Burgundy

Domaine Parent Showcases Their New 2023 Burgundy Releases in London Alongside an Impressive Array of Back Vintages…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Domaine Parent has long been a leading producer of premium wines in Burgundy. Moving to the modern era, Domaine Parent is recognised as one of the first growers to sell their production in bottle rather than in bulk. Now run by 12th generation custodian Anne Parent, the domaine continues to produce some of the most eye-catching wines in Burgundy and specifically in Pommard as Anne prepares to hand over the reins of winemaking and marketing to the 13th generation – her niece Constance Fages-Parent.

The new 2023 Burgundy releases.

As Anne prepares for a slightly more sedate mentoring role in her semi-retirement, she recently returned to London with Constance to showcase the domaine’s new 2023 releases in bottle alongside a seductive array of back vintage wines for collectors and connoisseurs. Having tasted the 2023 releases last November in Burgundy at the domaine with Anne, it was fascinating tasting the full range again in bottle, after the wines have had extra time to harmonise, flesh out and integrate. While tasting the En-primeur samples, it immediately became apparent that the Parent 2023 wines were among the most serious expressions of the vintage, revealing depth, concentration and ample structure in this more accessible, charming Burgundy vintage.

Anne and Constance in London.

During her tenure, Anne Parent has been a trailblazer in biodynamics and a real force for strict vineyard management. Hence, the domaine has managed to stay very much at the top of the tree in the Burgundy quality hierarchy. Tasting the 2023 releases and a superb selection of back vintages in London merely served to reconfirm the domaine’s true “first growth” standing in Pommard.

The 2023 New Releases from Domaine Parent:

Domaine Parent Bourgogne 2023, 12.5% Abv.

A true introduction to the joys of the Parent wine range. Pure, bright and deliciously red fruited showing red currant, red cherry and wild strawberry nuances. The entry is zippy and fresh, the palate delicately chalky with powdery accessible tannins and deliciously tangy acids that lend a mouthwatering succulence. Silky, soft and ready to enjoy in its youth. Drink from 2025 to 2032+.

(Wine Safari Score: 90+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Parent Bourgogne Selection Pomone 2023, 12.5% Abv. 

This is a blend of lower slope Volnay and Pommard vines of over 50 years in age. Full of intricate black berry fruits, this wine displays depth and complexity, a delicate smoky limestone minerality and a spicy, mint-tinged salty cassis finish. Accessible but still very serious. Drink from 2026 to 2032+.

(Wine Safari Score: 91+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Parent Pommard Les Noizons 2023, 13% Abv. 

The delightfully complex aromatics show a beautifully expressive side of red and black berry fruits, black cherry, pink musk and salty cassis. Impressively chalky tannins, seductively bright crystalline acids and a pithy, black fruited finish. Pure class with superb balance and persistence. Drink from 2026 to 2036+.

(Wine Safari Score: 92+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Parent Pommard 1er Cru Les Croix Noires 2023, 13.5% Abv. 

Beautifully dense, dark smoky aromatics full of limestone dust, pithy cherry skins and earthy red berry fruits. The palate is restrained but fleshy with a glycerol opulence, silky powdery tannins and a long, focused, incredibly precise finish with polished marble tannins. A very complete wine. Drink from 2026 to 2038+.

(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Parent Pommard 1er Cru Les Chanlins 2023, 13.5% Abv. 

The aromatics are dark and aromatic with notes of black cherry, salted liquorice, and creme de cassis. The fruits are taut and powerful, tight grained and mineral laden with an impressive core of concentration, a liquid minerality and a lovely long, compact length. Power packed and broody. Drink from 2026 to 2036+.

(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Parent Pommard 1er Cru Les Argillieres 2023, 13.5% Abv.

The aromatics are laden with red berry fruits, red plum and earthy savoury notes. Delightfully fleshy and fresh on the palate backed by mouth watering acids, a glycerol mouthfeel and an accessible cherry fruited finish. Creamy, succulent precision with super purity and accessibility. Drink from 2026 to 2038+.

(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Parent Pommard 1er Cru Les Chaponnieres 2023, 13.5% Abv. 

From 85-year-old Pinot Noir vines grown on brown and red clay soils that offers a more generous expression. Shows dark and alluring aromatics of black cherry, kirsch liquor and damson plum, liquorice and saline creme de cassis nuances. There’s a translucence to the fruit purity, crystalline acid brightness and a beautiful precision that shows some similarities to its neighbour Les Croix Noires. Massive concentration, opulence and depth. Very special site. Drink from 2026 to 2040.

(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Parent Pommard 1er Cru Les Epenots 2023, 13.5% Abv. 

The 2023 sees 40% whole bunches used with 40% new French oak from fruit grown on a lighter, finer grain of clay soils without much depth. The intricate aromatics show incredible precision and focus, power with elegance, with smoky limestone notes, satin soft tannins, and a generously long, concentrated finish. An utterly compelling offering. Drink from 2026 to 2040+.

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Parent Corton Grand Cru Les Renardes 2023, 13.5% Abv.

The complex aromatics shows red and black berry fruits, black orchard fruits, with high toned perfumed notes of kirsch cherry, purple rock candy, and blue berry nuances. The concentrated fruit envelops your palate, coating your mouth with silky powdery precision, before a long, persistent, focused classical finish. Drink from 2026 to 2040+.

(Wine Safari Score: 95+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Parent Corton Grand Cru Blanc 2023

From Chardonnay vines grown on deep limestone soils on the hill of Corton, just above the Les Bressandes vineyard. The wine is rich and expressive, full of ripe citrus fruits, buttered toast, honeycomb and leesy biscuity nuances. Sleek and bold in the mouth, there is a polished accessibility, a classy light touch elegance, bright racy acids and a long, distinguished, concentrated finish. Quite tight at the moment so might need a few more years in the cellar. Drink from 2027 to 2038+.

(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

An impressive selection of Parent back vintages.

Domaine Parent Back Vintages:

Domaine Parent Pommard Les Croix Blanche 2019

A fabulous perfumed aromatics bristling with saline cassis and black cherry notes. The palate is pure silk, delightfully fine grained yet still powerful with great depth, intensity and length. Drink now to 2035+.

(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Parent Pommard 1er Cru Les Croix Noires 2019

Beautifully intense aromatics are packed full of red and black cherry, black sweet plum and a delicate sappy note in the finish. There is a classical 2019 breadth and depth, with opulent red and black fruits, a tangy acids and the signature tight knit silky tannins. A wine with great presence and depth. Drink now to 2035+.

(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Parent Pommard 1er Cru Les Argillieres 2019

A wine with clear opulence and fruit forward density, aromatically brimming with red and black cherry, wild strawberry over a delicate limestone minerality. The wine shows a beautifully supple depth and concentration, fabulous generosity, a fleshy, spicy peppery depth but with great length. Really quite superb. Drink now to 2036+.

(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Parent Pommard 1er Cru Les Chanlins 2018

This 2018 shows a slightly more earthy savoury black fruited aromatics with hints of gun smoke, sappy spice and peppery wild strawberries. The palate is incredibly polished, fairly strict and linear but beautifully polished with silky tannins and a soft, tangy generous acidity. A more ethereal expression. Drink now to 2035.

(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Parent Pommard 1er Cru Les Chaponnieres 2018

An intricate aromatic melange of savoury red berry fruits, sous bois, tilled earth and subtle dusty limestone hints. There is incredible tension and precision on the palate with a very fine grained linear texture, savoury red orchard fruits, and a beautifully focused, harmonious finish. Plenty of class on display. Drink now to 2038.

(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Parent Pommard 1er Cru Les Epenots 2021

Beautiful intensity is written all over this wine, with aromatics of violets, red and black berries, black cherries and saline notes. The acid intensity matches the fruit focus and precision with piercing depth, a strict structure but also fabulous concentration. Wow. A real beauty. One for the cellar. Drink now to 2038+.

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Parent Grand Cru Corton Les Renardes 2020

This reveals a classical Burgundy nose showing stewed wild strawberries, red cherries, salty red liquorice with an underlay of earthy, herby, spicy sapidity. The palate entry is deliciously sweet fruited with an enticing interplay between savoury red fruits, frais des bois, sweet creamy supple tannins and a peppery, spicy, gun smoke mineral finish. Drink now to 2035+.

(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Parent Corton Grand Cru Blanc 2020 (Magnum)

This is a really impressive white full of pedigree and precision. The aromatics boast lemon and herb spice, sweet crystallised lemon peel and lemon Bon Bons. The delicate leesy notes follow to the palate that shows a notable freshness, well integrated tangy acids, and a long, long, dry honeycomb finish. Drink now to 2035+.

(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Archive vintages served alongside a delicious meal at Medlar, Chelsea.

The Domaine Parent wines are imported into the UK by Burgundy speciality merchant Musigny Wines. Contact: Andrew@musigny.wine to request an allocation of new 2023 releases and back vintages.

Kei Shiogai Stuns Burgundy Collectors with His Phenomenal New Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru 2023 Release…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Burgundy is full of talented wine makers, but every now and then, a new name comes along almost out of the blue, with incredible flair – this is Kei Shiogai – a superstar in the making. Originally from Japan, Kei left Tokyo to travel to New Zealand as he was so interested in Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. After a short spell there, he was strongly encouraged by locals to pursue his passion in the true home of these varieties – Burgundy – where studied viticulture and vinification in Beaune and Dijon.

Kei arrived in Burgundy and proceeded to work with several top producers including Philippe Pacalet, Domaine Rousseau and Domaine Roulot. Indeed, his earlier vintages in Beaune were produced while he was still working at Domaine Roulot. Even with his 2020 vintage, Kei started to turn heads and draw attention to his wines with their incredible elegance and purity of fruit produced from modest “village level” sites. But it is of course with fruit sourced from the more premium Grand Cru sites that Kei has really started to redefine his own stylistic talents. With limited stocks due to arrive in the UK shortly, it seemed the perfect moment to review his second Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru release. 

Kei Shiogai Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru 2023, Burgundy

The 2023 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru from Kei Shiogai is another exceptional expression with incredible attention to detail, showing aromas of limestone minerality, white flowers, pear fruits, lemon grass, sweet herbs, and buttered white toast nuances. On the palate the wine is taut yet elegantly textured and densely layered with a notable chalky dry extract but also seamlessly creamy, harmonious, and balanced. A decidedly more serious terroir driven, linear, minerally infused expression of Corton-Charlemagne than some of the more buttery mainstream examples on the market. Undeniably profound and a real high point in Kei’s 2023 white range. Drink from 2025 to 2035+.

(Wine Safari Score: 96-97+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

The Kei Shiogai wine are available on allocation from his exclusive UK importer, Musigny Wines. Contact: Andrew@musigny.wine

Domaine Anne Parent Releases an Impressive Line-Up of En-primeur Burgundy 2023 Wines… 

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Domaine Parent has long been a leading producer of premium wines in Burgundy. With a history going back many generations, Etienne Parent was rumoured to have sold wine to Thomas Jefferson back in 1787. Moving to the modern era, Domaine Parent is recognised as one of the first growers to sell their production in bottle rather than in bulk. Now run by 12th generation custodian Anne Parent, the domaine continues to produce some of the most eye-catching wines in Burgundy and specifically in Pommard.

Anne Parent has also been a trailblazer in biodynamics and a real force for strict vineyard management. Hence, the domaine has managed to stay very much at the top of the tree in the jostling for position in the village hierarchy. Her supreme confidence has led to the wines having an assertiveness, yet a true Burgundian opulence that is hard to resist. The wines are silky and plush – you really can finish a bottle with ease. From the everyday Bourgogne Pinot Noir to the mesmerising Crus of Pommard, all are hand-crafted with care and attention to detail.

The Parent label is instantly recognisable throughout the upper quality echelons of Burgundy, and the family is rightly proud of their hard-earned global reputation. In a competitive fine wine world where so many domaines have taken their eye off the ball, Anne has kept her love of the vineyard, her family history and future very much close to her. Part of this long-term planning has seen Anne bring her niece Constance Fages-Parent into the running and marketing of the domaine’s wines as preparations are slowly put in place for the next chapter in the history of this famous Burgundy winery.

Constance and Anne Parent

I recently travelled to see Anne and Constance in Burgundy to taste a selection of the newly released 2023 wines. Speaking to Anne about the new releases, she confirmed… “2023 was a generous vintage with great quality at the domaine. Perhaps not quite the gravitas of the exceptional 2022 vintage, but the wines are marked with beautiful fruit purity and opulence with accessibility.”  

Tasting the 2023 wines with owner Anne Parent

The 2023 growing season brought both challenges and rewards: after a cool, rainy July, a late heatwave in August and early September ensured optimal ripeness. Harvest began in mid-September, with yields around 46–48 hl/ha and moderate alcohol levels (12.5–13.2%). Vinification was deliberately gentle, with reduced punching down and delicate extraction, restrained use of new oak, and a focus on preserving fruit purity above all.

Burgundy 2023 En-primeur Notes:

Domaine Anne Parent Monthelie Blanc 2023

Made from an AOC that is primarily 90% red / 10% white, this 2023 was picked early to retain acidity and vinified with 35% new French oak. The wine shows complex aromatics with leesy biscuit notes, a supple fleshy breadth with savoury waxy lemons and a white toast and oatmeal complexity on the finish. Really delicious. Drink from 2026 to 2034.

(Wine Safari Score: 91-92+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Anne Parent Corton Grand Cru 2023

100% new French oak used with no batonnage. Incredibly taut, mineral and stony with limestone and struck flint over zesty lemon and lime fruits, tart green apple and a beautifully supple, fleshy breadth with well-integrated acids and a pronounced fruit concentration on the finish. Understated power hiding under the minerality and terroir veil. Drink from 2026 to 2036.

(Wine Safari Score: 93-94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Anne Parent Bourgogne Cote d’Or 2023

All fruit was destemmed and aged in older oak. Very intense perfumed aromatics bursting with life, boasting sweet violets, rose petals and luscious layers of raspberry and black cherry. The palate shows a fine textural breadth and equilibrium, finely balancing forest berry fruits, strawberry compote and cool, creamy mineral tannins. A truly classy Bourgogne. Drink from 2026 to 2032.

(Wine Safari Score: 90-91+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Anne Parent Bourgogne Selection Pomone 2023

100% destemmed fruit with slightly longer maceration on skins in larger 600 litre barrels. The resulting wine reveals deeper and darker aromatics laced with black cherry, damson plum and exotic cherry kirsch liquor notes. Beautifully dense and creamy texture with extra depth and opulence, plushness and mouth coating concentration. Lovely intricacy and complexity in an accessible style. Drink from 2026 to 2034+.

(Wine Safari Score: 91-92/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Anne Parent Ladoix 2023

The aromatics show a beautiful melange of red and black berry fruits with intricate notes of dried herbs, potpourri and rose petals, gun-smoke and limestone minerality. Broad and beautifully dark fruited on the palate with a creamy black cherry compote concentration, plush fleshy tannins and a broad, comforting, reassuring power. Ladoix over performs once again. Drink from 2026 to 2036.

(Wine Safari Score: 91-92+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Anne Parent Pommard 1er Cru Les Chaponnieres 2023

From Pinot Noir grown on brown and red clay soils that offers a more generous expression. Dark and alluring aromatics of black cherry, kirsch liquor and damson plum with an exotic sloe berry hint. The palate shows a beautiful creamy breadth and understated power with an impressive depth, powdery tannins and tangy freshness. Understated power combined with a little Pommard intrigue and intensity. Drink from 2026 to 2036+.

(Wine Safari Score: 92-93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Anne Parent Pommard 1er Cru Les Epenots 2023

40% whole bunch used with 50% new French oak from fruit grown on a lighter, finer grain of clay soils without much depth. Yields a fabulously fragrant expression bursting with life, packed full of perfumed violets, creme de cassis, black cherry and blueberry compote. The chalky candied pink musk nuances make this an incredible complex and compelling offering with seamless limestone tannins and a fantastic intense finish. A truly elegant Pommard classic. Drink from 2026 to 2036+.

(Wine Safari Score: 93-94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Anne Parent Corton Grand Cru Les Renardes 2023

From Pinot Noir grown on deep limestone soils on the hill of Corton, just above Les Bressandes. The wine is rich and expressive, full of ripe brûléed fruits, black cherries and a bramble berry savoury depth. Sleek and supple in the mouth, there is a polished accessibility, light touch elegance, bright racy acids and a long, distinguished, concentrated finish. Very classy indeed. Drink from 2026 to 2036+.

(Wine Safari Score: 93-95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

The Domaine Anne Parent wines are imported into the UK by Musigny Wines. The 2023 En-primeur releases are currently being offered in September 2025 by Musigny Wines. Email andrew@musigny.wine to request a 2023 EP offer and discuss an allocation.

Domaine Parent Presents an Impressive Pommard 1er Cru Les Epenots Vertical at Their Cellars…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Domaine Parent has long been a leading producer of premium wines in Burgundy. With a history going back many generations, Etienne Parent was rumoured to have sold wine to Thomas Jefferson back in 1787. Moving to the modern era, Domaine Parent is recognised as one of the first growers to sell their production in bottle rather than in bulk. Now run by 12th generation custodian Anne Parent, the domaine continues to produce some of the most eye catching wines in Burgundy and specifically in Pommard.

With the domaine’s vineyards certified organic and biodynamic, Domaine Parent aspires only to precisely express the balance between power and finesse and, of course, the unique essence of each vineyard. The result is wines that, due to their unique character, find a prominent place on the gastronomic tables of the world alongside other great Burgundy wines. During my last visit to the domaine in November 2024, Anne very kindly presented an incredible vertical of Premier Cru Les Epenots. Their Pommard 1er Cru “Les Epenots” comes from Domaine Parents own vineyard plot where old vines of 53 years of age rub shoulders with 26-year-old vines on a clay-limestone soil to reveal the true power and expression of Pommard Pinot Noir at its best.

Anne Parent

After manual harvesting carried out with the utmost care, the grapes are meticulously sorted on tables, one of which is a vibrating sorter. Subsequently, the bunches are destemmed and the berries macerated in a cold soak for three to five days. Temperature controlled fermentation, punching down and pumping over two to three times a day accompany the winemaking process. In total, the wine remains in the vat for 18 to 20 days. Then, the wines are aged for 16 to 18 months in French oak barrels, 30% to 50% of which are new, before being bottled at the estate.

Premier Cru Les Epenots 2017 to 2023 Vertical:

Domaine Anne Parent Pommard 1er Cru Les Epenots 2023

40% whole bunch, 50% new French oak. A fabulously fragrant expression bursting with life, packed full of perfumed violets, creme de cassis, black maraschino cherry and blueberry compote. The chalky candied pink musk nuances make this an incredible complex and compelling offering with seamless limestone tannins and a fantastically intense finish. A true classic for the vintage.

(Wine Safari Score: 93-94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Anne Parent Pommard 1er Cru Les Epenots 2022

40% Whole bunch and 50% new French oak. Creamy, dense and plush with black cherry and damson plum spice. Full, harmonious, creamy and broad. A stunning expression. 

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Anne Parent Pommard 1er Cru Les Epenots 2021

100% destemmed. Explosive aromatics! The perfume and lift is turbo charged, full of cherry blossom, cassis, oyster shell, and black berry. The texture is linear, taut and fresh with a seductive texture, pinpoint polished tannins and an incredibly fine grained, compact structure. Wow!

(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Anne Parent Pommard 1er Cru Les Epenots 2020

40% Whole bunch in 50% new French oak. Dense, dark and richly fruited with salty cassis, savoury plum and bramble berry fruits with a hint of tilled earth. The acids are soft, the tannins sweet and the texture open knit, fleshy and generous with a long, brûléed, creamy finish.

(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Anne Parent Pommard 1er Cru Les Epenots 2019

50% Whole bunch. From a warm vintage, it’s very easy to taste. Tightens up a bit but still another very attractive wine with red and black fruits, chocolate, earth and savoury cured meats. Intense with subtle truffle nuances and a creamy generous concentration. An easy to appreciate expressive wine.

(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Anne Parent Pommard 1er Cru Les Epenots 2018

Normal crop, but a more austere, classical vintage. Complex earthy nose full of gunsmoke, tilled earth and earthy red currant fruits with a subtle savoury tertiary complexity. Compact mid palate, supple acids, soft stony mineral tannins with a polished savoury, meaty finish.

(Wine Safari Score: 92+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Anne Parent Pommard 1er Cru Les Epenots 2017

Beautifully bright and expressive with an earthy hint, savoury black currant, raspberry and tart tangy acids with impressive energy, vibrancy and an exotic high toned finish. Drinking beautifully now.

(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Koji et Jae Hwa – Tasting the Astonishing Wines of One of Burgundy’s New Superstars… 

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

There is simply no denying the global wine trade’s perpetual fascination with Japanese winemakers, whether they are plying their trade in New Zealand, in France’s Jura region or in Burgundy’s Cote d’Or. The focus, precision, balance, and purity they managed to coax out of their grapes is simply next level, whether the fruit is grown by themselves or bought in from the negociant market. Over the past two years, I have been privileged to visit one of the most exciting Japanese producers several times, namely Domaine Koji et Jae Hwa in Gevrey Chambertin.

Domaine Koji et Jae Hwa’s new cellars in Gevrey Chambertin.

This domaine, located in Jean-Marie Fourrier’s father’s old cellars, was founded in 2000 by Japanese sommelier and oenologist Koji Nakada and his Korean wife Jae Hwa Park. The journey started back in 1996 when Koji Nakada moved to Burgundy to study oenology at the University of Beaune, after which Koji started a wine business with negociant fruit, bottling a maiden Nuits Saint Georges Vieilles Vignes in 2000. Their first domaine plots of land were only purchased several years later in 2012, including treasured vines in the village of Gevrey Chambertin and Marsannay.

Koji Nakada in Gevrey Chambertin

Koji Nakada’s respected negociant label, bottled under the Lou Dumont name, is a combination of the name of their goddaughter, Lou, and the French translation for ‘mountain’, which pays homage to the regions of Japan and Korea where Koji and Jae Hwa grew up. The Kanji symbol on the label – sky, earth and man – refers to the natural elements whose perfect balance is a key ingredient for making fine wines, allowing the unique characteristics of site and terroir to shine through in the wine’s purity, elegance, and complexity.

The tiny La Brunelle Gevrey Chambertin vineyard just behind the winery.

As a winemaker, Koji Nakada’s goal is to produce pure, authentic Burgundy wines that clearly show their unique terroir, made from grapes grown with organic viticulture and a minimal intervention approach in both the vineyards and the cellar, using indigenous yeasts for fermentation and only adding low quantities of sulphites at bottling. Koji also pays special attention to very light touch pumping over and punch downs to ensure utmost purity during extraction. Today, Koji and Jae Hwa produce a stunning array of red and white wines from over a dozen different appellations with fruit purchased from respected premium vineyards with vines averaging 30 to 40 years of age. 

Tasting in London with Koji.

On the first of my two visits to Koji’s cellar in November 2024 with his exclusive UK importer Musigny Wines, we arrived only to be told that Koji was still in Champagne tending his precious 1.5 hectares of vines in the Aube region where he makes some stunning Champagne. So we were shown around the winery by Koji’s wife Jae Hwa and also tasted with their tall, semi-pro tennis playing cellar assistant. On our return visit, Koji was back from Champagne and was pleased to show us around the labyrinth of old and new cellars under Jean-Claude Fourrier’s old house. 

My tasting notes below are a combination of bottle and barrel tastings from these two cellar visits but also include some subsequent additional notes taken during Koji’s recent Michelin star tasting dinner at Cornus Restaurant in London hosted by his UK importer Musigny Wines.

Domaine Koji et Jae Hwa Coteaux Bourguignons Blanc 2022, 13% Abv.

Parcel purchased in 2012 near Nuits St Georges, pulling out the Aligote and replanting Chardonnay. Potential for 2000 bottles but allows the younger vines to settle by only making 700 bottles. Incredible aromatics of struck match, flint, sweet pear, bergamot, and wet limestone. The palate is delicate yet intense, fabulously bright and concentrated with tangy lemon pastille, green apple, salty toasted sourdough, and a gently phenolic chalky finish. Absolutely delicious expression.

(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Koji et Jae Hwa La Hautes Cotes de Nuits Violette Pinot Noir 2022, 13% Abv.

1 hectare vineyard near Gevrey producing a meagre 1,500 bottles. First vintage 2019. 80% whole bunch. 30% of grapes vinified in oak barrels, 70% in Stainless. Biodynamic cultivation. Bright and striking cherry ruby red in the glass, the aromatics tower out the glass, perfumed, seductive, beautifully perfumed with notes of violets, rose petals, pink musk, red cherries, cranberries, and hints of darker saline black currant. The balance and precision are pinpoint, the texture silky soft, powdery, and incredibly elegant. The concentration is intense yet weightless, crystalline, and beautifully red and black fruited, finishing with tangy acids and mouth-watering pithy wild strawberry nuances. Simply astonishing quality.

(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Koji et Jae Hwa Bourgogne Pinot Noir “Vieilles Vignes” 2022, 12.5% Abv. 

80% whole bunch used. 30% of grapes vinified in oak barrels, 70% in Stainless. 70% of vines over 60 years old, some of the vines planted in 1908. The aromatics on this beauty are a little more earthy and dark fruited with pink musk, lilac, earthy strawberry, damson plum, and earthy black berry. The wine is impressively structured by the bright vibrant acids that are caressed by silky tannins, before pithy tangy red and black berry fruits, hints of wood spice and a long limestone mineral finish. Once again, beautiful clarity, finesse and purity. Wow.

(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Koji et Jae Hwa Marsannay En Leautier Rouge 2022, 13% Abv.

A profoundly enticing aromatics of perfumed violets and lilac, white flowers, intense black cherry and saline earthy bramble berry fruits. The precision on the palate is majestic, crystalline yet lifted, cool and steely yet oh so genteel and seductive. The energy and purity very impressive, the focus, energy and strict structure classical and mineral. Beautifully sappy and mineral, this is a spectacular bottle of Marsannay that defies its appellation status but ably justifies the cult status bestowed on this great estate.

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Maison Lou Dumont Marsannay “En Combereau” 2022, 12% Abv.

An enticing aromatics suggest seductively complex notes of violets, a blue and black berry fruit melange, and subtle soy and umami notes. The mouthfeel is a little more rich, tangy and fruit forward with only 50% wholebunch versus 80% on the Domaine Marsannay. The acids are bright and vibrant, the fruits crunchy and very intense. This offers incredible sweet fruited opulence with precision, brightness and crispness but perhaps with slightly less high toned perfumed intricacy seen in his domaine bottling.

(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Maison Lou Dumont Gevrey Chambertin 2022, 12.5% Abv.

Same production as domaine wines with a slightly lower 50% whole bunch portion employed and only 20% barrel fermentation. The aromatics are rich, dark fruited and complex with notes of earthy black berry fruits, pomegranate, blood orange, and a perfume of violets and white flowers, earthy musk and subtle rose petal hints. With Koji working these Gevrey vineyards, this negoc fruited red wine is much closer to his domaine style. The fruit profile is so cool, crystalline and pure, seductively sweet fruited and attractive, offering up a phenomenal quality not generally seen with most Negoc-fruit wine styles. This is a very serious expression of Gevrey that will definitely seduce a new generation of Burgundy drinkers.

(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Koji et Jae Hwa Aligote 2023, Premeaux-Prissy, Burgundy

From over 100 year old vines (1908) from a vineyard near Nuits Saint Georges, fermented and aged in new oak. Shows attractive rich savoury notes of lemon and oak meal biscuit, buttered white toast, with seductive nutty hints. There is great intensity and concentration, vibrant energy and power, finishing with lemon herbs and delicious pithy white citrus. A unique style.

(Wine Safari Score: 91-92+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Koji et Jae Hwa Marsannay Le Desert Blanc 2023

From grapes sourced from within Les Champ Perdrix. Rich and expressive with toasty savoury aromatics of grilled nuts, waxy lemon peel, honeycomb, oatmeal, and leesy biscuit notes. The stony soils reveal themselves on the linear palate with ginger, lemon balm and limestone minerality. Rich but taut. Simply fabulous.

(Wine Safari Score: 92-93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Koji et Jae Hwa Bourgogne La Violette Rouge Vieilles Vignes 2023

A beautifully complex aromatics of saline cassis, piercing red cherry, incense, lipstick perfume and an incredible fragrant intensity with an enticing reductive hint. The acids are deliciously tangy, the tannins taut and stony with an intense limestone minerality, black cherry and black currant intensity. Wonderfully mineral and mouth-wateringly saline. Delicious.

(Wine Safari Score: 91-93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Koji et Jae Hwa Gevrey Chambertin La Brunelle 2023

0.1-hectare parcel delivers a broody, slightly reductive hint of smoky black plum, bramble berries, and earthy meaty, savoury black currant aromatics. The precision and focus on the palate are simply superb, revealing sleek, polished limestone mineral tannins, fresh glassy acids and an elegant, sweet berry fruited generosity on the finish. Really attractive style. Total class.

(Wine Safari Score: 93-95/100Greg Sherwood MW)

UK importer Andrew Pavli with Koji Nakada in London recently for a private client tasting dinner.

Maison Lou Dumond Fixin 2023

Another incredibly cool fine and fresh expression with delicate rose petal purity with hints of violets, cranberries, and tart red currant over undertones of limestone minerality. The purity is pinpoint, the palate tightly packed with saline black cherry and picante black currant fruits beautifully framed by polished mineral tannins, finishing with clear linearity and wound spring tension. A delicious glassful of wine.

(Wine Safari Score: 92-93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Maison Lou Dumond Gevrey Chambertin 2023

From the Belle Vigne lieu dit, the aromatics are elegant and delightfully perfumed with rose petals, violets, black berries and subtle saline limestone minerality. The purity is exceptional, with notes of oyster shell, nori seaweed, black cherry and pithy mineral spice. Lovely tension, purity and stony depth slightly out of the norm for this juicy accessible ‘23 vintage. Very classy but super serious too.

(Wine Safari Score: 93-94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Koji et Jae Hwa Gevrey Chambertin La Brunelle 2017

Revisiting an archive Gevrey Chambertin La Brunelle 2017 release… shows a beautiful earthy savoury bramble berry depth, blue and black berry fruits, sous bois and hints of blood and iron. The purity and focus is clearly evident, layered with peach pith, wild strawberry, sweet guava, and exotic tart red plum nuances. The tannins are fine grained and spicy, the finish savoury and super sleek, revealing not only the class of the vineyard but also the winemaker.

(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

The Lou Dumond and Domaine Koji et Jae Hwa wines are imported exclusively into the UK by Musigny Wines. Email Andrew Pavli to check vintage availability or to request a new vintage allocation:

andrew@musigny.wine

Burgundy’s Brightest New Talent at Domaine Le Guellec-Ducouet Present An Astonishing Line-up of Block-Buster 2023 Wines…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ 1 Comment

Burgundy by nature, is the slowest evolving of the classical regions in France. Afterall, they do already have over 900 years of quality winemaking history in the bank. But the past decade has started to see the pace of change pick up a fair bit as the older generation of many family owned domaines start handing over the cellar keys to a younger, savvy, next generation who have been primed for succession. With these new minds and able hands come new ideas, new energy and also new vision. Domaine Le Guellec-Ducouet does not fully fit into this model as Michael Le Guellec left the family estate for many years, only returning in 2018 to pick up the reins of the estate from his elderly grandfather who retired in 1990. This also marked the return to domaine bottled wines instead of selling off the bulk of their grapes in the Clos Champ and Les Jeune Rois lieu dits. 

The old family house next to the Clos Champ monopole vineyard in Brochon.

Michael Le Guellec and business partner Arnaud Ducouet have now been producing wines since the 2019 vintage and the 2023 releases are simply the finest expressions produced yet. With some handy consultation advice from the famous guru Pierre Millemann, the Domaine Le Guellec-Ducouet wines are now among the most exciting village level Gevrey Chambertin wines being produced at the moment, without exception. With their slight anonymity comes exceptional value for money. But once the quality of their 2022s and 2023 vintage starts to be fully appreciated by consumers, you can expect these wines to become incrementally collectable and sought after. So my advice is get in early while you can!

Magnums of the Domaine’s Gevrey Chambertin Clos Champ 2022.

Le Guellec-Ducouet Pernand-Vergelesses Les Belles Filles Blanc 2023, 13% Abv.

First tasted in November 2023 from barrel, this beautiful new (non-domaine) white from Michael Le Guellec and Arnaud Ducouet really got everyone very excited and was a rather pleasant surprise to taste it for the first time in the domaine cellars especially seeing as their consulting oenologist is the famed Pierre Millemann, who’s own Corton-Charlemagne white made from grapes just down the road, is regarded as one of the top white wines in Burgundy. This new Pernand Blanc retasted in January 2025 is youthfully energetic showing a certain palate ripeness and aromatic complexity more in keeping with a warmer vintage, with seductive notes of honeysuckle, waxy citrus rind, lemon pastille, white peach, grilled nuts, and warm buttered white toast wafting out the glass. The palate is taut and fabulously crystalline with a chiselled bright Puligny Montrachet’esque acidity, hints of freshly baked buttered pastries and a pronounced stony, liquid limestone minerality on the finish. The final blend was assembled from one 500 litre new Cadus French oak barrel and three smaller second passage barriques. Oh, and in case you were wondering, yes, this impressive wine does have more than a hint of the genius of Pierre Millemann about it. This Pernand-Vergelesses Blanc punches way above its weight grade and is an utter delight. I expect it to sell out instantly. Drink on release until 2034+.

(Wine Safari Score: 94-95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Arnaud and Michael at their cellar in November 2024.

Domaine Le Guellec-Ducouet Hautes Cotes de Nuits Rouge 2023

As of the miniscule yielding 2024 vintage, this Hautes Cotes de Nuits red will become a Fixin Rouge appellation wine. For now, the 2023 is astonishingly bright fruited and intense with complex layered aromatics of crushed raspberries and black cherry compote with a seductive wild strawberry component. Such incredible energy and vibrancy on display, showing an overtly generous accessibility and an invitingly sweet fruited opened knit texture with expertly integrated silky oak spice tannins. If the final bottling comes close to this deliciousness, it will be a “must buy” wine for short to medium term drinking. Drink from 2025 to 2032+.

(Wine Safari Score: 91-93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Le Guellec-Ducouet Gevrey Chambertin Les Jeunes Rois 2023

Tasted from multiple Francois Freres barrels including new French oak barrels (that will make up circa 30% of the final blend) as well as used barrels, this fabulous lieu dit ‘single vineyard’ wine already displays deep dark alluring aromatics that whispers notes of black currant, sloe berries, dark forest berries and sweet Christmas spices. There’s a medium bodied silky soft fine texture together with beautifully suave sophisticated supple tannins interwoven with cool bright acids and incredibly intense finish that’s long and pure fruited with an unobtrusive kiss of oak spice. A genuinely sophisticated 2023 Gevrey that offers a notable mid-palate tension and structure that is seemingly lacking in many other domaines’ wines. Drink from 2025 to 2035.

(Wine Safari Score: 93-95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Le Guellec-Ducouet Gevrey Chambertin Champ ‘Cuvee 93’ 2023

Again, tasted from multiple Tonnelerie Hermitage new French oak barrels as well as new Cadus barrels, this wine coming from 2 hectares in the Champ lieu dit is packed full of alluring blue and black berry fruits laced with exotic Christmas spices, clove and cinnamon stick, before damson plum and savoury bramble berry spice. The acids are deliciously tangy and mouthwatering, the palate texture sleek and finely polished, coating the mouth with a weightless old vine concentration of red and black raspberry fruits. Sophisticated but also very subtle and seductive with the Cadus barrels adding a little more fatness and flesh as well as crispier acids and impressive tension on the finish. Drink from 2025 to 2034.

(Wine Safari Score: 92-93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Le Guellec-Ducouet Gevrey Chambertin Clos Champ Monopole 2023

Tasted from multiple second fill Francois Freres French oak barrels including some new Rousseau oak barrels, the wine is already incredibly lifted and perfumed with exotic aromatics of creme de cassis, black berry compote and saline black currant. Such invigorating energy and vibrancy reverberate through the wine, showing sun raisined black cherry, beautifully polished marble tannins and a cool, taut, pinpoint focus on the delicately brûléed oak spice finish. Super complexity and class from this monopole vineyard make this another ‘go-to’ wine for avid collectors in 2023. Drink 2026 to 2035+.

(Wine Safari Score: 93-94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Le Guellec-Ducouet Pernand-Vergelesses Les Belles Filles Blanc 2024

The maiden 2023 vintage of this (non-domaine) wine was simply a revelation and this new 2024 edition, tasted from a 500-litre new Cadus French oak barrel, shows deliciously succulent notes of yellow citrus fruits, white peach, lemon cordial, bergamot and crushed limestone minerality. The texture is supple and gentle, unforced, nakedly pure and sophisticated with a pervading elegance and finesse, finishing with a delicate stone fruit persistence. A subtle, understated, but supremely classy white wine. Drink from 2026 to 2034+.

(Wine Safari Score: 92-94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Michael Le Guellec in his cellar.

Le Guellec-Ducouet Savigny Les Beaune Blanc 2024

This is an exciting new white for the (non-domaine) Le Guellec-Ducouet range made from bought in fruit. Tasted from a 500-litre new Cadus French oak barrel, complex aromatics of lemon balm, lemon grass, sweet herbal tea, citrus pastille, and waxy incense notes waft from the glass. Despite its rumbunctious juvenile state, the palate is notably creamy and delicately lactic but with the purity and pithy limestone intensity of top notch white Burgundy. Already impressively harmonious and accessible, this is a wonderful new addition showing great potential. Drink from 2026 to 2032.

(Wine Safari Score: 91-92+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Le Guellec-Ducouet Fixin Rouge 2024

An early examination of the 2024 Fixin Rouge in barrel (previously the Hautes Cotes de Nuits Rouge), reveals itself as aromatically seductive and smoky with deliciously broody savoury black berry fruits, earthy black currant, and smoky savoury damson plum nuances. Plush, polished, and sophisticated on the palate, this shows a gentle elegance and seductive, light touch accessibility. Very early days but developing very nicely indeed. 

(Wine Safari Score: 89-92/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

The Domaine Le Guellec-Ducouet wines are imported exclusively into the UK by Musigny Wines. Email andrew@musigny.wine for an En-primeur 2023 offer.

Burgundy En-primeur 2023 – The Grand Cru Clos de Beze Taste-off – Domaine Faiveley versus Domaine Drouhin…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

After spending a lot of time in Burgundy tasting the 2023 wines in-situ, I took the opportunity to taste, compare and contrast two very big name Burgundy producers in London that many keen collectors MIGHT just be able to source and buy in this tightly allocated environment.

Clos-de-Bèze is certainly one of the most revered Grand Cru appellations in Burgundy’s Côte de Nuits sub-region, exclusively dedicated to Pinot Noir of course. Its exceptional terroir, featuring limestone and marl soils, yields Pinot Noir wines with a delicate fruitiness, refined acidity, and elegant tannins. The wines almost always exhibit captivating aromas of red berries, cherries, violets, and earthy nuances, making them ideal companions for roasted game birds, mushroom based dishes, and savoury herby stews.

Always as sought after as many of the great Grand Crus of Vosne Romanee, the Clos-de-Bèze reds have got to be amongst the most desirable Grand Cru wines of Gevrey-Chambertin along side Gevrey’s famed Clos Saint Jacques Premier Cru vineyard of course. While no producer’s Clos-de-Bèze allocation is easy to secure, the slightly more commercial offerings from Domaine Faiveley and Domaine Drouhin are certainly two wines some consumers might be more likely to encounter on fine wine lists. So, as always, read my reviews before you buy!

Domaine Drouhin Gevrey-Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze Grand Cru 2023, Burgundy

A pretty wine showing seductively accessible sweet fruited aromatics of ripe red cherry, crystallised strawberry and earthy red currant notes. There is a fine palate concentration, a pithy liquid mineral mouthfeel and a soft, fine grained tannin texture. The wine finishes slightly abruptly but the flavours are thoroughly attractive. This will be an early to medium term drinker, with a label and appellation to impress dinner guests but perhaps not quite a wine for connoisseurs or collectors who will surely expect better for the price. Drink on release until 2036+.

(Wine Safari Score: 93-94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Faiveley Gevrey-Chambertin Clos-de-Bèze Grand Cru 2023, Burgundy

Like the Drouhin, the aromatics on this impressive Faiveley red are seductive, pure and pristine, even exotic, fruit forward and opulent with an underlying lick of new oak which is actually quite attractive. The palate is a little more punchy, delicately saline, and beautifully intense with a maritime sea breeze note, pithy black cherry, oak spice, and a cool veneer dusted with graphite and limestone minerality. Simply put, this is a very attractive wine. Drink from 2026 to 2038+.

(Wine Safari Score: 94-95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Tasted at the Howard Ripley Burgundy En-primeur 2023 tasting. Please contact: Adrian Burns adrian.burns@howardripley.com for a full private client offer.

Christmas Arrives Early in London as Domaine Bizot Previews Their New 100 Point Charlemagne Grand Cru 2022 at a Bespoke Michelin Star Dinner…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

A recent November 2024 visit to the cellars of Jean-Yves Bizot was undoubtedly the highlight of a week of 2023 En-primeur barrel tastings in Burgundy ahead of the new release campaign starting in January 2025. Domaine Bizot will not offer their 2023s for many more months, preferring to release their exceptional red and white wines after longer élévages and after the wines have already been bottled, as is becoming the trend with most top end producers in Burgundy. 

So, there was of course a lot of excitement when it was announced that Victor Mignardot, the Assistant Commercial at Domaine Bizot, would be coming to London in late December to host an exclusive private client tasting with their UK importer Musigny. The wines of Domaine Bizot are widely regarded as the pinnacle of premium quality red Burgundy with global collectors and connoisseurs chasing the meagre allocations of Jean-Yves’s wines that are released annually.

Tasting with Jean-Yves in Vosne Romanee November 2024.

With wines as collectable and sought-after as Domaine Bizot, Jean-Yves and his numerous global agents must work very fastidiously to make sure the wines reach the cellars of the most deserving collectors rather than letting the wines merely disappear into the black hole of wine investment portfolios. Part of this process naturally involves tasting new and archive releases in person with as many loyal collectors of the wines as possible, and I was very fortunate to be invited to join one such gathering at the exceptional London Michelin Star restaurant, Chez Bruce, to sample a selection of back vintages of Domaine Bizot’s wines but also to retaste the first ever public showing of Jean-Yves’s maiden release Charlemagne 2022 that is now bottled and scheduled to be offered in global markets in early 2025.

After several bottles of delicious Bollinger RD 2002 to clear the palate, the first flight of whites was poured, namely the Domaine Bizot Bourgogne Blanc Les Violettes 2019 and the Charlemagne Grand Cru 2022. The Les Violettes is made from a small 0.16-hectare parcel of Chardonnay just near the Bizot winery in Vosne Romanée, but which can only be classified as humble Bourgogne Blanc within this red appellation. Fabulously taut and linear, the Les Violettes displayed a taut structure and steely power way above any Bourgogne level wine, and the 2019 was incredibly youthful and crystalline with a pronounced limestone minerality, crisp bracing acids together with a seamless pear and pithy white citrus concentration. Really very special, but sadly only made in incredibly small quantities, so a real privilege to taste. (96/100 GSMW)

The second white was the highly anticipated Domaine Bizot Charlemagne 2022 that I last tasted and reviewed from barrel in January 2024. This was, at the time, a wine that redefined premium white Burgundy wine quality for me, coming from two small plots of 0.14 hectares in the famed Le Charlemagne vineyard. As Victor mentioned, when Jean-Yves bought the two plots, the vines were fortunately in very good health, allowing for a wine of exceptional quality to be made without the need for extensive regenerative vineyard work. Tasting this incredible wine once again, I was so pleased to see all the complex traits I described in my original barrel note, (see here…https://gregsherwoodmw.com/2024/03/04/domaine-jean-yves-bizot-prepares-to-release-its-maiden-corton-charlemagne-grand-cru-2022-from-le-charlemagne/) but now all just a little more polished and integrated as a finished bottled wine. The clients tasting this wine were literally speechless, the complexity on the nose and palate simply astonishing, the power, poise, and concentration unlike anything anyone had ever tasted from Burgundy, let alone Corton-Charlemagne. The closest we could get to a fair comparison from elsewhere in Burgundy was perhaps identifying several similarities with a top-notch vintage of Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru, as both wines share an incredible limestone minerality. I am very happy to elevate my barrel score from a potential 99-100/100 to a solid, unequivocal 100/100 GSMW. 

After the mind-blowing Charlemagne, the first of the reds was poured to transition to the Pinot Noirs with main courses. Once again, another exceptional new wine, a joint venture between Jean-Yves Bizot and Le Clos des Fées called Domaine du Clos des Fées ‘100 Phrases Pour Eventails’ Pinot Noir 2022, the third release from this IGP Cotes Catalanes project. This was my first tasting encounter with this wine that I have been hearing about for the past two years: Seductive opulence with a ripeness and density of black berry fruits offering aromas that are incredibly pristine, pure, and fragrant showing notes of lavender, black currant, black cherry, damson plum, cured meats and savoury black fruits with a subtle tilled earth complexity. The texture resonates true class, being creamy and plush with delightful hints of garrigue, black plums, and raisined black cherry framed by silky creamy tannins with gun smoke, graphite, and peppercorn spice on the finish. You can taste the sunshine and ripeness, but the fruit purity and precision are exceptional. A real beauty. (96/100 GSMW)

The final flight was another impressive selection of benchmark Pinot Noirs, two beautiful back vintages from Domaine Bizot accompanied by a Domaine Dujac Clos de la Roche Grand Cru 2007. With the collectability of Domaine Bizot’s wines reaching fever pitch globally, any opportunity to taste slightly more mature back vintages is an enticing proposition. The Domaine Bizot Vosne Romanée Village 2014 was initially tight and a little broody, offering up earthy forest floor aromatics, Christmas spices, and bramble berry fruits. But before long, the wine really started to fan its peacock tail, boasting delicately perfumed notes of pink musk, violets, and wild strawberries, beautifully balanced and seductively complex with a real translucent terroir quality. At 10 years old, there is still plenty of life ahead of this classy village wine. (95/100 GSMW)

The Vosne Romanée served as the perfect introduction to the next wine, Jean-Yves’s famed Domaine Bizot Echezeaux 2018, selected for its accessibility, generosity, and seductive depth of fruit. 2018, like 2023, was another one of the rare vintages that offered both quality and quantity. On the face of it, 2018 was a relatively straightforward vintage with a wet winter and spring topping up the vineyard water reserves, and a warm, sunny summer that ensured all the grapes reached optimal ripeness without difficulty. This Echezeaux 2018 was incredibly fresh and youthful with aromatics of saline crème de cassis, black cherry, nori seaweed, and strawberry compote. The palate was dense, broad, and fleshy, generously open and forthcoming, with creamy sweet tannins, a subtle underlying limestone minerality and a long, sleek, finish with a notable ripeness and concentration. While you can feel the ripeness of the warmer vintage, the purity of perfume and palate fruit is pinpoint and precise, with grapes picked just at the optimal time so as to be able to convey Jean-Yves’s style that is both terroir driven but incredible pure and precise with all the requisite wound spring tension you’d expect on a Grand Cru red of this pedigree. This was an utter joy to drink already. (97/100 GSMW)

The Domaine Bizot cellar in Vosne Romanee.

To request a Domaine Bizot allocation from their UK importer, contact: http://www.musigny.wine

Email: andrew@musigny.wine

Another Eye-Catching Burgundy Producer to Watch – Tasting the New Domaine Marc Soyard 2022 Releases…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Marc Soyard is a tall, imposing figure making some of the most exciting wines in the Cotes de Nuits at the moment. Having worked in Vosne Romanée as Jean-Yves Bizot’s right hand man for seven years, Marc was selected by the municipality of Dijon to take over the Domaine de la Cras, a property situated in the hills outside of the city which primarily encompasses vineyards that were largely abandoned to viticulture in the aftermath of phylloxera. 

Like the iconic Jean-Yves Bizot, Marc follows a very pure and precise winemaking style that is very much in a non-interventionist mould, with minimal sulphur use up until bottling. With several colleagues, Marc farms several plots from 90-year-old and 45-year-old vines, producing remarkable wines with incredible fruit purity, seductively perfumed aromatics and captivating, polished textural tannins. 

Tasting the 2022s with Marc Soyard

The past three vintages have been phenomenally successful for Marc Soyard’s wines as international Burgundy collectors and connoisseurs alike have realised what exquisite wines are being produced. The stunning new 2022 releases bring together improved yields with incredible quality once again, all offered at affordably accessible pricing. Another true rising star of Burgundy to follow closely.

Domaine Marc Soyard Bourgogne Blanc 2022

A serious Bourgogne Blanc that shows a big, rich opulence, bold and expressive on the nose but with a classically taut palate, a restrained stony minerality and delicious layers of crunchy pear fruit, apple purée and sweet caramelised lemons. A whole lot of wine for a Bourgogne. Drink from 2024 to 2028.

(Wine Safari Score: 91+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Marc Soyard Domaine de La Cras “Monopole” 2022

Straight out the blocks, this shows a rich plush nose with a steely brightness, hints of sour plum, tart lemony acids and a spellbinding minerality, finishing with a pithy, crystalline tangerine citrus purity. Very classy.

(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Marc Soyard Marsannay Blanc Tercet 2022

Another of Marc Soyard’s classic wines, this 2022 reveals honied, exotic, peachy aromatics before a broad, textured palate loaded with lemon pastille, honey on white toast, quince, and tart plum, finishing super bright, taut and linear with a complex stony undertone. A majestic offering.

(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Marc Soyard Marsannay Rouge Tercet 2022

Always one of the most sought-after wines, the 2022 Marsannay Tercet is deliciously intense, packed with pithy red and black berry fruits, savoury blueberry and hints of black plum. Fabulously plush and fully rounded mid-palate, with soft supple finessed tannins and an impressively mineral, savoury concentration on the finish. 

(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Domaine Marc Soyard Pommard 2022

This bold Pommard is packed full of dark earthy black fruits, plum and mulberry hints. Broad and intense, super vibrant with a notable freshness and zippy energy at its core. Wonderfully rounded and cool, layered with pithy black berry fruits and a stony limestone minerality. Really great focus and precision on display here!

(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Marc Soyard Domaine de La Cras Bourgogne Rouge 2022

The aromatics are rich and expressive with earthy, plummy, savoury black fruits. Cool, perfumed and focused, there’s a fine palate tension with a sweet blue / black fruit core, seamless textural harmony and an attractive vanilla pod kiss on the finish. Delicious.

(Wine Safari Score: 91+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Marc Soyard Bourgogne ‘Hermaion’ Rouge 2022

Made from 70-year-old vines, the expressive nose on this special cuvee boasts exotic hints of cherry liquor and black plum with an impressively concentrated palate of black cherry, saline black currant and ripe mulberry. Massive depth, majestically sweet fruited, and a long, pitch perfect, harmonious fleshy length. Very impressive old vine intensity.

(Wine Safari Score: 93+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Marc Soyard Domaine de La Cras Haut Cotes de Nuits Rouge 2022

A very pretty wine with bright aromatics and hints of sour red cherry, black plum and earthy autumnal leafy hints. Medium bodied and rounded, packed full of saline cassis fruit, boiled purple rock candy, black cherry and a hint of back liquorice. Supple, dense and very generous! 

(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

The Wines of Marc Soyard are imported into the UK by Burgundy specialist Musigny.Wine.

Contact: Andrew@musigny.wine

Tasting the Iconic Grand Cru 2021 Burgundy Releases from Pierre Millemann Wines…

~ Greg Sherwood MW ~ Leave a comment

Pierre Millemann grew up between Anjou and Alsace where his grandparents lived and where he spent all his holidays. His father and grandfather, both wine enthusiasts and connoisseurs, quickly started transmitting their passion to him. Pierre started studying in Paris. During his first internship, he met René Renou, an important figure in the wine industry, soon becoming his mentor. Fascinated by the development of the vine, Pierre understood very quickly that the concept of “terroir” was the key. This is why he went to work in the vineyards and cellars, first in Germany, and then at Chateau Carbonnieux in Pessac-Léognan, and finally at Champagne Charles Heidsieck.

He went back to university to perfect his knowledge, obtaining a Diploma in Oenology and then a National Diploma of Oenology from Dijon. Pierre continued to gain experience, occupying several winemaking positions around France, but it was in the Jura, where he worked as a cellar master, that he met his wife Stephanie, and the mother of his daughter, Charlotte. 

Tasting with Charlotte Millemann

In 2003, thanks to their joint experiences and the very positive results obtained at the estates where they collaborated, Pierre and Stéphanie founded their own oenology consultancy. In constant search for new techniques, Pierre completed his training with a master’s degree in Oenology Research in Dijon, and then started training future oenologists at the University of Burgundy, as a part-time lecturer. The family now works together with the best estates in Burgundy, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Italy and the United States, and recently, Charlotte joined the family business and started training with her father.

After nearly two decades of consulting, Pierre started his own eponymous label in 2017, dedicated to making single barrels of the greatest Grand Cru Burgundies. While his portfolio has grown slowly over the years, his iconic Millemann signature wines represent not only incredible rarity but also encapsulate a unique set of winemaking skills that guarantees the utmost quality which is manifest in every single bottle of wine released. The choice of the parcels is made with the greatest of care from specially selected grapes, which Pierre has designed, defined and structured an oenological approach that is the most faithful to the terroir and his own biodynamic principles and winemaking vision.

Pierre Millemann Corton Renardes Grand Cru 2021, 13.5%

Lifted perfumed aromatics with hints of dried herbs, thyme, dried mint leaf and notes of red cherry, raspberry herbal tea and a stony limestone minerality. Incredible tension and frame, the structure is bold and linear with seamless mineral tannins with a warming, spicy undertone of cherry and cranberry purity. Incredible power, elegance and precision. A very substantial expression of Corton Grand Cru.

(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Pierre Millemann Latricieres-Chambertin Grand Cru 2021, 13% Abv.

This Grand Cru reveals a deep, dense, dark broody nose with a smoky allure and hints of sweet sappy sandalwood, red plum, red currant jelly and spicy red apple with a pronounced mineral limestone foundation. Beautifully tangy and rich fruited with a sweet and sour red plummy depth, incredible tension and focus with polished marble tannins and cool, fresh crystalline acids. Wonderful focus, power and intensity with a substantial depth and frame.

(Wine Safari Score: 95/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Pierre Millemann Clos de La Roche Grand Cru 2021, 14% Abv. 

A beautifully expressive wine full of perfumed aromatics with hints of violets, rose petals, cherry, black currant and exotic hints of musk. The palate is super polished and seamless, with firm but velvety tannins, creamy black saline fruits and a laser-like precision. Deliciously stony, mineral and classical with a regal black fruited balance and finesse. A truly astonishing wine.

(Wine Safari Score: 96/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Pierre Millemann Bonnes Mares Grand Cru 2021, 13% Abv. 

A big wine that is now beautifully settled in bottle, exhibiting a dark broody expression with earthy notes of red and black plum, with brûléed hints of black currant compote, warm brown toast and raspberry nuances. Full bodied, there is big power and intensity on the palate with saline blue and black fruits, an energetic invigorating freshness, and a delicately earthy, savoury finish. Impressive concentration and intensity with the trademark Millemann seamless textural precision and focus.

(Wine Safari Score: 96+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Tasting in Nuits Saint Georges with Charlotte Millemann in November 2023.

Pierre Millemann Chambertin Grand Cru 2021, 13% Abv. 

This Rolls Royce of a wine displays a delicate perfumed nose with subtle earthy hints, pressed violets, blood orange and pomegranate hints over a dusty crushed limestone mineral prominence. The palate shows notes of salinity and black currant earthiness, subtle leafy sappy spice complexity, silky fine-grained tannins and an elegant, sumptuous persistence. Delightfully earthy, intense but also very softly spoken. True class.

(Wine Safari Score: 98/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Pierre Millemann Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru 2021, 13.5% Abv. 

A crystalline lemon-yellow colour leads you to a seductive aromatics of lemon oil, lime pith, lemon grass and a delicately smoky struck flint intensity underpinning a sleek, saline intense mouthfeel that shows a keen juxtaposition between minerality and piercing fruit concentration. The texture is silky, fresh and simply dreamy, seductive and incredibly alluring. Such brilliance, invigorating purity with true fine wine classicism.

(Wine Safari Score: 97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

(Wines tasted in November 2023 at Pierre Millemann Wines in Nuits Saint Georges and again in bottle in London on the 15th May 2024.)

The Pierre Millemann Wines are imported into the UK exclusively by Musigny.Wine

Contact: Andrew@musigny.wine