Climate change has thrown a series of hurdles at the winemakers of Burgundy, but the news isn’t all bad. In some corners of the region vignerons will (somewhat sheepishly) admit that a warming world has improved their wines, and nowhere is this more apparent than the Côte Chalonnaise, where grapes once on the margins of ripeness are now basking in abundant sun and heat.
Nicolas Ragot is our newest Côte Chalonnaise producer, and his wines have quickly become crowd favorites. He’s based in Givry, and his style is one of rugged polish: excellent balance and richness, plump tannins, smooth and perfectly clean. He makes ample use of amphoras, which give his wines an appealing patina and exquisite freshness. William Kelley calls his reds “supple and flavorful,” Jancis Robinson writes of their “purity” and “classiness,” and Neal Martin of Vinous finds them “caressing,” “fleshy,” and “excellent.”
His finest wine is the Givry 1er cru Clos Jus, from one of Givry’s most famous vineyards. This is ripe and powerful, with a nose of violet and cassis, the mouth bursts with fleshy red cherry fruit and a bit of cracked pepper. We think it’d hold its own against a village-level Gevrey-Chambertin, and certainly wouldn’t be the weaker of the two. Its inky density means it will improve for several years, but no patience is required – grab it while it lasts.
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Ragot Givry 1er cru “Clos Jus” 2022
bottle price: $45
