TN: 2017 Château Thivin Côte de Brouilly Cuvée Zaccharie

I will be curious what you Beaujolais purists think of this wine. I know you all are so persnickety. Yea, 2009 too ripe, 2015 too big. Meh, this wine sees a little oak. And so on . . . .

One could posit that this special Thivin cuvee is all that. It ain’t no wall flower. And looking past the fact that this wine is exceedingly primary and youthful, it is also ridiculously electric. A really beautiful ripe bouquet of red and dark fruits with some citrus and meaty notes. Racy on the palate, like Bo Jackson, big and light on its feet at the same time. Vivacious acids, racy acids. Crushed rock detritus on the tongue. Super fresh, ice cold glacial waters, and gulp-able. But back-end clamps down with some firm tannins. The structure of this wine suggests long-term age-ability.

Thivin can do no wrong. I still think it is one of the great QPRs on the planet. I pretty much buy the base CdB in every vintage. And every vintage is a unique expression of Thivin. This cuvee is made of the Chateau’s oldest vines, up to 90 years (compared to an average of 50 for the base CdB), and a wee bit of oak barrel aging.

Wife digs it.

I’m on the second night with this wine. Excellent.

(93 pts.)

Love the note, thx man!!

Btw, I had my first 2015 from a 6-pack this past weekend and you’re right, it’s big…that said, imo it will be incredible in 5+ years’ time. Need to check in on the 2016, which was my Beaujolais of the vintage near release.

I bought some of these a while back after reading your praise of Thivin. Thanks for the reassurance!

I am sure the season and resulting energy in 2017 helps this Cuvee.

Great note.

Popped another tonight to pair with grilled sausages and risotto. Gosh I love love this wine. It’s ripe, folks, but the acids and river stone inflection really balance that out. The ripe is almost gamey, too. Just simply delicious.

Look at that color! Sounds great.

I just opened my first bottle of the 2017 Zacharie during the first presidential debate. Maybe the sour ambiance affected my perception of the wine. I found it to be deep and well balanced, but completely shut down on both the nose and the palate. Based on my experience, at least another 3 years of cellaring are warranted. Fair warning for anyone planning to open one now.

On the other end of the stylistic spectrum from what I look for in bojo but they make solid wines. Will seek one out!

Normally me too, but it works, just like their 2015. It was one of the few 2015s I liked in that rather ripe year.

Drinking the 2018 now. Really good but not quite as electric as the 2017. A ripe year, still relatively balanced and structured with a solid spline of acid. A bit more fleshy, riper and meatier fruits. I’m around 91 on this.

Bah. Would have been useful if you had told me 48 hours before you opened it.

Ha. You bought? A bit pricey.

I picked up a few the other day. I love Thivin regardless of vintage.

I do too, every year is a good thing. Just grabbed some 2019 as well.

Put it away for a few years

Popped yet another. Gosh this is an excellent wine. Was a bit tight the first night, went out to dinner second night, so drinking the remainder this third night. Wide open and gorgeous. Structure to age effortlessly.

I’m really glad you are sharing your notes on this. I bought 2 bottles of the 20018 & your description mirrors my experience. I have one bottle of the 2017 & was able to secure one bottle of the 2019. However, it’s certainly a very different style from the Cuvée La Chapelle which I love.

The differences between this and the base bottling sound similar to the Lapierre Cuvee Lapierre? A bigger, denser, more structured wine compared to the perhaps more elegant, lightweight, and airy standard Morgon.

I love the regular 2017 CDB! Drank about 6 of these but could no longer source them by the time I fell in love. Jumped on the 2019’s. The 2018’s didn’t impress in the same way. I probably prefer a “bigger” vintage for this style of wine. Have you tried the 2019’s or the 2020’s Alfer? Opinions on the 2019? Can still buy the 2019 Cuvee at K&L locally.

One of the benefits of no longer using CellarTracker…forgot that I secured 2 magnums of the 2017! They’re sitting quietly at the bottom of my Eurocave. Will have to open one soon.