In a Beaune restaurant two years ago spring we stumbled upon that most elusive of wine merchant targets: an unknown Burgundy domaine. Formed in 2002 with just 1.5 hectares of vines, the Domaine Bohrmann has no other importers, zero critical reviews, and a (very) hard-to-reach winemaker.
The town of Morey-St-Denis exemplifies the small scale of Burgundian winemaking. Wedged between two more famous neighbors, this village of 680 people has a vineyard surface of under 4 tenths of a square mile. It’s delicate, delicious, classic red Burgundy -- there just isn’t much of it to go around.
We often say that the only thing wrong with Thomas Morey’s wines is how little of them there are. Morey is based in Chassagne-Montrachet, a Burgundian neighborhood that has seen a catastrophic series of spring frosts in recent years, and his wine is perennially in short supply. Some of the cuvées in our allocation (Batard-Montrachet, Puligny-Montrachet) we sell through every…
Like other Old World winemaking cultures, Burgundians mix a healthy dose of superstition and wisdom in with their more modern winemaking practice. One oft-heard saying is that the best vintages end in “9” -- and while there’s little statistical basis behind this, the last century has produced a nearly unbroken series of “années neuves.”
Most of Burgundy’s vineyards lie in a North-South line between Dijon and Lyon. Chablis is the exception – this satellite region sits an hour and a half northwest of the rest of Burgundy. Culturally, Chablis has been part of Burgundy for over 500 years, but geographically it’s a world apart.
Thomas Morey is a master of subtlety. Even amid a regional trend towards more tension and less opulence, Morey’s wines stand out as studies in understatement. His family has lived in Chassagne-Montrachet since 1643, and his father Bernard’s wines were considered a reference point for the town. But Thomas’s brand is unmistakable and unique.
Climate change has affected many aspects of winemaking in France. Most changes have proven challenging, such as spring frosts, hailstorms, and overripeness. But others have been beneficial. For instance, in Burgundy the malady-prone Pinot Noir vines have become healthier in warmer, drier weather. (See our Ansonia Journal article for more on climate change and winemaking.)
In the dozen years since he took over his family’s domaine, Romain Collet has elevated its reputation as fast as any new generation we’ve witnessed. We’ve noticed it ourselves, but we’re not alone -- writers from Vinous, Burghound and Robert Parker have noted a “higher level of refinement” and a “significant upsurge in quality.” Jasper Morris MW writes that Romain…
In just over a decade, winemaker Romain Collet has turned his family’s reliable if unremarkable domaine into one of the very best sources in Chablis. With a focus on lower sulfur, a transition to organics, and modernized cellar practices, the domaine has begun to realize its full potential. The wine press has taken notice too; William Kelley finds “a lot…
Most Americans limit their sparkling wine consumption to holidays and celebrations. But doing so means missing out on a world of good wine, particularly for food pairing. And, if you know where to look, increasing your diet of bubbles doesn’t even require Champagne-level investment.
White Burgundy is synonymous with Chardonnay. But in fact one of every ten white vines is Aligoté. This less prestigious varietal generally produces simple, refreshing wines meant for enjoyment rather than contemplation or cellaring.
Volnay has always been among Burgundy’s most prized appellations. King Louis XI (1423-1483) liked the wine so much that in 1447 he bought every ounce the town produced. Thomas Jefferson collected Volnay, and today it’s considered, along with Chambolle-Musigny, the source for Burgundy’s most elegant and seductive red wines.
Last week we wrote about Michel and Estelle Prunier, a father-daughter winemaking team in the heart of Burgundy. Tucked away in a valley off to the west of the Côte d’Or, their hometown Auxey-Duresses is often passed over for famous nearby names such as Meursault and Volnay. But hot summers have turned these towns on the margins of ripeness into…
Michel Gros is best known for his brilliant red Burgundies from towns like Vosne-Romanée, Chambolle Musigny, and Nuits-St-Georges. But he also holds quite a bit of land in the Hautes-Côtes de Nuits, a patchwork of rolling hills to the west of the Côte d’Or.
Burgundians have made wine in Meursault since 1098. Over the last nine centuries the village has proudly earned its glowing reputation, and today produces among the most sought after wines in the world. Though it has no Grand Cru vineyards, Meursault’s wines are among the world’s most exquisite expressions of Chardonnay.