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A pair of Santenays

 Justin Girardin's Premier Cru Beauregard: 2017 v 2018

It's been a while...

I realise I haven't posted in over two years so, to make amends, here's a note about two wines for the summer season (actually, why not all year round?). A (very) mini-vertical from rising star, Justin Girardin.

First, a word about the price: £30 for the 2018 and only sixty pence short of that for the 2017. Thirty pounds? That's a lot of money for a bottle, isn't it? No, this is Burgundy where, ordinarily, that sort of cash barely gets a bottle of Bourgogne Rouge, the lowliest appellation other than the somewhat confused and confusing Passetoutgrains and Coteaux Bourguignon (traditionally, anyway). So, a couple of bargains then? All depends on the wine.

First, as custom dictates, the 2018: slightly fuller in colour than its older sibling. More extracted or slightly oxidised? It smells like it should so I'm going with the former. Beauregard is usually one of the softer Santenays and this doesn't deviate. Plummy, very slightly stewed and deliciously sweet, like candy floss. Drink now! Or hold. Gentle tannins and enough acidity to keep it perky. Some tell-tale sourness there but the prevailing sensation is sweet Pinot fruit. Lovely. I'm in for £30. 

Onto the 2017, lighter in colour and more floral smelling with woodland freshness. The sweetness is still there but there is more earthiness than in the younger wine. It is drinking well enough now but may outlive the more immediate younger wine. It still has a slight sherbet quality I often associate with young Pinot. It's only eight years old but tastes more like four or five. 

The similarities - the same parcel, both at just 13% ABV and broadly the same price yielding broadly similar flavours - are, for me, outweighed by the differences in texture and depth. Today I laud the 2018 for its richness and comparative mellowness. Next time, who knows? Probably the 2017. That's the beauty of wine.

Aargh! I have just finished my taster glasses and already wonder whether I made the right call. The fickleness of Burgundy! Do I already prefer the 2017? There really is only one way to decide: the plan now is to relax and enjoy a glass of the 2018 then go back to the 2017. If, after a couple of ping pongs I can't decide then my advice is to buy both in great quantities and have an immensely enjoyable future with them. Thank you Justin.


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