Quintaine

Historic cuvée of the estate (since 1985), it was our only cuvée until 2014. Produced from the blend of 6ha out of 6.5ha, vinified in concrete vats, it is representative of our Quintaine terroir and of the vintage. Although each vintage is different, we recognize the style of the estate in the four typologies of vintages, depending on whether they are hot or cool, wet or dry.

Viré-Clessé Quintaine 2019

2019 spring frost year, half harvest. A real frustration because the rest of the season was superb. The very small yields have concentrated the dry extract of the wine with a perfect acid balance, promising it a very long aging potential. It will probably take a year in bottle for it to loosen and develop its character.

Viré-Clessé Quintaine 2018

2018 is once again a hot vintage that will have given us many scares. Electric climate, thunderstorms, hail... but more fear than harm.

In the glass we find this overflowing energy of the vintage with a powerful, aromatic and rich wine. Its richness gives it a seductive profile when young and we can consider opening the 2018 before the 2017. As it ages, I won't be surprised if we find notes of the 2009.

Viré-Clessé Quintaine 2017

After a 2016 vintage marked by the delicacy of botrytis, we are returning to a more "serious" profile, between the profiles of 2014 and 2015. Lots of flowers and white fruit, good tension, length and very good potential for keep. A little finer and fresher than 2015, a little more balanced than 2014, this vintage will have taken a little longer to mature than 2016.

Viré-Clessé "Quintaine" 2016
An extremely greedy vintage with explosive aromas, we discover beautiful exotic notes due to the few noble grains that often appear in our bunches when the harvest takes place in the fall. However, this vintage is as fresh as the previous ones, with an often noticed mineral touch.

A beautiful gourmet vintage, open, which already gave a lot of pleasure in its youth!

Viré-Clessé "Quintaine" 2015
2015 was an early year, very dry and particularly hot! The vegetative cycle of the vines therefore started very early in the spring, and took place quickly, leading us to start the harvest on August 30!

Our 2015 vintage is very expressive, with lovely fruity notes. Its mouth is powerful and warm, with a fresh finish supported by a beautiful minerality. We expect a lot from this 2015 over time.

Viré-Clessé "Quintaine" 2014
Overall, 2014 was a good year for the weather. The early and sunny spring favored the bud burst of the vines and a beautiful flowering, but the strong heat of July scorched the bunches most exposed to the sun. The very beautiful months of August and September allowed the grapes to reach full maturity without difficulty, with an optimal sanitary condition.

In the end, our 2014 vintage is of high quality! Its nose is very expressive, with beautiful fruity and flowery notes. The palate is fresh, all in finesse and purity, supported by a beautiful minerality.

Viré-Clessé "Quintaine" 2013
2013 was a rainy and particularly difficult year, inducing many losses on the 2012 model and requiring us to work enormously. In addition, a heavy storm at the start of the harvest affected a good part of the harvest.

Even if the volumes of 2013 are very limited, it is a vintage of great quality! Its nose is very expressive, with lovely notes of over-ripeness. The mouth is round, but full of finesse and purity. To discover !

Viré-Clessé "Quintaine" 2012
2012 was a difficult and chaotic weather year, causing coulure and millerandage as well as strong mildew pressure. The harvest, which was small, took place at the end of September/beginning of October.

Between roundness and finesse, we find in our very young 2012 a beautiful alliance of the characteristics of its big brothers 2010 and 2011!

Viré-Clessé "Quintaine" 2011
2011 will remain in our minds as a year marked by drought since spring. The long-awaited rain finally arrived in early July and continued throughout the month, giving way to drought again. The initially early maturity was slowed down by water stress and we started harvesting the second week of September.

Timid in its early youth and sometimes discreet when the bottle is opened, 2011 very quickly revealed great finesse with a lot of elegance expressing the purest aromas of our Quintaine terroir. It is a racy, well-balanced vintage. We will particularly remember its crystalline side.

Viré-Clessé "Quintaine" 2010
Change of Appellation for the 2010! The rate of residual sugars authorized by the specifications of the Viré-Clessé vintage having been reduced to 3 g/L (then 4 g/L for the following vintages), we claimed this Appellation for our production. Previously with very ripe grapes and indigenous yeasts, the limit imposed was indeed often too strict for our products.

Let's go back to our year 2010... Due to a gloomy month of June, flowering was difficult and the berries formed over a long period. On the eve of the harvest, therefore, very heterogeneous stages of maturity were observed on the same bunch. Choosing the harvest date was not easy… and we finally decided on September 22.

Round and fat, this is an exuberant but well-balanced vintage. The very complex nose and mouth with notes of citrus fruits and candied pear are typical of a botrytised harvest. The finish remains fresh with a nice minerality.

This is one of our finest vintages!

Macon-Villages "Quintaine" 2009
It was an overall easy year for us. Apart from two worrying rainy episodes in June, the first with the fall of the flower caps inducing a high risk of mildew on the young bunches and the second with hail, we will remember a beautiful summer with early maturity. We started the harvest on September 10.

On tasting, the nose is expressive with aromas of citrus fruits first mentholated, evolving towards candied, then opening up in gourmet roundness. The mouth has a lot of volume and presence, with a very persistent toasted, honeyed finish, supported by a saline freshness.

A wine that immediately seduces!

Macon-Villages "Quintaine" 2008
After a mild winter, spring 2008 was particularly rainy with 24 consecutive days of rain in May and June. Plowing and processing have become very difficult. The summer was punctuated by thunderstorms with even a little hail in early August. Fortunately, September was dry and sunny with a northerly wind, allowing the grapes to ripen with good light and reasonable temperatures. We started harvesting on October 5th.

The 2008 vintage has an intense nose of great precision with lively notes of citrus and exotic fruits, rounding off in a buttery, even brioche character. The mouth is powerful with a good length. Liveliness and smoothness blend in perfect balance.

2008 is the very type of wine for laying down.

Vertical of 30 vintages, from 1985 to 2014!

On December 05 and 06, 2015, on the occasion of the estate's 30th anniversary, we tasted all the wines produced since 1985!

Here is a summary of this tasting. As you will see, most of the vintages in our Quintaine have an aging potential of nearly 30 years:

2014 : Exotic nose, citrus. Fresh, elegant, very balanced vintage. Still very young!

2013 : Explosive, complex, fruity nose (corner notes, dried apricot, citrus peel). Fresh mouth, supported by a slight bitterness. Great potential.

2012 : Nose with notes of honey, wax. Very rich, round, greedy mouth. Dense texture.

2011 : Very fine, elegant nose. Citrus and floral notes. Deep and mineral mouth, beautiful power on the finish.

2010 : Explosive nose, very ripe, rich, slightly stewed, with notes of mirabelle plum, wedge. Fresh mouth, with a nice final tension.

2009 : Nose with notes of pear, corner. Nice balance on the palate: mineral, complete, integrated. Nice structure, nice texture.

2008 : Nose of white truffle, wax, ripe fruits, and slightly oily. Rich, mineral palate with good acidity. Pleasure wine!

2007 : More slender nose than 2008, ethereal. Notes of candied lemon, fresh grass, very fresh! Nice tension in the mouth, aromatic and complex finish, very long.

2006 : Concentrated, explosive, exotic nose, with notes of orange peel, candied fruit and ripe fruit. Very nice hold in the mouth.

2005 : Nose of white truffle, grapefruit, quince and candied fruit. Mature mouth, still young!

2004 : Fresh, fine, toasted nose, with notes of hazelnut and ripe fruit. Mouth held almost reduced, beautiful minerality. Beautiful !

2003 : Nose of chestnut, almost toasted, petrol. Dense, structured, almost tannic mouth, with a good hold, and a slight final bitterness. A vintage that still has great aging potential!

2002 : Greedy nose, a bit evolved. Notes of wax, honey, candied fruit. Mouth full, long. Vintage ready to drink!

2001 : Nose with notes of wax, coffee, slightly noble grain. Round mouth. Very nice vintage!

2000 : Slightly evolved nose. Notes of straw, wax and coffee. Sweet, melted, slightly tannic palate. This vintage is starting to age, you have to drink it!!

1999 : Complex, exotic and candied nose, with notes of citrus peel, liquorice, fennel and fir. Beautiful mouth, balanced. This vintage is ready to drink!

1998 : Slightly reduced nose, which gives an impression of woodiness! Notes of hay, toasted notes. Fresh on the palate, with a nice but somewhat short finish.

1997 : Fresh nose with notes of sap and caramel. Nice fresh mouth, with a nice length. This vintage is ready to drink.

1996 : Complex nose, round and fine at the same time. Notes of ripe and buttery fruit. Elegant and deep palate. A great wine!

1995 : Fairly discreet nose, with notes of hay and wax. Very nice mouth; fresh, mineral, well balanced.

1994 : Exotic nose, with nice notes of pineapple. An easy-drinking vintage!

1993 : Fresh, vegetal, slightly discreet nose. Textured, mineral, slightly strict palate.

1992 : Superb nose, with notes of wax and candied lemon. Discreet evolution. Melted, deep mouth, with a very good length. A great pleasure !

1991 : Not tasted... We don't have any left in our collection!!

1990 : Mature nose, a bit evolved, with notes of honey and caramel. Mouth ready to drink!

1989 : Fresh and complex nose, with notes of cardamom. Beautiful minerality on the palate, very good length, grilled on the finish. A very fine vintage!

1988 : Complex nose, greedy, floral, still fresh, with notes of apricot. Mouth ready to drink, tangy.

1987 : Fairly closed nose, with hints of honey, a little smoky. Nice tension in the mouth, an almost lemony wine!

1986 : Smoky nose, with notes of ripe fruit. Nice fresh mouth, long, but lacking a bit of complexity.

1985 : Slightly closed nose, with notes of acacia, wax, honey, toast and smoke. Palate a little thin.


In general, we note that the vintages produced before 1991 are rather slender, sometimes almost a little slender.

From 1991 to 1996, we note a gain in complexity and aromatic power.

After 1996, the wines generally have more depth, and are complex even in the small years. They have more firmness, structure, and even more fruit (citrus), always with a nice freshness. New paragraph