2022 Saint-Romain Sous Le Velle

There is a strong argument that Buisson is now leading the way for Saint-Romain under the dynamic guidance of brothers Franck and Frédéric Buisson. The domaine has, in fact, been bottling its own wine since 1947. “In the last 25 years, the trend for a flintier style of white Burgundy means that Saint-Romain is now more in demand,” Franck tells me. “Saint-Romain is an appellation that has probably benefitted from global warming.” In other words, fashions go full circle. An appellation once given short shrift for struggling to achieve ripeness undergoes a re-evaluation as its cooler micro-climate turns handicap into an advantage in a warm season like 2022. As I mentioned in last year’s report, the domaine is also distinguished in being certified biodynamic in the vineyard by Biodyvin, unusual in a part of Burgundy whose more moderate pricing and smaller margins preclude the application even if the winemaker desires it. On the négociant side, under the Maison Buisson label, the fruit sourced is organic and occasionally biodynamic.

Another different facet of Buissot is that they presciently acquired several nearby properties. Rather than renting them out, they host picking teams in such numbers that they hire them out to other growers struggling to obtain labor. “In 2022, we hosted 40 to 50 people during harvest. We have ten people working in the vineyard now, which is important as we have parcels in many places. In 2022, we planned to start very early in August, maybe August 22 or 23. But we changed our mind and delayed until September 1, commencing in Corton and Volnay and broaching Saint-Romain on September 6. We are usually a bit later than other growers. We think freshness comes from viticulture and keeping some whole bunches rather than picking early. We finished on September 15. There were a lot of insects in 2022, and so these had to be taken out using a vibrating sorting table and then a static table. We use around 50% whole bunches for the red wines and keep barrels full by racking them before harvest. The ‘canicule’ had blocked some maturity. Consequently, some parcels were just 11.2 – 11.5% at harvest. Therefore, though we did not acidify, we had to chaptalize some cuvées, around 0.5% maximum. I found that the wines have plenty of substance and polyphenols. For the whites, we use different-sized barrels so that there are various degrees of lees contact, augmented by some concrete eggs, 12-hectoliter foudres and WineGlobes, though I find the best are the 350-liter barrels. The pH for the whites is around 3.2 or 3.3 after malolactic. Biodynamics gives us the natural acidity so we can push the grape maturity a bit more.”

Given how much of the Côte d’Or is beyond the budgets of many, Saint-Romain is understandably receiving more attention than ever, and Domaine Henri & Gilles Buisson is the perfect way to start. Of course, as much as I applaud their tenets, I judge the wine, not the philosophy of any producer, and there are occasions when I feel their reds felt a bit too sculpted by the heat of 2022’s summer. The whites are well worth seeking out, especially their Saint-Romain En Poillange and Sous Le Velle.