The Grand Cercle des Vins de Bordeaux gathers in London annually to profile 124 talented Chateaux, selected for their quality and value for money. Covering 27 different appellation areas, the tasting always represents a unique snapshot into currently available vintages, but more importantly, offers a valuable preview of the next En-primeur offering from these producers, in this case, the 2023 vintage.
Whilst 2023 vintage might be remembered as a year of extremes, it also produced some very favourable conditions at crucial times throughout the growing season including a warm dry spring that led to an early growth spurt and gave the vines time to establish themselves before the summer heatwaves arrived. With any serious damaged avoided during the frosts on the 4th and 5th of April, weather improved steadily in May with a very successful flowering and fruit set before a prolonged period of wet and humid conditions followed in late June, bringing with it a serious threat of mildew damage. From mid-July onwards temperatures were generally cooler than 2022, although they did regularly hit 30c in August and overall conditions remained favourable with red grape harvesting commencing for many in mid-September. The overall quality of the 2023 harvest is considered outstanding.
Chateau Haut Breton Larigaudiere 2023, Margaux
Taut, broody and embryonic, the aromatics are spicy and cool, packed full of dark black berries, bramble berries and juniper spice. The palate is medium bodied, spicy and tightly wound with dry grippy mineral tannins, sleek purple and black berry fruits with gentle oak spice on the finish. The acids are fresh but not tart, tangy and well integrated, but should soften to allow the fruits to flesh out after several years.
(Wine Safari Score: 91-92/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Chateau Tour Baladoz 2023, Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classé (B)
A attractively fragrant, perfumed aromatics filled with Parma violets, purple flowers and white blossom. The entry is sleek, silky and soft textured showing lovely balance and harmony already, underpinned by spicy black berry, limestone minerality and a hint of graphite on the finish. An impressively polished, tangy, juicy effort from the vintage.
(Wine Safari Score: 92-93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Chateau La Croizille 2023, Saint Emilion Grand Cru Classé (B)
Rich, dark and broody with aromatics of purple rock candy, violets, creme de cassis and black cherry confit. The palate is bold and dense, packed full of fleshy, textured fruit extract, dry velvety tannins and tangy acids, all intelligently coaxed and caressed into a seriously powerful right bank expression that immediately shows its terroir pedigree.
(Wine Safari Score: 94-95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Contact Anthony Crameri for ex-cellar trade prices, EU stockists and current vintage availability.
With Bordeaux En-primeur 2023 about to get into full swing, 2023 is indeed one of the most interesting and intriguing vintages in recent years. I visited Bordeaux from the 13th to the 20th September and visited a number of top Chateaux to walk the vineyards and inspect the quality of the grapes. After visits to left bank chateaux including Pedesclaux, Cap Leon Veyrin, and Pichon Baron as well as visits to right bank properties Figeac, Clos Cantenac and Chateau Seraphine, I concluded that the grape quality was indeed excellent.
The original doubts surrounding the vintage were cast after a prolonged spell of wet and humid conditions that struck vineyards at the end of June and early July, leading to intense mildew pressures. With the correct treatments, yields would have been slightly reduced but quality certainly does not seem to have been compromised at the top properties.
Walking through the Chateau Seraphine vineyard in mid-September 2023.
Whilst 2023 might be remembered as a year of extremes, it also produced some very favourable conditions at crucial times throughout the growing season including a warm dry spring that led to an early growth spurt and gave the vines time to establish themselves before the summer heatwaves arrived. With any serious damaged avoided during the frosts on the 4th and 5th of April, weather improved steadily in May with a very successful flowering and fruit set before a prolonged period of wet and humid conditions followed in late June, bringing with it a serious threat of mildew damage.
With Martin Krajewski in his Pomerol vineyards in September 2023.
From mid-July onwards temperatures were generally cooler than 2022, although they did regularly hit 30c in August and overall conditions remained favourable with red grape harvesting commencing on the 13th of September. The overall quality of the 2023 harvest is considered outstanding.
Petit Cantenac 2023, Saint Emilion Grand Cru, 14% Abv.
The 2023 Petit Cantenac is a blend of 80% Merlot, 15% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon that seduces from the very first waft of perfume and macerated black berry fruits in the glass. A little darker and broodier than the Clos Cantenac, the aromatics are once again dense and compact revealing rich notes of macerated black plums, black cherries, hoisin plum sauce, tannery leather and delicate hints of graphite spice. The palate shows impressive balance and symmetry all built around sensual, creamy, fine-grained tannins, supple black berry and black cherry fruits and a limestone mineral spice enlivened on the finish with a bright, seamlessly integrated seam of acidity. Showing attractively bold Cabernet characters in its youth, this is another very finely honed and constructed Petit Cantenac that offers a glimpse of the vintage’s warmth and ripeness while simultaneously retaining a certain amount of classical restraint. Really very classy indeed and undoubtedly… excellent value for money.
(Wine Safari Score: 94-95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Clos Cantenac 2023, St Emilion Grand Cru, 14% Abv.
This attractive 2023 Clos Cantenac is an exotic 100% Merlot Saint Emilion Grand Cru and displays the luxurious opulence and ripeness of this warm sunny vintage. Vibrant, plush, and deep, the aromatics show intricate notes of macerated black cherries, black berries, raspberries and damson plums together with hints of pressed violets, fresh tobacco leaf, tilled earth, incense, mocha and vanilla pod spice. The palate is fabulously full and textured, dense and mouth-filling with very sweet fine-grained ripe tannins, layers of salty black currant and black cherry fruits, all punctuated by a lingering vein of acid freshness. Perfectly weighted, rich and harmonious but also elegantly accessible and polished, this could be one of the finest young Clos Cantenac vintages I have tasted to date. A real beauty of the vintage.
(Wine Safari Score: 95-97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
L’Innocence de Seraphine 2023, Pomerol, 14% Abv.
The 2023 L’Innocence de Seraphine is a blend of 75% Merlot and 25% Cabernet Franc and displays seductively opulent aromatics of perfumed violets and lilies, sweet damson plums, black cherries, blueberries, vanilla essence, freshly cut cedar and sweet exotic Asian spices. The palate is beautifully pinpoint and precise with a sleek, polished texture of saline black berry fruits, crème de cassis, picante dark chocolate and fresh cigars with subtle mineral limestone nuances. The palate shows impressive power and focus with supple, pliant tannins enrobed by ripe black berry fruits, mellow acids, hints of cola and salted caramel, finishing with notes of vanilla pod, mocha and savoury macerated berries. A delightful wine with striking mid-palate weight, power, and balance sufficient to rival most producers’ Grand Vins.
(Wine Safari Score: 93-95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Chateau Seraphine 2023, Pomerol, 14.5% Abv.
The 2023 Seraphine Pomerol is another incredibly dense, intense, hedonistic 100% Merlot creation boasting an almost impenetrable black opaque colour, massive extract, and exotic aromatics of white flowers, macerated black cherries, black currants, cola, freshly tilled earth, graphite, cloves and subtle hoisin plum sauce nuances. The palate is plush, full bodied and incredible concentrated, bursting with mouthwatering layers of blueberries, black currant pastille, black cherries and milk chocolate before subtle hints of salty black liquorice and brown toast on the long, persistent finish. This is an incredibly compelling wine with a spellbinding appeal, mouth coating sweet ripe tannins, and a distinctive seam of fresh, bristling acidity that adds requisite tension and delineation to the velvety Merlot fruit. This is up there with some of the finest vintages of Seraphine produced to date. (Only 4,400 bottle production.)
Clos Cantenac is a three-hectare wine property on Bordeaux’s right bank with vines planted on a combination of deep gravel, sand, and clay over limestone soils. It is situated close to the pre-historic “Megalith de Pierrefitte” in the Saint Emilion wine appellation and was purchased in 2007 by Martin Krajewski, the previous owner of Chateau de Sours and more latterly, Chateau Seraphine in Pomerol. Both Clos Cantenac in St Emilion and Château Seraphine in Pomerol – the properties are barely 5 km away from each other – follow similar strategies in the vineyard and winery having reintroduced cover crops to the vineyards and using only sustainable products and viticultural practices in order to protect the vines and the vineyard environment. With this Petit Cantenac, you certainly get the same feel of care and precision that goes into the Clos Cantenac Grand Vin but with greater accessibility for earlier drinking.
2019 forms the middle of the trilogy of three very high-quality Bordeaux vintages in 2018, 2019 and 2020, but is also one which may well eventually trump both its siblings for sheer depth, ripeness and power one day. But as Martin Krajewski freely admits, “… in the 20 years I have been in Bordeaux, there has not been two identical vintages despite all of the technological advancements and the significant investments in new wineries. It is still a question of how man and the vines respond to the weather that determines the quality and quantity.”
However, whilst 2019 was a very good to excellent vintage, it wasn’t at all straightforward with heat waves, a drought, and a rainy finish in late September, but they also enjoyed a long, dry summer and harvest with just enough rain and none of the disasters like the late spring frost of 2017 or the mildew that some growers experienced in 2018. The growing season got off to a slow start with a cool May, but it then warmed up considerably for the start of flowering just as growers approached the first glorious weekend of June. Some vineyards flowered successfully over these few days but then with intermittent rain over the next week or so, it cooled down considerably with the result that many bunches had uneven fruit set, with ‘coulure’ and ‘millerandage’ which is unformed and variable or undersized berries respectively. The impact appeared very varied from one area to another with some vineyards completely unaffected, whilst others had uneven bunches from one row or even one plant to the next.
Once the flowering was out of the way, the fruit grew in fine weather, becoming hot and sunny from the end of the month and throughout a very warm July. Temperatures reached a stifling 40ºC on 23rd July and many of the vines shut down although thankfully, heavy rain then fell on the Friday 26th July but only lasted two days. The July heat wave did not impact the fruit negatively as the grapes had only just formed and were yet to change colour but then came more hot weather in the second half of August, which lasted well into September with the chillier nights and early mornings proving to be ideal for the healthy development of the fruit. The harvest at Clos Cantenac started on the 11th of September and only finished in early October.
One can conclude that the best recent Bordeaux vintages such as 2009, 2010 and 2016, also had just enough rain (but not too much), although 2019 also had a lot of rain early in the year as well as a wet spring, so the vines were better able to cope with the dry summer through to September, making for structured, ripe, powerful wines with plenty of concentration.
Petit Cantenac 2019, Saint-Emilion Grand Cru, Bordeaux, 14% Abv.
The 2019 Petit Cantenac is a classical right bank blend of 85% Merlot, 10% Cabernet Franc and 5% Cabernet Sauvignon that was aged in 20% new French oak and 80% 2nd and 3rd year oak for 12 months. Seductively deep coloured with a purple garnet core, the wine is beautifully expressive, boasting a lifted perfumed aromatics of violets and cherry blossoms over notes of black cherries, kirsch liquor, baked plums and black currants with subtle hints of graphite and vanilla pod oak spice. A wonderfully accessible and alluring wine, even in its youth, this classy 2019 vintage delivers multiple layers of plush, fleshy black berry fruited concentration that melts into crème de cassis, black raspberry compote, mocha, and subtle milk chocolate nuances. The tannins are mineral but tensile, emphasising the wine’s stony, gravelly spiciness, combining with soft, fresh acids that add harmony and balance to the fruit intensity. This may only be the second wine of Clos Cantenac, but it has all the composure and complexity of many far more ambitious Saint Emilion Grand Cru reds on the market. Drink on release and over the next 10+ years.
(Wine Safari Score: 92+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The wines of Clos Cantenac and Petit Cantenac are available in the UK from specialist fine wine merchant Museum Wines for circa £59.99 and £40.99 per bottle.
The spectacular wines of Jean-Yves Bizot represent the pinnacle of wine quality in a region graced with some of the most sought-after labels in the world of fine wine. Jean-Yves’s strict and uncompromising standards in the vineyards and his enviable old vine parcels in Vosne-Romanée combine to offer a stellar line-up of miniscule production red Burgundies built for ageing. Jean-Yves is a respected professor of viticulture and oenology in Beaune and lives in Vosne across the road from Henri Jayer’s old residence.
Sunrise in January 2024 over Gevrey-Chambertin.
Indeed, the two vignerons had neighbouring parcels in Vosne-Romanée and often discussed vinification techniques while working their vines. As a result, Jean-Yves decided to adapt some of Jayer’s techniques in his own cellar (in particular, whole cluster fermentation at cool temperatures in conical wooden vats) and is now making exceptional Vosne-Romanée wines that defy quality comparisons. Jean-Yves has undoubtedly forged his own unique winemaking path and today is recognized as producing some of the most iconic wines in Burgundy, following his own distinct and rigorous philosophy in the vineyards and in the cellar. Unsurprisingly, the wines of Domaine Bizot are now regarded as the pinnacle of Pinot Noir perfection and are coveted by the greatest Burgundy collectors and connoisseurs around the world, joining the ranks of other iconic names such as Domaine de la Romanée-Conti.
Tasting the Corton-Charlemagne 2022 from barrel with Jean-Yves in January 2024.
Jean-Yves Bizot recently made some exciting new purchases in Burgundy, including 0.14 hectares of prime Le Charlemagne Chardonnay vines as well as further north in the Côtes-de-Nuits, terroirs that he believes are still under-appreciated by the current generation but which were very well known and highly regarded centuries ago – both of his Côtes-de-Nuits vineyards are just south of Dijon: Bourgogne “Le Chapitre” and Marsannay “Clos du Roy”, both of which are old vine parcels. His range is completed by his magnificent Bourgogne Blanc that comes from an old parcel of sélection massale Chardonnay right next to Grand Cru Clos de Vougeot. Bizot’s wines are bottled by hand, barrel by barrel, without filtration, and are serious Burgundies for the patient connoisseur, emphasizing purity, subtlety, power and elegance.
Some Bizot vineyards next to his Vosne-Romanee winery.
Domaine Jean Yves Bizot Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru 2022
The two specific single vineyards of En Charlemagne and Le Charlemagne make up half of this famous appellation, while white grapes grown in seven other vineyards may also be sold as Corton-Charlemagne. As a result there can be a wide divergence in styles between earlier picked south-facing locations and cooler, later picked western slopes around Pernand-Vergelesses. Jean-Yves’s 0.14 hectares of vines are located in the prestigious Le Charlemagne vineyard and produce a meagre two new French oak barrels, or 600 bottles, of this golden Grand Cru nectar. A wonderfully sophisticated first showing of this wine reveals a rich vinous tapestry tightly packed with savoury aromatics of leesy yellow citrus, fresh rain on limestone, wet straw, baking herbs and glacé lemon rind. The concentration on the palate is astonishing – glycerol, piercing, fresh and beautifully crystalline and saline with intense layers of lemon and lime cordial, green apple pastille over an electric laser-like acidity with just a subtle kiss of lemon butter and vanilla pod spice on the finish. An astounding wine of incredible power, focus and precision, the likes of which you rarely see from Corton-Charlemagne. A wine that is sure to be legendary even before its official release.
(Wine Safari Score: 99-100/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The wines of Domaine Jean-Yves Bizot are imported and distributed exclusively in the UK by Wimbledon Wine Cellar. Contact: andrew@wimbledonwinecellar.com to enquire about available allocations and up coming new releases like the Corton-Charlemagne.
Saint Emilion is one of Bordeaux’s largest producing appellations, producing more wine than Listrac, Moulis, Saint Estephe, Pauillac, Saint Julien and Margaux put together. Clos Cantenac’s 3-hectare plot of vines are largely situated on either deep gravels or shallow sandy soils over gravel, clay and broken limestone. Owner Martin Krajewski, who also owns the famous Chateau Seraphine in Pomerol, just a stone’s throw down the road, has been working since 2007 to elevate Clos Cantenac to one of the most respected boutique red wine properties in Saint Emilion.
With a trilogy of “exceptional vintages” in 2018, 2019 and 2020, Clos Cantenac’s new releases have really started to attract the attention of not only the world’s top critics, but also fine wine collectors. Indeed, Neal Martin, writing for Vinous.com, described the 2019 from barrel as the finest wine produced at the property to date.
Walking the Clos Cantenac vineyards in St Emilion with owner Martin Krajewski in September 2023.
I visited Martin Krajewski in September 2023, just as the harvest was starting on the right bank and took the opportunity to walk his well-groomed vineyards in not only Saint Emilion but also Pomerol. Now with the 2019 vintage newly arrived in the UK market, I thought I would take another look at this wine that showed so much promise from barrel at En-primeur.
Clos Cantenac 2019, St Emilion Grand Cru, 14% Abv.
Another ripe opulent year in Bordeaux that forms part of the trilogy of famous blockbuster vintages … 2018, 2019 and 2020. One sniff of this wine leaves you in no doubt of its rich, exotic, plush 100% Merlot expression with intricately interwoven vanilla pod, praline, and wood spice notes that melt into aromatics of sweet mulberries, black cherry, smoky burnt wood embers and a mesmerising stony graphite minerality. Beautifully full bodied and muscular on the palate, there is a tantalising depth of salty black currant and black cherry fruit with layers of pithy plum compote, soft liquorice and liquid mineral tannins, seamlessly wrapped into a fleshy core of right bank opulence. Give this beauty another 2 to 3 years to fully unwind into something really quite special. (Only 8,000 bottles produced.)
(Wine Safari Score: 95+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The latest release of Martin Krajewski’s Clos Cantenac 2019 is available from specialist fine wine merchant Museum Wines @ £59pb Inc.
Over the last twenty years, Domaine Fourrier has turned out to be one of the great success stories in Burgundy, proof that a talented grower with good sites can rise out of near obscurity to make wines that have become some of the most sought-after in the region. The man behind this rapid rise is Jean-Marie Fourrier, whose father generously handed over control in 1994, when his son was twenty-four. He is lucky to have a large stock of old vines, but as ever, the secret to his success is meticulous work in the vineyards.
Jean-Marie does not follow organic methods specifically, but rather he tries to keep chemical treatments to a minimum and is more of an ‘intuitive anticipator’ of vineyard problems. While always remaining true to their terroirs, his wines have won over a legion of Burgundy collectors and followers with their unashamed ripeness, textural polish, and an all-round seductiveness that is normally instantly recognisable, but without ever compromising on the wines’ age ability.
Vintage 2022 in Burgundy:
The 2022 vintage undoubtedly represents a return to a warmer and dryer style of season after the trials and tribulations of the complex, frost affected, low yielding but high quality 2021 vintage. The 2022 conditions and wine styles have more in keeping with the trilogy of riper years in 2018-2019-2020 despite the region having had several near misses with frost during the season with low -4c temperatures recorded in April.
Fortunately, after a very meagre but high quality 2021 harvest, the volumes of 2022 rebounded, as is often the case with frost affected vines, with some generous grape yields of excellent quality for both reds and whites after a warm, dry summer without any heat spikes. Harvesting generally began towards the end of August in the Cotes de Beaune and in early September in the Cotes de Nuits and Chablis. The resultant wines are beautifully ripe and vibrant, with invigorating fruit concentration, crystalline purity, and delicious mouthwatering intensity.
Domaine Jean-Marie Fourrier Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos Saint Jacques 2022, Burgundy, France
A very classy, plush aromatics which suggests great pedigree and power but announces it with true elegance and soft-spoken restraint. There’s a lovely melange of both red and black fruits, strawberry, black cherry, red currant and plum spice. The palate is deliciously bright, sleek and fleshy but also beautifully delineated, with fresh underlying acids punctuating the focus and purity of fruit. All wonderfully in balance, the fleshy sweet fruit is tight knit, taut but silky, the tannins powdery and mineral. Very elegant and supremely classy with the archetypal Fourrier fruit purity and palate concentration but importantly with energising, revitalising acids in this warm ripe vintage. Yet again a thoroughly seductive Gevrey-Chambertin from this blue chip 1er Cru vineyard. Drink on release and over the next 10 to 15+ years.
Le Trianon de Larigaudiere is the second wine of Chateau Haut Breton Larigaudiere and is produced from the youngest vines in the vineyard around the Chateau in the Margaux appellation. The Chateau’s wines are produced by Jean Michel Garcion, one of the of the most respected winemakers on the left bank, who’s also a massive admirer of Cabernet Sauvignon. As a result, this younger vine wine is a blend of 60% Cabernet Sauvignon but also a generous 40% Merlot, which lends the cuvee great softness, fleshiness and opulence in the mouth.
Following a cold pre-fermentation maceration, the juice is kept on the skins for between 15 and 30 days in concrete and stainless-steel vats of varying sizes, for fine-tuned, plot-by-plot fermentation. Each decision is based on the specific vintage and the resulting grape quality. After fermentation, the wines are aged 12 to 15 months in French and American oak barrels, including 25% new barrels, 60% first fill and 15% in second fill oak barriques.
The Chateau Haut Breton Larigaudiere has recently undergone a sizable facelift making the tasting room a worthwhile stop when traveling down the D2 through Margaux.
Chateau Haut Breton Larigaudiere Le Trianon de Larigaudiere 2020, Margaux, 12.5% Abv.
A broody opaque dark red black plum colour in the glass, the 2020 Trianon boast classical Bordeaux aromatics of violets, earthy black currants, macerated black plums, red cherries, wet tobacco and raspberry herbal tea nuances that melt into subtle wood spice and vanilla pod notes. The palate is beautifully sleek and harmonious with satin soft tannins and tart sour black cherry acids that are invigorating and mouthwatering. Not only is the texture beautifully elegant, accessible and soft but the wine retains the signature Margaux’esque majesty and finesse that makes the wines of this appellation so seductive, young or old. In true second wine style, this 2020 is delicious and ready to go now but will offer incremental drinking pleasure for a good 5 to 8+ years.
(Wine Safari Score: 90+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Available ex-Chateau on direct import. Contact anthony_crameri@orange.fr for more information.
Louis Jadot seems to be on a bit of a run of form when it comes to top quality white vintages. This Covid-hit 2020 is a charming vintage delivering full, fleshy, concentrated wines with plenty of intensity, depth and textural mouthfeel while retaining moderate alcohols and low pH levels. 2020 was a warm, dry year and efforts were of course made to pick fruit a little earlier than normal to retain freshness and energy in the wines. In the cellar, foudres and 500 litre barrels complement the classic Burgundian 228 litre barrels as changes are made to the wines’ elevage in an attempt to adapt to climate change.
Louis Jadot Domaine Gagey Ladoix Le Clou d’Orge Blanc 2020, Burgundy, 13% Abv.
The 2019 vintage was widely regarded as one of Jadot’s best white vintages on record, so 2020 was always going to be up against it. But this juicy Domaine Gagey Ladoix Le Clou d’Orge 2020 Blanc is a wonderfully expressive creation showing the ripeness and exoticism of the vintage. The aromatics are intricate and expressive, boasting notes of peaches, lemon pastille, citrus oil, salted toffee and honey drizzled on warm pastries fresh out the oven. The palate reveals a lovely opulent core of fleshy yellow citrus fruits that coat the mouth, with ripe flavours lingering with impressive persistence. A wine with a pleasing balance, flavour intensity and soft bright acids rather than zippy, nervy, chiselled acids of a cooler, leaner year. Certainly a real class act in terms of white Burgundy quality, and most importantly, with a rare accessible price point still. Enjoy now and over the next 3 to 5 years.
(Wine Safari Score: 92/100 Greg Sherwood MW
Wines are available exclusively to the UK trade through importer Hatch Mansfield and retails for circa £35 per bottle.
Burgundy remains one of the most exciting and alluring French appellations producing fine wine today. Whether it’s because of its 900 plus years of history or its exceptional terroir carefully married to primarily one red and one white grape variety, namely Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, no other wine region around the world has been able to truly match the profound expressions being produced in these small village appellations. Today, Burgundy and its top growers are arguably making the most sought after, ethereal and unrivalled fine wines in the world.
Jean-Yves Bizot is a Vosne Romanee based vigneron armed with a PhD in oenology and geology producing iconic wines that have certainly captured the imagination of connoisseurs and collectors around the globe in recent years. Originally owned by his grandfather, Domaine Bizot was, in essence, brought back to life in 1995 by Jean Yves when he took over the running of the winery. A passionate winemaker with a keen eye for history, Jean Yves is a big fan of the wines from the 1950s and 1960s but is less enamoured with the wines that Burgundy produced thereafter. Being one of the smaller domaines in Vosne Romanee at just 3.5 hectares, Jean Yves took over a winery that had been renting out most of its vineyards to other growers as his father was a full-time paediatrician at the hospital in Beaune and did not produce any wine himself.
Jean Yves Bizot of Domaine Bizot
The original domaine was, in the earlier days, almost eight hectares in size before some of the vineyards were passed on to successive generations, with several hectares going to Domaine Coudray-Bizot in Beaune and some to Domaine Naddef in Fixin. When Jean Yves took over the domaine in 1995, he immediately stopped using herbicides and also attempted to reduce the general use of sulphides, reverting to the lutteraisonnée or minimal intervention philosophy early on before progressing completely to organic wine growing in 2004. Nowadays, the domaine consist of mainly Pinot Noir with a small amount of Chardonnay planted in the Haut-Cotes de Nuits and in Flagey-Echezeaux, which is sold as simply Bourgogne Blanc.
In 2007, Jean-Yves acquired additional vineyards in Chenôve, in one of Dijon’s suburbs. Le Chapitre is a regional appellation site, squeezed in between high buildings in the middle of Chenôve whilst Clos du Roy, despite being located in the commune of Chenôve, is a village appellation Marsannay and is the northern continuation of the vineyards around the village of Marsannay. Compared with the lieux-dits sites considered for Premier Cru status in Marsannay, Le Chapitre is just a small 5.5 hectares in size owned by around ten growers including illustrious names like Sylvain Pataille, Laurent Fournier, and Domaine Gagey, Drouhin, among others.
Back in Vosne Romanee, Domaine Bizot produces several village appellation cuvees and the occasional Premier Cru red from declassified Echezeaux vines as well as his now highly famed Grand Cru Echezeaux red. Jean Yves doesn’t produce a Vosne Romanee Premier Cru every vintage, but when he does, it is normally sourced from an Echezeaux parcel called Les Treux, a site lower down the slope below Loächausses. The second of the two parcels in Echezeaux is a slightly larger site in Les Orveaux which is normally a later ripening plot, and in years when yields are low, Jean Yves will blend the sites into a single Echezeaux cuvee. Just behind the winery in Vosne Romanee is Les Jachees, one of the biggest parcels of the Bizot domaine at 0.63 hectares, which is a village appellation and Jean Yves is currently the only producer to bottle this site separately.
Jean Yves Bizot now produces undoubtedly some of the most highly coveted fine wines in Burgundy and I was very fortunate to meet up with Jean Yves recently at a bespoke dinner hosted by his UK importer, Wimbledon Wine Cellars. As I get so few opportunities to taste and write about Jean Yves’s incredible Domaine Bizot wines, I have tagged on a few extra previously unpublished tasting notes from a tasting dinner at Noble Rot. Nowadays, these wines are coveted for their extreme finesse and sumptuous depth, partly as a result of the whole bunch extraction process that the Domaine utilises, and every year, Bizot only produces between 9,000 and 10,000 bottles, making them incredibly difficult to purchase.
Yellow honied colour raised concerns, but in the glass, the aromatics are perfect for a 13 year old white. Impressively complex with layers of orange peel, apple skins, pithy pear and the most delicious gravelly, liquid minerality. Just to spice up the equation, the wine shows the most delicious struck match reduction on the finish. What a surprise. Delicious.
(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Domaine Bizot Echezeaux Grand Cru 2008, Burgundy, 12% Abv.
Showing some lovely foresty evolution, the aromatics are very expressive with graphite, smokey black cherry, earthy forest bramble berries with a delicious piquant, sappy, resinous black berry notes. Superbly fresh acids, beautiful sweet / sour berry notes, and a fine concentrated long finish.
Lovely dark broody, smokey, reductive nose with salty cassis, pithy black currant skins and an alluring salty black liquorice complexity. Sleek, quite mineral in orientation, piquant and fabulously intense, this is quite an intriguing Vosne Romanee that certainly punches above its village weight. (The last vintage of the Vieilles Vignes Vosne Romanee was in 2009 before the vineyard’s old vines were destroyed by frost.)
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Domaine Bizot Bourgogne Hautes-Cotes de Nuits Blanc 2018, Burgundy
Incredibly steely, saline aromatics great your first approach to the glass followed by a complex melange of lime cordial, lemon biscuits, grapefruit confit over subtle hints of struck flint reduction. But there is so much more on offer, as incrementally the wine unfurls revealing hints of honey suckle, passion fruit, Parma violets, perfumed lemon tea and purple rock candy. Wonderfully fleshy on the palate, this makes way for a complex smoky stony complexity with soft supple tangy acids, crunchy white peach, incredible lemon and lime fruit concentration overlayed by a pithy liquid minerality. A very regal expression from such a modest appellation. Simply stunning.
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Domaine Bizot Vosne Romanee 2017, Burgundy
A beautifully plush signature Bizot nose with dusty chalky mineral sappy floral lapsang Souchong tea spice notes over earthy bramble berries, mulberry compote, black berry and peppermint crisp nuances. The palate is weightless yet intense, focusing the senses with its stony mineral pithy black fruits, black cherry reduction, black currant, pomegranate and delicately savoury mineral spice. An ethereal expression.
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Domaine Bizot Marsannay Clos du Roy Rouge 2017, Burgundy
First vintage was produced in 2007. A most powerful Cuvee from Marsannay. A beautifully bold, plush opulent expression of Burgundy boasting perfumed violets, wild strawberries, burnt wood embers, graphite and red currant confit. Fabulously saline and bright on the palate with phenomenal concentration once again, tangy fresh acids, tart red cherry and cranberry pastille over pithy chalky mineral tannins. Really lovely intensity, flamboyance and depth with subtle power and focus. Will certainly improve with further time in bottle.
(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Domaine Bizot Vosne Romanee Les Jachees 2018, Burgundy
A powerful vintage but one that lacked a little acidic backbone in general, according to Jean Yves. Another individual expression full of Vosne spice, liquid chalk, dried Provençal herbs, garrigue, charcoal embers, raisined cranberries, and stewed strawberry fruits. The palate is super complex packed full of dusty chalk minerality, wet river stones, cherry and strawberry compote notes that melt into creamy mineral graphite tannins. A wine with such energy and fruit concentration, all assembled into a very special expression.
(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Domaine Bizot Bourgogne Le Chapitre Rouge 2016, Burgundy
From a plot in Marsannay. Huge frost in the Spring allowing only a two barrel production. One of the smallest vintages until the 2020s. Vines planted in 1954 but with several replantings since to replace dead vines. Initially very taut and tight with stony aromatics, the wine slowly opens its shoulders to show hints of wood smoke, charcoal embers, tar, sappy spice and black chai tea over a smoky black berry compote fruit core. Silky soft, spicy and full of energy, this is a characterful Cuvée that punches well above its weight, with impressive red and black fruit concentration, a smoky stony mineral vein leading to pithy strawberry fruited finish. Effortlessly classy and elegant.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Domaine Bizot Clos de La Bidaude Rouge 2021, Burgundy
Only circa 900 bottles produced. The first ever showing of this new Cuvée from Jean-Yves outside of his cellar. Taut, young and energetic with the unmistakable Bizot signature smoky, sappy, mineral spice with an opulent melange of forest berries, black plum, sour black cherry, blueberry, wild strawberry and a dusty chalky top note. Youthful vibrancy ripples through the palate while all the while retaining a sense of composure, elegance and class. Delicious tangy acids enliven the red and black fruits leading to a long, chalky, pithy strawberry fruited finish. Beautiful!
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The wines of Domaine Bizot are imported into the UK on release by Wimbledon Wine Cellars. Register your interest for new En-primeur releases.
You know that when Aubert de Villaine declares that he believes their 2020 vintage will find a very special place among the great successes of recent years because of its uniqueness and originality, that you are in for a real tasting treat. Never one for exaggeration or hubris, Aubert nevertheless feels that the 2020 range of wines released in 2023 by the Domaine are really something exceptional.
With the vintage being produced in the midst of the Covid-19 pandemic, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti’s UK importer comments that it is therefore “quite fitting that Nature should have decided to take a very different path during the growing season of this, arguably the most beautiful of the fabulous trio -2018, 2019 and 2020. Born in a timeless world of clear skies, empty roads, smokeless factories … the 2020 vintage may almost be seen as an Ode to Joy.”
The wines share the opulence, power and density of 2018 and 2019 but their unique signature is a precision and startling freshness allied to an eery calm and authority – what Co-director Perrine Fenal called “a Zen-like quality of being undisturbed.” After tasting the full line up, I can concur that the wines are indeed incredibly charming but also pretty serious.
At harvest time, the grapes were magnificent. Small, thick skinned, intense, sweet and perfectly healthy, with a final sorting table selection only removing 1.5% of the crop. Yields were average in 2020 and vinifications were effected with 90 to 100% whole bunch clusters, without destemming, and lasted on average 18 to 21 days under the supervision of Chef de Cave Alexandre Bernier.
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Vosne Romanée 1er Cru Cuvée Duvault-Blochet 2020
Made only rarely and in exceptional years, the 1er Cru Vosne Romanée which is always reserved for on-trade restaurant clientele, is deep and dark fruited but also beautifully fragrant and perfumed showing violets, lavender, purple flowers over black plum, earthy black berry and Vosne five spice. Palate shows impressive depth and density with lovely layers of red and black berry, raspberry confit and earthy, musky spice. An impressive offering from fruit sourced mostly from La Tāche and younger vines in Grands Echezeaux.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Corton Grand Cru 2020
The 12th vintage of the Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Corton sourced from Clos du Roi, Bressandes and Les Renardes reveals pure and precise aromatics with a real focused perfume of musk, black cherry, small black currants and earthy wild strawberry hints. Super sleek with good mid-palate weight, there is a very fine, finessed core of dark fruit power all wonderfully balanced with a drying tannin structure. There is also some sapidity and resinous red fruit complexity on the finish but also a delightful symmetry. Elegance with power.
(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Echezeaux Grand Cru 2020
Wonderfully sappy and dark fruited expression packed full of five spice, dusty limestone minerality and a pronounced chalky lift. Red and black fruits, raspberry, strawberry candy and red cherry all lift the palate. Compact, fresh and very precise with a hint of ripe summer berry fruit warmth on the long finish. Always an impressive and utterly delicious wine.
(Wine Safari Score: 95+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Grands Echezeaux Grand Cru 2020
One of the Domaine’s first vineyards to be picked, the 2020 is beautifully dark fruited and reserved with black cherry, black currant and broody spice with a sweet ripe core of savoury power and sapidity. Cool, crisp and very precise with a harmonious but powerful palate weight, hints of rock candy, cherry and spicy sun-dried cranberry before darker earthy berry nuances emerge. Compact and focused, there is something quite special here yet again. Finesse, minerality and subtle majestic power.
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-St-Vivant Grand Cru 2020
A more perfumed exotic aromatics of red cherry pastille, strawberry rock candy, musk before ripe savoury raspberry fruits. The wine coats the palate with beautiful red and black berry fruits all tied together with silky soft mineral tannins and a purple rock candy intensity. Just the most subtle top notes of crystallized red berry fruits on the long, suave chalky fine-grained finish. A delightfully profound wine.
(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Richebourg Grand Cru 2020
Dark and alluring aromatics abound, layered with violet perfume, sweet mixed red and black summer berries over a delicate salted caramel kiss. Plush, broad and finely textured, this shows plenty of red cherry rock candy fruits, spicy black currant and small blueberry fruits over a chalky, sappy mineral frame. Regal, confident, but beautifully polished and rather effortlessly noble expression.
(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti La Tāche Grand Cru Monopole 2020
Not totally dissimilar to the Richebourg aromatics but seemingly turbo charged with a few more gears. More red fruited than black initially but all underpinned by a fabulous, dusty, sappy, chalky limestone elegance. Very full and intense, showing massive sweet fruited concentration, regal power, focused depth and incredible mouth coating red and black berry fruit power. Beautifully dominant and imposing, confident and very impressive but still shows a lovely classical twist of cherry, sapidity and chalky drying structure on the long balanced finish. Another memorable La Tāche for sure!
(Wine Safari Score: 98+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Romanée-Conti Grand Cru Monopole 2020
A dark and mysterious Romanee Conti that seemingly combines all the complexity and vintage elements of all the other vineyards all in one riveting glassful. Still quite broody, savoury, and dark fruited but with plenty of suggestions that beneath the youthful demeanour lies a fair amount of exoticism and exuberance waiting to reveal itself. Seamless oaking and deliciously broody black fruits combine with a chalky sapidity to create something extra special. Understated intensity, seamless balance and a true classy finesse and harmony on the long fresh regal finish. Simply beautiful.
(Wine Safari Score: 99/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru 2020
The second vintage of this new Domaine de la Romanée-Conti white is born from a very small 2.9 hectare plot leased from Bonneau du Martray lying in 2 locations, Le Charlemagne (Aloxe-Corton) and En Charlemagne (Pernand-Vergelesses). It is beautifully intense and exotic showing the warmth and ripeness of the vintage. Sweet lemon confit on warm buttered white toast, leesy oatmeal, waxy lemon rind and that seductive hint of struck match reduction seduce the senses. Riper, sweeter and more exotic than the 2019 maiden vintage but equally succulent, intense and concentrated. A wine that captures the imagination with the aromatics and then delivers in spades on the refined palate. Big money indeed, but not too many white Burgundies of this quality are produced every year.
(Wine Safari Score: 97+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Wines are exclusively imported and distributed in the UK by Corney & Barrow fine wine merchants.
Greg Sherwood MW 