For centuries the Ravaut family has made traditional red and white Burgundies from their small domaine just north of Beaune. Their little-known hamlet of Ladoix sits at the junction between the Côte de Beaune and Côte de Nuits. It’s one of the corners of Burgundy where winemakers will somewhat sheepishly admit that, aside from frosts and hailstorms (a big aside), climate change has improved their wines.
Vincent Ravaut and his sons have taken this opportunity and run with it – they’ll be certified EU organic as of this vintage, they’ve dialed back oak, and, crucially, have abandoned “pigeage” (punching down) to extract their wines. Once necessary to pull color and flavor from grapes in vintages on the margins of ripeness, their crop now arrives at harvest with enough concentration to ferment more gently. The resulting wines are smoother, beautifully balanced, and simply delicious young.
No wine has improved more than their humble Bourgogne Côte d’Or rouge 2022. The nose is dark and plummy with juicy notes of wild cherries and earth. The Ravauts elected not to filter this wine this year, and the result is a juicy and effortlessly enjoyable glass of red Burgundy. It’s straightforward, polished, and extremely well-priced everyday red Burgundy – a shrinking category these days to which we’re delighted to add.
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Ravaut Bourgogne rouge 2022
bottle price: $29
