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

The 2023 Chablis Grand Cru Valmur is lovely, unfurling in the glass with notes of green orchard fruit, citrus zest, wet stones and oyster shell. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and racy, it's deep and saline, with as usual a quintessentially Chablisien profile.William Kelley, The Wine Advocate 94 PointsHere the wood treatment is again quite subtle though not imperceptible on the cool aromas of sea breeze, citrus, wet stone and quinine. As one would expect, there is notably more size, w
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The 2022 Chambolle-Musigny Charmes 1er Cru is destemmed and matured in 50% new oak. It has a light, what you might call a “transparent” bouquet with airy red fruit. The palate is well-balanced with grainy tannins. It’s quite a gentle Chambolle with a smooth texture, gaining weight towards the finish and exerting just the right amount of grip. It’s understated in style, but I appreciate how it gains momentum with time. Worth looking out for. Drink: 2026-2040Neal Martin, Vinous 91-93
Lamy has 2.4-hectares in the 1er Cru Les Frionnes, with vines planted in 1935, 1960 and 1985. It’s a southeast-facing site with old, decomposed limestone/clay soils and a plethora of small rocks in the topsoil. The vines are adjacent to the Derrière chez Edouard, but this is a slightly warmer site and is therefore picked earlier. Frionnes gives both pulpy fruit and vibrant, saline freshness along with a compact, rocky close.“Habitually one of the domaine's more mineral wines, the
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Lamy’s tiny Clos du Meix parcel is just 0.7 hectares, situated at the western fringe of the village. Planted between 1985 and 1995, the sheltered location (just below Les Castets on a south-facing slope), its heavier clays, and the fact that it is fully enclosed by a wall (and therefore protected from the cold, northern winds), always gives this wine excellent texture to go with its intense minerality. Contributing to this mineral character is the bony soil in this vineyard, which has just
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Stéphane Magnien Chambolle-Musigny 1er Cru ‘Les Sentiers’ 2022
Beautiful Perfume & Earthy Mystique
There's a great purity & vibrancy to Magnien's wines. His Sentiers is classic Chambolle! A slightly more elegant and more floral-suffused nose displays notes of violet, lavender and plum liqueur. There is fine mid-palate density to the suave and seductively textured medium-bodied flavors that coat the palate with sappy dry extract before terminating in a bitter pit fruit and nicely balanced finale. This is also quite good with an understated delivery. Drink: 2030+Allen Meadows, Burghound 90
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The Derée Champérier vineyard was purchased by the Trapet family in 1859. After 160 uninterrupted years of farming this terroir, current generation Pierre & Louis wanted to make a cuvée as an hommage to the many generations of Trapet vignerons that have come before them. Thanks to its purity and terroir-transparency, they felt the 2019 vintage was the perfect moment to produce the Cuvee 1859.
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Domaine Faiveley Meursault 1er Cru Charmes 2022

Chardonnay | Meursault, Burgundy

About Faiveley Based in Nuits-St-Georges, the famous Domaine Faiveley was founded in 1825 and in more recent times, the domaine has greatly expanded its vineyards across the entire Côte d’Or. The grapes are entirely destemmed and fermented in a mix of new wooden vats for the top end wines and stainless steel for the lesser […]
"The 2022 Meursault 1er Cru Poruzots is open and expressive, offering up aromas of pear, white flowers, toasted hazelnuts, freshly baked bread and buttery pastry. Medium to full-bodied, ample and fleshy, with a satiny attack that segues into an enveloping mid-palate, it's structured around bright acids and chalky extract.” William Kelly, The Wine Advocate 92-94 Points“The 2022 Meursault Poruzots 1er Cru had finished its malo and was waiting to be racked. It has impressive intensity on
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The 2023 Chassagne-Montrachet Virondot 1er Cru is a worthy follow-up to the impressive 2022. Very complex and harmonious on the nose, it just could not be from anywhere but Chassagne, combining very subtle yellow fruit notes with stirring mineralité. The palate is beautifully balanced with a fine bead of acidity. It's quite energetic at the moment, which will hopefully be captured in the bottle. There's a very sustained spicy aftertaste that completes a great Chassagne.Neal Martin, Vinous 9
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Moderate reduction dominates the nose at present. There is both better complexity and mid-palate density to the still supple and delicious medium-bodied flavors that conclude in a more powerful and noticeably more structured finale. This has fine development potential and is a wine that will need at least some patience. Drink: 2030+Allen Meadows, Burghound 89-91 Points
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This is also aromatically perfumed with better layering to the spicier aromas of mostly red cherry and rose petal. There is markedly more refinement to the seductively, even generously, textured medium weight flavors that also exude a subtle bead of minerality on the impressively long, balanced and more complex finale. This is excellent and is a wine that could be approached young but reward a decade plus of cellaring. (from a .52 ha parcel) 2032+ ♥ Sweet spot OutstandingAllen Meadows, Bur
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A slightly more elegant nose features notes of poached plum, black raspberry, violet and anise hints. There is a notably finer mouthfeel to the attractively textured medium weight flavors that conclude in a firmer and better-balanced finale where a touch of austerity slowly emerges. 2028+ (from a .42 ha parcel)Allen Meadows, Burghound
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