Parker om:
Beaujolais Coeur de Vendanges Vignes Centenaires
The 2020 Beaujolais Coeur de Vendanges Vignes Centenaires is showing very nicely, bursting with aromas of juicy cherries, ripe berry fruit, licorice and peonies. It's medium to full-bodied, fleshy and gourmand, with an enveloping core of fruit, melting tannins and succulent acids. This is a comparatively rich, gourmand rendition of this reference-point cuvée—consistently one of France's finest wine values—but that additional power doesn't come at the expense of its habitual charm and facility. 92/100Jean-Étienne Chermette has one again produced a superb range of wines at this southern Beaujolais reference point. As I've written before, old vines, diligent but traditional vinification and élevage in foudre are the rudiments of the approach here. The younger Chermette—who has launched a label of his own in parallel, reviewed in this report—reminded me of the domaine attained Terra Vitis certification in 2018, which is definitely a step in the right direction. To my palate, some of the cuvées reviewed here number among the finest values that can be found in French wine, and I warmly recommend any readers who haven't yet acquainted themselves with this estate to try a few bottles.
