BURGUNDY CORNER

A QUICK LOOK BACK: DELICIOUS, AFFORDABLE BURGUNDY

Around here we’re usually pretty occupied talking about the newest stuff that comes our way. We rarely have time to repeat ourselves. We do drink wine on our own time as well and drink pretty well as you might guess. That said, it seemed worth a note on something from the floor tasted the other night that really lit us up, the Domaine Etienne Delarche Pernand-Vergelesses Les Boutieres 2020.

The short story is that this wine, on that night, was hitting on all cylinders. The nose is an effusive mix of boisterous red and black fruits, dark spices that persisted all the way through the finish, and accents of subtle minerality. On the palate there were layers of flavors almost like fireworks hitting all parts of the palate. Maybe it was just the day but it was a memorable bottle.

Here is a quick recap of the story we told many months ago…

“Though we know the importer is writing to sell wine, his descriptors for this wine are ‘spot on’ when he says, “… Delarche Burgundy offers a clarity and purity of flavor that is captivating; whites are creamy and concentrated, taking a cue from Corton-Charlemagne, while reds are spicy and refined, seductive from the moment they’re bottled yet able to age effortlessly for years…” The Pernand, in fact all of these, follow those descriptors pretty much to the letter.

The star of the show, Domaine Etienne Delarche Pernand-Vergelesses les Boutiers Vieilles Vignes 2020, comes from vines that are quite ‘vieilles’ at age 70+. This lieu dit sits in deep, clay-rich soils facing southeast at the foot of the slope, touching Pernand Premier Crus ‘Vergelesses’ and ‘Les Fichots on one side and Aloxe Corton Premier Crus Vercots and Guerets on the other. It’s a very nice neighborhood. As to the vintage, we have spoken many times already about our love of the 2020s, one of the few times in memory where both reds and whites excelled.

The reds from 2020 are like nothing in recent memory. The colors are deep and saturated and there is an uncommon richness and authority to the mouthfeel of the best examples. With a little air, the les Boutieres virtually jumps out of the glass with notes of deeply ripe black cherry, spice, violet and underlying sweet earth.

Urgent fruit is the order of the day with intense, energetic black cherry and brambleberry from front to back and the kind of cohesive statement of fruit and terroir that makes Burgundy so special. Yeah, it’s not a Premier Cru but it sure tastes like one and, at $34.98, certainly doesn’t cost like one. Even among all of the exciting 2020 reds we have been tasting thus far, this one is memorable.

The importer’s notes called this small estate ‘one of the Cote du Beaune’s best kept secrets’ and it still is with regard to the media. Bur that’s find with us. More attention usually means higher prices and less availability. This is another shrewd buy for Burgundy lovers and you will never regret having a lot of 2020s.”

SHOCKING CHARDONNAY BUY FROM THE LAND OF GAMAY

The thing about wine is that the story is ongoing. There are always new regions and new personalities coming along to broaden one’s selection and unusual things coming from places you might not expect. Yes, they do grow some Chardonnay in Beaujolais, some of it pretty good but mostly utilitarian stylistically. Here in the land of granite, Gamay is king. With that in mind, there are apparently rare exceptions. In this case, in and among the Gamay in the Cru Beaujolais villages are plots of Chardonnay. A few of them (well, this one anyway) have soil conditions more akin to those of the Cote d’Or.

Located near the dividing line between Macon and Beaujolais, Domaine de la Sorbiere is the new name for an existing estate that was purchased by Jacques Juilliard and his wife Anne Marie. It was not Jacques original intent to dive deeply into either farming or winemaking. But there was a commitment to making wine in the most non-interventionist way possible and, once he got his hands dirty, it was ‘game on’. Like a lot of small estates these days, the golden rule was to showcase the terroir. In this case, for this area, the ‘terroir’ has more in common with those famous Chardonnay plots to the north. Yeah, it’s the limestone that makes this plot so Chardonnay-friendly here in the land of granite, something rather rare in this part of the world.

Since it was legitimately ‘natural’, it quickly found an audience. But unlike a lot of wines made this way, it is meticulously clean and bright. The juice is fermented with native yeasts and aged in a combination of amphorae and neutral, 600-liter barrels. No sulfur is added during winemaking and only tiny amounts are used during bottling.

This has all of the trappings of something from the Cote de Beaune with crisp minerality and a touch of salinity in the nose. The flavors run from yellow stone fruits to apple with flecks of grilled nuts and stones. It is round in the mouth, reflecting the warm vintage, but has sufficient cut to keep everything lifted and fresh. Very classy juice for the fare.

In the end, the Domaine de la Sorbière Bourgogne Blanc Terre de Roche 2022 bears a strong resemblance to a Chardonnay from more famous terroirs with its unexpected nuance and purity of fruit save for one important aspect…the price ($17.98)!

CHABLIS TRIPLE PLAY FROM COLLET

It may appear to some that we write disproportionately about Chablis. Well, to be honest, we’ve long been fans of the region. But, perhaps more to the point, it has been increasingly difficult to find things to get excited about. First off, pricing in Burgundy overall has become even more expensive even to those of us that have been around it for quite some time. Add to that the dual effect of global warming, and the success rate seems to have been greatly reduced.

First off, these days, it seems they have some sort of weather disaster on a regular basis. There have been a few untimely frosts over the last few years that have decimated the size of the crop almost to the point where you wonder how these folks can make ends meet. Farming in Chablis these days would hardly be a proposition that would invite outside investment given the variability in the crop size.

Perhaps more consistently problematic is the increasingly warm growing seasons threaten the mojo of Chablis itself. As we have also said of Sancerre, the riper vintages and lower acidity presented by global warming make far to many examples from the region today taste fat and flabby, definitely not the crisp, flinty profile that makes Chablis, well, Chablis. So when we do run across something that gives us a wine that is crisp, linear, vibrant, truly terroir driven and packed with nuances of the marine soils that define the region, these days that is newsworthy.

Within that context, 2021 was a cooler, closer to normal (from a weather standpoint anyway) vintage for fans of traditional Chablis. The producer in this case was Jean Collet, a domaine we have featured a few times of late because they are, unlike a lot of other sources in the region, are still making Chablis that tastes like Chablis, really good Chablis as a matter of fact.

The aromas all centered on the happy scents of crisp apples, ripe limes, and seashells, with a fine underpinning of acidity to support a fruit component that was giving but with the proper amount of tension. In other words, delicious Chablis bottlings that were well made, terroir driven examples of what they were supposed to be. We tasted four and bought three because each one was such a spot-on, focused expression of their distinct Crus. Thrillingly ‘real’ Chablis…tasting notes from Burghound and quite good scores for him.

Domaine Jean Collet Chablis Les Forêts 2021 (90-93 ♥)-“A slightly riper nose features nose of white peach, sea breeze, citrus confit and quinine. There is again fine volume and intensity to the relatively powerful, even muscular, medium-weight flavors that flash ample minerality on the youthfully austere, balanced and more complex finale.”

Domaine Jean Collet Chablis Montmains 2021 (90-92)-“A much more floral nose expresses nuances of citrus confit and spice if more moderate amounts of Chablis character. There is however both better volume and refinement to the medium-bodied flavors that offer a lovely minerality on the lingering, balanced and delicious finale. If this can add depth with a few years in bottle it could be excellent.”

Jean Collet et Fils Chablis 1er Cru Montee de Tonnerre 2021 (90-93 ♥)-“Discreet but still noticeable wood easily allows the elegant floral-suffused aromas of mineral reduction, lemon rind and sea breeze. The racy, wonderfully refined and beautifully detailed flavors exude a bracing minerality on the youthfully austere and impressively long finale. This too needs more depth but appears to have the necessary stuffing to develop it.”

ANTHONY THEVENET MORGON LES CLOS 2021

The name is familiar. There are lots of folks named Thevenet in southern Burgundy. But they are typically white wine producers. Associating the name Thevenet with Beaujolais is, however, something fairly new for most folks. The domaine itself has only been around since 2013, and Anthony Thevenet has had to learn on the fly given the wide variations in vintages since the domaine’s inception.

Anthony is a member of Beaujolais new wave of young, passionate vignerons that hold as ideal the purity and legacy in Cru Beaujolais. In 2010, Thévenet inherited his grandfather’s vineyard in Villié-Morgon, with vines ranging from 40-150 years old. That same year he began working alongside Beaujolais icons Jean Foillard and George Descombes in the field and in the cellar. He honed his skills with these established producers and, based on this wine, he learned well. The vintage 2021 was no slam dunk but this is a gem by any standard.

All the wines are vinified with a carbonic maceration without any sulfur added until just before bottling, and they ferment at temperatures no lower than 16°C. There are no added yeasts, and the fermentations are done in a gentle, infusion style, and can last between eight to thirty days, with the latter rarer and only employed for the top wines. There is no fining or filtration, and the total sulfite levels are under 15mg/L (15ppm…extremely low). The purity and clarity of each wine’s terroir expression is due to Thevenet’s ultra-low sulfite content and his undivided attention to detail.

This is the first bottling of this cuvee, Anthony Thevenet Morgon Le Clos 2021, is from 20-year-old vines situated in granitic bedrock and sand. Even though it is done with carbonic, it has none of the cursory, simple fruitiness of a lot of commercial Beaujolais. It is, instead, more in the Burgundian, ‘old school’ style of mentor Foillard, but with a more focused style. There is weight and richness, complex aromatics, and a refined palate authority. Rather than blend it into other Morgon bottlings, Thevenet felt this cuvee made its own statement. There’s an abundance of red fruits (cherry, plum, mulberry) with subtle underpinnings of mineral as you expect from such a site, and an augmenting savory backbone. Precise and delicious, this is one of those wines that performs well above most people’s perception of its appellation.

Apparently Neal martin of Vinous, one of the few to deliver early words on the 2021s, was also in our camp,” The 2021 Morgon le Clos is the maiden release from vines just in front of the winery on soils of clay with a little sand. it undergoes a 10-day maceration. This is sprightly on the nose with rose petal infused transparent red fruit. Very elegant. The palate is medium-bodied with a life affirming mineral-driven entry. Vivid and refined with a precise tart finish that is simply one of the best you will come across in this vintage. Brilliant… 94 points.”

ANOTHER RISING STAR IN CHABLIS

We’ll start with what is essentially the importer’s notes. Sebastien Christophe is a budding superstar from Chablis but is the ultimate underdog. While known for its stolid rigidity, France’s wine culture still allows for a lot of mobility. That’s how a young kid gifted just a couple of acres of average vineyard land in Chablis could rise up seemingly out of nowhere to make brilliant wine from the three most heralded Premier Crus in the region. That happened because he was also gifted with a good bit of moxie and a cranking work ethic, which will you get far anywhere.

What makes Sebastien’s wines so great? Well, as is the case in Chablis, it’s not the winemaking, which is pretty standard for the region, as the goal here is never to showcase cellar prowess, but rather the nature of the vineyard itself. Sebastien vinifies and ages wine overwhelmingly in stainless steel, as is the general practice of the region. Less than 10% of the wines see cellar aging in neutral oak barrels, providing a little textural and structural contrast to the bristly energy of stainless steel.
He started with a small half hectare parcel of Petit Chablis from his family and made a run for it. After winemaking school he started to vinify this tiny parcel and has slowly acquired small parcels of village vineyards and a lot of Petit Chablis land. He also rents parcels that he farms entirely himself. Today, he has three premier crus on the right bank of the Serein river, Fourchaume, Mont de Milieu and Montée de Tonnerre. Except for the wines designated for Paris hotspots, almost all of his wines are exported.

Chablis itself is a place that is changing. Obviously the soils and exposures remain the same. But the warming climate and consequential erratic weather have had impact. There have been unpredictable frosts that have devastated some harvest. Plus the heat can have a negative effect on acidity. But there are some plusses. You don’t get searing acidity as much these days. The problem is actually maintaining adequate acidity to support the fruit and keep the mineral laced, brisk backbone that is an important part of the region’s identity. The best winemakers like Sebastien know what to do, and Mont de Milieu is a vineyard has many faces stylistically depending on the producer, but is a perfect ‘centrist’ for today’s Chablis.

The grapes are picked by hand, pressed, settled in tank overnight, then racked off the heavy sediments after one day before beginning its low temperature fermentation. The spontaneous wild yeast fermentation lasts between 1-2 months and takes place in stainless steel (80%) and the remainder in 228-liter oak barrels (new, 1-, 2- and 3-year-old, the total new wood is approximately 7%). Battonage (lees stirring) is sometimes made, but only in the steel tanks and the frequency depends on the vintage—warm years nothing and in colder ones no more than two times.

This Christophe Chablis Mont de Milieu 2021 shows the perfect combination of the more tender fruit of these warmer times but with perfectly proportioned minerality and acidity to stay true to its origins. Apple, apricot, and lime alongside chalky minerality and some salinity, it is clean and insistent but with just the right volume. It is for Chablis drinkers to enjoy and not designed to overpower. In other words, perfectly engaging. None of the media has caught up to this vintage as yet (many are several vintages behind with this producer) so there is nothing else to add to our own enthusiastic recommendation. Well priced for the performance and pedigree.

BRILLIANT WHITE BURGS FROM VIRTUOSO FABIEN DUPERRAY

As most of you who have been with us for a while know, we have been standard bearers for Beaujolais. We have brought you amazing values like some of the single-vineyard bottlings from Dubouef, promoted the classics like Thevanet, Lapierre, and Burgaud and chronicled the Cote d’Or invasion from the likes Girardin and Liger-Belair. For us, Beaujolais has always been important. In doing our research for the wines we were going to promote, we kept running across the name Jules Desjourneys. Not only were they some of the highest scoring Beaujolais we had ever seen, they were some of the most expensive by a fair bit.

When we finally had the opportunity to taste some of Desjourneys red Beaujolais, given their other worldly reputation, we were frankly disappointed. Yes the wines were unique and deeply colored, but they were also dense, impenetrable, and not really representative of the appellation. Yeah, we understand that being different will get you noticed, but we were certainly not as impressed as the pundits were. What did shock the heck out of us were how good the whites were, something that was not widely published.

That was the last time we saw anything from Desjourneys who, we were told by the importer at the time, wasn’t easy to deal with. Near as we can tell, he doesn’t have a national importer (only two stores have it on winesearcher). So when we saw some of these wines offered in Europe, remembering those stunning efforts from the 2015 vintage, we were all over them.

Now there is some buzz about the whites thanks to Wine Advocate’s Europe based reviewer William Kelly. His overview, “As I’ve written before, the irrepressible Fabien Duperray displays just as virtuosic talents in the vinification and élevage of his Mâconnais whites as he does with his Beaujolais reds, drawing on lessons learned in the company of the likes of Jean-François Coche, Arnaud Ente and Pierre Morey, producers he has represented in the French market for decades. In merely a handful of years, this project—a collaboration with Fuissé’s Domaine Thibert—has begun to consistently realize wines of genius that rank among the region’s élite…Whether this is the highest form of expression in wine, and whether a strong personal fingerprint is incompatible with or complementary to the articulation of nuances of site is a question for everyone to ponder; but Duperray appears to have arrived at his own answer.”

As a former sales arm of some of Burgundy’s elite estates, Duperray learned from the best. All of these are surprisingly expressive with driving underlying acidity. They knocked us out initially and this batch only served to prove our first impressions those years ago were not off base. We have modest quantities of these wines below, providing the reviews as well. But know that we could easily add a point or two just for the experience. Yes they are more expensive that typical Macons, but these are not ‘typical’ in any way.

Of the Jules Desjourneys Macon Fuissé Bois de la Croix 2018, Kelly wrote, “From a southeasterly exposed parcel characterized by schist soils, the 2018 Mâcon-Fuissé Bois de la Croix offers up notes of pear, orange oil and buttery pastry. Medium to full-bodied, fleshy and muscular, it’s impressively structured and built to age for the vintage, with racy acids and chalky extract, concluding with a long finish. This already punches above its weight, and it will be even better with a bit of bottle age…92+ points.”

About the Jules Desjourneys Macon Verzé 2018, Kelly waxed, “From holdings at the top of the slope, exposed to the west, the 2018 Mâcon-Verzé unwinds in the glass with notes of pear, confit lemon, white flowers, warm bread and clear honey. Medium to full-bodied, satiny and enveloping, it’s fleshy and elegant, with a seamlessly layered mid-palate, bright acids and a saline finish…92 Points.”

On the Jules Desjourneys Macon Prissé en Chailloux 2018, we found no reference to the lieu dit En Chailloux anywhere in reviews. There were multiple reviews on something merely called Macon Prissé that certainly describes this wine, “The 2018 Mâcon-Prissé offers up aromas of clear honey, fresh pear, blanched almonds and citrus zest. Medium to full-bodied, ample and fleshy, it’s bright and precise, its lively spine of acidity cloaked in crisp but fleshy fruit…91 points.”

These are thrilling and distinctive wines that every white Burgundy lover should explore and their driving style should provide a structure for aging should that be your choice. But these are special wines that we don’t have access to on a regular basis, and they expand the expectations of what can be done in Macon.

AN EARLY LOOK AT 2021 BURGUNDY WITH GERARD RAPHET

This wine represents a couple of things. It is the newest release from Gerard Raphet, highly respected vigneron based in Morey-Saint-Denis who produces from a variety of parcels in the Cotes de Nuits (Morey, Gevrey, and Vougeot). It is also a good indication of what expect from 2021. Somebody like Raphet is a good touchstone for the vintage. He has been a consistent source of engaging Burgundy for a long time and his style is supple, gentle and quite user friendly. If there is something to work with, it will show.

The 2021 vintage in Burgundy was not easy. You had to know your business. There were weather patterns early on that made this something of a vintage of perils from heat that caused the vines to sprout early and then a late frost that undid everything. Yields were greatly curtailed but what remained was good enough for those that knew how to farm and when to harvest. There’s the rub. If you want a blanket statement about the vintage, there isn’t one that is going to be accurate because there were so many bumps in the road and not everyone has the same skills.

We have access to reports describing the whole season, but in the end it’s all about what ends up in the glass. The constants are consistent quirks in the weather and dismal yields because of the early season freeze. As Frederic Mugnier is quoted as saying, “I like it when it’s difficult. It’s like the good old days…” The crazy weather tested the talents of the vintners. But there were many successes from proven performers, the difference being they were the firmer, more delicate profiles of the ‘days of old’ than the opulent examples post global warming. If you have been into Burgundy for a long time, this will be nostalgic and you’ll be right at home.

The Gerard Raphet Bourgogne Grands Champs 2021 comes from a lieu-dit that abuts villages Gevrey vineyards on three sides. It looks on a map like there was some gerrymandering around the vineyard. The vines here are 40+ years old and the soils are red clay and silt. The grapes were hand harvested and fermented via indigenous yeasts. They spent 18 months in older barrels and were bottled unfiltered and unfined.

The nose is an expressive mix of high-toned red fruits accented with some dusty minerality and emerging spice tones. There is weight and ripeness in the mouth in the form of expressive red fruits and deceptive nuance. It is decidedly and delightfully Old World with its lift and delineation and, while it isn’t necessarily going to last decades, it is a classy, elegant, more complex choice for a Pinot Noir in this price range.

YET ANOTHER IMPRESSIVE EFFORT FROM A THEVENET

The name Thevenet is pretty common in Burgundy, including the proprietors of a couple of our favorites from the Maconnais in Domaine de la Bongran and Emilian Gillet, and a Beaujolais producer of some repute (Jean-Paul Thevenet) as well as rising star Anthony. It’s hard to keep track of all the Thevenets without a program. Today’s subject is one we have sold only one other time (a sparkling wine) and, for whatever reason, gets little attention from the press (we did find a couple of WIne Advocate reviews…from the mid-90s. But the Thévenet & Fils Saint Véran Clos de l’Ermitage Saint Claude Vieilles Vignes 2021 was such an impressive effort at such an attractive fare, it merited adding yet another Thevenet to the mix.

Asto the estate, Jean-Claude Thevenet took the reins for this family domaine in 1971 from his father, Raymond. At the time, their holdings were a mere three 3 hectares. Jean Claude proceeded to build the domaine to its current size of 30 hectares with vineyards centered on their village of Pierreclos at the heart of the Maconnais. In addition to working their own vineyards, the Thévenet family, for three generations, has also conducted a successful nursery business producing fine quality grape vines for many family-owned domaines in Burgundy and also in the Champagne district. Now his three sons (Benjamin, Jonathan and Aurélien) are part of the team.

This prestige cuvée is produced from the oldest vines in a five-hectare parcel (Clos de l’Ermitage Saint Claude ) exploited entirely as a “monopole”by the Thevenet family. The average age of the south-facing Chardonnay vines located in Prissé are seventy years old, certainly validating the nomenclature vieilles vignes. The production of this cuvee is rather limited at roughly 1000 cases per year, and it sees no oak aging.

This is an unexpectedly broad-shouldered Chardonnay particularly given its origins. Sizeable, well packed, with a firm backbone of fine acidity and big fruit to match. Pear and citrus are the main themes with floral elements to the nose and a sleek underpinning of acidity. Impressive, particularly for the fare.

2020 BURGUNDIES: WE’RE NOT NAGGING BUT…

In virtually every offer we have made on the 2020 red Burgundies, we have included our monologue about how special a moment it is for Burgundy fans. It’s something of a harmonic convergence of a number of factors that have created what we see as one of the most opportune buying windows we have ever scene for this difficult-to-play category. We’ll synopsize as best we can.

First, global warming has raised the bar for a lot of so-called lesser Burgundy appellations from a historic perspective. Prices in the region have been established over decades (centuries?) based on the consistent performances of certain villages. Conversely, those villages that haven’t been able to be as dependable because their climate is more marginal have an upper limit on what they can charge for their wines. Global warming has added a couple degrees of ripeness to those marginal Burgundy regions (Marsannay, Mercurey, Givry, for example) and created far more consistent, engaging and successful harvests while the prices have been slow to adjust upward.

The 2020 vintage was a flashpoint as a warm, ripe harvest combined with an abnormally short crop (also thanks to the quirky weather patterns brought on by global warming, but that’s a much more complicated explanation) has created a crop of rich, deeply colored, well endowed red Burgundies the likes of which we can’t recall. The 2019 vintage was also extremely successful and there are a few bits of that vintage still around.

Even though the crop loads have been lighter, most producers have thus far mainly kept prices relatively reasonable. The situation has also been aided (to an extent) by an extremely attractive, historically low exchange rate with the eruo vis-à-vis the U.S. Dollar. To summarize, you’ve got one of the best vintages we have ever seen on the market at a time when the prices are based on the most opportune exchange rate.

Looking forward, the 2021 vintage was an even shorter crop and, according to most accounts, not particularly special. Given the extreme shortages, to put it bluntly, prices will rise even without additional help from a declining exchange rate or a highly collectable vintage. Any additional negative ‘money’ moves will only augment the problem. So you will effectively be asked to pay more for lesser wines with the 2021s. Thus far 2022, the vintage, looks positive, but also vulnerable to yet another round of price increases.

Right now, Burgundy lovers, you are in the perfect window…a broad selection of viable wines from a historic vintage at some of the best prices relatively. To be sure, things are starting to change. Some of those ‘lesser’ appellations are edging up pricewise in this extremely successful vintage. But the prices for what’s in the bottle in most cases are still at a relatively good value point for the category. In other words, you may never have the opportunity to get Burgundy this good for this kind of money in the foreseeable future.

We keep to the message not because we’re like those nagging ‘aunts’ on that TV insurance commercial (“expired…expired”), but because it’s the truth. Sure, there will be people that will ‘opt out’ if Burgundy gets too crazy. The recent spate of good vintages and relative affordability, however, have reminded us how much we love Burgundy. Maybe you’ve felt that, too.

There have been long stretches over the years with Burgundy where either the vintage or the price (or both) have not been particularly accommodating. The last couple of years have been really fun. But as we know with Mother Nature, nothing lasts forever. This is a rare, special moment where Burgundy aficionados have an advantage. It’s our job to point that out (even if it might sound a little naggy). But this too will pass and these times will become the ‘good old days of yore’. Stock lists below, good hunting!

Check stocks of 2020 Red Burgundies

Check stocks of 2019 Red Burgundies

ENCORE DU GALOPIERE-KILLER BURGS AT LITTLE PRICES

We’ll make our basic case right up front. As we have explained many times, ‘value’ is a relative term. In no place is that harder to define than Burgundy but we think we have a pretty good formula. Simply, find a talented producer that hasn’t been discovered yet, and get them to the back door as cheaply as possible. If you are looking for labels that will impress your friends, notoriety costs. If you are looking for delicious Burgundy, our method works pretty well.

We introduced this new (to us) label, Galopiere, a few weeks ago with a blockbuster Chassagne Montrachet 1er Cru Clos St. Jean 2020 for a price less than what you’d pay for a villages bottling from some high profile producer. Burgundy is packed with small, unknown, high quality producers. The trick is finding them. Galopiere was quite the find.

The Fournier family, who own and produce Galopiere, have been in the wine trade for over a century starting with Eusebe Fournier in 1882. A century later, in 1982, Gilbert Fournier’s parents gave him a plot of Bourgogne Rouge. Since that time Gilbert has been expanding the domaine, adding plots in Meursault, Ladoix, Aloxe Corton, Savigny-les-Beaune, and Pommard. He added this plot of Chassagne Clos St. Jean in 2010 and a parcel of Chassagne Morgeot in 2016. The estate now totals 11 hectares (about 27 acres).

Their vineyard philosophy involves taking things backward. They have spent great effort to recreate the flora and fauna of an earlier time with the idea that this natural, historic harmony is important for the vine’s performance. Like a lot of vintners, their intent is to reflect and express the terroir. They aren’t interested in talking about oak regimens. In their words, “our wines offer a journey on the original typicity of the terroirs and not on an excessive oakiness which hides everything, even what is missing.” They harvest by hand and perform several ‘sorts’ and ferment with natural yeasts.

Naturally, given the success of that Chassagne, we went back to our purveyor to inquire what other little gems they might have from this promising source. Their response was this pair of wines, though quantities precluded a broad email offer.

The Domaine de la Galopiere Savigny-les-Beaune 2019 is sources from three different vineyards, contiguous Aux Fourches and Les Pimentiers and Dessus des Vermot at the western end of the appellation. The harvest is manual, fermentation is done in traditional open vats and the finished wine sees 12 months in barrels ranging from 10-20% new.

Clean, pure, and expressive, this has loads of bouyant dark cherry fruit as a main thrust with tender edges and an efficient but not intrusive lift of acidity. Subtle notes of forest floor and fresh tobacco punctuate the fruit tones but it is a bright display of that hedonistic fruit aspect that has been a consistent theme of the 2019s. Delicious red Burgundy for under $30? Yes please.

The Domaine de la Galopiere Ladoix Blanc 2020 is a bit of a different proposition in that is from the best white wine vintage in Burgundy since 2014, but with perhaps a little more flesh than the typical ’14. From a single climat more or less in the middle of the hill (Le Clou) with classic clay-limestone and marl soils. If you recall some of the unique Ladoix bottlings we have featured from further up the hill that have profiles that remind one of Corton-Charlemagne, this one has a little of that almond and white flower note as well. The nose is delicate with spice, orange, and white stone fruit elements as well. In the mouth it’s quite flavorful, fresh and focused yet elegant and light on its feet. Very pretty Chardonnay in a style that can only be done here, and nicely priced under $35.

As we said before, since this is our first go-round with Galopiere we have no feel for how much two excellent vintages contributed to the outcomes here. We know that our sourcing had a lot to do with the great prices. But given what we’ve seen so far, you can bet we are gong to keep an eye on these folks moving forward and enjoy these for now.