2019 Burgundy: All Wines

This is undoubtedly one of the greatest premier cru sites in the Côte de Nuits. Clos Frantin are the proud owners of 1.75 hectares. It has a powerful but controlled aroma, laden with rich red fruits and oak spice. On the palate there is that core of sweetness you find only in the best examples of Pinot Noir, where freshness, ripeness, and power are all in perfect balance. Satin-like tannins and a powerful length.

This plot was once considered in the same breath as Chambertin and other great sites, so it now constitutes a real bargain. It is fruit, flamboyant, and fragrant in 2019, bursting with the scent of crushed raspberries. There is some stony minerality on the palate and delicious, crunchy little tannins. Bright and enticing.

Where Les Vaucoupins is discreet and reserved, Les Clos is expressive and powerful, with the full, luscious weight of the warm year behind it. 25% is raised in oak, of which only a tiny portion is new. This is a buttery, weighted, striking, and satisfying Les Clos, given exciting precision by the vintage’s wonderful acidity. Pretty smart for the money.

There are few premiers crus prized as highly as this. Many put Les Amoureuses on a par with grands crus, and it has stolen the hearts of many. It is the quintessential expression of Chambolle-Musigny, brimming with sweet redcurrant fruit, and gliding along on silky tannins.

Clos Frantin owns 0.63 hectares of the Clos, running from the bottom to top on the south side of the vineyard. This is yet another example where this vineyard - sometimes dismissed in the company of other grands crus - has excelled in 2019. Pure and poised, with smooth edges and delicious fruit depth.

The Long-Depaquit parcel is situated right at the crest of the hill. This premier cru is reserved, tight and fresh with lemon zest and salty notes defining the palate. Some gunflint smoky notes should develop mineral complexity with time in bottle. A little shy right now, it should blossom a year or two. Excellent value for a premier cru.

La Moutonne is a unique parcel – a monopole that has only had three owners since the middle ages. On an incredibly steep slope, this ancient climat straddles the two grands crus: Vaudésir (95% of the parcel) and Preuses (just 5%). It has breadth and silky depth, and sensational balance. This is one of the finest examples of Chablis Grand Cru you will find and brings with it fantastic ageing potential.

Clos Frantin owns 0.63 hectares of the Clos, running from the bottom to top on the south side of the vineyard. This is yet another example where this vineyard - sometimes dismissed in the company of other grands crus - has excelled in 2019. Pure and poised, with smooth edges and delicious fruit depth.

Domaine du Clos Frantin owns a parcel in the Champs Traversins part of this vineyard, high on the hill, which is noted for its fine expression. This is nicely silky and spicy, with graphite notes alongside the red berry fruit. Understated, svelte, and very sophisticated.

Domaine du Clos Frantin owns a parcel in the Champs Traversins part of this vineyard, high on the hill, which is noted for its fine expression. This is nicely silky and spicy, with graphite notes alongside the red berry fruit. Understated, svelte, and very sophisticated.

This wine is not only where his cellars are based, it is also the calling card of the domaine. It shows a burst of juicy red berries on the nose, with a lifted, minty freshness. The tannins are so strawberry-soft and supple that the overall impression is of an incredibly silky texture, that might feel like it were missing some structure if it weren’t for the elegant freshness of the Hautes-Côtes acidity. Nice peppery nuance to the cranberry fruit palate.

This vineyard lies just next to some of Nuits-St-Georges’s finest premiers crus, at the top of the hill, sheltered by the fringe of woodland above. It has this distinctive pink peppercorn note with fresh redcurrants on the nose. The tannins are slightly more granular and grippy than the previous wines, and add a pretty structure to this wine, which bodes well for its evolution over time.

This superb vineyard in Vosne makes such floral and elegant wines. With velvety texture yet saline tension, and dark berry fruits with a little grip, this should begin to sing after five years.

This is the defining wine of the grand cru, the one to which everyone looks as the quintessential Corton-Charlemagne. The west-facing aspect of the hill means the vines enjoy the long rays of the afternoon sun, making for rich textures and a sumptuous depth of fruit. It is always exhilarating to taste, with rich layers of exuberant fruit and creamy, lightly spiced notes giving freshness and balance.

From next vintage, Ch de Fuissé will finally be able to put ‘premier cru’ on the label of this wine. Le Clos, a 2.7 hectare monopole vineyard that lies just next to the Château, has been selected as one of the finest parcels in the appellation and deserving of this historic upgrade. The oldest vines here were planted in 1929, and the youngest in 1984. There is such a chiselled intensity in this wine, with smoky tension, and a subtle anise lift on the nose. The palate is precise, energetic and persistent. It is no surprise this will be upgraded to premier cru.

This comes from three parcels, two of which come from the limestone soiled near the distinctive Solutré rock, and the third from a richer clay site near Pouilly. It has been vinified in stainless steel only and has a wonderful freshness in 2019, with light citrus aromatics, and a clean, chalky finish.

This is a brilliant blend of the appellation, drawn from over 50 separate parcels, giving a very complete and complex portrait of the region. About half comes from Fuissé’s typically clay soil, with the rest from limestone and sandy schist soils. 95% of the wine is aged in oak, with 15% in new oak. There is a hazelnut toastiness on the nose, and the bright balance of mandarin orange on the palate. This is the flagship wine of the estate, and performs every year. In 2019 it is, as ever, a highlight.

This is arguably the most famous and celebrated of Puligny’s premiers crus, whose chalky soils have produced some of the finest bottles of white Burgundy ever. There is such a precise attack here, with a marked salinity. Notes of grapefruit and spring flowers on the nose, with a palate that is so distinctly racy, this couldn’t be anything other than Puligny.

Since 2012, Alain has been exchanging juice with a neighbour, for just one barrel of this astonishing grand cru that he vinifies and ages in his cellar along with his premiers crus. It has a big bite, and nectarine plump juiciness underneath. This has richness and definition, and a long saline finish.

The plot of Charmes in Puligny is a continuation of 1er Cru Charmes in Meursault, and shares many of its characteristics, like the light, fine, stony soils. It certainly merits single bottling, with its fine-boned nervous freshness and delicate richness underneath. Plenty of fragrant, fresh yellow fruit and a light blossom note. Great value.

Clavoillon is shared between just three owners: Alain, his brother, and Domaine Leflaive. Alain’s vines are now 50 years old, and produce a concentrated, elegant example of Puligny. It is piercing, floral, and runs straight as a die on the palate, with mouthwatering minerality.

Aux Réas is an excellent village lieu dit that a number of growers choose to bottle separately. It sits at the southern end of the village, and its wines can offer some of neighbouring Nuits’ structure and firmness, with the supple, rippling fruit of classical Vosne.

This vineyard is at the north end of the village, on the border with Mazoyères-Chambertin. The soils are high in limestone, and produce a wine that is rich in dark wild berries and clove spice. It has an intensity and volumes that will unfurl with time.

Sweet-fruited, red berries, with some rounded silky tannins and the vintage’s signature freshness on the finish.

This is a stand-out in the Arlaud cellar in 2019, with suave red fruit, blood orange,and mineral structure. The 40 year old vines in the Clos de la Roche have really performed in 2019. This should have a long life ahead of it.

This comes from the very highest point of the Mazoyères section of Charmes. It has such fine powdery tannins, wrapped in cool red fruit. The power and weight of the grand cru build across the palate.

This is the largest premier cru at Ballot-Millot, and can be relied upon to produce a sensational wine year-in year-out. It is so savoury, weighty, but not heavy, dense and with fabulous purity. Outstanding.

This sits amongst a clutch of the top premiers crus in the village. The vines are over 80 years old, and have weathered the hot summer well. This is enticing and floral, with a poised edge. It has brilliant tension and precision, with a staggering length.

Charmes is one of the defining crus of the village. Its limestone terroir has just 30cm of topsoil, and it has produced a wine with blistering energy in 2019. It has the zing, depth, and structure to age brilliantly.

Narvaux is one of Meursault's best village lieux dits, sitting relatively high up on the slope, above Genevrières. There is such wonderful pithy grapefruit bitterness, with a straight and incisive line of acidity, and a voluptuous depth of stone fruit on the mid-palate. It is bright and poised, and with subtle smokiness. It is a highly complex village wine that should evolve well for many years.

Morgeot borders Santenay at the south end of the village, and is not only the largest premier cru in Chassagne, but the largest cru in the Côte d’Or. This wine is a blend of two lieux dits within: Les Fairendes and La Cadeuse, found at either end of the large cru. There is such intense fruit here, with plump orange pulp character, some white blossom, and light citrus oil, enrobed in zinging freshness.

The fruit comes from a number of parcels, all within the Chassagne commune. Alex says he looks for energy rather than too much ripeness in his Bourgogne. This has a wonderfully sweet core of nectarine, and some tart freshness balancing the natural roundness of the wine. A fragrant and charming Bourgogne Blanc, you will never regret having a few bottles of this in the cellar.

Consistently one of the finest sites in St-Aubin, towards the crest of the hill approaching Chassagne and its grands crus. Vibrant lime green flecks in the glass. The wine has a vibrant aroma of greengages, ripe peaches and blossom. Pure and very balanced.

Just one barrel made in 2019 of this magnificent wine. It is one of the finest sites in the village, with particularly stony soils, producing tense, vibrant, acid-driven wines. In 2019 the low yields have produced an amazing concentration. It is utterly delicious.

As one might expect, this grand cru is a glittering example of this superb terroir. Its fruit and freshness have a beguiling energy. Anyone who gets to enjoy this in the years to come is very lucky indeed.

La Maltroie is one of the larger premiers crus in Chassagne. It sits right in the middle of the village, opposite the Moreau cellar. This has a straight attack, with scintillating pink grapefruit on the mid-palate, that has a good volume, and is drawn together nicely in a long, piercing finish.

As might be expected from a producer of this calibre, this village wine offers complexity and depth on par with some other producers’ premiers crus. Its production accounts for 40% of the domaine’s output, being drawn from many sites across the village, half of which are tucked up in the pocket of village vines than hug the premiers crus, the other half from the village’s border with Puligny-Montrachet. It has a nutty, full freshness, and a concentrated yellow/green fruit character, and a brilliant persistence.

This wine has been bottled as a single vineyard cuvée by Amélie’s father for many years, and remains the flagship wine of the estate. It is just over a hectare and sits right in the heart of the appellation, just below the village itself. The alluvial soils, particularly at the bottom of the parcel, are well-draining. The vines age between 15 and 70 years, and the wine has a brilliantly grippy fresh fruit drive with ample tannins and a spicy backbone.

With Richebourg and Cros Parantoux as neighbours, you can expect great things from this vineyard. Amelie has five separate plots across half a hectare. The site is so steep and inaccessible that no tractors can reach it, and all work is done by horse or hand. The 2019 delivers a concentration and persistence commensurate with its fine position: lavish red fruit, tight acidity, and powerful but velvet-like tannins.

This steep-sloped vineyard is one of Gevrey’s most highly-regarded premiers crus. It makes a wine of structure and depth, with broad, sumptuous tannins and heady dark fruit.

Fixin doesn’t have any grand crus, but in Amélie’s eyes, this is a pretty close estimation. It has very shallow soils, and the vines, now aged 30-80 years old, dig deep. 30% whole bunch brings a fleshy, plump fruit core to the wine that has ample tannins, and dark licorice spice. Crunchy cool fruit, and a long, mineral finish.

If Les Crais is her father’s cuvée, then this is Amélie’s. The wine used to go into their village blend, but Amélie has been bottling it separately since 2013. The vines are now 70 years old, and in 2019 she has expertly used 35% whole bunch in the tank to add sweet fruit tones and off-set the crunchy, more savoury aspect of the fruit. The combination is a triumph. This is fresh, vibrant, and satisfyingly sappy.

This comes from a parcel of 60-year-old vines grown on the granite slopes of Mont Brouilly. These volcanic soils produce a wonderfully persistent style of Beaujolais, with the charming strawberry and cherry fruits on the nose. The palate abounds with dark juicy fruit and ripe, grippy tannins and a vibrat length. This has the structure to age extremely well.

This comes from the older vines in one of the domaine’s three large vineyards above Nantoux, named Bignon, where the elevation measures precisely 421 metres. Much like the young vine cuvée, this has a mellifluous fluidity and charm, with an added intensity of red fruit: delicious crunchy cranberry flavours, with a little new oak toastiness to support. Expertly done, this is a stunning debut.

This comes from the young vines of the domaine, and has a red fruit, juicy, peppery sappiness, with a tantalisingly long, silky, salty finish. The chalky acidity and velvety tannins are a revelation. This is so far removed from the rustic, green, watery wines that once were commonplace in the Hautes-Côtes; this is a serious wine, but its refreshing fluidity means it is first and foremost a joyful and delicious Pinot. There’s nothing complicated to unpick here: it is simply a gorgeous wine.

This remarkable village lieu dit sits directly above Bonnes Mares, Clos de Tart, and Clos des Lambrays. The Clair parcel is situated just above their Bonnes Mares parcel. Up here there is virtually no top soil at all, and the vines plunge straight into the limestone bedrock. The wine has a dark-fruited depth, with a tannin structure that feels so sumptuous and silky. It’s hard to believe this isn’t a premier cru.

These are the oldest vines of the domaine, and were planted in 1902. Their concentration and complexity shows on the nose, which is chalky, floral, pretty, and spicy. The wine has so much energy, tightly coiled, and sinewy, with a pomegranate weight and floral power.

This clos is a monopole of the domaine found right at the centre point of Gevrey, between the grand cru slope and the Combe de Lavaux. There is a spicy depth of fruit on the nose, and a surprisingly fine, elegant frame on the palate. It always has a sweet salinity to it, which complements the nicely ripe fruit in 2019. A charming Gevrey premier cru that should drink well from early on. One of Bruno’s personal favourites.

Clos de Bèze is slightly steeper and warmer than Chambertin, and the heights of complexity and concentration in its fruit is remarkable. Most of the vines were planted in 1912, with the rest in the 1970s, which are affectionately still referred to as the young plants. It is nuanced, saline, floral, tantalisingly fresh, with such a profound ripe berry fruit. A wine of incredible soul.

Bruno Clair is one of only five producers of this revered premier cru, that many regard alongside the grands crus. It is steep by Burgundian standards, with clay-rich soil. This wine is heavenly - so precise and elegant, with poised, savoury fruit. There is something so tender here, though not at all sweet. It is one of the most grown-up Gevreys you can find.

Bruno Clair has an impressive 10 hectares in his home village of Marsannay, and bottles five separate cuvées, including this wonderful iteration from a single parcel at the southern end of the commune, on the slope that rises up behind the village. Its name (meaning “fat heads”) refers not to anybody involved in its cultivation, but rather the large rocks that show through the surface of the soil. It is typically the most structured and powerful of the Clair Marsannays, and in 2019 has peppery red fruit and a fresh crunch that runs through the mineral tannins. Quintessential Marsannay, and quintessential Clair. Since being bottled it has evolved to reveal a wonderfully floral aroma with a supple palate, so poised and juicy. This will drink brilliantly from early on.

This is the most linear and acid-driven of Bruno’s premiers crus, with a zingy line running through the palate. Light almond and hazelnut notes add depth and complexity. The most subtle and precise in the cellar.

En Remilly sits at the meeting point of three villages: Chassagne-Montrachet, Puligny-Montrachet, and St-Aubin. The larger part of it falls within St-Aubin, with the tiny part on the Chassagne side enjoying a superb position - next to Chevalier-Montrachet and just above Le Montrachet. It is a standout wine in Bruno’s cellar - so elegant and pure. The high elevation here, rocky soils, and old vines means yields are particularly low, and the wine is concentrated and explosive, with such tense precision.

This comes from eight plots across the village, with vines aged between 15 and 75 years. The older vines give structure and depth, whilst the younger vines add freshness and a little spice. It shows a restrained, chiselled example of the village, with a little touch of new oak giving structure and support to the white nectarine fruit. Focused and textured.

This tiny parcel is a family treasure, and just one barrel was made this year. This pinnacle of the Bruno Colin cellar is powerful and complex, with the exotically spiced scent of white tea on the nose and a deliciously weighty but graceful palate. Truly great.

This premier crus shares borders with two grands crus: Le Montrachet and Criots-Bâtard-Montrachet. It takes its name from the white, chalky soils found here, and it delivers everything in the glass you might expect from such a superb position and soil-type. The flavours - apricot, honeysuckle, lime, and white peach - are so dense, but zip across the palate with such swift grace. It is the most captivating and sensuous wine in Bruno’s cellar this year.

This tiny plot near the border with St-Aubin produces a luxurious, smoky, powerful wine with energetic ripeness and a wonderful grapefruit character. It has excelled in 2019, with concentrated fruit character and the vintage’s exuberate freshness.

Always one of our favourite wines here, the Bressandes is always the most fleshy and appealing of their Cortons. The thin topsoil is very stony, with gravel over limestone. It always has a dark berry character, with some wild herbs in the background.

This is a steep site with very high limestone soils. It always produces a nervous, tight wine that can do with a year or two in bottle before the floral notes can blossom.

Pernande-Vergelesse is just slightly cooler than neighbouring Savigny, and the wines often have this spicy, mineral freshness about them. This is always a charming example.