Category Archives: France – Burgundy

Domaine Bart, Marsannay (Côte de Nuits, Burgundy, France) Chardonnay Musqué Les Favières 2018

($35, Jeanne-Marie de Champs Selection):  Domaine Bart, one of my favorite producers, flies under the radar.  Even their stunning Bonnes Mares fails to get the accolades it deserves.  They are best known for their array of reds from Marsannay, a village whose wines may lack cachet, but in the right hands deliver spectacular quality at an easy-on-the wallet price. Read more

Domaine Antonin Guyon, Gevrey-Chambertin (Burgundy, France) “La Justice” 2017

($85, Taub Family Selections):  Domaine Antonin Guyon is a name you can trust.  They make incredibly consistent wines from Grand Cru to their village wines, such as this one, that lies on the wrong side of the road.  La Justice is one of the rare vineyards that lies on the eastern side of the RN974, the main north-south road in Burgundy, to be awarded a village designation instead of just a regional appellation. Read more

Domaine Antonin Guyon, Chambolle-Musigny (Burgundy, France) “Les Cras” 2017

($95, Taub Family Selections):  Similar to many vineyards in Burgundy, Les Cras isn’t contained within a single appellation.  Part of this vineyard is classified as Chambolle Musigny 1er Cru, while another part is only entitled to a village Chambolle-Musigny appellation.  The portion of Les Cras that carries the village appellation lies above the better situated — middle of the slope — portion that is classified as 1er Cru. Read more

Domaine Sylvain Langoureau, Saint-Aubin (Côte de Beaune, Burgundy, France) 2017

($30):  Saint-Aubin, lying behind the famous white wine villages of Puligny-Montrachet and Chassagne-Montrachet with their Grand Cru vineyards, is off the beaten tract, which means consumers can find value.   Prices for Premier Cru Saint-Aubin have climbed dramatically as consumers have caught on, but bargains still exist for village wines, even from a top producer like Langoureau. Read more

In Praise of Regional and Village Burgundy…or, Where to Find Value

Simple economics explains why the wine from Burgundy, or Bourgogne, as the French would now like us to call it, has become expensive.  Really expensive.  French wine regulations limit what can be planted where (a.k.a. the supply) and demand has increased as new markets around the world, such as China, Japan, and Russia, to name just three, discover Burgundy’s allure. … Read more

Domaine Bart, Marsannay (Côte de Nuits, Burgundy, France) “Les Finottes” 2018

($30):  Domaine Bart is a star producer in Marsannay.  This house makes splendid Grand Crus, such as Bonnes-Mares and Chambertin Clos de Bèze that routinely sell for $200+ a bottle upon release.  Their skill is also found in a bevy of single-vineyard wines from the village of Marsannay, the northern most village of the Côte de Nuits. Read more

Domaine Jean et Giles Lafouge, Auxey-Duresses (Côte de Beaune, Burgundy, France) 2017

($37):   One formula for Burgundy bargains is to find a top producer who lives and has vineyards in an out-of-the-way place.  Domaine Lafouge’s Auxey-Duresses (“oh say doo ress”) fits that formula. Auxey-Duresses, like Monthélie, which it abuts, is situated in the prestigious Côte d’Or, but most of its vineyards lie even further west. Read more

Glory in Givry: Domaine du Cellier Aux Moines

As in its more famous neighbouring region, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay reign supreme and, with rare exceptions, are the mandated grapes for the wines.

Major appellations in the Côte Chalonnaise, moving from north to south, include Rully and Mercurey, which produce both red and white wine, Givry, which produces mostly (80%) red wine, and Montagny, which produces white wine exclusively.… Read more

Domaine du Cellier aux Moines, Givry, 1er Cru Clos du Celliers aux Moines, 2016

Drinking Window: 2025 – 2030
The Pascals introduced organic farming in 2016, which may explain its success in that tricky vintage. The only problem: it follows the 2015. Captivating savoury notes—that not-just-fruit character—are apparent and mingle with dark cherry-like fruitiness. Suave texture, now a hallmark of the domaine since 2015, adds to its appeal.
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Domaine du Pavillon (Bichot), Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru (Burgundy, France) 2018

($260):  Bichot owns about three acres in the Les Languettes lieu-dit, a sunny southeast facing part of the Corton-Charlemagne vineyard.  From it, they have made a glorious wine in 2018, showing nuances of spiced pineapple offset by a crispy edginess.  Its stature is not in overall weight or power, rather in its layered complexity and elegance. Read more

Domaine Long-Depaquit (Bichot), Chablis Grand Cru (Burgundy, France) “Les Clos” 2018

($112):  With holdings totaling 150 acres of vines, almost half of which are located in Premier or Grand Cru vineyards, Bichot’s Long-Depaquit is one of the most notable estates in Chablis.  They own roughly ten percent of all Grand Cru acreage in Chablis, including the entirety of La Moutonne, an anomalous site of almost 6-acres spanning two Grand Cru vineyards, Vaudésir and Preuses. Read more

Domaine de Rochegrès (Bichot), Domaine de Rochegrès (Bichot) (Beaujolais, Burgundy, France) 2018

($28):  Bichot purchased this 12.5-acre estate in the heart of Moulin-a-Vent, arguably the top Beaujolais cru, in 2014.  The grapes come from three lieux-dits within Moulin-a-Vent, La Rochelle, Au Mont, and the young vines from Rochegrès itself.  It is ripe, spicy and suave, combining richness, minerality and bright acidity. Read more

Bichot is Back

If I needed any convincing—and I did not—that Bichot, the venerable Beaune-based Burgundy négoçiant, is back, it was after tasting a line-up of their 2018s.  That vintage was precarious for winegrowers because the weather provided the potential for both fabulous wines or over-ripe ones with high alcohol levels depending on harvest date, location of the vineyards, and viticulture practices. 
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Off-piste Burgundy: Value alternatives

Even serious fans of Burgundy may be unfamiliar with St-Bris, Coteaux Bourguignons and Bourgogne Passe-tout-grains. In a region famous for its rigid devotion to vineyard sites identified by Cistercian monks eight centuries ago, these three appellations – and the wide variety of grape varieties they allow – demonstrate Burgundy’s ability to adapt to the subtleties wrought by the passage of time.… Read more

Louis Latour, Bourgogne, Passetoutgrains, Burgundy, 2017

Drinking Window: 2020 – 2021
The traditional blend of two-thirds Gamay, one-third Pinot Noir makes this classically framed and easy-to-like Passe-tout-grains. The Pinot Noir comes from the Mâconnais and provides backbone, while Gamay from Beaujolais delivers upfront fruitiness. The lack of oak allows the fruit to shine, resulting in a ready-to-drink, mid-weight wine with charming rusticity and vivacity.
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Domaine Trapet Père & Fils, A Minima, Bourgogne, Passetoutgrains, Burgundy, 2017

Drinking Window: 2020 – 2025
Trapet Père et Fils, a stellar producer based in Gevrey-Chambertin, blends equal parts Pinot Noir and Gamay grown in Grand Champs, a vineyard in that village, for its Passe-tout-grains. It takes its name from the philosophy of minimal intervention, which in this case means biodynamic farming, indigenous yeasts and the addition of only a hint of sulphur at bottling.
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Louis Jadot, Coteaux Bourguignon, Burgundy, France, 2017

Drinking Window: 2020 – 2024
Jadot combines Pinot Noir grown in Givry in the Côte Chalonnaise with Gamay from Beaujolais and releases it after an extended time in bottle, which is why 2017 is the current vintage. Blending 75% Gamay and 25% Pinot Noir in 2017, it shows the virtue of using these two grapes: the spine and savoury nuances provided by Pinot Noir act as a foil for Gamay’s red fruit-like profile in this beautifully balanced wine.
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