2021 Burgundy Expression of Interest Offer 2

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William Kelley on the 2021 Vintage

Thierry Pillot in Chassagne-Montrachet, 2021 brings to mind the Burgundies of yesteryear, saying they are

“the wines I’ve always dreamed of making.”

For Bertrand Dugat, the vintage

“was like a breath of fresh air; it woke me up and gave me renewed energy.”

For Cécile Tremblay, 2021 is

“a return, at last, to Pinot Noir.”

As ever, Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier summed it up succinctly when he said,

“These are the wines I want to drink.”

Why so many wines in one go?

The importer of these wines offers large numbers of wines in one hit. They are often limited in availability with a short timeline to request wines. To give you the best opportunity to grab what you want we are offering them all at once.

Why an Expression of Interest?

Given the limited nature of these wines we often have to share them around. The expression of interest allows us to work hard for you to secure the number of bottles you desire of your chosen tipple.

**Pricing is best net for 1 bottle or 1 million**

How does it work?

Fill it out the order form:

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or

Just email a list of what you’d like [email protected]

**If you have substitutes or specific requests please let us know when you email.**

As volumes are locked in we confirm secured allocations we can offer you.

We invoice for payment at that time.

ETA and Delivery

The wines will be arriving by refrigerated container between February 2024 & April 2024.

Given the warmer weather at this time of the year, our heat policy will apply to all shipping.

Wine will be held at our climate-controlled storage facility with a backup power supply until such time as it is safe to ship.

Got any questions?

Call us on 1300 811 066 or Contact Us here.

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I’ll be adding further info to the winery profiles over time.

The Domaines

Domaine de la Pousse d’Or

Domaine de la Vougeraie

Domaine Comte Armand

Domaine Henri Gouges

Domaine Mongeard-Mugneret

The 2021 Vintage

Burghound on the 2021 Vintage

As was the case in the Côte de Nuits, the same two words seemed to emanate from the mouths of almost every grower among the 125+ that I visited in the Côte de Beaune regarding the 2021 vintage: difficile and compliqué, neither of which presumably needs translating! This has, in a way, become a common theme because when you consider the growing seasons of 2003, 2004, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2010, 2011, 2012, 2013 and 2016, every one of them presented their fair share of challenges, even if those challenges were not necessarily all cut from the same cloth.

While vignerons in the two Côtes might have used the same verbiage to describe the challenges of the growing season, the results, and especially the volumes, were not at all the same. This is because the Côte de Beaune is more precocious than the Côte de Nuits, which means that bud break occurs earlier. When a severe early season frost occurs, as was the case in 2021 (the nights of April 6, 7 and 8), it inevitably engenders more damage because the vines are always more advanced in the Côte de Beaune. However, this isn’t the only reason that more damage was done. It’s also because the Côte de Beaune has much more chardonnay planted, which is virtually always more precocious than pinot noir. Add the two together and it largely explains why the Côte de Beaune was crushed and the Côte de Nuits, while certainly damaged, did considerably better from the standpoint of yields. By contrast, when a severe frost occurs later in the season, as was the case for example in 2016 (April 26 and 27), both Côtes suffer more or less the same levels of damage.

Côte de Beaune

From the standpoint of quality, 2021 produced many really lovely wines that should provide for delicious drinking early on, yet be capable of amply rewarding mid-term cellaring and in a few cases, they should be as long-lived as most collectors would reasonably want. However, it also produced any number of herbaceous and/or edgy wines that possess a bit too much acidity or greenish tannins to be properly balanced. When the 2021s are good though, they are a joy to drink, not only because they are delicious but also because they are capable of appealing to the intellect as well because of their superb terroir transparency. I hesitate to call them the “thinking person’s burgundies” but there is an element of that in the wines. To craft another comparison, they are stylistically about as far away from 2018, 2019 and 2020 as one can get and still have reasonably ripe wines. To this end, 2021 vintage comparisons are varied as some invoked a combination of 2013 and 2014, others 2001, others 2007, others 2011 and yet others went back to 1991 or 1987.

As to overall quality by sector, the effects of the frost were so capricious and the effort, or lack thereof, of each domaine tended to overshadow the more general benefit or detriment of being in a specific commune. As the Burgundians like to say in certain vintages, 2021 was a millésime du vigneron, meaning that you had to be super-rigorous and absolutely on top of your game to make high-quality wine. 

William Kelley on the 2021 Vintage

Thierry Pillot in Chassagne-Montrachet, 2021 brings to mind the Burgundies of yesteryear, saying they are “the wines I’ve always dreamed of making.”

For Bertrand Dugat, the vintage “was like a breath of fresh air; it woke me up and gave me renewed energy.”

For Cécile Tremblay, 2021 is “a return, at last, to Pinot Noir.”

As ever, Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier summed it up succinctly when he said, “These are the wines I want to drink.”

William Kelley, The Wine Advocate from “France, Burgundy: The Côte d’Or’s 2021 and 2020 Vintages”

Domaine de la Pousse d’Or ☝︎ Index

Check out or existing Pousse d’Or holdings + Explore the Domaine in Full Detail

Since the end of the last century, Patrick Landanger has been the owner of the Domaine. He made significant investments in the vineyards as well as in the winemaking facilities and cellars.

He has been joined by his son, Benoit, who has been helping him with the winemaking as from 2013. Their ambitions on quality are reflected in the deep respect of the terroirs they run. The biodynamic certification will complete this choice.

Meet Benoit Landanger and learn about the history of Domaine de la Pousse d’Or in the video below: 

The 2021 Vintage at Domaine de la Pousse d’Or

From Burghound

Benoît Landanger, who has assumed the direction of this domaine and has converted it to biodynamic farming principles, was away at the time of my visit so I don’t have the pleasure of presenting his perspective on the 2021 vintage. However, I was very capably received and there have been significant changes in the domaine’s holdings. The total vineyard area under management is now an impressive 17.4 ha though the details are still being working out as it’s possible that Benoît may found a new domaine based in Gevrey to run in conjunction with Pousse d’Or. The additions include a leased parcel of .27 ha in the Gevrey 1er of La Perrière and .26 ha in Mazoyères (which is being declared as Charmes-Chambertin) as well as a .11 ha holding in the Echézeaux climat of Poullailères. For the time being, the additions are noted as “managed by the Landanger Family”.

On the other side of the ledger, the parcel of Feusselottes was traded away. Effectively this means that the domaine now works with an incredible 7 grand crus (6 reds plus Chevalier-Montrachet) and fully 11 premier crus (10 red and 1 white, the Puligny Caillerets); just as impressive is that 3 of the premier crus are monopoles! Once again, I had a chance to taste three wines that were vinified exactly the same as the regular cuvées but were raised in amphora; this is to say the En Caillerets, Clos de la Bousse d’Or and the Clos des 60 Ouvrées vineyards. I note these using the term amphore in the reviews, but the actual terminology found on the label reads “Vinifié et Élevé en Amphore”. As the scores and commentaries confirm, I was very impressed with the wines in 2021 and in particular, those from Volnay really stood out.

RED

SANTENAY “Clos Tavannes” $162
VOLNAY “En Caillerets” Premier Cru $221
VOLNAY “Clos d’Audignac” (Monopole) Premier Cru $256
VOLNAY “Clos de la Bousse d’Or” (Monopole) Premier Cru $260
VOLNAY “Clos de la Bousse d’Or – Amphore” (Monopole) Premier Cru $266
VOLNAY “Clos des 60 Ouvrées” (Monopole) Premier Cru Magnum $564
VOLNAY “Clos des 60 Ouvrées – Amphore” (Monopole) Premier Cru $276
CORTON “Clos du Roi” Grand Cru $309
GEVREY-CHAMBERTIN “La Perriere” Premier Cru $309
CHAMBOLLE-MUSIGNY “Les Grosseilles” Premier Cru $343
CHAMBOLLE-MUSIGNY “Les Charmes” Premier Cru $457
CHAMBOLLE-MUSIGNY “Les Amoureuses” Premier Cru $1,026
CHARMES-CHAMBERTIN Grand Cru $1,055
ECHEZEAUX Grand Cru $1,109
BONNES-MARES Grand Cru $1,109
CLOS DE LA ROCHE Grand Cru $1,109

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RED REVIEWS

Issue 90 – Allen Meadows’ Burghound – Domaine de la Pousse d’Or (Volnay)

SANTENAY “Clos Tavannes”: Pretty, cool and airy aromas include those of mostly various red berries and earth. The middleweight flavors possess both good verve and a lovely texture before concluding in a youthfully austere, mildly rustic and bitter pit fruit-inflected finish. This is relatively forward and could reasonably be enjoyed after only 3 to 4 years of keeping. 89/2026+

VOLNAY “En Caillerets”: A spicier and more floral-suffused nose is very pinot in style with its cool and pure red currant and violet scents. The medium weight flavors aren’t any more concentrated though they are noticeably finer with an evident bead of minerality on the more complex and sneaky long finish. I like the balance of this stylish and classy effort and it should repay up to a decade of keeping. 91/2029 ♥ Outstanding

VOLNAY “Clos d’Audignac” (Monopole):  (a northeast facing vineyard that rarely gets the same degree of sunlight as the other Volnay 1ers in the portfolio and thus it can often be more Pommard-like than Volnay in character). Here the cool, earthier and more restrained nose derives more from the red side of the fruit spectrum. I very much like the mouthfeel of the precise and tensionfilled medium-bodied flavors that exude a subtle minerality on the more austere and less refined finish that displays excellent depth and persistence. This is lovely though note well that it’s a wine that’s quite tightly wound and is going to need a decade plus of keeping to resolve what are presently very firm tannins. 92/2033+ ♥ Outstanding

VOLNAY “Clos de la Bousse d’Or” (Monopole): A more floral and elegant nose freely offers up its slightly riper array of plum, black cherry and exotic spice nuances. The lilting and beautifully detailed middleweight flavors deliver outstanding length on the balanced, youthfully austere and stony finale. This doesn’t presently have quite the same depth as the Clos l’Audignac but the texture is more sophisticated and overall, this is class in a glass. 93/2029+ ♥ Sweet spot Outstanding

VOLNAY “Clos de la Bousse d’Or – Amphore” (Monopole):  This is aromatically almost identical to the regular cuvée but it’s less expressive and requires more swirling to reveal the nose. The super-sleek and strikingly detailed flavors are almost painfully intense while delivering the same outstanding length on the chiseled finish that is equally austere and sophisticated. One difference though is that the supporting tannins are a bit more prominent and the different élevage suggests that this will require a few extra years of keeping to arrive at its peak. 93/2031+ ♥ Outstanding

VOLNAY “Clos des 60 Ouvrées” (Monopole): An exuberantly spicy nose of plum, black raspberry and violet introduce precise and refined yet powerful tension-filled flavors that are built on a base of almost pungent minerality while terminating in a markedly compact, austere and hugely long finale. This is terrific, stylish and classy but note well that it’s unapologetically builtto-age. In a word, excellent. 94/2033+ ♥ Don’t miss! Outstanding

VOLNAY “Clos des 60 Ouvrées – Amphore” (Monopole): In much the same fashion as the difference between the two cuvées of the Bousse d’Or, this is also less expressive and cooler aromatically. The super-sleek and almost painfully intense flavors are also very much built on a base of fine minerality while exhibiting excellent precision on the equally chiseled finale. One minor difference though is that this is not quite as complex though it is just as firmly structured. We will see in time if the “missing” complexity eventually develops. 93/2033+ ♥ Sweet spot Outstanding

CORTON “Clos du Roi”: This is spicier still with its more sauvage-infused nose of dark currant, black cherry and whiff of green tea. The sleek, refined and less muscular but more mineral-driven flavors possess a velvety mid-palate that contrasts with the moderately austere and sneaky long finish. This isn’t quite as vibrant as the Bressandes and needs time to develop better depth, but everything appears to be present for that to occur over time. Patience strongly recommended. 93/2033+

GEVREY-CHAMBERTIN “La Perriere”: (from a leased .25 ha parcel). An airy, cool and distinctly earthy essence of red pinot fruit and a whiff of smoked meat character. The medium-bodied flavors are not quite as dense but they do offer good definition and vibrancy on the refined and lightly stony finish where a touch of youthful austere eventually emerges. Solid quality in a package that should repay mid-term keeping. 91/2029+ ♥ Outstanding

CHAMBOLLE-MUSIGNY “Les Grosseilles”: (from a .52 ha parcel). A cool, pure and restrained nose reluctantly offers up notes of red cherry, raspberry and a top note of rose petal. The racy and relatively generous medium-bodied flavors possess good richness if not quite the same vibrancy on the lingering, moderately firm and balanced finish that could use better depth. 90/2029+

CHAMBOLLE-MUSIGNY “Les Charmes”: (from a .19 ha parcel). A fresh if restrained and equally cool nose of red and blue pinot fruit along with plenty of floral and spice elements leads to intense and super-sleek middleweight flavors that possess a polished mouthfeel while delivering very fine length on the moderately austere, dusty and compact finale. This is very Charmes in style and a wine that should repay a decade plus of keeping. 92/2031+ ♥ Sweet spot Outstanding

CHAMBOLLE-MUSIGNY “Les Amoureuses”: (from a .20 ha parcel). A very fresh and exuberantly floral nose is comprised by airy red pinot fruit, exotic tea and spice nuances. The energetic and gorgeously textured super-sleek middleweight flavors possess a borderline aggressive minerality on the highly complex, balanced and strikingly persistent finish. This isn’t especially concentrated and it could use better depth but the overall impression is pure lace and grace. This is stunning and a wine that should only become more so as it ages. 94/2033+ ♥ Don’t miss! Outstanding

CHARMES-CHAMBERTIN: (from a .26 ha parcel in Mazoyères). There is a touch of herbal tea to the elegant and fresh nose of various red and black cherry, earth and a whiff of forest floor. The texture of the equally cool and nicely refined if not especially dense middleweight flavors contrasts somewhat with the moderately rustic, firmly austere and dusty finish that displays excellent depth. I suspect that this presently compact effort will further flesh out with time in bottle 92/2033+

ECHEZEAUX: (from a .11 ha parcel in Poullailères). Here too there is a touch of herbal tea character on the overtly spicy aromas of dark currant, plum and violet. There is slightly better volume and richness, as well as a bit more mid-palate density, to the medium-bodied flavors that exude a subtle minerality on the youthfully austere and somewhat strict if not exactly lean finish. I do like the complexity but it’s not entirely clear that this will harmonize with time in bottle as it’s mildly awkward today. 91/2031+

BONNES-MARES: (from a .17 ha parcel). A much more reserved nose grudgingly displays its very pretty aromas of orange peel, jasmine tea, essence of red and dark currant and a smoky hint. Like the Amoureuses, the medium weight flavors are not especially dense yet they still manage to convey a sense of focused power on the precise, moderately austere and balanced finale that could also use better depth. With that said, there is superb length and there is no evident reason that this shouldn’t develop well over the next 12 to 15 years. 93/2033+

CLOS DE LA ROCHE:  (from a .32 ha parcel). The perfumed nose is very pretty with a beautifully layered array of cherry, plum, spice and soft earth and sauvage nuances. The focused, intense and beautifully delineated medium-bodied flavors possess evident minerality that also suffuses the dusty and youthfully austere finale. This could use better depth but the balance is impeccable and overall, it should age gracefully for as long as anyone might reasonably want to. 94/2033+

Domaine de la Vourgeraie ☝︎ Index

Check out or existing Vougeriae holdings + Explore the Domaine in Full Detail

The Domaine de la Vougeraie was created by bringing together the Boisset family’s vineyards and other wine estates acquired over the years. The first of these goes back to 1964 with the first plot, Les Evocelles, in the village of Gevrey-Chambertin, which was bought by our father when he started out.

More than 20 years later came a second phase, with the addition of more vineyards including our first foothold on the Côte de Beaune. In 1996, the vineyards which today make up the third of our estate on the Côte de Beaune were acquired. This was followed by the acquisition of Le Clos Blanc, the famous monopole which produces its renowned golden nectar. These vines in our family village were the natural inspiration for the Domaine de la Vougeraie, like a return to our childhood roots.

Nathalie & Jean-Charles Boisset

A patchwork of 74 plots covering 42 hectares make up the estate, two-thirds on the Côte de Nuits, one-third on the Côte de Beaune, together producing 36 appellations. At the heart is the diamond set among rubies, the legendary monopole of Vougeot Premier Cru Le Clos Blanc de Vougeot.

Lovingly tended soils, low yields for concentrated fruit, which is then handled with extreme care throughout growing cycle, followed by hand-stitched vinification and ageing for each plot: All of this contributes to a style that is all about elegance and the continual quest for a precise expression of terroir.

The 2021 Vintage at Domaine de la Vougeraie

From Burghound

Sylvie Poillot, who is the general manager of this now 52 ha domaine of which 70% of the production is in red, told me that 2021 growing season was basically “like a bad dream and easily the worst in the last 20 years! In fact, it was so bad from a volume perspective that we didn’t make many of our wines. Gevrey was perhaps the worst of all as there was damage from both frost and hail and particularly in the northern section in Brochon where we have many of our parcels.

We began picking on the 17th of September in Volnay and continued through to the 1st of October. There was a huge amount of sorting necessary, and this cost us another 20% such that our yields were on average 18 hl/ha for the reds and only 23 hl/ha for the whites. By contrast potential alcohols were solid at between 12.5 and 13%. Except for the Bonnes Mares and the Musigny, I used much, much less whole clusters in the vinifications though we did more punching down than usual as the extractions were slow to arrive. In terms of the wines, I would compare the reds to 2013 and the whites to 2010.”

WHITE

 CHASSAGNE-MONTRACHET “Morgeot – Clos de la Chappelle” (Monopole) Premier Cru $327
VOUGEOT “Le Clos Blanc de Vougeot” (Monopole) Premier Cru $380

RED

PINOT NOIR “Terre de Famille” $80
BEAUNE “Les Greves” Premier Cru $179
CHAMBOLLE-MUSIGNY $248
GEVREY-CHAMBERTIN “Les Evocelles” $221
GEVREY-CHAMBERTIN “Bel Air” Premier Cru $286
VOUGEOT “Les Cras” Premier Cru $286
CHASSAGNE-MONTRACHET Morgeot “Clos de la Chapelle” (Monopole) Premier Cru $327
CORTON “Clos du Roi” Grand Cru $406
CHARMES-CHAMBERTIN “Les Mazoyeres” Grand Cru $854
CLOS de VOUGEOT Grand Cru 750ml $696 Magnum $1,456
BONNES MARES Grand Cru $1,170
MUSIGNY Grand Cru $2,384

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WHITE REVIEWS

Issue 91 – Allen Meadows’ Burghound – Domaine de la Vougeraie (Prémeaux-Prissey)

VOUGEOT “Le Clos Blanc de Vougeot” (Monopole): (a monopole of de la Vougeraie). Here too there is a suggestion of the exotic to the cool white fleshed fruit and citrus confit scents. Once again there is excellent richness and volume to the quite succulent, even seductive, medium-bodied flavors that exhibit a touch of rusticity on the sneaky long finale. (89-92)/2026+

CHASSAGNE-MONTRACHET Morgeot “Clos de la Chapelle” (Monopole): (a new 4.48 ha monopole, of which 3.5 ha is planted to chardonnay; 2021 is the first vintage). A different aromatic profile presents notes of petrol, rosemary oil, spice and an interesting whiff of orange peel. There is excellent volume and punch to the bigger-bodied flavors that also possess fine richness while delivering very fine persistence on the lemony, clean and very dry finale. This could use better depth but a few years of keeping should be beneficial. (90-93)/2028+ ♥ Outstanding

RED REVIEWS
 Issue 89 – Allen Meadows’ Burghound – Domaine de la Vougeraie (Prémeaux-Prissey)

PINOT NOIR “Terre de Famille”: (this is now 100% from the Hautes Côtes de Nuits and young vines everywhere in the Côte, and by exception in 2021, those of Vosne “Champ Perdrix, Beaune “Clos du Roi” and all of the Volnay vines). This was bottled in July 2022 and there is still a trace of post-bottling reduction so be sure to give it some air if you’re going to open a bottle upon release. More interesting are the nicely voluminous flavors that possess good richness as well as a seductive texture on the solidly complex and persistent finale. This clearly benefits from the presence of declassified juice and is worth checking out. 87/2024+ ♥ Outstanding

CHAMBOLLE-MUSIGNY: (a blend of Argillières, Veroilles, Condemennes, Derrière le Four and Les Fremiers where ~20% of the blend is from the 1ers Les Baudes and Les Gruenchers). A more elegant and highly expressive nose speaks of the essence of red currant, cherry, violet and a hint of jasmine tea. The cool, detailed and restrained medium weight flavors exude evident minerality on the firmer, dusty and linear finale. This is a quality Chambolle villages. (89-91)/2026+ ♥ Outstanding

GEVREY-CHAMBERTIN “Les Evocelles”: (from a huge holding of 3.15 ha of vines on the Brochon side; from yields of only 11 hl/ha in 2021). This is even aromatically cooler with its equally brooding mix of peppery and spicy dark berries liberally laced with newly turned earth. There is excellent delineation to the more mineral-driven if less rich middleweight flavors that conclude in a more youthfully austere finish that is at once slightly longer but also more austere. (89-91)/2029+ ♥ Outstanding

GEVREY-CHAMBERTIN “Bel Air”: (from vines that sit above Clos de Bèze). This is also quite expressive though decidedly cool with its combination of freshly crushed cherries, sliced fennel and herbal tea. There is again excellent tension to the overtly mineral and soil-inflected medium-bodied flavors that possess good mid-palate density, all wrapped in a lingering and youthfully austere if slightly lean finale. My sense is that this will flesh out with time in bottle and my predicted range offers the benefit of the doubt. (89-92)/2029+

VOUGEOT “Les Cras”: Cool, airy and softly spicy aromas include those of various red berries, anise and a violet top note. The precise and intensely mineral-driven middleweight flavors possess a refined mouthfeel that continues onto the saline, moderately austere and tension-filled finale. Lovely and understated. (89-92)/2028+

CHASSAGNE-MONTRACHET Morgeot “Clos de la Chapelle” (Monopole): (2021 is the first vintage; from a holding of .98 ha). Once again there is very good freshness to the earthier aromas of various red berries, especially cherry, along with a touch of crushed fennel. Here too there is better volume and mid-palate density to the delicious and well-detailed medium-bodied flavors that terminate in a lingering and complex if somewhat rustic and dusty finale. (89-91)/2027+

CORTON “Clos du Roi”:

CHARMES-CHAMBERTIN “Les Mazoyeres”:  (8% whole clusters). An elegant and really quite pretty nose is comprised mostly by the essence of wild red cherries, currant and just turned earth. There is both excellent volume and richness to the sappy and seductive textured flavors where the suppleness of the mid-palate contrasts somewhat with the slightly lean if persistent finale. Here too my projected range offers the benefit of the doubt that this will flesh out in time. (90-93)/2033+

CLOS de VOUGEOT: (from an exceptionally well positioned 1 ha parcel situated directly beneath Les Petits Musigny that is combined with another less well located .35 ha parcel close to the main road). A more deeply pitched nose speaks of plum, dark currant, newly turned earth and a touch of wood. There is very good size, weight and punch to the bigger-bodied flavors that offer very good length on the more structured finale that is a bit less austere than usual. (90-93)/2031+

BONNES MARES: (from a .70 ha parcel of vines near the Morey border, 50% of which were planted in 1902; 100% whole clusters). An overtly floral nose features pretty red berry fruit aromas that are nuances by hints of spice and soft earth. The super-sleek, racy, intense and pure middleweight flavors possess a really lovely texture while exhibiting fine detail on the lightly mineral-inflected, moderately austere and saline finish. This is a relatively refined BM though one that should easily repay extended keeping if desired as it’s structured but not overly backward. (92-94)/2033+

MUSIGNY: (from a tiny parcel of .17 ha; 100% whole clusters). Here too the nose is exuberantly spicy and even more floral with similar red berry fruit aromas. There is very fine concentration to the gorgeously textured, powerful and palate soaking broad-shouldered flavors that seem to be built on a base of minerality on the strikingly long, serious and already wonderfully complex finale. This is a very compact, yet refined Musigny that should age effortlessly. (93-95)/2033+

Domaine Comte Armand ☝︎ Index

Check out or existing Comte Armand holdings + Explore the Domaine in Full Detail

Domaine des Epeneaux owes its name to the Clos des Epeneaux, a magnificent parcel of five hectares acquired by Nicolas Marey at the end of the 18th, beginning of the 19th century.

In 1828, the Clos des Epeneaux and related buildings, known as the Fief de Rancy, situated in the centre of the village of Pommard, became part of the heritage of the family of the Count Armand.

The estate remained as such until 1994 when it annexed a vineyard plot situated in the neighbouring village of Volnay, then later parcels from the village of Auxey-Duresses.

Today, Domaine des Epeneaux constitutes a total surface area of 9 hectares, and is more committed than ever to producing wines that are true expressions of their terroir.

In 2014, Benjamin Leroux, after 15 vintages of passionate devotion and pleasure, handed the reins over to Paul Zinetti who had worked with the Domaine since 2010.

The Style

The wines of Pommard have historically been some of the most tannic Pinots on the Côte. Under Benjamin Leroux’s leadership, they soften considerably. Something the current winemaking team has continued.

Zinetti prefers to do long maceration with gentle extraction, including keeping the wines on their skins at 28 to 30 degrees C. for 10 to 14 days after the fermentations have finished. He noted that the color and structure were slow to come in 2016, in part because the warm September weather (the estate started harvesting on September 23) made it difficult to conduct more than a three-day pre-fermentation cold soak. That was in direct contrast to 2015, when it was particularly important to avoid overextraction: he only needed to do a total of four punchdowns followed by only pumpovers for the ‘15s. Incidentally, beginning in 2014, Zinetti has been able to keep more whole berries with a new destemmer. As there is now more intracellular fermentation, he told me, “vinifying with stems is now a bit less important.” In another attempt to make somewhat gentler wines here, Zinetti began using a vertical press in 2015, which he says gives a “natural filtering of the grapes and softer, rounder tannins. We can press strongly but it’s never overdone.” Stephen Tanzer

The 2021 Vintage at Comte Armand

From Burghound

Régisseur Paul Zinetti commented that the 2021 vintage “was much more challenging than either 2020 or 2019 and not just because of the early April frost but also because the mildew pressure was even worse than that of 2016, which was terrible as well. In terms of battling the frost, we chose to only protect Frémiets because it is always more advanced than the other vineyards. I would say the chaufrettes (heaters) helped but not more than that. For example, our yields in the Clos were only 13 hl/ha whereas they were about 18 hl/ha in Frémiets. We’ll of course take it but it was a massive effort for three consecutive nights for only a small benefit. Then of course we had to fight off the mildew, which was frankly really tough. On the plus side, and I’m not entirely sure why, but the oidium largely left us alone. We chose to begin picking on the 23rd of September and while there was some sorting necessary, it wasn’t anything major. Because we picked relatively late, potential alcohols were actually pretty good as they came in on average right at 13% so nothing was chaptalized. I did a normal vinification as I saw no reason not to though one minor modification is that I used no whole clusters. [Zinetti used 10% whole clusters in 2020.] With respect to the wines, I have to say that I was really, no, make that seriously, skeptical at first because before the malos finished, they struck me as skinny and acidic. However, after the malos finished the élevage did its magic and the wines slowly began to put on weight and became very well-balanced. I confess to rarely having seen such a positive transformation and today, I really quite like them. They’re transparent, energetic and should drink well young yet they have everything they need to age well too.” As the comments clearly attest, I was impressed with the quality I found. 

Winemaking, from the Winery

Wines are the very image of the quality of fruit they derive from.

With utmost respect toward the grape, our harvest is 100% de-stemmed, keeping most of the berries whole, not crushed.

The winemaking process then goes through three distinct stages:

Pre-fermentation maceration period of 5-8 days at a temperature of 13-14°C
Spontaneous alcoholic fermentation between 5-10 days
Post-fermentation maceration of 3 to 15 days depending on the vintage
Most years, the total maceration period lasts about 4 weeks, which is relatively long for traditional winemaking in Burgundy.

We believe it is far more beneficial to give the extracted matter sufficient time to structure itself into something more stable and harmonious during vinification.

The moon, largely guiding and presiding over our rhythm of labour, has had a significant influence in both our vineyards and vat house since the 2001 vintage. For example, our 4-week maceration corresponds to a lunar cycle (that determines the fluids of the earth). The wines are produced according to a continuous 28-day period to best preserve the vibrational state of water in the grapes at the moment of the cutting.

If this notion seems far-fetched foremost amateurs, it allows us, notwithstanding the rigorous lunar calendar, to obtain more precise wines with better minerality. Never forget: wine is constituted principally of water.

Depending on the appellation and age of the vines, our wines will age18 to 24 months in barrels, with a percentage of new oak ranging from 0% for the Village appellations to 30% for the old vines of Clos des Epeneaux.

Drinking Comte Armand Wines, from the Winery

Most of our wines are neither fined nor filtered to preserve the utmost quality. However, in spite of microbiological controls throughout the ageing process, we strongly advise that they be kept around a temperature of 12°C.

Don’t hesitate to decant (in a closed decanter) young vintages at cellar temperature.

Generally speaking, we advise patience. Even though by decanting young wines will open up, they will in no way offer the richness one can expect from those that mature a minimum of 10 to 15 years.

RED

POMMARD “Clos Epeneaux” Premier Cru $444

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RED REVIEWS

 Issue 90 – Allen Meadows’ Burghound – Domaine Comte Armand/Clos des Epeneaux (Pommard)

POMMARD “Clos Epeneaux”:  ((the 5+ ha Clos is composed of approximately 80% Petits Epenots and 20% Grands Epenots; the vine ages run from 18 to 80+ years of age and the wine is raised in ~30% new wood). Here the wood treatment is all but invisible with its super-fresh nose of cool and airy red cherry, earth and hint of the sauvage. The racy, intense and beautifully delineated middleweight flavors are not especially dense yet still manage to deliver focused power on the superbly long, balanced and youthfully austere finale. The 2021 Clos is a deceptive wine in that the mid-palate seems entirely supple and accessible yet the firm finish makes clear that it’s going to need a decade plus to realize its full potential. Good stuff. (92-94)/2033+ ♥ Sweet spot Outstanding

Domaine Henri Gouges ☝︎ Index

Check out or existing Henri Gouges holdings + Explore the Domaine in Full Detail

Henri Gouges has a long continuous history in Nuits-Saint-Georges. Nuit-Saint-Georges rests on the Southern border of Vosne-Romanée.

The creation of Domaine Henri Gouges was the culmination of four hundred years of family grape farmers. Henri formed the Domaine in 1920, but was soon discouraged with the idea of selling the fruit to négociants. He envisioned a better quality wine from his new Domaine, and by 1933 was producing, bottling and selling directly. It has remained an undivided family property as the transition continued from Henri to his sons Marcel and Michel, to the next generation of Pierre and Christian who have recently turned it over to Gregory and Antoine Gouges.

Located in the heart of the “Cote d’Or” in the village of Nuits Saint Georges, they have grown to thirty-six acres of vineyards and a modern gravity flow winemaking facility where they produce Bourgogne, Village and Premier Cru wines.

Henri’s philosophy from the old maxim, “It is on the vines that great wines are made” has endured through each subsequent generation. Respecting the land, the environment, and the traditions of the region have been at the heart of their winemaking. Great care to nurture the soil and vines has lead to the highest quality fruit while controlling yields for optimum results.

The Style

The wines of Nuits tend not be as masculine as the wine of Gevrey-Chambertin or have the immediate opulence of Vosne.

In the 1990’s Gouges used to make quite chewy reds with whole-bunch and cold soak influence. Over time they have been looking to evolve their style, making finer wines. The videos in the offer show the rebuilt winery, the exceptionally gentle fruit handling, and, berry by berry sorting, with gravity used to move fruit.

The 2021 Vintage at Henri Gouges

From Burghound

Grégory Gouges described the 2021 growing season as “one of those vintages where yields and maturities were inversely related. While painful to admit, if yields hadn’t been much lower than normal, we never would have had decent maturities so from a glass half full perspective, the lower volumes weren’t all bad news. Even so, it was a battle between the frost and the disease pressure. We picked the whites on the 17th of September and began on the reds on the 18th. Potential sugars were in the 12.5 to 12.8% range and the vinifications were relatively easy. As to the wines, they’re completely classic with good balance and while they are stylistically similar to the 2017s, speaking for our wines anyway, the 2021s are more structured and should age well.” Overall, I like the 2021s better than I thought I would as they have really improved during the élevage. As they did in 2019 and 2020, the domaine has started buying in fruit as well as participating in the Hospices de Nuits auction to augment their volumes slightly and those reviews can be found under the Maison Henri Gouges label.

Where are Henri Gouges Vineyards?

WHITE

BOURGOGNE HAUTES COTES DE NUITS Blanc (Maison) $76

RED

COTE de NUITS Village (Maison) $106
NUITS-ST.-GEORGES “Clos de la Fontaine Jacquinot” Premier Cru $199
NUITS-ST.-GEORGES “Les Chaignots” Premier Cru $234
NUITS-ST.-GEORGES “Clos des Porrets St Georges” Premier Cru Magnum $438
NUITS-ST.-GEORGES “Les Pruliers” Premier Cru 750ml $315 Magnum $653
NUITS-ST.-GEORGES “Les Saint-Georges” Premier Cru 750ml $1,243 Magnum $3,075

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RED REVIEWS

 Issue 89 – Allen Meadows’ Burghound – Domaine Henri Gouges (Nuits St. Georges)

NUITS-ST.-GEORGES “Clos de la Fontaine Jacquinot”: (from the villages portion of Les Crots; 30% whole clusters and no sulfur until the bottling). A subtle floral nuance sits atop the fresh and cool essence of red cherry and discreet earth scents. The refined and appealingly textured middleweight flavors exude a lovely bead of minerality that adds a sense of lift on the slightly firmer and longer finish. This is a lovely Nuits villages that is worth a look. 89/2027+ ♥ Outstanding

NUITS-ST.-GEORGES “Les Chaignots”: (from ~.50 ha parcel of 30+ year old vines). Markedly spicier aromas include those of red pinot fruit, blueberry and a hint of exotic tea. The rich, velvety and vibrant medium weight flavors also flash evident minerality on the balanced, lingering and solidly complex finale. As is sometimes the case, in 2021 this is more Vosne in style than Nuits. 91/2029+ ♥ Outstanding

NUITS-ST.-GEORGES “Clos des Porrets St Georges”: (a 3.57 ha monopole with 30+ year old vines). Background hints of wood are present on the brooding and much more sauvage-inflected aromas of plum and dark currant. The supple and delicious medium weight flavors possess better volume as well as mid-palate density, all wrapped in a youthfully austere and moderately rustic finish that is shaped by firm tannins. This decidedly powerful effort is excellent and much more Nuits in style. (91-93)/2033+ ♥ Outstanding

NUITS-ST.-GEORGES “Les Pruliers”: (from a 1.3 ha parcel with a mix of 80% 75+ year old vines and the remainder of 15 to 20-year-old vines). A cool, pure and distinctly earthy nose combines plum and dark berry aromas with plenty of sauvage and a hint of game. I very much like the texture of the highly energetic, sappy and rich medium weight flavors that immediately firms up on the rustic, robust and markedly powerful finish. This is very Pruliers in style and a wine that’s going to need extended patience. (91-93)/2033+ ♥ Outstanding

NUITS-ST.-GEORGES “Les Saint-Georges”: (from a 1.1 ha parcel of 55+ year old vines). This is aromatically more restrained still with more elegant and airier notes of essence of red cherry, crushed fennel, orange peel and plenty of earth elements. There is impressive mid-palate density to the delineated and equally muscular larger-bodied flavors that exude evident minerality on the powerful, serious, compact and moderately austere finale. This is also excellent but like the Vaucrains, at least some patience absolutely required. (92-94)/2036+ ♥ Sweet spot Outstanding

Domaine Mongeard-Mugneret ☝︎ Index

Check out or existing Mongeard-Mugneret holdings + Explore the Domaine in Full Detail

For more than eight generations, the Mongeard family has been established in Vosne-Romanée since the year 1620, right in the midst of the Côte de Nuits, producing wine with an utmost respect for tradition.

The Domaine Mongeard-Mugneret, renamed since 1945, now operates a large vineyard in the purist of the burgundy tradition. My grand-father was Eugène Mongeard and my grand-mother Edmée Mugneret.

The property accounts today for approximately 30 hectares, spread on 35 different appellations producing white Burgundy issued from the Chardonnay grape, but also essentially red wines issued from the Pinot Noir grape in the best climates of the Côte.

Records show a Mongeard working as vigneron for Domaine de la Romanée-Conti in 1786. In 1945, Jean Mongeard, whose mother was a Mugneret, found himself making wine at the age of 16 in the place of his father who had died years earlier. The entire 1945 crop was purchased by Baron le Roy, Marquis d’Angerville, and Henri Gouges. Gouges instructed the young Mongeard to personally bottle the wines, rather than sell in barrel. In 1975, Vincent Mongeard, Jean’s son, began working alongside his father and became responsible for viticulture and vinification of the domaine’s wines. He persuaded his father to return to the traditional method of bottling, without filtration, filtering only with certain vintages. Jean Mongeard retired in 1995, and Vincent assumed complete leadership of the domaine. Today, Domaine Mongeard-Mugneret covers a total area of more than 75 acres, split among 35 appellations. The varied range of climats in which the Mongeards own vineyards results, naturally, in wines of great diversity.

The 2021 Vintage at Mongeard-Mugneret

Vintage reports & reviews are current unavailable from either Burghound or William Kelley.

REDS

COTEAUX BOURGUIGNONS “La Superbe” $57
BOURGOGNE HAUTES-COTES-DE-NUITS “Les Dames Huguettes” $108
VOSNE-ROMANEE $282
FIXIN “Vieilles Vigne” $193
VOSNE-ROMANEE “Les Orveaux” Premier Cru $483
VOSNE-ROMANEE “Les Petits Monts” Premier Cru $483
NUITS-ST.-GEORGES “Aux Boudots” Premier Cru $483
VOUGEOT “Les Cras” Premier Cru $483
ECHEZEAUX Grand Cru $775
ECHEZEAUX “Les Grand Complication” $1,198
GRANDS-ECHEZEAUX $1,198
CLOS de VOUGEOT $943