2017 Clos Saint-Denis Grand Cru

Located in the heart of Gevrey village, Heresztyn-Mazzini is a classic case of a winery that contentedly sold rather mediocre wines for many years, until Florence Heresztyn and Simon Mazzini took the reins and dedicated themselves to producing better Burgundy. Heresztyn has existed since 1932, founded by Florence’s Polish-born grandparents. She worked alongside her own parents for 12 years before rejuvenating the name and introducing better vineyard husbandry, including organic and now biodynamic viticulture, less oak, whole bunches and so forth. My only complaint was their rusty signage on their front gate, although that was then replaced and mirrors the redesigned label with its eye-catching violet hues.

“We started picking on September 11 and harvested over the following five days,” Simon Mazzini told me. (Florence was away doing her own picking –not of grapes but of the kids from school.) “We did not add any SO2 until after the malolactic and just chaptalised a little. The alcohol came in at around 12.7° to 12.9°.” I also asked about their progression in terms of organic viticulture.“We used organic compounds to protect against mildew. We applied them on Monday and I was not sure they would work. We came back at the end of Tuesday and found that the mildew had become completely dry and just blew off. It was amazing.”

This is a fine address if you are seeking an alternative to, say, Armand Rousseau. Heresztyn-Mazzini is in the same mold as their neighbor, Pierre Duroché: very hands-off winemaking, letting the vineyard speak; mineral-driven and elegant wines. I was a little underwhelmed by their Clos Saint-Denis on the day that I visited and found far more pleasure in their Gevrey-Chambertin Les Goulots, which benefits from a cooler microclimate, or the splendid Gevrey-Chambertin Les Songes, which comes from vineyards in the north of the appellation. Yes, I know the name is a bit of a tongue-twister, but trust me, the wines are worth seeking out.