Burgundy Club Release 1

Greetings Burgundy lovers! Today, August 15, 2024, marks the first release of our new Drink Burgundy Club which will feature two wines from Burgundy every other month. As Burgundy is so simple yet also so complicated, I plan to write about each producer and region with each club release. Without further rambling, here are the wines.

Red: Philippe Jouan Coteaux Bourguignons Vieilles Vignes 2022

About Philippe Jouan: This is a tough producer to research, for as Jasper Morris quotes, "This small family domaine remains resolutely under the radar". Not only are their vineyard holdings a mere 3 hectares (about 6.6 acres), but a solid chunk of that is sold off to a big negociant producer. The reds are about 10% whole cluster with varying new oak up to 70% for the grand cru Clos Saint Denis. 

The domaine is based in the Cote-de-Nuits village of Morey-St-Denis. Morey is sandwiched between Gevrey-Chambertin and Chambolle-Musigny and gets much less attention than either of those two, but the wines bring a combination of Gevrey power and Chambolle elegance and can be among the best in all of Burgundy. Top producers based here include Domaine Dujac, Domaine Ponsot, and Domaine Perrot-Minot. 

About Coteaux Bourguignons: Coteaux Bourgignons AOC isn't one I see too often, and usually I associate it with Gamay outside of Beaujolais, but in this case the wine is 100% Pinot Noir. Philippe has to use this appellation as the vineyard is downslope of Morey so far that even the Bourgogne AOC isn't allowed here. That only makes it "lesser" in name, as the vines are 40+ years old and the production quality is that of great, classic red Burgundy. I chose this wine as it perfectly represents old school Burgundian Pinot Noir at a reasonable price, and in warm, high quality vintages like 2022 there is arguably less need to spend more for the higher appellations. 

White: Domaine Fontaine Gagnard Chassagne Montrachet 2022

About Fontaine Gagnard: As many domaines in Burgundy, this one came together with a marriage combining two last names. Now their daughter, Celine Fontaine, runs the domaine. The family comes with extremely impressive vineyard holdings including the Grand Crus of Montrachet and Batard-Montrachet. They are based in and known for producing Chassagne-Montrachet with holdings in no less than nine premier cru vineyards. 

This village level wine comes from a blend of 6 different parcels throughout the village and represents the character of Chassagne as a whole, which is typically richly textured Chardonnay.

About Chassagne-Montrachet: These days we think of Chassagne-Montrachet as a Chardonnay village, but until recently it was more planted to Pinot Noir. There is still great red wine grown here, but the whites can be superb. Chassagne is maybe the best village to taste the differences among white wines grown at various spots on the eastern facing slope. The top is rocky with shallow topsoil and produces lean, highly minerally wines which need time to open up. The lower reaches have heavier, more fertile soils and produce much fatter wines. 

In the "big 3" Cote de Beaune white villages it falls in between the leanness of Puligny and the weightiness of Meursault, however, it is perhaps the most variable of the 3 as the site and the producer play a large role in defining the style of the finished wines. 

1er Cru Upgrade: The 1er Cru version of the club is receiving Domaine Fontaine Gagnard Chassage-Montrachet 1er Cru Maltroie as an upgrade instead of the village level Chassagne. Maltroie is still planted to about as much Pinot Noir as Chardonnay, and its position is right near the village at midslope. While lower 1er Crus like Morgeot provide more richness and higher sites like Vergers more minerality, Maltroie strikes a perfect balance between the two. 

Both wines were aged 11 months in oak with the Maltroie seeing a greater percentage of new oak.

Tasting Notes:

The Jouan shows dark fruits and needs some air to blossom, but there is a wildness here that goes beyond simple dark fruited pinot. It's a forest-like note that I love in Burgundy and shows through here. The tannins are present but not overpowering; this is a great red Burgundy to get a sense of the 2022 vintage with. 

The Chassagne showcases incredible richness with ripe orchard fruits to where they almost reach the tropical realm but stay restrained. While full and waxy the wine maintains a strong acidity showcasing once again how Burgundy makes the world's most balanced Chardonnays.