The idea of terroir dominates the wines of Burgundy. From a single grape planted across 30 miles of small towns comes an astonishing diversity of wines. Cellar work, weather, harvest times, and other factors play a role in the final product, but in Burgundy, the place (terroir) is king.
Burgundy is in short supply these days. Seven consecutive short vintages, increasing demand from international buyers, and a weak dollar mean that even when you can find them, white Burgundies are noticeably more expensive than a few years ago.
The Grand Crus on the Hill of Corton are some of the longest lived wines in Burgundy. The top names like “Bressandes,” Renard,” and “Clos du Roi” feature sturdy tannins and intense, robust mouthfeel. Many require years to begin to show their stripes, and some are still in fine form several decades on.
Now six years on from the growing season, the 2012 vintage has become a favorite among French wine drinkers. In the Southern Rhône, a dry, sunny summer made for happy vignerons and delicious wines. Nature brought Burgundy a far more difficult vintage — everything from frost to hail to inconsistent flowering made vignerons’ lives difficult — but an even more successful one.
Two main distinctions separate Champagne and other French sparkling wine. First, terroir: Champagne’s unique chalky soils contribute to the singular flavors of its wines. Second, time spent on the lees: Champenois must age their wines for at least 15 months on the lees, adding complexity and depth.
Beaujolais has always had a turbulent relationship with the rest of Burguntdy. To many in the Côte d’Or, the Beaujolais represents overmarketed and undercrafted wine. But in recent years the Beaujolais has undergone a renaissance, as the prominence of Nouveau recedes and more vignerons make ageworthy wine.
The Côte d’Or produces nearly all of Burgundy’s most famous wines. It’s split into the Côte de Nuits (famous for its reds), and the Côte de Beaune (famous for its whites); if you’ve got an expensive, ageworthy Burgundy, it’s almost certainly from the Côte d’Or.
Jacqueline André is unusually passionate about her vines. She refers to one plot of grenache planted in 1877 as her grandes dames; they were a gift from her grandfather, and today she treats them with extreme care and affection. The ancient rows are hardly straight, but the fruit they produce is of the highest quality,
It’s hard to go wrong with the 2015 red Burgundies. Our favorite reviewers, those with restraint and objectivity, have all been effusive. “One of the half-dozen top vintages for red Burgundy of the past generation,” writes Steven Tanzer of Vinous. “A genuinely great vintage,” opines Allen Meadows (Burghound).
When vines grow old, vignerons are faced with a choice. Older vines mean lower yields, which can squeeze a domaine’s bottom line. But old vines also produce more concentrated and better quality juice, leading to wines of depth and intensity. We are always pleased to find vignerons who sacrifice quantity for quality and allow their vines to continue into old age.
The 2015 vintage in Burgundy has been a delight. We greatly enjoyed our sun-drenched visit in the summer of 2015, exciting barrel tastings in 2016, and last year’s arrival of the wine in the states. The wines are popular, delicious, and built to last. We’ve stocked up on as many as our shelves can handle, and hope to have them around to offer for some time to come.
With June-like temperatures earlier this week we were tempted to break out the rosé and declare summer’s arrival. But experience tells us we’re not done with winter yet. And with colder evenings in mind, we’re suggesting today one of our recent favorites, the 2012 Châteauneuf-du-Pape from Christophe Mestre.
If you ever need to convert someone to white Burgundy, pour them a glass of Meursault. Made from pure Chardonnay and grown in soils balanced between marl and chalk, Meursault is some of most opulent white wine in the world. Chardonnay can make rich, mouthfilling wines in most locations — but those from Meursault also contain elegance, minerality, and balance.
This winter in Harpswell has me thinking about the ways that aquaculture is like viticulture. If you follow our posts you know that the French vignerons suffered the trials of Job in recent years — frost in some places, hail in others, or frost and hail for the particularly benighted. I am the holder of a Maine LPA (“limited purpose aquaculture” license) and the proud owner of two vintages of oysters…
The Domaine des Varoilles is the newest addition to our Burgundy portfolio. Based in Gevrey-Chambertin, the domaine boasts an extraordinary collection of vines, ranging from village-level to Grand Cru Charmes-Chambertin.