Burgundy Wine Recommendations

Burgundy Wine Recommendations

Red Burgundies

Michel Magnien Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2019

The estate was founded in 1967 by Michel and Dominique Magnien in Morey-Saint-Denis. In 1987, their son Frédéric, the fifth generation of family winegrowers, moved to the estate. Until 1991, he learned the trade alongside his father. He then traveled to California and Australia to learn the ropes from Josh Jensen and Garry Farr. During his travels, he became aware of Burgundy’s terroir’s potential and developed an interest in organic and biodynamic viticulture.

The vineyard covers 18 hectares of Côte de Nuits and has 23 appellations, including Morey-Saint-Denis, Clos de la Roche, Clos Saint-Denis, Charmes Chambertin, Chambolle-Musigny, and others. Each terroir is highlighted as clearly as possible. For this reason, the vineyard has been entirely organic since 2008 and biodynamic since 2010. Without the use of pesticides or insecticides, biodynamics allows for improved soil quality and a greater emphasis on the vine’s natural environment. Organic life is energized and intensified to bring life to the soil and promote vine deep rooting.

Frédéric Magnien extends his work in the vineyard to the cellar. This winemaking virtuoso seeks gentle winemaking methods that allow the soil’s characteristics to shine through. As a result, the wines are aged in terracotta jars that are manually turned. This container, unlike oak barrels, does not alter the wine and allows for micro-oxygenation of wines without adding woody notes. Frédéric Magnien gradually replaced all of the estate’s barrels with these amphoras. The fruit’s purity and the terroir’s uniqueness are expressed simply and authentically. Furthermore, the wines are aged in old barrels to bring out the terroir’s minerality.

The nose of this Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2019 offers terroir scents such as truffle, rose, violet, and even lingonberries. Time blurs first impressions by allowing red fruits, leather, or earth notes to emerge. It has the characteristics of a Grand Cru: it is complex, rich, powerful, fresh, and long on the palate. A wine designed to last a long time.

Michel Magnien Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2019 | Wine.com

Nicolas Potel Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2020

Maison Nicolas Potel has built an international reputation primarily by producing wines from the region’s most beautiful terroirs. The House’s Premiers Crus and Grands Crus are recognized and acclaimed worldwide for their ability to provide the purity of the fruit and an exact reflection of their appellations and terroirs of origin.

Nicolas Potel began trading in 1997, following the sale of his father’s family property in Volnay, the Domaine de la Pousse d’Or. It was taken over by the House of Labouré-Roi in 2004 and continues producing wines from Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune. It has installed a powerful winemaking and aging tool in former Nuits-Saint-Georges station warehouses to accomplish this. Beautiful contracts with conscientious winegrowers ensure first-rate supplies for Nicolas Potel.

In addition to the variety of climates and soils at Maison Nicolas Potel, there are two exceptional grape varieties: Pinot Noir, the source of the great red wines, and Chardonnay, the source of the great white Burgundy. Maison Nicolas Potel has built an international reputation primarily by producing wines from the region’s most beautiful terroirs. The Villages, Premiers Crus, and Grands Crus are known and acclaimed worldwide for their ability to provide the fruit’s purity and accurate reflection of their appellations and terroirs of origin.

The Burgundy Pinot Noir 2020 from Domaine Nicolas Potel from the Burgundy region has a lovely freshness on the palate. On the nose, it frequently reveals aromas of cherry, undergrowth, or stone, as well as gooseberry, strawberries, and freshness.

Nicolas Potel Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2020 | Wine.com

Louis Latour Pinot Noir Les Pierres Dorees 2018

The origins of the Maison Louis Latour date back to the 18th century in Burgundy, when Denis Latour, from a family of coopers, bought his first vines in The Côtes de Beaune. In 1768, Jean Latour bought several plots of land in Aloxe-Corton and laid the foundations of the family estate.

Louis Latour founded the Wine House in his name in 1797. He exported his wines from 1815 to the United Kingdom. His son continued to develop the influence of Louis Latour wines abroad with sales in the United States, Buenos Aires, Java, Bucharest, London, and Brussels. They are served on the world’s largest tables in the royal courts of Austria, England, and Russia. During the 19th century, the Maison Louis Latour was even known as an important supplier to princes and kings.

Maison Louis Latour vineyards have long developed environmentally friendly practices and are committed to eco-responsible viticulture. This commitment was reflected in 1998 when the estate joined the network of farms conducted in sustainable agriculture, the Forum de l’Agriculture Raisonnée Respectful of the Environment (FARRE). In 2003, Louis Latour also obtained ISO 14001 certification.

Louis Latour wines are now available in many appellations, with more than twenty cuvées in Grands Crus, about fifty Premiers Crus, PGI wines, and many regional wines. This great production in no way alters the quality of the cuvées, with great successes, as evidenced by the many awards and distinctions obtained by Louis Latour wines.

It’s a bright and intense ruby red that leans slightly toward ochre, with a gourmet blend of red fruits and sweet spices on the nose. It has a crunchy, round, and wide mouthfeel is very soft and mineral, and has canvas tannins. It’s a wine with a lot of freshness, with concentrated aromas of black fruit on the finish.

Louis Latour Pinot Noir Les Pierres Dorees 2018 | Wine.com

Bouchard Pere & Fils Reserve Bourgogne Pinot Noir 2019

Bouchard Père et Fils was founded in 1731 in Beaune by Michel Bouchard and has been located at the Château de Beaune since 1820. It is a former royal fortress designated as a historical monument and is an exceptional location for breeding first and great vintages. The Domaine’s wines are patiently aged in vaulted and deeply buried cellars.

Joseph Bouchard worked to expand his estate in Volnay and his house in Beaune beginning at the end of the 18th century, ushering in an era of prolific acquisitions and the rise of the trader. The Revolution was a watershed moment for the family, allowing them to recreate large estates from the Ancien Régime by acquiring vines from abbeys and the nobility. Clos Saint Landry, Avaux, Teurons, and the Enfant Jésus in Beaune are among them. The name “Bouchard Père et Fils” was formalized in 1811. The buyouts continued throughout the nineteenth century, with the goal of obtaining contiguous plots to form true enclosures in one piece on the most beautiful Burgundian climates.

With over 130 hectares of vineyard, including 12 hectares of grands crus and 74 hectares of premiers crus, the domaine is now at the helm of a rare and priceless Burgundy heritage. Bouchard Père & Fils has been the largest owner in Beaune for several generations. Its wines come from more prestigious appellations, including Corton-Charlemagne, Montrachet, Bonnes-Mares, Beaune Grèves Vigne de l’Enfant Jésus, and Meursault Perrières.

The presence of a bouquet with aromas of small ripe red fruits on the nose (cherry, raspberry, currant). With a lovely mouthfeel, this is a tasty marriage of tannins and fruits that rub shoulders nicely.

Domaine Roux Pere & Fils Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Beaune Rouge 2020

Louis Roux purchased the first vineyard plot in Saint Aubin in 1885. His grandson Marcel expanded the estate by more than 25 hectares along the Côte de Beaune, from Meursault to Santenay. He also has a significant impact on the AOC Saint Aubin.

His three sons, Emmanuel, Régis, and Christian, continued this expansion by establishing the Maison de négoce Roux to round out the appellation portfolio. Today, the Rouxs’ portfolio includes wines from the Côte-de-Beaune, Ladoix, Beaune, and Aloxe-Corton, as well as the Côte-de-Nuits (Gevrey-Chambertin, Vougeot, and Chambolle-Musigny) and the Côte Chalonnaise (Rully, Mercurey).

Then, in 2003, Mathieu and Sébastien Roux, two representatives of the Roux fifth generation, joined the company and relaunched the estate division by acquiring new plots of land in Meursault, Chassagne-Montrachet, and Saint-Aubin.

The Hautes-Côtes de Beaune wines are made from vines planted on the crests of the Côte d’Or and Saône-et-Loire hills. This appellation produces wines with long-lasting color and powerful flavors: abundant tannins, good mellowness, and acidity. This Pinot Noir from the Hautes Côtes de Beaune is enjoyed in its youth because it has great character and beautiful acidity.

Domaine Roux Pere & Fils Bourgogne Hautes Cotes de Beaune Rouge 2020 | Wine.com

White Burgundies

Bouchard Aine & Fils Macon-Villages 2020

The house’s history began in 1731, when Michel Bouchard, a draper by trade, settled in Beaune and began trading in wine a few years later, developing at the whim of successive associations.

A family feud occurred in 1810, which resulted in the division of the family business into two separate wine trading houses, managed on the one hand by the eldest, Joseph-Théodore Bouchard, who took the name Bouchard Aîné & Fils in 1828, and on the other by his brother, Bernard Bouchard, who had retained the name Bouchard Père & Fils since 1785.

Since 1993, Bouchard Aîné et Fils has been a member of the Boisset group (Domaine de la Vougeraie, Ropiteau Frères, Labouré Roi, and others). Since 1998, the house has been open to the public via a route based on the five senses in the breeding cellars beneath the Conseiller du Roy hotel.

The color of the Macon-Villages 2020 is very light yellow, brilliant, crystalline, and pale gold. On the nose, there are subtle aromas of fruit (peach, pear) or acacia, honeysuckle, and fern, as well as frequent notes of fresh almond, hazelnut, cinnamon, butter, and sometimes honey.

Citrus fruits and exotic fruits appear on occasion (orange peel). On the palate, a dry and round wine with mineral notes (flint, firestone) and a lively attack. The acidity and fat combine to form a harmonious with a round and fresh structure.

Bouchard Aine & Fils Macon-Villages 2020 | Wine.com

William Fevre Chablis Domaine 2019

William Fèvre is a historic Chablis estate that has undoubtedly contributed the most to the appellation’s revival. Today, as in the past, it produces great whites with beautiful elegance and aging potential. Wines that have received unanimous praise from critics.

The William Fèvre estate is emblematic of Chablis, and the appellation’s current popularity is due in part to the reputation of this grand estate. Great in size (78 hectares, including 15 large and 16 premier crus) and quality, as the windfalls produced here have always strived for excellence and are recognized worldwide.

In the 1970s and 1980s, William Fèvre was everywhere: at the estate, which he gradually expanded year after year, and at the service of the Chablis appellation, which he presented and defended worldwide. The estate is gradually expanding while remaining true to the appellation’s historical terroirs, and the vineyard is now one of the most important in Chablis

In the cellar, patinated barrels with an average age of six years are used instead of new barrels to preserve freshness and minerality while allowing the subtle nuances of the Chablis terroirs to express themselves. These practices allow for the production of rich wines with high aromatic purity that retain their typicity and reveal the unique characteristics of each vintage.

On the nose, this Chablis has lovely floral and fresh fruit notes. The palate is vibrant, striking, and intense, with pleasant fresh fruit aromas and a lovely minerality.

William Fevre Chablis Domaine 2019 | Wine.com

Joseph Drouhin St. Veran 2020

Joseph Drouhin, a Burgundy institution, has taken a bold step by opening the doors of its cellars to the public. Without falling into the boat scheme of a property visit followed by a tasting, its uniqueness combines the region’s history with the estate, the two being inextricably linked.

It all started in 1880 when Joseph Drouhin decided to give his name to the wines he traded to guarantee their quality. He chose the “house of Diénat,” rue d’Enfer, a stone’s throw from the collegiate church of Notre Dame in Beaune, the capital of Burgundy wines.

The company has relied on exceptional human capital in recent decades. First and foremost, Robert Drouhin, 86, remained the true patriarch. And, of course, his children are now in charge: Véronique, the oenologist; Philippe, the wine enthusiast; and Laurent, the commercial seafarer. Finally, there is Frédéric, the youngest but also the conductor.

Philippe, who would take over the management of the house, Domaine was encouraged by his father to become involved in vine cultivation. He finally did not leave agronomy because of his passion for it! Frédéric, for his part, assessed the talents and complementarities that were just waiting to be expressed around him.

Early on, one of his generation’s pivotal decisions was to embrace organic viticulture (1988) and biodynamics (1997). The task of overseeing nearly 80 hectares in Burgundy (including 38 in Chablis) was daunting.

A pioneering spirit that she fostered in places other than Burgundy. Robert Drouhin was among the first to see the potential of Oregon, then a little-known vineyard on the United States west coast (while California triumphed). His children have given it a magnitude that he would not have predicted at the start of the adventure, especially since the purchase of the second family estate, Roserock, in 2013. To use the family’s slogan about Oregon, “French Soul, Oregon Soil.”

Meanwhile, the Cuvée Laurène (named after Véronique Drouhin’s daughter, who is studying wine) has become a vineyard classic.

The Domaine Joseph Drouhin’s Saint-Véran 2020 is made entirely of Chardonnay grapes, and at the tasting, the color is golden with green reflections. Notes of white and yellow fruit, almonds and honey, musk on the nose, and in the mouth, it is a fruity wine with a beautiful roundness.

Joseph Drouhin St. Veran 2020 | Wine.com

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