France

Burgundy

Burgundy, the mythical home of wines made from Pinot Noir & Chardonnay … don’t forget AligotéGammay too!

Located in the middle of France on the eastern side. There is no other wine region that has been defined in such incredible detail. Each vineyard has been named and classified. Within these vineyards their are also Lieux Dits  referring to a specific part of a vineyard or region recognized for its own topographic or historical specificities.

This detailed definition allows for the equally detailed exploration of terroir. Hereditary tittle law in France has seen vineyards split between siblings generation after generation. Many incredibly small parcels producing only enough grapes to yield a single barrel of wine exist. This further extends our ability to see terroir in action vs the hand of the maker with many of the great vineyards having dozens of owners each producing minuscule volumes of wine.

The opportunity to taste them side by side is becoming increasingly difficult as scarcity drives prices up!

The most famous and coveted wines are the Pinot Noir and Chardonnay of the Côte de Nuits and Côte du Beaune. Together they form a narrow escarpment running north-south over a distances of less than 50kms.

Much further north the Chardonnay from Chablis stands comfortably on it’s own two feet with some delicious mineral, fine wines with insane ability to age.

To the south excellent wines are produced in the Côte Chalonnaise and Mâconnais, home to Chardonnays of exceptional value & personality.

Further again the Gammay from Beaujolais represents some of the beast value wines from Burgundy.

We’ve shared a series of articles in the Wine Bites Mag “Getting Your Head Around Burgundy” deep diving into the region.

Where marginal climate saw a high proportion of tough vintages in Burgundy. In ability to rippen grapes is less often a problem today. Catastrophic frosts and hail storms more of an issue.

Filters & Sorting

Domaine SC Guillard Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes 'Réniard' 2018
Old vine depth & persistence
There is lovely perfume lift and a purity of fruit. The palate is beautifully balanced and finely structured Deep crimson deep purple tints, very deep color. The nose is layered with berry fruit, raspberry, wild strawberry, again cassis enters the fray with some blackberry fruit notes. There is lovely perfume lift and a purity of fruit. The palate is beautifully balanced and finely structured with spice, red berry loads of silky tannins and a long driven finish. The old vines providing depth and
$144
$139ea in any 3+
$134ea in any 6+
Fascinating comparison with the Pavelot Dominode 18. There’s a similarity with the fleshy generous fruit and shape to the fruit. The Tollot Beaut goes for a slightly softer mouthfeel with very silky tannins. Like many 2018’s rich mouth filling fruit is at play, a darkness underlying. I’m going to be fascinated to see the Leroux, Pavelot & Tollot-Beaut Savignys evolve over time. As this opens in the glass the air induces refinement and elegance. Delicious wine that in a blind tasting I'
$148
$143ea in any 3+
$138ea in any 6+

Domaine Thibert Pouilly-Fuissé ‘Menetieres’ 2018

Chardonnay | Pouilly-Fuisse, France

To be labelled 1er Cru from the 2020 Vintage! “The 2018 Pouilly-Fuissé Les Ménétrières unwinds in the glass with aromas of citrus oil, crisp yellow orchard fruit, lemon curd, freshly baked bread and anise. Full-bodied, layered and sensual, it's textural and enveloping, with a deep core of fruit, racy acids and a long, precise finish. Stupidly, this part of Les Ménétrières was denied the premier cru classification, so this is the antepenultimate vintage under this name. 2025 - 2040”
$148
$143ea in any 3+
$138ea in any 6+
“Aromas of sweet berry fruit, warm spices, forest floor and raw cocoa preface the 2019 Beaune Les Epenottes, a medium to full-bodied, velvety and structured wine that's quite tightly wound, with fine concentration, lively acids and ripe tannins that assert themselves on the finish. This will require a bit of patience, but its track record for aging with grace is excellent.” William Kelley, The Wine Advocate 90+ Points JM 90-92
$148
$143ea in any 3+
$138ea in any 6+

Domaine Thibert Pouilly-Fuissé ‘Les Cras’ 2019

Chardonnay | Pouilly-Fuisse, Burgundy

To be labelled 1er Cru from the 2020 Vintage! “The last vintage with this name, it will be Vers Cras 1er in 2020 – but the parcels are the same. An exciting nose with some smoky minerality and very slowly more floral too. Wide, mineral, but very mobile and fluid and slowly fading – another completely absorbing wine, faintly but not distractingly sweet. Simply excellent wine...”Bill Nanson, The Burgundy Report“Here the nose is also markedly restrained and decidedly cool with
$148
$143ea in any 3+
$138ea in any 6+
A cooler and airier array is comprised by notes of citrus, quinine and essence of algae. The ultra-sleek and overtly mineral-driven flavors possess cuts-like-a-knife delineation before terminating in a chiseled, linear and moderately austere finale. This is a terrific example of Les Lys, indeed it’s textbook.91-94 points, Drink: 2028+ BurghoundThe 2021 Chablis 1er Cru Les Lys is one of the range's highlights this year, offering up aromas of almonds, white flowers, green apple, cri
$148
$143ea in any 3+
$138ea in any 6+
“The 2022 Maranges Rouge La Fussières 1er Cru is a blend of several cuvées with different proportions of whole bunches, averaging around 30%. It has more nuance on the nose than the Vieilles Vignes; the stems are neatly incorporated. The palate is medium-bodied with a sapid entry that gets the saliva flowing. With chalky tannins, quite firm structure and a hint of licorice on the finish, this Maranges deserves 3 or 4 years in bottle.” Neal Martin, Vinous 90-92 points JM 89-91
$148
$143ea in any 3+
$138ea in any 6+
“Blended with 30% whole bunches and from a massal selection made in the nineties, the 2022 Maranges Clos de la Boutière 1er Cru has a complex bouquet with blackberry, raspberry, iris flower and crushed stone aromas. This is very terroir-driven. The palate is medium-bodied with very fine tannins. It is elegant and harmonious, gently unfolding towards the finish with a sustained, slightly peppery aftertaste. A Maranges from the top drawer. Superb.”  Neal Martin, Vinous 92-94 points
$148
$143ea in any 3+
$138ea in any 6+
Domaine SC Guillard Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes 'Aux Corvées' 2019
Benchmark Villages Gevrey
Layers of concentrated fruit and a refined texture this is a superb effort full of personality! Very deep color. The is more new oak here to be seen of first impressions that elevate the overall complexity and class of the aromas, it is amply carried by the depth of fruit, wild strawberry, black cherry, blackberry and plum with a brooding background. The palate is suitably concentrated with ample extract and structure that has layers of fruit and texture. Very classy effort. The finish long and
$149
$144ea in any 3+
$139ea in any 6+
Yes, you can still buy Burgundy at a decent price! Thankfully Savigny-Les-Beaune has yet to scale the stratospheric price mountains of its neighbours and still offers excellent value. Javillier's, 100% destemmed, has fine plush tannins over beautifully perfumed red fruits, strawberries and cream with the faintest wiff of char from discretely balanced oak. Long with great persistence, excellent composure, and layers of complexing earth, mineral characters. Delicious rendition.
$150
$145ea in any 3+
$140ea in any 6+
Pavelot's Top wine rates as one of the few remaining bargains in Burgundy! The 2018 was delicious the 2019 will be in my gob next week!A perfumed, ripe and cool nose features notes of red currant, black raspberry, violet and a hint of sandalwood. There is very fine mid-palate density with an abundance of sappy dry extract to the velvety and mouth coating flavors that flash good minerality on the powerful, balanced and hugely long finish. This is marvelous but it's also a buy and forget
$152
$147ea in any 3+
$142ea in any 6+
The reds of Chassagne a little secret that's slowly making its way out of the bag. I had one of Alex's red the 1978 monopole Morgeot 'La Cardeuse' in September 2020. In a word stunning. Ask Alex and he'll tell you the soil profile is very similar to Chambolle in that neck of the woods.A ripe, fresh and relatively deeply pitched nose reveals notes of pepper and earth inflected dark berries and plum. The nicely rich and vibrant medium-bodied flavors possess a supple and round mid-palate while
$152
$147ea in any 3+
$142ea in any 6+