnay. The Marquis d’Angerville Pinot Noir clones are unique, producing particularly small grapes, meaning a high ‘skin to juice ratio’ and so a high level of natural tannins.
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The vines were replanted following phylloxera by Guillaume d’Angerville’s grandfather, Sem, shortly after his arrival at the domaine in 1906. A century later, in 2006, the domaine began conversion to biodynamic viticulture. It is now wholly biodynamic.
VINEYARD
AREA IN HECTARES (HA)
AVERAGE AGE OF VINES (YEARS)
Meursault 1er Cru Santenots
1.05
20-25
Volnay Villages
0.49
60-65
Pommard 1er Cru Combes Dessus
0.38
50-55
Volnay 1er Cru
0.97
20-25
Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Angles
1.07
60-65
Volnay 1er Cru Fremiets
1.58
30-35
Volnay 1er Cru Caillerets
0.65
30-35
Volnay 1er Cru Champans
3.98
40-45
Volnay 1er Cru Taillepieds
1.07
30-35
Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Ducs
2.15
40-45
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THE CLOS DES DUCS
THE CELLAR “I am on a declining trend. The more I think about the wines, the more I feel they can accept less oak.” GUILLAUME D’ANGERVILLE Speaking about oak, November 2019
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In the cellar, the grapes are cooled before fermentation, which lasts around 15 days, with a gradual and controlled rise in temperature, reaching a maximum of 30-32°C. Extraction focuses on remontage (pumping over) rather than pigeage (punching down). Once fermented, a gentle pressing is carried out and the wine descends by gravity into oak barrels, in the cellars directly beneath the cuverie. The maximum proportion of new oak at the domaine is now around a quarter. The wines remain in barrel for 15-18 months, with malolactic conversion occurring in spring or early summer following harvest. Several weeks before bottling, the wines are transferred to tank to blend and settle. Fining and filtration are only used when absolutely necessary and only ever on a small proportion of the wine.
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THE COURTYARD
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2018 VINTAGE TASTING NOTES WHITE WINES BOURGOGNE ALIGOTÉ 2018 This comes from a 0.6 hectare holding in En Monpoulain, opposite Volnay, named after a small stream which runs through this climat. Delicately pastried and with apple, pear and citrus fruit, this is crunchy and phenolic. A textbook example of high quality Aligoté, Burgundy’s ‘other’ white grape, which is firmly back in favour. It will be drinkable upon arrival in the UK later this year. Corney & Barrow Score 17 Recommended drinking from 2020 - 2023 £130/case of 6 bottles, in bond UK
BOURGOGNE CHARDONNAY 15 The vines for this are on clay-rich soil in Volnay’s Grandes Terres. It receives 12 months of ageing in 350 litre barrels and six additional months on its lees in vat, the second winter in the cellar giving richness. This was picked at what François Duvivier describes as “beautiful maturity”, giving fairly rich, intense aromas of lemon and white fruit. The palate has an energetic attack and is full and fresh. Corney & Barrow Score 16.5 - 17 Recommended drinking from 2020 - 2023 £160/case of 6 bottles, in bond UK
MEURSAULT 1ER CRU SANTENOTS This is from the lieu-dit Les Plures, the largest section of Santenots. The vines here are just over 30 years old. Delicate aromas of citrus and pastry. A line of fresh acidity runs through a pleasingly substantial palate, on which stone- and orchard-fruit dominate. Lovely luminous ripeness of fruit on the mid-palate, which is dense and gratifyingly assertive. Corney & Barrow Score 17 Recommended drinking from 2023 - 2027+ £475/case of 6 bottles, in bond UK
RED WINES BOURGOGNE PASSETOUTGRAINS
VOLNAY 1ER CRU CLOS DES ANGLES
The domaine’s passetoutgrains is half Gamay, half Pinot Noir. Crunchy and red cherried, with a bitter, briny edge and a touch of kirsch. Ripe and true to style in 2018, buoyed by the Gamay acidity, this is a fabulous early drinker.
Clos des Angles is a triangular vineyard, hence the name. It is mostly flat and lies just beneath Frémiets (there is a geological fracture between the two sites). A deeper colour, with dark minerally perfume on the nose, leading into a palate of very immediate, almost stark raspberry fruit. This has a quite brilliant transparency of fruit, crunchy and precise, finishing long and perfumed.
Corney & Barrow Score 16.5 Recommended drinking from 2022 - 2025 £130/case of 6 bottles, in bond UK
Corney & Barrow Score 17.5+ Recommended drinking from 2025 - 2034 £410/case of 6 bottles, in bond UK
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BOURGOGNE PINOT NOIR
VOLNAY 1ER CRU LES FRÉMIETS
This comes from a plot on the other side of the Route Nationale, called Grandes Terres, opposite Volnay. Lovely raspberry, rose petal perfume. The palate has strict red cherry fruit and fine, precise tannins. The merest grip on the finish.
The first to be picked in 2018. Shallow soils – just one foot of limestone-rich soil over the rock – perhaps explaining this wine’s intensely mineral nature. Bordering Pommard, Frémiets sits at mid-slope, above Clos des Angles. The lovely nose combines dark, violet-hued perfume with cedary spice. The palate is clipped on the entry, with a dark-berried weight building on the mid, then a ferrous finish. As Guillaume commented, “Very typical Frémiets, moving from fruity sweetness to saline minerality on the finish.”
Corney & Barrow Score 16.5 Recommended drinking from 2022 - 2027 £160/case of 6 bottles, in bond UK
Corney & Barrow Score 18 Recommended drinking from 2026 - 2036+ £420/case of 6 bottles, in bond UK £435/case of 3 magnums, in bond UK
VOLNAY 1ER CRU LES CAILLERETS The domaine’s 0.65 hectare holding in Caillerets includes a recently added parcel of 60+ year-old vines, which now accounts for almost a third of the total. A dark, mineraldriven nose, brooding at first but quickly revealing a more playful raspberry-fruited aspect. The palate has intricate yet muscular tannins, substantial yet so refined. The overall impression is wonderfully lifted and fresh (especially for a supposedly ‘lower-acidity’ vintage!) 1520% new oak, which just needs time to knit, hence the score range. Corney & Barrow Score 17.5 - 18+ Recommended drinking from 2026 - 2036 £510/case of 6 bottles, in bond UK
Tasting Guide VOLNAY 1ER CRU CHAMPANS The domaine has four hectares of Champans, in two plots, making this its largest holding. Whilst the soils at the top resemble mineral-laden Caillerets, the bottom is deeper and more iron-rich. The aromas here are as soaringly pretty as hoped, finely detailed rose petals and a tickle of spice. The palate has tender, supple raspberry fruit, essence of Pinot, with filigree-fine tannins working their magic. An exciting mineral charge brings the long finish into focus. Corney & Barrow Score 18 Recommended drinking from 2025 - 2036+ £510/case of 6 bottles, in bond UK £525/case of 3 magnums, in bond UK £360/case of 1 jeroboam, in bond UK
Our tasting notes provide full details but, at your request, we have also introduced a clear and simple marking system. We hope these guidelines assist you in your selection. Wines are scored out of 20. Customers seem to like it and it has the benefit of simplicity. We will often use a range of scores (e.g. 16.5 to 17) to indicate the potential to achieve a higher mark. When a „+" is shown it adds further to that potential. Wines from lesser vintages will, inevitably, show a lower overall score. Wines are judged, in a very broad sense, against their peers. Why? Well, you cannot easily compare a Ford with an Aston Martin, other than they are both cars and have wheels. It is not that different with wine. A score is a summary only. The devil is in the detail, so please focus on the tasting notes and, as always, speak to our sales team.
VOLNAY 1ER CRU TAILLEPIEDS Domaine Marquis d’Angerville owns over a hectare of Taillepieds, a cooler slope to the south of the village. It has a white marl sub-soil (which François Duvivier says gives mineral tension), with 30-40cm of brown earth (providing a lightness of touch). 0.6 hectares were replanted in 2015 and have been used sparingly in the blend. A lifted nose of raspberry and sweet cherries. A lovely sucrosity of fruit on the palate, raspberry coulis and sweet spice – perhaps unusual for Taillepieds but delightful – with a plump richness and bright, deep, dark berries. Corney & Barrow Score 18++ Recommended drinking from 2027 - 2037+ £510/case of 6 bottles, in bond UK £525/case of 3 magnums, in bond UK
VOLNAY 1ER CRU CLOS DES DUCS MONOPOLE The 2.15 hectare monopole Clos des Ducs surrounds the domaine. South to south-east facing and steeply sloping, it is a warm site thanks to the reflective white marl soils. Crushed rose petals and honeysuckle, with a greater volume than in some years, whilst retaining that trademark delicacy of aroma. The super-concentrated palate revels in intense raspberry fruit and a zesty grapefruit lift. The tannins are fine and plushly coated in perfume-impregnated fruit. Hangs together effortlessly – one of the great Ducs? Corney & Barrow Score 18.5 - 19 Recommended drinking from 2029 - 2039+ £950/case of 6 bottles, in bond UK £965/case of 3 magnums, in bond UK £650/case of 1 jeroboam, in bond UK
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