Tasting the new releases from Charles Van Canneyt in the second half of November has become a very enjoyable tradition over the last few years. In association with his business partner, Johan Bjorklund, chef and owner at the excellent Bistro de l’Hotel restaurant in Beaune, Charles hosted a small but perfectly formed tasting of the 2021s, his 10th vintage, which showed quite wonderfully. From the village wines up through a nice selection of 1ers Crus and through onto some Grands Crus, the wines were appealingly understated and full of charm. They showed excellent terroir definition and a real sense of purpose and drive, putting forward a compelling case as the best collection he has produced to date. The wines had grip yet the tannins were supple and well-integrated, whilst the freshness and definition helped bring them alive. We then worked our way through a selection of wines from the past 10 vintages that Charles matched to a sensational 6 course menu featuring caviar, white truffles and quail, amongst other things! It was a fascinating line-up that showed quite how much Charles has perfected this part of his operation. There are some quite limited volumes on several of these wines, as you might have expected, so we will undoubtedly have to allocate as best we can.
