Description
They say that if you look at red Burgundy through claret tinted glasses you will miss much of the joy from this fascinating wine region. While it’s unfair to compare the wines of Bordeaux with Burgundy, this month’s ‘case special’ highlights (we hope) the subtle differences between the two major regions of the Côte d’Or. The Côte de Nuits is a compact 20km strip of land running south from Dijon to Nuits St. Georges with the best vineyards located mid-slope where the soils and exposure are at their best. The Côte de Beaune stretches 30km past the town of Beaune to Maranges and feels more open and expansive with gentler slopes. Perhaps the only similarity between these two regions is that they share the same grape variety – the thin-skinned and fickle Pinot Noir – generally responsible for relatively light color, intensely fragrant, medium-bodied wines with highish acidity, medium tannins and an elegant palate but that depends very much on the soils and the producer.
The Cotes de Nuits is home to more red wine appellations and consists of 22 of the 23 red Grand Cru vineyards situated in the villages of Gevery-Chambertin, Morey-Saint-Denis, Chambolle-Musigny, Vougeot and Vosne-Romanée. Most of Burgundy’s (and arguably the world’s) great Pinot Noirs are made here, whereas the imposing hill of Corton is the only classified red Grand Cru in the Côte de Beaune but it’s also where you’ll find Pommard and Volnay.
Stylistically, the reds from the Côte de Nuits are weightier, firmer and deeper in color with Fixin, Gevrey, Morey and Nuits St. Georges more masculine and robust – Chambolle and Vosne are all elegance and finesse. Similarly, from the Côte de Beaune, Pommard with its high proportion of iron-rich clay produces powerful, deeply colored, relatively tannic and muscular reds, whereas Volnay is known for its delicate, silky texture due to the high chalk content in the soil.
This case includes:
Côtes de Nuits
Lignier Michelot Morey Saint Denis Vieilles Vignes 2021
This old vine cuvée is seriously good, made from 60 to 70 year old vines from three vineyards which lie in the middle of the Morey appellation and which imparts a lovely combination of richness, energy and body. Virgile Lignier has moved the domain to fully organic and is producing what many believe to be some of the finest wines of this prestigious village.
Domaine Berthaut-Gerbet Fixin 2023
We were lucky enough to taste Amelie’s wines at her domain last year before she hinted at a possible allocation, and we were very happy when she agreed to our wish list. The ‘23’s have just arrived and her ‘villages’ Fixin is a real treat. From four different plots of vines in Fixin, this shows lovely balance – supple and lively with smooth tannins and refined, pure red fruit. After a few years of trying, it’s finally great to get a foot in the door at this fine address as Amelie’s wines are becoming extremely sought after.
Rossignol-Trapet Gevrey-Chambertin ‘Aux Etelois’ 2021
Rossignol-Trapet’s 2021’s express the very best attributes of this tricky vintage with clarity and purity. ‘Aux Etelois’ is the only single bottling from this ‘Lieu-dit’ in Gevrey-Chambertin thanks to its incredible position, sandwiched between grand crus Charmes-Chambertin and Griottes-Chambertin. Rich aromas of red fruits with an underlying earthiness with fine, delicate tannins and a refined, subtle complexity.
Côtes de Beaune
Bachelet-Monnot Pommard ‘Les Chanlins’ 2021
From a tiny plot of 45 year old vines from one of the highest and steepest vineyards in the Côtes de Beaune. Situated on the Volnay border gives the wine a mid-weighted and refined ‘Volnay’ expression of Pommard. There’s elegance and depth to this graceful Pommard with good structure, vibrant acidity and ripe, grippy tannins that would benefit from a brief stint in the decanter. Since their first vintage in 2005, brothers Marc and Alex Bachelet are now firmly established as two of Burgundy’s finest talents.
Vincent Girardin Volnay ‘Vieilles Vignes’ 2022
Since the mid-eighties Vincent Girardin has been the driving force in crafting a range of delicious and accessible wines with a clear stamp of regional identity that remain some of our best value reds from Burgundy. Volnay is widely known for its delicate, feminine style, and this is a fresh, plush and elegant Pinot Noir produced from old vines, which Girardin captures perfectly in this beautiful vintage. Supple and refined, yet with the typical Volany succulence. Excellent concentration with an expressive silky frame and fine-grained tannins. This is sleek and stylish.
Jean-Marc Pillot Santenay ‘Les Champs Claude’ 2022
Jean-Marc has been producing world-class wines since his solo vintage in 1991 and today, along with his son Antonin, make some of the most stylish, refined, and classical wines in Burgundy. While the majority of the domain’s vineyards are in Chassagne-Montrachet, they also have important holdings in neighboring villages in the Côte de Beaune including this gem in Santenay. The 2022 is bright and perfumed with 15 months of aging in barriques resulting in a richly textured, concentrated Pinot with lovely aromatics, richness and elegance.
