La Lumière Noire: 2019 Burgundy Additions
BY NEAL MARTIN |
Covering Burgundy often feels like running a marathon, where upon entering the home stretch, you hear somebody bellow that there is another lap to go. So, you go around again, only to find that there is another lap, and another, and so on, ad infinitum. It never ends. (Sounds like a Black Mirror episode.) Apropos of Burgundy, you can guarantee there is always something over the horizon: one more producer whose doorbell you never rang, a tip never acted upon, or the disquieting feeling that the next big thing is tapping its fingers, just waiting to be discovered. So, after publishing the largest report of my career, here is another tranche of additional 2019 Burgundy notes. These come mainly from one UK importer whose annual tasting was cancelled as the country reentered lockdown. They responded by personally driving samples down to my abode. The assemblage includes a number of producers that I was eager to taste, so I appreciate their effort. These notes are augmented by reports on two or three producers, such as Château Corton C. and Albert Morot, who sent samples directly. A further tranche will be added so long as couriers can overcome the challenges of importing samples from France after Brexit. But, since the wines in this article are being offered at the moment, I saw no reason to wait.
These 2019 Burgundy additions include several producers from the Côte Chalonnaise, among them the leader of the pack, Domaine Vincent Dureuil-Janthial, the “king” of Rully, whose wines I have adored since the early Noughties. In 1994 the domaine passed into the hands of Vincent and his wife Céline. They own 17 hectares split between Rully and Mercurey, plus another three hectares in the Côte d’Or. Vines have been farmed organically for over a decade, the Chardonnay undergoing a hard pressing to impart a higher percentage of solids in the juice. New oak is prudently used, never more than 20% for the whites and 30% for the reds. The result is an invariably complex wine that habitually transcends expectations of modest appellations such as Rully or Mercurey. I plan to visit as soon as it becomes possible in order to taste the entire range, but the four wines here give an idea of what was achieved. Readers will also find reviews for Domaine François Lumpp, one of the leading Givry producers. Lumpp, now accompanied by his children Pierre and Anne-Cécile, is another grower who practices fastidious vineyard husbandry, perhaps utilizing a little more new oak than Dureuil-Janthial, though it is never excessive. His 2019 Givry à Vigne Rouge would give many Premier Crus in loftier appellations a run for their money and beat them hands down in terms of value.
Another plan for 2021, assuming that travel becomes possible once again, is to restart my annual trip to the Mâconnais. That trip has been curtailed in recent years for various reasons, much to my displeasure, because this region is vastly improved and represents a less expensive alternative to the Côte d’Or. Fingers crossed, I will publish a standalone report on the region, but I could not wait to sing the praises of Domaine Frantz Chagnoleau. Husband-and-wife team Frantz Chagnoleau and Caroline Gon have been conjuring top-drawer wines from their 6.8 hectares scattered across Mâcon, Viré Clessé, Saint Véran and Pouilly Fuissé for a few years now. (Incidentally, Gon runs Dominique Lafon’s Mâcon operation, whose 2018 and 2019s are reviewed in the Côte de Beaune part of my report.) In 2019 the pair oversaw one of the finest wines from Viré-Clessé that I have ever encountered. Don’t read another sentence until you’ve tried to secure a few bottles.
