Burgundy everyone should acquire.
There are the big names in Burgundy, and there are the not-so-big names. Regardless of popularity- maybe even despite it- there are domaines in Burgundy that produce exceptional wines, proving you don’t have to be one of the big boys to compete with the big boys. In fact, some of the greatest gems in this highly coveted and revered region are the small, somewhat iconoclastic vignerons who have made an indelible mark on the region as a whole.
To the true Burgundian intellectual, some of these producers might be familiar friends. To those who have recently started the journey down the Burgundy rabbit hole, welcome to yet another wonderful facet of this complex region. Regardless of your knowledge and prowess of Burgundy, enjoy selections from truly wonderful producers who deserve space in your cellars.
Let’s look at the featured producers:
Jean Chauvenet:
Established in the early 1980s by Jean Chauvenet, the estate is now operated by his son-in-law, Christophe Drag.
Lying in the Nuits-Saint-Georges district a few meters from Vosne-Romanée, the Jean Chauvenet domaine grows nearly ten hectares of wines which include no fewer than seven Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er crus. With some lying in the north and some in the south of the appellation, they represent a whole gamut of different wines. Vinification, followed by 18 months' elevage in oak barrels (around 20 percent new wood), preserve the marked character of each terroir, the wines being subjected to neither filtration or fining.
Chauvenet’s extended absence from the US market may explain why a wine this serious continues to stay well below three figures in price; despite being one of the true stalwarts of Nuits-Saint-Georges, other domaines have passed it by in terms of name recognition. The 2014 vintage marked Chauvenet’s return to the US market, and happily so. The wines are incredibly elegant and poised in youth, yet age ever so gracefully.
Domaine Edmond Cornu
The Cornu family settled in the town of Ladoix in 1870 and established the domaine in 1875. Edmond Cornu assumed command of the estate in 1956 and in 1959 began to bottle the fruits of his labor. Up to that time all wines made at the estate had been sold to negociants. As the private clientele increased, Cornu also expanded the domaine. With the ascension of his son, Pierre, to full participation in the domaine, this dynamic family has aggressively pursued additional opportunities to acquire prime vineyard sites. Having expanded the domaine, Pierre is now joined by his cousin, Emmanuel Boireau, in supervising the vineyard and cellar work.
Currently, the estate comprises 15 hectares, 13.5 of which are planted to Pinot Noir and the rest to the classic white grapes of Burgundy (1.5 hectares to Chardonnay plus 0.5 hectare of Aligoté). The vineyards are spread across the communes of Ladoix, Chorey, Aloxe Corton and Savigny in the Cote de Beaune and a small parcel in Corgoloin in the Cote de Nuits. The wines evoke earth, herbs, and brooding red and purple fruits. Although shy up front, oxygen brings out the precocious and remarkably thought provoking character of these wines.
Domaine Harmand-Geoffroy
Gerard Harmand and his son, Philippe, now lead this family-run estate that was established in the late nineteenth century. The domaine encompasses nine hectares of vineyards, all planted to Pinot Noir and situated exclusively within the boundaries of the village of Gevrey-Chambertin. The viticulture is traditional to its core: the soil is turned by tractor and by hand, herbicides are not used, all in the cause of permitting the roots to reach deeply in their search for “terroir”; no chemical fertilizers are applied nor are insecticides used; debudding is practiced to eliminate undesirable growth, a “vendange verte” is done when necessary and the harvest is, of course, manual.
Harmand-Geoffroy is the champion of Gevrey-Chambertin, whose name should be synonymous with the region. If you ever needed a reason to jump into this village, let Harmand-Geoffroy be just that. The wines are the perfect, stylish reflection of the village and its crus, all while being traditionally cultivated, fermented, and crafted.
Domaine Dublere
Blair Pethel is among the rarest of all birds – a transplanted American who makes pure and terroir-specific wines in Burgundy. After moving his wife and children to Beaune in 2003, Blair graduated from the prestigious Lycée Viticole de Beaune, and began producing his first wines in 2004 and 2005.
Blair Pethel’s Domaine Dublère (i.e., Domaine du ”Blair”) consisted of roughly three hectares of old vines plus fruit that he bought from another three hectares of vineyards. Blair adhered to a fundamentally organic regimen; and he performed all labor himself, from ploughing and pruning to scientific analysis during fermentation.
Sadly, in 2019, Pethel sold his estate to neighbors Sophie and Fabrice Laronze of Domaine Terres de Velle, after his wife was diagnosed with a terminal illness, soon after which she passed. The remaining wines of his that you can find on the market are sublimely elegant, perfectly gastronomic, and a wonderful expression of Burgundy.