2017 Bourgogne Blanc

Ladoix is caught in a no-man’s land between the Côte de Beaune and Côte de Nuits, bereft of superstar winemakers, Grand Crus or even well known Premier Crus. People tend to drive through it on their way to somewhere else. Personally, I believe Ladoix has great potential, especially if more winemakers can match the quality of Mallard. Michel Mallard has been winemaker at Domaine d’Eugénie since it was acquired by François Pinault, and maybe that position overshadows his family’s own wines. Together with his father Patrick, he oversees a very respectable range of whites and reds up to Grand Cru level. A lot of attention to detail is paid both in the vineyard and in the winery, located in Ladoix on the RN74. “There is no SO2 added during the vinification for white and red,” Mallard told me as I took a seat in his permanently freezing-cold cellar (for some reason, it’s always two or three degrees colder here than anywhere else!) “We are now using more 500-litre barrels, mostly for the whites and some of the red village to make them more accessible. We used around 60% whole bunches for the Grand Crus and 40% for the Premier Crus.”

Mallard’s 2017s are fresh and vivacious, his portfolio crowned by an outstanding Corton Les Renardes, my pick of their three Cortons. The excellent Aloxe-Corton La Toppe Au Vert, from a holding belonging to Mallard’s namesake grandfather, should represent the best value; likewise the superb white Ladoix from Les Gréchons. There were a couple of crus that did not show quite as well at the time of my visit, including the Corton Maréchaudes, but generally these wines reflect well on Ladoix and represent great value.