Ending 2025 with a Big Burgundy Bang – Two Epic Domaine Jean-Yves Bizot Tastings in London: Part 2 – China Tang at the Dorchester…

Always one of the absolute highlights of visiting Burgundy, tasting at the Domaine Bizot cellar is undoubtedly one of the most coveted appointments a wine professional can attend. Unfortunately, the slightly later December visit schedule this year did mean that I would miss seeing Jean-Yves Bizot in person at his cellar in Vosne-Romanee when tasting the 2024 wines from barrel as he would already be in Asia on tour. We were expertly guided through the sublime barrel tasting by Jean-Yves’s right-hand man, Victor Mignardot, who would also be in London the following week to help tutor two sensational private client collector tasting dinners featuring some of Jean-Yves’s finest wines. The first of these tastings was in the private room at Chez Bruce, one of London’s most famous Michelin stared restaurants. The second tasting dinner took place in one of my favourite restaurants in the whole of London, China Tang at the Dorchester Hotel on Park Lane.

Originally owned by Sir David Tang until his passing, this Chinese restaurant has come to exemplify top quality food and service over the years. Knowing Jean-Yves own personal penchant for Asian culture and cuisine, it was a fitting venue for the second Domaine Bizot private client tasting dinner. After preparing our palates with a couple of glasses of Champagne Petit & Bajan Promise Brut Grand Cru, a seductive blend of 60% Chardonnay and 40% Pinot Noir with a 4g/l RS dosage based around the 2019 vintage, we kicked the dinner off in proper style tasting the revelatory maiden release Le Charlemagne 2022 Grand Cru white. For any Domaine Bizot follower, this is certainly a wine that needs no introduction, representing the absolute pinnacle of white Burgundy quality. If I took the liberty to highlight one of my top reds of the year in Part 1, namely the Domaine Bizot Clos de la Bidaude 2023 red, then I would be remiss for not pointing the spotlight on this incredible white that was without doubt my favourite white wine of 2025, having tasted it from barrel and then from bottle three more times.

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 only located in the prestigious Le Charlemagne vineyard and in 2022 produced a meagre two new French oak barrels, or 600 bottles, of this golden Grand Cru nectar. A wonderfully sophisticated wine, it 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.

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

The Le Charlemagne 2022 was mind blowing the first time I tasted it from barrel and continues to impress with each subsequent tasting. The 2023 vintage was another exceptional wine from a slightly more generous vintage that yielded three barrels. Sadly, just as this astonishing benchmark white Burgundy is gaining its own global cult following, the volumes have cruelly been restricted to only a single barrel in both 2024 and 2025 due to low yields and obsessive fruit selection. 

The dinner tasting line up.

After a brief interlude, the red flights started to be poured by the China Tang sommelier team. As a special treat, Jean-Yves’s Le Clos des Fées ‘100 Phrases Pour Eventails’ Pinot Noir 2023, the fourth release from this IGP Cotes Catalanes project, was poured to illustrate the fluidity and flexibility of Jean-Yves’s winemaking brilliance. From a riper vintage than 2024, the 2023 was sumptuous and generous, fleshy but incredibly silky, pure and precise, finishing with a brambly, damson plum and black berry intensity with a subtle sapidity. (95/100 GSMW) This is a fascinating project in Southwest France and one that is well worth keeping a close eye on if the new 2024 I tasted at the cellar is anything to go by!

For anyone that drinks Jean-Yves’s wines regularly will know, the mantra of “less is more” sits comfortably when tasting both his Domaine Bizot Marsannay Clos du Roy 2023 and his Domaine Bizot Le Chapitre 2022. While the Clos de Roy vineyard was renowned for its quality potential, Jean-Yves has brought his winemaking magic to this appellation and, perhaps with a little help from global warming, has helped elevate this vineyard to a quality level making wines only ever previously seen in the Grand Cru vineyards of the Côte de Nuits.

Myself, Victor Mignardot and China Tang’s Head Sommelier and Wine Buyer Igor Sotric.

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, Domaine Gagey and Drouhin. Always one of my favourites in the Bizot range, the Clos du Roy 2023 is an incredible success for the vintage with a perfumed lift, a textural fluidity, and the most crystalline, finessed finish imaginable (96/100 GSMW). The Le Chapitre too is all about elegance and subtlety, effortless concentration with an earthy, brambly finish – the power of the 2022 vintage making itself felt on the palate (94+/100 GSMW).

For the next flight, we moved back down to Vosne Romanee and Morey St Denis where Domaine Bizot produces several village appellation cuvees. At the first Chez Bruce dinner, Jean-Yves’s Vosne Romanee 2020 proved one of the stars of the night. This time, we were treated to the delightful Domaine Bizot Vosne Romanee Village 2023 vintage, with its pristine and impactful aromatics, lashings of black cherry and raspberry fruits and its beguiling Asian five spice complexity. A benchmark wine within Jean Yves’s range (95+/100 GSMW). Accompanying the Vosne Romanee, we were treated to a repeat showing of the incredible Clos de la Bidaude 2023 Monopole red that continues to seduce collectors globally with its intensity, majestic concentration and fruit purity (98/100 GSMW).

For the grand finale, a surprise Domaine Bizot Echezeaux Grand Cru 2015 was slipped into the lineup to accompany the outstanding Echezeaux 2023. This was quite simply a Grand Cru pairing made in heaven. The 2015 showed incredible depth, power and concentration, fruit ripeness without being overbearing or disrespectful to the appellation’s terroir complexity. Incredibly youthful and harmonious, this wine was indeed a real highlight, showcasing the effortless purity, intensity and precision Jean-Yves has so masterfully perfected (97+/100 GSMW). The Echezeaux 2023 was all charm and elegance, packed with complex red and black berry fruits, whole bunch sapidity and phenolic dry extract, finishing with an alluring minerality on the finish. Another true Bizot star in the making (96+/100 GSMW).

This sensational lineup of iconic Domaine Bizot wines certainly reminded all the private client attendees why they love and covet the red and white Burgundy’s of Jean Yves so much. With last desserts accompanied by the obligatory Jean-Yves sweet wine favourite, the Vin de Constance 2017 from South Africa, the second Domaine Bizot tasting dinner was brought to a close with a few words of thanks from Victor Mignardot and Domaine Bizot’s exclusive UK importer, Andrew Pavli from Musigny Wines.

The Domaine Jean-Yves Bizot wines are imported exclusively into the UK by Musigny Wines. Contact Andrew Pavli to request an allocation.

Andrew@musigny.wine

Ending 2025 with a Big Burgundy Bang – Two Epic Domaine Jean-Yves Bizot Tastings in London: Part 1 – Chez Bruce…

My last trip to Burgundy in 2025 was slightly later than usual, in early December instead of the usual early to mid-November. This actually worked exceptionally well as all the growers had recovered from the bravado of the Hospice de Beaune Auction events as well as the tsunami of global wine merchants and critics that descend upon Burgundy every year around this time ahead of the En-primeur campaign. Arriving later was a masterstroke as not only were the winemakers feeling a lot more relaxed, but so too were their wines… in this case the 2024 whites and reds from one of the smallest and most difficult harvests on record.

Unfortunately, the slightly later schedule meant that we (myself and Domaine Bizot’s exclusive UK importer) would miss seeing Jean-Yves Bizot at his cellar in Vosne-Romanee when we went to taste the meagre quantities of 2024s from barrel as he would already be in Asia on tour attending events in China and Korea. But fear not, we were expertly guided through the sublime barrel tasting by Jean-Yves’s right-hand man, Victor Mignardot, who would also be in London the following week to help tutor two sensational private client collector tasting dinners featuring some of Jean-Yves’s finest wines.

Victor Mignardot in the Bizot cellar.

With access to the Domaine Bizot cellar incredibly limited, I feel blessed every time I am able to visit to taste these unbelievable wines from barrel at the domaine, where their perfection, precision and true brilliance is laid bare in all their glory. Jean-Yves’s Burgundies do fortunately travel very well, but there is certainly nothing like tasting the new vintages from barrel to experience their purity and finesse which is amplified by Jean-Yves’s lack of sulphur use during the winemaking and elevage process, preferring a more modest, considered sulphuring of his wines before bottling. For the exceptional 2024 releases, demand will be incrementally greater due to their excellent quality, but tiny quantities of wine produced. To compensate UK buyers and loyal followers of Jean-Yves’s wines, two incredible dinners were arranged in London to which I was graciously invited. 

Chez Bruce private tasting room.
Tasting the 2024 vintages.

The first of these two incredible events in mid-December featured mostly new release “in-bottle” vintages of Domaine Bizot’s 2023 wines alongside a small array of slightly older vintages. Expertly matched with some incredible food pairings at one of London’s top Michelin Starred restaurants, Chez Bruce, Victor and Andrew Pavli from Musigny Wines, Bizot’s exclusive UK importer, guided the guests through a delectable line up of wines that started with two phenomenal whites.

The Domaine Bizot Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Nuits Blanc 2022 was a rich, broad, expansive expression that showed beautifully expressive aromatics and fruit power. Layered with leesy lemon and saline, briney maritime notes, and delicate wood spice complexity. The intensity and piercing tangy acids were classic Bizot with a little extra horsepower from this punchy vintage. A really exceptional wine. (95+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

This was followed by the Domaine Bizot Bourgogne La Violette Blanc 2023, an incredibly elegant expression with plenty of textural finesse and effortless intensity. Sweet savoury lemon aromatics, lime peel and a wet stone minerality carry the palate with a beautiful harmony, tight grained phenolics and finely integrated acids. Showing simply sublime balance and finesse. (94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

Clos de la Bidaude Monopole just above Clos des Lambrays.

The next four wines, poured in two flights, excitingly featured a wine that I rated as one of my top Burgundies tasted in 2025… the Domaine Bizot Clos de la Bidaude Monopole 2023. From one of Jean-Yves’s newer vineyard purchases, the maiden vintage was only produced in 2021 with no 2022 released, upping the pressure and expectations from collectors for the follow up. Thankfully, the Bidaude 2023 is a knockout expression, the concentration, depth, elegance and sublime precision simply staggering. This is certainly a wine I am happy to highlight individually in more detail as one of my true favourites of 2025.

Domaine Jean-Yves Bizot Clos de la Bidaude Monopole 2023

A wine that is simply mesmerizingly intense with piercing aromatics of violets, saline crème de cassis, oyster shell, and sloe berries with a tightly knit complexity of smoky sapidity, crushed limestone and chalky spice. Piercing and powerful, the purity and intensity of fruit is awesome, the precision, polish, and concentration simply majestic. The perfect marriage of intelligent winemaking harnessing super fruit purity and perfect hillside terroir. A really super impressive success for the vintage. Drink from 2028 to 2040+.

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

With minuscule amounts of the Clos de la Bidaude 2024 produced, all eyes will certainly return to this wine for the potential 2025 release. This is a wine that you just feel Jean-Yves believes can match and even perhaps surpass, with time and further viticultural and winemaking tweaking, his iconic Vosne Romanee les Jachees and his Echezeaux Grand Cru. I myself, having tasted all bottled expressions, have no doubts whatsoever. So, with the 2023 Clos de la Bidaude upping the temperature on this cold wintery December evening in London, the follow up wines proved equally impressive.

Next up, the eye-wateringly delicious Domaine Bizot Vosne Romanee 2020 village, a wine with profound lifted aromatics, a savoury red and black berry fruit intensity, and a beguiling whole bunch sapidity that simply added the perfect ‘salt and pepper’ to this fine wine recipe. Youthful but drinking so incredibly well already, this wine, with the ripeness of the 2020 vintage, was one of the crowds’ absolute favourites on the night. (96+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

The last pair featured the well-priced Domaine Bizot Le Chapitre Rouge 2020 and the Grand Vin of Jean-Yves’s range, his Echezeaux Grand Cru. The Chapitre 2020 shared many similarities with the delightful Vosne Romanee 2020 without being quite as powerful and intense but perhaps, slightly more perfumed and ethereal. What this pair of 2020 reds certainly proved was how well they were drinking on the eve of their 6th anniversary. Certainly no rush, but a beautifully elegant wine. (95/100 Greg Sherwood MW).

Last but not least, the Echezeaux Grand Cru, one of the wines that has helped put Jean Yves on the global “most collectable” Burgundy map. As per my barrel tasting last year, a uniquely impressive expression but perhaps just 5% behind the Bidaude 2023 in both aromatic power and fruit intensity. But the brooding depth might make this the dark horse of the vintage for a late resurgence. (97/100 Greg Sherwood MW)

While Jean-Yves might not have been there to share some of his own vinous treats, the evening nevertheless ended with one of his favourite sweet wines, the Vin de Constance 2017, a wine I tasted again earlier in the year with winemaker Matt Day at Klein Constantia during a vertical tasting. This is a bright, intense, seductive sweet wine that wears its greatness with effortless ease. A delicious end to a memorable evening of fine food and wine. (97/100 Greg Sherwood MW).

The wines of Domaine Jean-Yves Bizot are imported exclusively into the UK by Musigny Wines. Contact them to request an allocation.

Andrew@musigny.wine

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

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

Jean Yves Bizot Establishing His Stunning Domaine Wines As Some of the Most Sought-After in Burgundy…

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 lutte raisonnée 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.

Domaine Bizot Bourgogne Blanc 2005, Burgundy, 13.5% Abv.

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.

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

Domaine Bizot Vosne Romanee 2005 Vieilles Vignes, Burgundy, 13% Abv.

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.

Getting Ready for Burgundy En-Primeur 2021 with a Fabulous Private Client Dinner Featuring the Wines of Top Talent Bruno Desaunay-Bissey…

I first discovered the incredible wines of Bruno Desaunay-Bissey in January 2021 when I was invited to review the “in-bottle” 2018 vintages with his main UK importer Wimbledon Wine Cellar. I had never heard of Bruno’s wines, never tasted them and was unable to even find anything of interest online about his wines… not on Vinous, Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate or even Jasper Morris’s new Burgundy web resource. Bruno genuinely seemed to not only fly below the radar but remained one of the best kept secrets of the Cotes d’Or.

Together with his wife, Marie-Christine Bissey and his son, Bruno manages this small family domaine based in Flagey-Echezeaux that consists of 6 hectares, some of which is owned by the family, including prestigious old vine plots in Echezeaux and Grands Echezeaux, with additional plots farmed on a “fermage” basis. With first vintages produced in 1975, it seems almost inconceivable that wines of this quality have managed to enter the market almost unnoticed, especially considering the current clamour and fervour of wine merchants to discover “the next big thing” in Burgundy. Over the years, some of the production was sold off to other domaines and as recently as the mid-1990’s, several of Bruno’s valuable barrels of Grands Echezeaux were being sold to illustrious names like Dominique Laurent. The Grands Echezeaux Grand Cru appellation takes the shape of a triangle with its northern point orientated towards Musigny, its eastern flank bordered by the Clos Vougeot Grand Cru and its western flank by Echezeaux Grand Cru. The Desaunay-Bissey old vine parcel, planted from 1928 onwards, is located on the point of this triangle.

Come the UK Winter, in November and December, all attention and thoughts automatically swing back to the Burgundy En-primeur tastings that will occupy the minds and palates of most Burgundy lovers in the UK for the duration of January and February. Just to get some customers back in the mood, Wimbledon Wine Cellars hosted an incredible food and wine paired dinner with 30+ private clients to taste through a cross section of Burgundy’s best kept secrets from Bruno.

The evening started with a delicious glassful of Bruno’s Bourgogne Blanc 2019 (89/100 GSMW) as an aperitif. Rich and textured with fleshy, citrus oil layers infused with minerality, combining with pithy, waxy lemon peel nuances that made this wine a perfect piquant aperitif white Burgundy before launching into the reds. The opening salvo from the first pair was incredible and really set the tone for the rest of the evening. The Nuits Saint Georges Les Belles Croix 2017 from Vieilles Vignes (94+/100 GSMW) was dark and deep with bottomless layers of blue and black berry fruits, a subtle oystershell salinity and an incredibly mouth-watering underlying acidity that energised the wine beautifully. One of the night’s favourite wines despite only being a lieu dit and not a Premier Cru.

The Nuits St Georges was followed by a vibrantly youthful 2014 Gevrey Chambertin that I had not tasted before. This rich, deep, earthy black fruited example showed an impressive depth of fruit and fine tannins wrapped around a fleshy, earthy, plummy, cured meat core of intensity. Plenty of vibrancy and youthfulness evident (93/100 GSMW). As if not to be outdone by the savoury black fruited opulence of the Gevrey Chambertin, a beautiful 2017 Chambolle Musigny from Combe d’Orveaux more than held its own alongside the Gevrey, showing impressive classical precision, focus and spicy mineral tannins as well as all the text book elegance you’d expect from a top Chambolle Musigny (94/100 GSMW).

The next flight was made up of two Vosne Romanee Premier Cru classics, Les Beaut Monts 2018 and Les Rouges 2018, both of which left a long-lasting impression on me the first time I had the privilege to taste and reflect on these wines. The Beau Monts 1er Cru remained classical and regal with fabulous power and depth of black berry fruit, intense cassis fruit concentration and subtle bramble berry and Vosne five-spice notes scattered liberally across the palate making for a very complex expression (95+/100 GSMW). The Les Rouge 2018 was another standout expression showing plenty of opulent concentration, blue and black berry fruits, purple rock candy and all the textural power and drive that you could hope for from a top Vosne Romanee producer (95/100 GSMW).

Just like a wintery November Guy Fawkes fireworks evening, there always needs to be a few big guns to end the show to reiterate the absolute pedigree of the finest red Burgundies produced. An incredible final pair including an Echezeaux Grand Cru 2018 (95+/100 GSMW) and a very regal Grands-Echezeaux 2019 (96/100 GSMW), were alluringly bold, concentrated and red fruited displaying incredible purity, power and textural promise, helping to end a most spectacular evening of food and wine in true style. Sadly, Bruno was not there to share his unique story, but the wines were as fascinating and beguiling now as they were the very first time I tasted them.

Watch out for Bruno Desaunay-Bissey’s incredible 2019 reds that have arrived in the UK and will be hitting the shelves of a few select merchants. Unfortunately, most of his prestigious wines will have sold out already on En-primeur release. But the eagle-eyed Burghound might still be able to sniff out a few rogue bottles of back vintages. Otherwise, you can beg and grovel for a small allocation of his 2021s which will be offered in the UK in the coming months. This is most definitely one producer in Burgundy to watch very closely indeed.

Contact importer Wimbledon Wine Cellar to register for a future allocation.

A True Burgundy Star On the Rise – Tasting the New 2018 Red Releases from Bruno Desaunay-Bissey…

So much has been written on or about the iconic domaines and wines of Burgundy making it so much more satisfying coming across a top drawer producer that I have not encountered before. Discovering the incredible wines of Bruno Desaunay-Bissey and unravelling the story behind this family domaine has been a great pleasure. These are wines with wonderful focus and purity of fruit, carefully considered extraction, impressively creamy concentration and an understated power all polished off into a final artisanal expression in bottle that shows an authenticity of style that represents Bruno’s own personal taste and passion for wine.

Together with his wife, Marie-Christine Bissey and his son, Bruno manages this small family domaine based in Flagey-Echezeaux that consists of 6 hectares, some of which is owned by the family, including prestigious old vine plots in Echezeaux and Grands Echezeaux, with additional plots farmed on a “fermage” basis. A fermage is a piece of land which is owned by someone other than the person cultivating it, or a farming tenancy in effect.  It is estimated that in 2010, two-thirds of all French agricultural land was tenant-farmed. Because vineyard land tends to inspire affection in the families who own it, even when they have become involved in other activities, fermages are very common in French wine regions even though this may not necessarily be identified on the producer’s wine labels.

With first vintages produced in 1975, it seems almost inconceivable that wines of this quality have managed to enter the market almost unnoticed, especially considering the current clamour and fervour of wine merchants to discover “the next big thing” in Burgundy. Over the years, some of the production was sold off to other domaines and as recently as the mid-1990’s, several of Bruno’s valuable barrels of Grands Echezeaux were being sold to illustrious names like Dominique Laurent. The Grands Echezeaux Grand Cru appellation takes the shape of a triangle with its northern point orientated towards Musigny, its eastern flank bordered by the Clos Vougeot Grand Cru and its western flank by Echezeaux Grand Cru. The Desaunay-Bissey old vine parcel, planted from 1928 onwards, is located on the point of this triangle.

Since 2007 Bruno uses no herbicides or pesticides and all the soil is tilled. Bruno’s winemaking is very terroir-expressive, doing short pre-fermentation macerations, using only indigenous yeasts and crucially, not too much extraction.  Barrel-aging is on average about 33% new except for the Grands Cru reds where a slightly higher percentage is used.  Since the early 1990s, the wines are neither fined nor filtered.  Bruno’s wines are normally only racked twice, once after malolactic fermentations and once before the assemblage.

Bruno cultivates, together with his father-in law, Daniel Bissey, several other parcels of very old vines situated in Vosne (some 80+ years), Echezeaux (some 110+ years) Grands-Echezeaux (70+ years), Chambolle (90+ years) and Nuits St. Georges (60+ years).

Bourgogne Vieilles Vignes 2018, 14.5 Abv.

This ‘entry level’ Bourgogne appellation Pinot Noir displays some of the most seductive exotic notes of purple flowers, pink musk, blueberry and black cherries showing where the old vines start to make their influence felt. On the palate there is focus and tension, powdery tannins and fine textural shape all framed beautifully by bright fresh acids. A delicious offering with intensity and blue and black berry length, hints of wild strawberry and a beautiful saline bite on the finish. This really punches above its weight. Drink now to 2028+.

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

Gevrey-Chambertin 2018, 14% Abv. 

Deep and alluring, this Gevrey shows an impressively broody depth of black currant, blueberries and a savoury, brambley, meaty complexity with a kiss of graphite spice. Pure and expressive, there is impressive concentration and focus on the palate with Parma violets, caramelised cherries, blueberry crumble and some attractive chalky limestone mineral grip on the finish. Vibrant, energetic and textually very polished, this should evolve beautifully over a few more years in bottle but it’s already so mouth-watering and delicious. Archetypal premium quality village Gevrey. Drink from 2022 to 2034+.

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

Chambolle-Musigny Combe d’Orveaux Vieilles Vignes 2018, 14% Abv. 

This famous Chambolle plot yields a richer, earthier expression with a wonderful overlay of perfumed dried flowers, potpourri and subtle savoury Chinese five spice hints. Laser like focus on the palate, the wine shows a potent intensity of red and black berry fruits, mouth-coating richness and a long, liquid minerality on the finish. A very pretty wine that displays impressive powerful and tension behind a classy, elegant demeanour. Drink from 2022 to 2035+.

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

Vosne Romanee Vieilles Vignes 2018, 13.5% Abv. 

Initially this displays a deep, earthy, broody dark fruited aromatics with bramble berry, black currant and layers of savoury Vosne spice. With a little more coaxing, this wine starts to yield notes of pink musk, violets and blueberry hints which follow to a wonderfully chiselled, focused, tight knit palate with incredibly chalky, fleshy sweet tannins. Again, plenty of concentration, blue and back berry fruits, purple rock candy and all the textural power and drive that you could hope for from a top Vosne Romanee producer. Despite being perhaps a little less intricate and exotic, this wine’s power, concentration and pure focus are alone enough to bowl me over and make me contemplate pouring a second glassful. Absolutely delicious. Drink from 2022 to 2034+.

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

Vosne Romanee 1er Cru Les Beaux-Monts 2018, 14% Abv. 

Sourced from an 80+ year old vines, this wine shows pure class and allows its pedigree to shine through in this serious expression of Vosne Romanee. One of the most respected 1er Cru vineyards delivers quality in bucket loads in 2018 with even more perfume, lift and intricacy than the village wine. The aromatics display a splendid array of crunchy wild strawberries, red and black cherries, subtle dried herbs and alluring Vosne spice. The palate reveals incredible depth and breath with piercing mouth-watering concentration, fine-grained tannins like polished marble and a tart, bright maritime salinity on the finish that retains a seductive kiss of pink rock candy. This is a very serious effort indeed. An utterly seductive Pinot. Drink from 2022 to 2038+.

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

Echezeaux Grand Cru 2018, 14% Abv. 

Made from old vines planted in 1902, 1940 and 1945, this Grand Cru red shows a more reticent and broody demeanour to begin with before revealing a complex melange of red and black berry fruits on the nose, seamlessly integrated oak and a subtle freshly tilled earth savoury note. Broad, suave and texturally plush, this is a wine to savour, to lose yourself in and to allow the more intricate finery to reveal itself slowly over time in the glass. The texture is dense, compact, almost creamy, with powder fine tannins, layers of bright blueberry, cassis and Fraises des Bois notes that linger for an age on the finish. Grand Cru Burgundy is not just about more volume, it’s about intricacy and complexity of rhythm, more drum, more base and an altogether more melodic crescendo. Drink from 2022 to 2038+.

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

Grands-Echezeaux Grand Cru 2018, 14% Abv. 

There is plenty of fragrant intricacy and complexity evident on this big hitting Grand Cru all delivered with the most considered delicacy, complexity and subtlety. The wine shows notes of rose petals, violets, pink musk and perfumed red and black orchard fruits underpinned by a grounding of chalky, stony minerality. The palate displays a broad seductive rainbow of flavours starting with tart red berry fruits and strawberry pith before fading to more darker blue and black berry fruit notes. But it’s the tension, taut energy, stony minerality, focus and length of flavour that really makes this a real eye opener. Quality comes at a price and this is certainly worthy of top echelon Grand Cru Burgundy status. Drink from 2022 to 2040+.

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

Wines available in the UK from Importer Wimbledon Wine Cellar London and Handford Wines.

The Most Important Burgundy Releases from the 2015 Vintage ~ Tasting the Wines of Domaine de la Romanee Conti with Aubert de Villaine…

“We see this sort of vintage 2 or 3 times a century. Very Special.” Aubert de Villaine, Domaine de la Romanee Conti

When you hear words like that spoken by one of the most iconic grandee figureheads of Burgundy, it’s enough to make your heart race and your blood pump wildly. Tasting any cuvée from any vintage of Domaine de la Romanee Conti is a very special privilege, but to taste the iconic block buster vintages, well, those are moments that make working in the wine trade so very special and memorable.

In the words of Aubert, “there is no such thing as a great or poor vintage, but rather only easy or difficult ones.” With those few simple words, you immediately understand the quality philosophy and commitment that goes into making the greatest expressions of Pinot Noir in the world. Having personally tasted every new release DRC vintage since 2004, I can confirm that the excitement and anticipation never recedes, but to the contrary, grows more and more vivid and intense with every additional vintage experienced.

With Aubert de Villaine at the release tasting.

The 2015 Growing Season

The winter of 2014/15 had been mild apart from a usefully cold spike in mid February which reached -6c, and with heavy rains for the water table that were to prove useful for the dryness that was to come later in the season. Spring was likewise warm and dry apart from two storms on May 1st and June 15th. July offered just 14mm of rain with a heat wave between the 2nd and the 8th, with night time temperatures reaching 30c.

The vineyards enjoyed this hot dry weather remaining perfectly green with no signs of stress and ripened quietly. The second half of August was fabulously hot and dry again with harvesting beginning in the white Montrachet vineyard on the 4th September and in the red Corton vineyards on the 5th September. The berries were small, fabulously ripe, thick skinned and with high intense sugars.

Domaine de La Romanee Conti Corton Grand Cru 2015, Burgundy

Wonderfully bright and lifted, this shows plenty of verve and energy. The fruits are dark, intense, very elegant and accessible. Layers of stony black plums, cranberry, strawberry pips and wild forest berries. The lovely mineral graphite hint is very pronounced at this youthful stage. The palate is full of silky stuffing, deep and dense with sweet spicy sappy fruit, wood spice and a pithy strawberry and cherry pip finish. The fruit envelops the acidity and tannins and emerges as a seamless, beautifully harmonious, concentrated mouthful. Drink from 2020 to 2040+.

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

Domaine de La Romanee Conti Echezeaux Grand Cru 2015, Burgundy

The Echezeaux is decidedly more expressive on the nose than the Corton, with that extra bit of lift, power and fragrant perfume. Lovely notes of violets, cherry blossom, red liquorice and sweet pink musk mix with subtle hints of rock candy and powdered bon bons. The palate shows beautiful intensity of fruit, concentration and depth but is held in check by a defined seam of salinity and sea shore exoticism. Tannins are textured, finely polished and spicy, helping to carry the long, seductive finish. Drink from 2022 to 2035+

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

Domaine de La Romanee Conti Grands Echezeaux Grand Cru 2015, Burgundy

The Grands Echezeaux is decidedly deeper and denser and more grande than the Echezeaux, showing more gravitas and depth of fruit. The nose is brimming full of creamy fraises des bois, bramble berries and red cherry coulis. Such wonderful purity, focus and precision backed by power and intensity. The powerful aromatics follow to the palate that shows impressive concentration, plush opulent breadth and a mouth coating deliciousness. This is going to be one of the great expressions from this terroir in years to come. Truly exceptional. Drink from 2024 to 2040+.

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

Domaine de La Romanee Conti Romanee St Vivant Grand Cru 2015, Burgundy

Usually tasted after Richebourg, in 2015 Aubert de Villaine reversed the order to follow the Grands Echezeaux. The aromatics are fine and ethereal with a chorus of delicate whispering. The nose shows subtle violet perfume, dusty spicy red fruit lift, raspberry coulis, fresh leafy cranberry, red cherry confit and pink bon bons punctuated by a constant seam of chalky minerality. The palate mimics the aromatics, with pretty, animated red fruits, sweet bruised red cherries, red cranberry, and distinguished finesse and flare. Belying the attractive fruit elegance and intensity, are the most compact, dense, balanced silk textured tannins that suggest this wine will have a very long and rewarding future. Very pretty indeed.

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

Domaine de La Romanee Conti Richebourg Grand Cru 2015, Burgundy

Aubert described 2015 as a vintage tailor made for the Richebourg style. The wine is certainly stand apart from the previous cuvées tasted, with incredibly bold and opulent aromatics bursting with sweet strawberry confit, cherry candy, toffee apples, bruised black plums and a sprinkling of crushed peppercorns and chalk dust. The palate sings a bold joyous tune of opulence, generosity, flamboyance and hedonistic pleasure. Such breath, depth and mouth watering deliciousness, this wine is so relaxed and at ease with its greatness. An eye wateringly fine example of Richebourg. Possibly one of the best in the past two decades. Drink from 2022 to 2040+.

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

Domaine de La Romanee Conti La Tache Grand Cru Monopole 2015, Burgundy

As different as the Richebourg was, this La Tache is altogether more deep, dark and mysterious, showing plenty of grandeur and elegance, but with reserve and noblesse that only breeding can bring. The aromatics show layers of broody dark fruits, saline cassis, blueberry, black cherry and black bramble berries touched with a lick of salty liquorice and polished mahogany. The palate reveals an incredible intensity of fruit, a pinpoint acidity and harmonious, seamless powdery tannins. So complete, so noble ~ an incredibly grand vin. The finish is powerful and layered with a length that knows no bounds. What this wine lacks in flamboyance, it more than makes up for with restrained grandeur, structure and effortless structural precision. Drink from 2024 to 2040+. A breathtaking wine.

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

Domaine de La Romanee Conti Romanee Conti Grand Cru Monopole 2015, Burgundy

One of the lightest and most crystalline of the wines in colour, what this wine lacks in visual depth, it more than makes up for with its ethereal fragrant beauty. The aromatics are less of a compilation of greatest hits but more of a melodious chorus bellowed by angels on church spires. Smoked herbs, pot pourri, cherry skins, violets, jasmine blossom, crushed limestone, sappy peppery cranberry and subtle graphite spice notes make for an effusive nose. Blink and you will miss the ever changing notes unfurling in the glass. The palate perhaps remains truest to its terroir and combines the concentration of the vintage with the intense liquid minerality of the vineyard site, with its sappy, spicy black berry weightlessness of Pinot Noir at its mercurial finest. A true symphony of greatness. Always a pleasure to taste. Drink from 2025 to 2045+.

(Wine Safari Score: 99+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)