Walls: Exclusive first taste of M Chapoutier's Sélections Parcellaires 2023

Every year, Michel Chapoutier launches his Rhône single-vineyard wines way before his neighbours, and bang in the middle of the Bordeaux en primeur campaign to boot. You have to admire his chutzpah. Chapoutier never was a shrinking violet, and his wines are just as bold. I’ll be visiting the Rhône in October this year to taste the 2023 vintage in more detail, working my way through every appellation, both north and south. In the meantime, this tasting always acts as a tantalising scent on the wind, a whisper of what’s to come. Scroll down to see tasting notes and scores for the 2023 Sélections Parcellaires [subscriber-content]One producer’s experience of a vintage will never mirror another’s, and we shouldn’t assume that Chapoutier’s experience is indicative of the region as a whole. Speaking to the owners of large houses such as Chapoutier at this juncture is useful, however, as – unlike small estates – they have a broad view over the whole of the Rhône Valley. The northern Rhône [caption id="attachment_529335" align="aligncenter" width="630"] Maxime Chapoutier. Credit: M Chapoutier.[/caption] I spoke to Michel’s son Maxime, who is gradually taking over more and more of his father’s responsibilities. He said the winter of 2022/2023 was fairly dry, which is less than ideal after the drought conditions of the 2022 growing season. After an early cold snap, the season got off to a typical start in March, presaging a September harvest. ‘It was challenging through spring,’ says Chapoutier, due to regular small showers and warm weather. It created ‘a humid atmosphere, which was optimal for powdery mildew, so we had to be very vigilant,’ he says, particularly in Côte-Rôtie . He says it impacted quantity more than quality however, and their overall volumes were slightly down on 2022. The defining climatic event of the vintage was the heatwave between 10 and 20 August, with temperatures above 35 ° C every day, ‘one of the longest and warmest heatwaves of the decade,’ says Chapoutier. ‘Within a few days the vines were shutting down,’ he continues. Some outside bunches on Hermitage suffered sunburn. They brought forward picking dates, and quickly galvanised their team of pickers, starting with Marsanne in lieu-dit Le Méal in Hermitage on 22 August. All the white grapes were picked by early September. Some reds were picked at the beginning of September, but torrential storms around the 15 September caused delays before they could bring in their later-ripening fruit. It made for an unusually long harvesting period. The southern Rhône [caption id="attachment_529359" align="aligncenter" width="630"] A horse works the vineyard soils. Credit: M Chapoutier[/caption] Maxime says that conditions in the southern Rhône were similar, with a little more rain in Châteauneuf-du-Pape, and at the right moments. With no hail and no powdery mildew, it made for a generous harvest, resulting in ‘Grenache that tastes like Pinot.’ They’ve started using more stems in their Châteauneufs – 30% to 40% whole bunch – ‘to give some saltiness and decrease the level of alcohol,’ says Maxime. They decided to produce ‘a more infused style of Grenache’ this year. The results are impressive, attractively pale in colour, light in tannin, with a digestible, floral nature. This year sees the first release of a new Sélection Parcellaire Châteauneuf cuvée called 'La Grenade'. It’s from sandy soils in the lieu-dit of the same name to the east of the appellation, not far from La Crau. It’s a fine and floral expression that’s both drinkable and refreshing; fans of a lighter style of Châteauneuf should snap it up. Maxime says ‘it’s a once in a decade vintage’ for them in Châteauneuf, comparing it to the superlative 2016. That was also a good – if not quite so exceptional – vintage in Côte-Rôtie, and again Maxime thinks it’s a fair comparison. For Hermitage, he says ‘it’s hard to say… it could be like 1991,’ which was an excellent year in a more Burgundian style. Discover a special line up of M Chapoutier's Sélections Parcellaires at the Decanter Fine Wine Encounter New York on 8 June 2024

Assessing the wines In the northern Rhône, to compare the wines stylistically with 2016 makes sense, though I’m not convinced 2023 has quite the same intensity. It does have a similar fineness and florality particularly with wines such as Le Pavillon, Ermite, Les Varonniers and Neve. Le Méal is richer and more potent. Overall, this isn’t a concentrated vintage like 2015, structured like 2017 or thunderous like 2019; it leans more towards 2018. Reds have the edge over whites; the Marsannes are rich and opulent, in a similar vein to 2022. They don’t match the freshness and intensity of 2019, 2020 or 2021 – but this is a very hard run to follow. The reds are likely to age on their balance rather than structure or concentration, and given their fairly moderate acidities I don’t expect 2023 to be a terribly long-lived vintage here. Ermites of both colours will prove the exceptions. Looking south, both their Châteauneufs are excellent. It’s not possible to infer much about the southern Rhône vintage more broadly on the back of two wines, but thanks to the quality on display here and Maxime’s enthusiasm I look forward to tasting more. At this early stage, scores should be taken as a rough estimation only. Les Granits rouge, Le Clos, La Mordorée, Les Greffieux, Coteau de Chéry and Croix de Bois weren’t available to sample. I look forward to tasting more widely and bringing readers a complete, in-depth vintage report in November. [breakout] New York Masterclass: Tasting M Chapoutier's Hermitage Terroir Secrets Taste a special line up of M Chapoutier's Hermitage Sélections Parcellaires at the Decanter Fine Wine Encounter New York See here for more information on the M Chapoutier masterclass in New York

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