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Tasting notes
Those who have been lucky enough to try Thévenet’s wines will leap at this latest opportunity. But to put this wine into context for the uninitiated, Robert Parker describes its producer as "one of Burgundy’s greatest winemakers", and notes of his wines: "served blind, tasters tend to think they are Grand Cru white Burgundies from Puligny- or Chassagne-Montrachet." Just this week, William Kelley (Parker's replacement for Burgundy reviews at the Wine Advocate) stated that Thévenet "makes some of my favourite whites in all of Burgundy". In August last year, Neal Martin reminisced about how, after spending an afternoon with Jean Thévenet, he "quickly learned to love the wines… [which] are complex and fascinating, as age-worthy as many white Burgundy wines, perhaps even more so… Prices remain a fraction of what you would have to pay for a top Côte de Beaune, and I cannot recommend these highly enough." Unlike the Côte de Beaune, the Maconnais produced a much more consistent quality level in 2013; wines with high levels of concentration and acidity. Thévenet arguably produces the greatest wines in the region and this - his only release in 2013 - is suitably ripe, rich and vibrant. Thévenet only releases his wines on to the market when he feels the wines are fully harmonised. This is the first time these wines have been made available, coming direct from the domaine. Beautiful expression on the nose akin to walking through a scented garden. Lemon balm, verbena, fennel, herbs and honey aromas evolve from the glass and follow through to the palate with lovely clementine, citrus zest and a touch of marmalade sweetness. This is a wine with great counter-point: rich, opulent oily texture with soft-edged silky mouthfeel, yet taut with a fine contour of acidity running through the palate keeping this fully matured wine fresh and vibrant on the finish. Classic Bongran: immensely concentrated but fresh, alive and vivid. This wine belies its appellation due to the extraordinary winemaking prowess of Gautier Thévenet.
Critic scores
Average Score
William Kelley, Wine Advocate
William Kelley, Wine Advocate
More reviews and scores
The 2013 Viré-Clessé Cuvée E. J. Thevenet is another beautiful rendition of this consistently superb cuvée, wafting from the glass with a complex bouquet of orange zest, white flowers, beeswax, acacia honey and ripe lemon. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, satiny and concentrated, with lovely depth and succulence, concluding with a long and youthfully tense finish. It's already comparatively elegant and expressive by the standards of this estate, making it more approachable as a young wine than the 2012 or 2011 were at the same age, but it will enjoy two decades of longevity—indeed, it's only just being released by the domaine. 2013 was a challenging year in the Mâconnais, but this is the wine of the vintage.
The 2013 Viré-Clessé Cuvée E. J. Thevenet is another beautiful rendition of this consistently superb cuvée, wafting from the glass with a complex bouquet of orange zest, white flowers, beeswax, acacia honey and ripe lemon. On the palate, it's medium to full-bodied, satiny and concentrated, with lovely depth and succulence, concluding with a long and youthfully tense finish. It's already comparatively elegant and expressive by the standards of this estate, making it more approachable as a young wine than the 2012 or 2011 were at the same age, but it will enjoy two decades of longevity—indeed, it's only just being released by the domaine. 2013 was a challenging year in the Mâconnais, but this is the wine of the vintage.
(the only cuvée made in 2013; from a very small, very ripe crop with a bit of noble rot): Medium gold-tinged yellow. Slightly exotic aromas of ripe yellow fruits with the beginnings of truffle and honeycomb. At once thick and racy, offering very concentrated, slightly aggressive yellow fruit and honey flavors with considerable alcoholic clout (actually 14.15%). There's enough supporting acidity to buffer the wine's 5.7 grams per liter residual sugar, and the wine finishes with its characteristic touch of marne bitterness. Still a bit reticent today. (I also retasted the 2012, which I rated 90+ last year. It showed a slightly lighter color than the '13 as well as more classic aromas of hazelnut and iodine and a flavor of yellow peach perfectly balanced by acidity. This complex, saline blend struck me as a bit more precise, refined and long than the 2013, but Thévenet maintained that the latter wine will be better in the long run because it has more personality from the botrytis. I found the '12 wonderfully balanced to enjoy now, but Gautier still finds it a bit young. On this occasion, I scored it 91.)
About the producer
Domaine de la Bongran is no ordinary Mâconnais estate. Since Jean Thévenet took over the domaine in 1972, this Viré-Clessé producer has become a cult name – with Jean a pioneer of organics and minimal intervention, as well as the estate’s unique wine style.