Burgundy Club: February 2026

Since there's no reason to watch this year's "Superbowl", at least we have good Burgundy to drink. Now you all have 2 more in your stash - let's get to them. 

White Wine: Jean Fournier Marsannay Blanc Saint Urbain 2023

Where we are: Marsannay is the northernmost village of the Cote de Nuits, and I've been looking to it for value for years. The land feels a little flatter and most of the vineyards are hard to see from the main road due to Dijon's urban area, but actually the highest altitude site in the entire Cote d'Or is in Marsannay (Champs Perdrix). Even though driving through doesn't possess the same epic feeling as Gevrey or Vosne, the vines don't know what their view from the main road is nor do they care. 

This wine comes from a blend of certified organic, younger vine sites throughout Marsannay, and the unique thing about Jean Fournier is that he loves to champion the grapes of the past. While legally this has to be mostly Chardonnay to use the Marsannay name, he blends Pinot Blanc and the rare rosé clone of Chardonnay as well. For those curious to try white Burgundy made from Pinot Blanc & Pinot Gris only, try his Bourgogne Origines which we currently sell for $46. 

How it's made: The juice is allowed to settle and brown (as is now standard to avoid the dreaded "premox") before native fermentation. Aging is in 600L demi-muids with 10% new oak; so while there is new oak it would be more obvious if that 10% were in standard 228L barriques that are the most traditionally used in Burgundy. After 12 months in oak it spends 6 months in tank before bottling. The result is a fresh but round style not showing obvious reduction qualities like some white Burgs, but showing more lees aging and exotic fruit. Don't shy away from drinking this young as it's showy and fun, but it can handle a few years in the bottle to mellow out as well. 

Red Wine: Domaine Hudelot-Baillet Chambolle-Musigny V.V. 2023

Where we are: while this is a village level wine for the 1er cru club, anything grown in Chambolle is special. It's hard to pin down exact sourcing of this wine, but it appears to be 3 or more old vine sites just below the band of 1er crus. I'm not sure why Chambolle seemingly has the strictest vineyard grading of the major villages, but 1er crus such as Les Cras could easily be Grand Cru, and many village level crus out perform 1ers from other communes. 

How it's made: Hudelot-Baillet is Chambolle based, but their wines have a certain fullness to them that reads more Gevrey or Morey to me. This isn't a bad thing; the wine has that Chambolle silkiness, but the oak is somewhat upfront and the fruit relatively dark for a village that more classically leans red. Again, the info is variable depending on the source, but they seem to use about 20% new oak on this village level wine. It's just enough to feel luxurious without overwhelming the fruit. 

For those who are patient, I expect this wine to be at its tastiest around 2030, but it can certainly go longer. Either way, Burgundy is special in such that you'll never regret opening one young as they are so damn tasty. 

That's all for February - for April there's an interesting "choose your own adventure" 1er cru club in the works - more details then! And go Seahawks, I guess.