Burgundy Club: May 2025

Welcome back to the club! This month, we're heading to a region revered by wine lovers the world over: Chablis. Though as close to Champagne as it is to the Cote d'Or, Chablis is the counterpoint to the rich Chardonnays found further south and easily the world's best source for unoaked Chardonnay. Other regions that try to make Chardonnay without oak lack the acidity and precision that the soil and climate from this northern Burgundy outpost bring. 

After our stop in Chablis we'll head to the Cote d'Or for one of Burgundy's best red wine producers in Jean-Marie Fourrier.

Domaine Moreau-Naudet Chablis "Les Parges" 2022:

This domaine became synonymous with benchmark, textbook mineral Chablis under the talented Stéphane Moreau-Naudet. Sadly, Stéphane is no longer with us, but his vision and the domaine's meticulous work are beautifully carried forward by his wife, Virginie, who is now crafting these precise, crystalline wines. The domaine is still young, but they quickly gained attention and have become increasingly hard to find, and no quality seems to have been lost with the transition. 

"Les Parges" itself holds a fascinating place in Chablis. It's often seen as a "forgotten" Premier Cru because it wasn't widely planted when the official rankings were first drawn up, yet its location on classic Kimmeridgian soils is absolutely prime. The team at Moreau-Naudet farms their 1 hectare of Pargues with care, hand-harvesting to ensure the best quality. While their top crus might see some older wood, the core of their production, including wines like Les Pargues, is aged primarily in stainless steel for up to 18 months. This choice is key to preserving that celebrated, razor-sharp minerality and pure fruit character that defines great Chablis. The 2022 Les Pargues promises all of that – a wine of tension, purity, and true reflection of its special site. 

From the steely whites of Chablis, we journey south to the legendary Côte d'Or for our red selection: 

Jean-Marie Fourrier Bourgogne Rouge 2020.

Jean-Marie Fourrier took the reins of his family domaine in Gevrey-Chambertin in 1994, following formative experiences including time spent with the iconic Henri Jayer and at Domaine Drouhin in Oregon. These influences shaped a philosophy centered around profound respect for the vineyard.

Jean-Marie believes that the magic happens in the vines. His approach, which he playfully calls "chaos organics," focuses on creating an environment where the vines can thrive naturally. This means meticulous care, limited pruning, careful canopy management, and a deep understanding of each site's unique equilibrium. In the cellar, his goal is simple: capture the "silkiness of the fruit." He achieves this through techniques like using a vibrating sorting table for gentle handling and largely destemming the grapes.

Fermentation is a slow, cool process (below 12°C) without pumping over, designed to extract finesse rather than harsh tannins. Aging typically incorporates about 20% new wood for all wines, integrating the barrel subtly rather than dominating the wine. The 2020 Bourgogne Rouge, even as a regional bottling, beautifully showcases Jean-Marie's signature style: a wine of vibrant, pure fruit, impeccable balance, and that captivating elegance and fine-boned structure that embodies world-class Burgundy. 

This red is still a baby, and if you open it soon expect a brooding, dark fruit quality with hefty tannins for a regional level wine. 2020 was a unique vintage in its extremely sunny weather and widespread lockdowns, and it resulted in some of the most extracted, intense red Burgundy we've ever seen. The vintage will reward age more than any other recent release; so plan to decant this if you drink it soon. 

That's this month's Burgundies - see you all on July 1st for the next installment, and keep an eye out for our Burgundy class series running this summer!