bourgogne

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.

A WORD ABOUT THE BIRD

We’ve published our rather expansive recommendation list for Thanksgiving on many occasions, focusing on all the choices we think best for that holiday fowl. We’ll sum up the basics in a couple of sentences. First, Turkey in its various preparations is pretty versatile and plays nicely with a huge variety of wines, the only exceptions in our minds being oaky whites and heavy reds. The choice has more to do with the accompanying items, whether they are sweeter or more savory, than it does with the bird itself. That said, we tend to be on the savory side food-wise and our personal preferences are lighter reds like Pinot Noir or Beaujolais with the traditional roast (or smoked, or fried) bird.

Also, we think that the multifaceted menu that most people serve, the passing of food and lively conversation, don’t necessarily present the best showcasing of ‘top wines in the cellar’. All the nuances and layers of such wines, that extra little something that puts them at a higher qualitative level, could definitely get lost in the commotion. We tend to be thrifty sorts anyway. As you know we always have plenty to choose from. But this time around here are a few specific, modestly priced selections in our preferred categories that will ‘get it done’ and not break the bank.

Bonaccorsi Pinot Noir Santa Rita Hills 2018 ($19.98)- This wine is composed of grapes sourced from elite sources, Fiddlestix, John Sebastiano and a small amount Duvarita. It’s also important to stress that the winery didn’t bottle these as single vineyards in 2018. These aren’t the ‘remnants’ of the selection process for designate bottlings…it’s all of what they got. The wine was held in neutral Francois Freres barrels for 20 months (to marry and round out with imparting any oaky imprint) and bottled unfiltered and unfined. The wine itself is classic Pinot for the region. Plenty of insistent strawberry and mulberry laced fruit with all sorts of nuance (rose, orange, tea, savory spice, and violet). The fruit is pure, ripe, and ample and, at every turn, bright and lifted. It’s really fine Pinot that could play at your Thanksgiving table or any white table cloth occasion, yet it is friendly in a way that it makes it comfortable to just haul off and drink.

Rene LeClerc Bourgogne Rouge 2017 ($26.98)- The ample, meaty style packed with sweet fruit is still the classic recipe here by tradition and one that is no doubt made lusher , rounder, and more engaging by the recent warmer vintages. Everything in this wine is grown in within the appellation of Gevrey Chambertin, from parcels in the Billiards, the Platière and the Pressionniers. The yields are low and this wine sees no new oak, Francois’ deference to his father. But this is as engaging, pure, and honest a Burgundy as you will find. This is a fine, juicy example of ‘authentic’ Burgundy, with the ‘kids’ now in charge, giving props to the ‘old style’, but with the kind of finesse and hygiene that elevates the entire experience. Ripe, maybe a little ‘chewy’ but with an intriguing lush palate presence, there’s plenty of soulful, sweet dark cherry and currant character laced with notes of mineral, earth, and leather. This is the kind of Burgundy we love to drink and a special experience for this kind of fare. Anybody else would be charging a lot more.

Pavillon de Chavannes Cote de Brouilly Cuvee des Ambassades 2020 ($21.98)- This estate was acquired by the Jambon Chanrion family around the time of the American Civil War (1861). Today Pavillon de Chavannes consists of 37 prime acres on Mont Brouilly. They make two cuvees, and this is the top one, Cuvee des Ambassades, which comes from 12 acres of Paul’s best parcels. The name ‘cuvee Ambassades’ (ambassadors cuvee) is rather a literal one as this Cote de Brouilly is purchased by the Quai d’Orsay for use in French embassies around the world. It is the last wine to be bottled by the estate in a given vintage and it is the most age-worthy. The Cote de Brouilly is all about the blue granite that is laced with volcanic porphyry, or crystallized mineral deposits. The Cote de Brouilly appellation refers only to the higher, better-ripening parcels (the rest is simply labeled Brouilly) on the upper part of the hill. Within those parameters, Paul’s holding are the highest and the steepest in this elevated appellation. This is a very old school Beaujolais stylistically in the best sense. Traditional winemaking allows this concentrated wine to showcase pure, intense red-leaning-to-black fruits with hints of spice and plenty of the granite minerality for which this particular ‘rock’ is known. There is plenty of fruit here, but of a cooler profile, with more lift and brighter flavors. Mouth-filling and delicious, but also showing the more serious, structured, ‘wants-to-be-Burgundy’ side of Beaujolais.

Georges Duboeuf Fleurie Clos des Quatre Vents 2019 ($19.98)-Why would one worry about ‘Nouveau’ when you could have something this good and ready to go here. The 2021 vintage has a tough one anyway and the cost of air freight these days adds more to the tab. Here we have a lovely effort from a proven source in a great vintage with multiple reviews for under $20! From the Decanter Wine Awards, “Gorgeous aromatics of plush blackberry jam, warm bramble and toasty oak, while the expressive palate is layered with generous, full bodied bramble fruit and high, toasted oak… 97 Points. “ From James Suckling, “This has a fresh, fruity nose of raspberry, red apple, peach and watermelon. Some earth and mushroom, too. It’s medium-bodied with sleek, silky tannins. Layered and delicious. Drink now…93 points.” Serve this with a little chill and watch it disappear.

Georges Glantenay Volnay 2018 ($29.98)– Ease and likeability is what always comes to mind when we think of Volnay, arguably one of Burgundy’s most appealing appellations. Admittedly, we have a particular passion for good Volnays. Very often Volnay, with all of its bright, spicy, lilting cherry fruit and pure flavors, is a ‘first love’ as one gets into Burgundy in the first place, and that never changes. This is like that. The nose opens with effusive red and dark cherry fruit that leans even a little darker with air. There are hints of savory and earth as nuances in both the nose and subtly woven into the flavors. There’s a little hint of toast at the back end, again purely acting as an accent to that ‘Volnacious’ fruit core. We’ll borrow a little from Burghound in closing, “…sleek, delicious and nicely vibrant flavors possess a lilting mouthfeel (with) the sneaky long and relatively pliant finish…” It’s really well priced as Burgundies go as a bonus.

Anselmann Spatburgunder 2014 ($14.99)–Jah, Spatburgunder. German Pinot Noir isn’t always the first wine people think of. It’s colder there and a lot of the examples we have tasted over the years have been on the tart, thin side. Add that to the fact that the Germans are quite proud of their Pinots, and charge a lot for them, and it isn’t a proposition that we present very often. That’s what makes this last minute discovery fun to talk about. This is ‘typical’, but also not so typical. It definitely has the cooler, more savory profile of a cool climate Pinot, but also the fruit and texture to present itself to a much broader audience. The Anselmann family holdings are located in the Pfaltz where they have been in the wine business for over 400 years. Atypically for this region, 40% of their plantings are red grapes (Dornfelder anyone?). This Pinot is fruit-driven and is reminiscent of strawberries, raspberries and cherries with notes of violets and sage. The fruit has Just the right weight to fill in the palate and round it out while still keeping its typicite. Surely the bottle age had a positive effect and we also got it at about half price! A screaming deal and great with food. Sehr gut.

‘EOV’ BARGAIN ON A BOURGOGNE BLANC

We’re always on the hunt for high-performance, well-priced Burgundy in all of the colors. This one kind of fell into our laps but we’re happy to take it. There are probably a few things to explain. First is the fact that this Bouchard isn’t the more familiar one. Bouchard is a negociant family that originally came to Burgundy in the mid-1700s to continue their fabric trade. They rather quickly added being a wine merchant to their list of activities. Around 1828, Theodore-Joseph Bouchard set up his own firm as Bouchard Aine, separate from Bouchard Pere though, apparently, both originated from the same family of Michel Bouchard. Both operated continuously and Bouchard Aine was purchased by Jean Claude Boisset in 1993.

It’s always a little nebulous when you try and establish what is in something labeled ‘Bourgogne’. In this case, the grapes come from a few different locals. In Bouchard’s words, the grapes were harvested on selected terroirs in the south of Burgundy, the Maconnais and Côte Chalonnaise with a small part coming from Côte de Beaune vineyards. It has been difficult to profile the 2018 whites as it seems the proposition varies from producer to producer, but this effort had both the fruit and the verve to present itself well.

The Bouchard Aine & Fils Bourgogne Chardonnay 2018 effort hits all the right notes. There is the expected bright acidity that some 2018s lacked, and notes of fresh apple, pear, and floral notes. The palate has weight and expressive fruit, a pleasing core of fruit and lift to the finish. In short a very correct, delightful, engaging bottle of Chardonnay. It got our attention immediately and would have had a bigger play except that, inventory-wise, it was the end of the vintage. The EOV (‘insider’ acronym for ‘end of vintage) price we got did merit mention of this rather attractive Bourgogne as a value. Quantities are modest.

OLD VINES, GLOBAL WARMING, BURG VALUE

We’ve spent a bit of print explaining the whole theory about how global warming has elevated quality in a number of climats in places like Burgundy. That plays right into our hands of finding delicious Burgundy ‘on the cheap’. But to recap briefly, because temperatures are a little higher than they were before, places that didn’t quite ripen before now hit that sweet spot. The whole determination of prices in Burgundy is based on historic performance. The warmer weather pushes the ripeness level in place that, previously, didn’t always hit the mark. For the time being you have riper, juicier wines but market mechanics have not yet let the prices catch up.

Bottom line, there is more delicious ‘little’ Burgundy around these days ay sensational prices. The 2019 vintage was particularly successful in a number of regions throughout France, not the least of which is Burgundy. We have presented some very engaging efforts from the ripe, round 2018 vintage. But as we start working through offerings from the 2019 vintage in Burgundy, we might even be a notch or two better. This lusty, fruit driven effort from Danjean Berthoux is a beautiful example of the vintage as well as a spectacular Burgundy value.

Danjean Berthoux has been on our radar for a long time, probably before global warming was the topic it has become. Located in Givry in the Cote Chalonnaise, Berthoux was something of the poster child for wines in less esteemed appellations that delivered far above their station. But 2019 has provided a richer, sweeter, juicier effort than we can recall previously. For the record, Pascal Danjean, who took over the family estate some 20 years ago, never fines or filters and eschews the use of new wood almost entirely, resulting in soft, supple wines that allow the terroir to shine.

The Danjean Berthoux Bourgogne Chaume Ronde 2019 comes from outside the demarcation line for Givry. There are 2 parcels that are located in the lower slopes of the hills in the commune of Jambles, below the Premier Crus. Being lower on the hillside means there is more topsoil sitting on top of clay and some limestone. One of the parcels, called the Chaume Ronde, was planted in 1948 (the other parcel a mere 50 years old). This wine comes from that 1 hectare older block.

Curiously we had tasted and enjoyed the 2018 version of this wine only a week before but the purveyor showed up with the 2019 in hand and it trumped the delightful 2018 by virtue of more flesh and richness in the mid-palate. Timing is everything. The Bourgogne is done entirely in stainless steel. As Burgundy goes, this has a fleshy palate of cherry and some darker berries, streaks of minerality, and spice notes. As always there’s a firm backbone of acidity underpinning the forward fruit but it stays in a supporting role.

As for reviews, it’s a 2019, so it just got here. Even so, we don’t expect a lot of ink on wines like this. As we have often discussed, Burgundy reviews are a hierarchal exercise performed by critics bent on reviewing the elite wines that don’t really require reviews. The last time Burghound reviewed this Givry-based domaine was 2003. There were some dismissive reviews from Vinous’ Neal Martin in 2016, probably penned after a Romanee Conti vertical, and that vintage alone. The point is wines like this don’t get the attention of the media, which is why you can get something this satisfying for this kind of price in an expensive place like Burgundy. The 2019s look to be a lot of fun and you can bet we’ll be drinking a lot of this delicious, angst-free, old vine Bourgogne ourselves.

ANOTHER OVER-THE-LINE BURGUNDY VALUE

Burgundy is sometimes a ‘game of inches’ as in a short distance one way or the other can determine a lot about quality, and price. As the demarcation of vineyards or appellations go, you have to draw a line somewhere. We’ve had good success finding little wines from top producers where the grapes are sourced in very close proximity to where the elite bottlings come from, but the prices are substantially less because the wine doesn’t carry the name of the top site.

Domaine Philippe Bouzereau et Fils has been one of the places where we have consistently found a very classy Bourgogne that is sourced from a plot ‘just over the line’ from their flagship Chateau Clos de Citeaux in the heart of Meursault. The Bouzereau family has been in Meursault since the 18th Century and this particular domaine was established in the 1960s by Philippe Bouzereau (senior). Philippe Bouzereau (Junior) took over in 2006 and runs this 18 hectares of vines on ‘lutte raisonee’ (meaning only intervening in the vineyard when absolutely necessary).

Like many of the ‘next gen’ vignerons, he is judicious with the use of oak and is all about letting the vineyard shine through. While it sounds a little trite, the term mini-Meursault is quite applicable here. The texture of the wine is consistent with the broader, more open profile of the 2018 white Burgundies in general, but there is sufficient acidity to keep everything bright. The flavors run from white peach to apple fruit-wise with classic flecks of grilled nuts and spice that is the signature of Meursault. A delicious choice for current Chardonnay applications, the Philippe Bouzereau Bourgogne Chardonnay 2018 is well priced ($24.98) given the pedigree it shows in the glass.

ANOTHER JUICY ‘LITTLE’ 2017 RED BURGUNDY

Right up front, we’ll say that, thus far, the 2017 red Burgundies show the potential to be an exciting source for juicy Pinot Noir. Here’s another one to add to the ‘playlist’ from a proven performer that has upped their game over the last several vintages, most notably since Francois’ son Erwan (the seventh generation to handle the property) took the reins in 2005. We’d love to tell you there was abundant press on this wine given this winery’s relatively high profile. But, as we have alluded to on many occasions, by the time the reviewers got through every single rare and expensive Premier and Grand Cru in a place like Faiveley, they didn’t have the inclination or notepad space to cover ‘little’ wines like this.

We’d love to have a great detailed story for you too. But the Faiveley tech sheets only give you the most general references, “Joseph Faiveley Bourgogne Rouge is is sourced from vineyards spread throughout the terroirs of the Côte de Nuits, Côte de Beaune and the Côte Chalonnaise…The Bourgogne Rouge is vinified in the cellars of Domaine Faiveley for 12 to 14 months in the same manner as their broad selection of reds from the Côte de Nuits.”

Riveting stuff, huh?

In the end however, it’s the juice that matters and this amalgam of a variety of vineyard sources is a perfectly expressive Pinot Noir with bright, persistent, engaging red fruits, notes of spice, and a hit of earthy minerality. Gregarious in the mouth, varietally pure, extra expressive, there are few Pinots in this price range from anywhere that work at this level. Thanks to a warm 2017 vintage, this effort sports almost New World ripeness, which should make the ‘translation’ a lot easier for a lot of folks.

Hey, we love to tell a good story, but there isn’t anything really out of the ordinary to relay here except for the wine itself. Given the sub-$20 price of the Faiveley Bourgogne Rouge Pinot Noir 2017, that should suffice. It’s just a tasty Pinot from a user-friendly vintage made by folks who are operating at the top of their game right now. A definite candidate for ‘house Pinot’ given the price and performance. Yes, good Burgundy can be expensive, but there are exceptions.

DANIEL RION BOURGOGNE 2017

There always seem to be plenty of ‘experts’ willing to pontificate on the status of the rarest and most expensive of the Cote d’Or in any given vintage. Should you need the information on some of the most sought after bottlings that few can afford and even fewer can find, that info is out there. Around here we are much more practical. Our aim is to find exciting wines that reflect the region and offer exciting opportunities for regular folks who just want an exciting bottle of Pinot Noir without having to worry about car payments, etc.. The 2017 vintage will serve our needs quite well.

We have tasted a number of the ‘little’ wines from 2017 and have found the vintage to have a lot in common with the 2015s, which in turn means we will be able to find a lot of those delicious, lower-priced gems to keep Burgundy a viable and delightful choice. The vintage was warm, and there were some weather quirks that made the quantities bit more modest, all of which combine to make for delightful reds. As luck would have it, we just ran across the Bourgogne from the respected house of Daniel Rion, a source that we have worked with many times over the years, but hadn’t seen much of recently. As they say, timing is everything.

Created in 1955 by Daniel Rion, this family-owned estate began with only two hectares of vines located in the commune of Vosne Romanée, left to Daniel by his paternal grandfather. Until 1978, Daniel sold his wine to Burgundian negociants. In the late seventies, his sons joined the business, bringing new parcels of vines with them. A new winery was built with a larger cellar and a tasting room. Today, the domaine consists of eighteen hectares of vineyards with eighteen appellations in six villages of the Côte des Nuits and the Hautes-Côtes: Prémeaux, Nuits Saint Georges, Vosne Romanée, Chambolle Musigny, Vougeot and Marey-les-Fussey.

The vines for Daniel Rion Bourgogne Rouge 2017 are spread over several plots located at the bottom of the hills in the Nuits Saint Georges appellation totaling about 2 hectares. Slightly sloping, on deep brown soil of silt and clay, the vines average 20 years of age and the wine sees time in second and third use barrels.

The color is an inviting mulberry, the nose shows red and black fruits with a whiff of mineral and earth as befits a wine from this part of the world. In the mouth, it is classic Pinot with ample mid-palate weight, dark red fruit prominent, and slightly soily, spicy peripherals as an accent to the fruit core. In other words, red Burgundy as it should be. Like most 2017s, it is pretty user-friendly right out of the gate though it does expand a bit more with a little air. It outperforms its modest appellation and offers a more compelling experience than a lot of domestic Pinots that cost more.

BOURGOGNE CHARMER

The title Bourgogne doesn’t give one a lot of information. Basically the wines can come from any legitimate terroir within the entire appellation of Burgundy and quality can vary greatly. We surely like the pricing but value depends ultimately on what’s under the cork. The back story here does a lot to set expectations. This firm was founded as a negocient back in 1865 and for a long period was a respected source of traditional Burgundy.

In 2002, it was acquired by Ann Colgin (yes, that Colgin) and husband Joe Wender. They brought in young winemaker David Croix, hooked up with savvy importer Becky Wassermen, revamped the cellars and replaced a lot of old wood, including the introduction of a wooden press for the red wines, open wooden vats for fermentation. These days they use little or no new oak and little racking. The winemaking pulls from both traditional and modern methodology and the wines these days are much more supple and approachable.

As you might expect, this is quite the ‘little’ Bourgogne. Certainly, the engaging 2017 vintage, ripe like 2015 but a little lighter on its feet, provided the kind of delectable fruit to play nicely into the program. Sourced from Bourgogne parcels in Volnay (climats Long Bois, Mon Poulain), Gevrey-Chambertin and the Côte Chalonnaise (Moroges), all of which have clay-limestone soils, the Camille Giroud Bourgogne 2017 delivers a punchy, bright mouthful of strawberry and cherry fruit laced with spice and lighter framed minerality. It sports deceptively power as Pinots go, and represents a classic expression of Burgundy for a surprisingly modest fare. A must for any Pinot Noir lover, it drinks nicely now with a little bit of air (something of a theme with the better 2017s).

LE ‘HOUSE BLANC’?

A good ‘all-purpose’ white is handy for most folks. Something that is fruit-driven, bright, clean and food-friendly covers most of the applications for this kind of white and value pricing is also part of the equation. Frankly, we have had the most success in that field with White Burgundy but so often wines with the simple Bourgogne label simply don’t deliver.

We usually are able to find a least a couple of wines that will check all the boxes, but this time around the 2017 Faiveley Bourgogne Blanc 2017 convincingly displaced one of our long-running players in that role.It simply had more going on, more verve, and made an impression in the glass. Overall we have been pleased with the 2017 whites from Burgundy, but this multi-appellation blend came off as particularly well built.

Floral aad wild herb notes in the nose, a surprisingly authoritative palate presence of pear and citrus, palate-coating body and a rather long finish, while it didn’t speak of a particular terroir it had loads of personality and performed nicely in the glass. About 30% sees a combination of new and used oak, but its personality is closer to a broader shouldered Chablis than a sappier domestic Chardonnay. It will hold in the bottle for 2-3 seasons for sure if need be.

Certainly, the underlying minerality from the marl, clay and limestone soils defined the wine’s origins and this lively white does not lack for character. Most Bourgognes don’t have this kind of presence and Faiveley winemaker Jerome Flous got all of this one, especially for under $20.

GREAT BURGUNDY VALUE ‘IN DISGUISE’

There are two parts to this story, the most important being a delicious, well-priced bottle of Pinot Noir from older vines. The house of Maison Bertrand Amboise is a well-respected source for red and white Burgundy with a particularly important association with the villages of Nuits-St.-George and an elevated reputation for that appellation since the early 90s.

The domaine itself dates back to the late 18th century. Bertrand took control of the estate in 1988 after the death of Martin’s (Bertrand’s wife) father and has never looked back. Today Bertrand’s son, Francois, manages the vineyards (w/Bertrand) & daughter, Ludivine, manages the commercial aspects of the domaine; allowing Bertrand to concentrate on the winemaking.

Low yields and ripe skins allow for long, slow fermentations on the skins, sometimes 3+ weeks, which is why these wines have more color than most and a sweeter impression of the tannins. All cuvees are 100% destemmed. The Victor Fagon Bourgogne Rouge 2016 exhibits a lovely blue fruit note in the peripheral flavors as a result of that ‘ripe skin’ process. It is particularly evident in the case of a 2016, a good vintage but one that didn’t always show that ‘next level’ ripeness. This wine actually shares textural and flavor elements that are a bit more pandering like a 2015 red Burgundy, but a brightness more associated with the vintage of record.

The juice comes from vines that average 50 years old located in Premeaux-Prissey, the southern part of Nuits-St-Goerges. Raised in 2-5 year old barrels, it is rather dark in color for a Burgundy with upfront, powerful blackberry fruit in the nose, refined tannins, and loads of darker fruits across the palate with aspects of soil and oak spice. It’s a surprisingly good effort for the fare, and, like we said, shares as much with a 2015 as 2016 stylistically. This would have been an email but people have already been nibbling on it to the point where our ‘par’ quantities were below necessary levels. We wrote this so a few more folks got the ‘411’ before it disappears.

Why are we talking about Bertrand Amboise and Victor Fagon in such a casual, back and forth manner? We know it’s a little confusing, with the wine’s moniker different from the estate notes. This happens occasionally in the world of wine. Sometimes a producer is linked with an importer who may not be doing everything the producer would like. But the producers have legal/contractual restraints as to what they can market under their own brand. This is one of those cases, and this is a great ‘workaround’ for such cases.

The name on the label represents Francois’s son “Victor” and “Guy-Crescent Fagon”, doctor to Louis XIV and important benefactor to the wines of Nuits Saint Georges. Victor Fagon is an amalgam of the two names for marketing purposes. In the end, it’s the wine that matters, and this one delivers.