2022 Benoît Cantin, Irancy, Red Burgundy, France.
Once called the red Chablis, Irancy, very near by, is as I leaned from famous importer Kermit Lynch, a remote picturesque canvas of vineyards planted on hillsides and amphitheaters, all favorably facing south for maximal sun exposure, which helps explain the ripe and dark pigments in the wines here. Going on, Kermit explains, while it shares the Kimmeridgian limestone soil also found in the classic Chablis crus, the majority of the vineyards here are planted exclusively to red grapes and mainly Pinot Noir, along with Gamay and César, that were traditionally interplanted here. In modern times, the other grapes have largely been forgotten and the focus is exclusively Pinot Noir, with this seductively earthy, deep and very dark garnet 2022 Cantin Irancy being 100% Pinot that, grown with non-certified organic methods, excites the palate with rustic old world charm. Benoît Cantin, who joined his dad in the family domaine in 1991, was completely new to me, so it was a thrill to see this wine in Kermit’s portfolio and I couldn’t pass by it on the shelf, obviously he’s a talent and this wine didn’t disappoint with silken layers of black cherry, wild plum, cranberry and red currant fruit, along with subtle spice, chalky stone, dark florals, loamy wet earth, a light leathery note, truffle, black tea and cedar details in the background. This wine, impressive in the glass and finely balanced, shows the vintage’s concentration and richness, but is best enjoyed with hearty dishes to bring out its best qualities. I highly recommend this one for old school Burgundy bargain hunters, I will definitely be following this label going forward and excited to try the rest of the offerings here.
My own journey of discovery with the wines of Irancy didn’t really start until around 2015 with the wines from Thierry Richoux, maybe my favorite in the region, and Athenaise de Beru of Chateau de Beru, a revolutionary natural winemaker in the very north of Burgundy and Chablis area. As noted in my prior reviews, the Irancy AC is located just southwest of the fan shell of Chablis, in an area that is also known for it’s cherry trees, it is mainly set on Kimmeridgian marls, along with some clay, loose gravel and brown limestone soils. The unique Irancy region is home to Pinot Noir mostly, though close by Saint-Bris that has Burgundy’s only Sauvignon Blanc zone, plus there is some César (a local red grape), thought to be French Barbera, of which 10% is allowed in the Irancy reds, making it the only area to allow other varietals to be in the ‘Red Burgundy’ labeled bottlings, with the exception of Gamay in the Passetoutgrains. Cantin’s importer Kermit Lynch notes that there are less than fifty active viticulteurs in the relatively small northern Burgundy Appellation of Irancy, only twelve of which are situated in the commune of Irancy, so these wines are pretty rare, especially in the States. This wonderfully transparent Benoît Cantin Irancy was, as the winery notes, fermented using 100% de-stemmed grapes with all natural yeasts in temperature-controlled underground cement tanks for close to 10-15 days before being gently pressed off the skins and racked to cask. Interesting to, is that all of the Cantin wines are aged in 228L oak barrels, with just 15% new, for one year, with the oak coming from the family’s own land and from the Les Bertranges forest that surrounds to vines.
($35 Est.) 93 Points, grapelive