Burgundy ô Burgundy

Bourgogne. Burgundy. Ever heard of it? The land of great, round, textured whites. The land of beautiful, silky, fragrant, earthy, complex, delicate Pinot Noir. Phew, Burgundy is really a land of exceptional wine. 

Unfortunately, it's also the land of bad wines. Tons of mass produced, high price tag wine which only sells because it has the word "Bourgogne" on it. But worry not, for none of the wines we work with are this way. We don't believe in wine that is expensive for the sake of it. In fact, we often try to find wines which punch above their weight. That's hard in Burgundy, but we think we've found a few great options. 

Come on, treat yourself. It's summer. It's your birthday. You just got that great bonus at work. You deserve to open that wine, bring out the fancy wine glasses mum got you for Christmas three years ago. Pop the carafe, sit on the terrace, and swirl, swirl. Don't worry, no one's watching. We want to encourage it. You can live like The Great Gatsby. All it takes is a gorgeous bottle of wine, and a little bit of time to pay attention to it. This isn't a post about glou glou wine. No, this is one is about chin strokers and deep thinkers.

Domaine Dandelion, Cidre 2022 - Okay, I'm starting with cider, please don't get upset. This is made in tiny quantities, 400 bottles only, by Domaine Dandelion, an iconic natural wine producer in Burgundy. Something fun to start the night.

Domaine Derain, La Combe Blanc 2022 - 100% Chardonnay white Burgundy, made with very minimal addition of sulfur. This is made in old oak barrels, so no toasty notes from the oak here. Instead what you get is a medium body, beautiful acidity giving it structure, and notes of honey, flowers and ripe lemon. Drink fast or slow. On the terrace or on the dinner table. Your call.

Sylvain Pataille, Marsannay Clos du Roy 2021 - This is very, very serious wine. Andrew and I drank a bottle a while back and it was an absolutely stunning Pinot Noir. Made from one of the best sites of the whole Marsannay appellation, this wine is precise, fine, complex. The tannins are delicate. You're getting notes of earthiness, ripe cherries, integrated toasty oaky notes. It's got length. It's one of those natural wines that sits on the lists of high end classical restaurants, and no one knows that they're drinking natural. An outstanding expression to bridge worlds together.

Domaine Dandelion, Fruit Defendu 2023 - Another high end cuvée, from Domaine Dandelion again, but this time a very different profile to the previous wine. This wine is electric. It feels very alive. It's a one-off cuvée combining Pinot Noir grapes from a few old vineyards on steep sites -- the most sought after sites in Burgundy. It's deeper and darker than the usual fruit forward wines of Dandelion. It's got more structure. 

Clos des Vignes du Maynes, Les Crays Bourgogne Rouge 2022 - A return to a more classic profile of red Burgundy. This wine is good for dad. You could bring this to nan's birthday or for the in-laws to have a taste. It's not offensive. What it is, however, is bursting with serious, delicate fruit. It's fragrant, mineral. It's definitely natural. And for a red Burgundy of that quality, it's not breaking the bank! Get the family together - time to celebrate.

De Moor, Le Vendangeur Masqué 2022 - De Moor are an iconic domaine in Chablis, a little further north compared to the main bit of Burgundy. They make extremely expressive, vibrant, energetic bottles. Their wines are usually quite expensive, but they also very nicely buy grapes from other grape growers to make more affordable wines. This is one of these wines (we call this négoce). Fear not, the quality is still extremely high. Full body, intense candied citrus, razor sharp crisp acidity which leaves you longing for more. Sorry, gotta go, I just started salivating and I'm craving a glass...

Pattes Loup, Butteaux Chablis 1er Cru 2019 - To finish off today's list (I think it's time to go for dinner after all this writing...), another Chablis now from Thomas Pico, aka Domaine Pattes Loup. This wine is a 1er Cru, which means it comes from one of the best plots in Chablis. You're getting this wine with a decent amount of age which will calm the acidity down a little bit and let it grow into additional complexity. This wine is deep, complex, extremely well balanced. It should sit on the table for a while and evolve, each sip more interesting than the one before. Careful, if you share this with too many friends you might be a little upset you didn't get more to yourself. I like to believe I'll have wines like this hidden by my legs the night of my wedding. And no one else will get a taste...

Until next time, from your resident French wine advisor.

Bisous bisous - Raph