tasting / laying down / 2021 Burgundy CÔTE DE BEAUNE
SAVIGNY-LÈS-BEAUNE
DOMAINE CHANDON DE BRIAILLES White
Claude Jousset used stems, as usual at the domaine, because they were well-lignified. As ever, very little new oak. She uses a basket- press. Racking using gravity and nitrogen, so there is no pumping and very little or no sulfur until bottling. She bottles the whites later now. The 2020 was not bottled until November 2022.
Savigny-lès-Beaune Les Saucours
Young vines, replanted in 2013 with Chardonnay, for which 2017 was the first vintage. No skin contact. Basket-pressed then fermented in a 1,000-liter barrel. Primary fruit dominates the aroma, with pineapple and banana. The attack is creamy, yet the palate is sharp, tacky, and vibrant. Tight and lively palate. The palate is truer to the terroir. 2023–27. | 86
Corton Blanc Grand Cru
“Mainly Bressandes this vintage, due to frost,” explained Claude, “and Bressandes is more of a red- wine soil.” It shows in the rich aroma and punchy structure. The palate is dense, compact, and firm. There is ripeness, but with a cold cut beneath. Jolly good. Should age well. 2026–30+. | 93–94
Red
Pernand-Vergelesses Premier Cru Île des Vergelesses
Limestone and east-facing. Pernand-Vergelesses suffered most from the frost but caught up, and this was harvested at 12.5% ABV. Tight and focused aroma. Plenty of tension on the attack. Energetic and lithely muscular. Showing some proper Pernand-Vergelesses attitude. 2026–30. | 90
Savigny-lès-Beaune Premier Cru Les Lavières
From vines planted in 1956. Red cherry and flowers. It is seductive, scented, and elegant. Finely textured tannin. A pure ribbon of fruit and streamlined to finish. Absolutely charming. 2024–28. | 89
Corton Bressandes Grand Cru
There was 80% whole-bunch for this cuvée. There is more limestone in this soil, and the nose is more refined than for the Maréchaudes, showing ripe forest fruits, while the palate is supple and silky, with lively fluidity. Chalky, fine, and talc-like on the finish. Well-sustained, with a seasoning of salt. 2026–35. | 94–95
Corton Clos du Roi Grand Cru
Beefy on the nose. More savory. Lithe muscle on the palate. A dynamic, if lighter, profile for Clos du
190 | THE WORLD OF FINE WINE | ISSUE 79 | 2023
Roi. Vital on the finish. Lots of tension, but it is still quite battened down. A cut above. 2027–37. | 95
Corton Maréchaudes Grand Cru
It can be very warm in this site. Meaty, bloody note to the nose. Chunky wine on the attack, and it has some heft mid-palate. Punchy and generous. I think the whole-bunch brings a lightly stemmy freshness and bite to the finish. It works. 2026–35. | 93–94
BEAUNE MAISON ALBERT BICHOT
Chambolle-Musigny Premier Cru Les Chabiots
Ripe raspberry and woodland notes on this inviting, sweet, and savory aroma. A direct attack. Snaps. Light and precise, with clipped edges. Decent intensity, if slightly lean. Shivers on a cool, mineral, modestly well-sustained finish. 2026–35. | 91–92
BOUCHARD PÈRE ET FILS Bouchard is almost exclusively domaine. From 2022, it will no longer purchase fruit for Bourgogne. At the top end, it wishes to continue with Clos de Bèze, but it controls the harvest, from an excellent grower, and the quality is top-notch. This is an extensive domaine. Winemaker Frédéric Webber cannot recall any such serious damage to the crop from frost. I tasted an extensive range of reds and whites, and can say that I liked everything. The reds and the whites are equally precise, well-executed and showing their terroir. Webber did thorough leaf-plucking to expose the fruit and aerate the vine, and at harvest a rigorous sorting. The quality is high and consistent. Frédéric increased the proportion of whole-bunch to manage the acidity. He has handled the extraction delicately. The textures are fine and silky smooth across the range of reds. Lively, fresh whites, which he compares with 2014 and 2008: “Very focused, with beautiful acidity.”
White Beaune Premier Cru Clos St-Landry
Rich, with pineapple notes. Slightly exotic even in 2021, but with good acidity underscoring the palate and freshness to finish. Dried papaya on the palate, but lively. A good vintage here. 2025–28. | 91–92
Meursault Premier Cru Genevrières
Delicate, white-rose perfume. Pure and glassy. It has shimmering salinity and a sea-breeze feel. Detailed and precise. Just a delight. 2026–33. | 95
Meursault Premier Cru Perrières
Richer than Genevrières. Intense, with a firm spine. Savory, sapid, and twanging with energy. Excellent finish. 2026–35. | 96
Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru Les Echézeaux En Orveaux Grand Cru
The parcel is in Languettes. It is structured, dense, and compact. Rich and thicker textured. Strong, with good sapidity to finish. Has some muscle, yet is super-fresh. 2027–35. | 96
Pure, delicate, and perfumed. Silky textured and fine. Lighter-bodied, with a saline finish. A delicate and fluid Echezeaux. 2027–35. | 95–96
Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru
No Cabotte this year, as all of the very low crop went into this cuvée. Oyster-shell minerality. Super- dry. Whips across the palate on a focused, taut line. The well-sustained finish is at once delicate, intense, and lightly austere. 2028–40. | 97–98
Montrachet Grand Cru
Serious structure, burnished muscularity. Excellent depth and richness. It shows its pedigree. Powerful finish. Actually rather splendid. 2030–40. | 99
Red
Beaune Premier Cru Grèves Vigne de L’Enfant Jésus
A big step up in density from the other Grèves cuvée, though it is also very good. Compact and vigorous. Layered. Assertive and persistent, with chalky minerality to finish. Pretty impressive. 2027–40. | 95
Beaune Premier Cru Teurons
East-facing, thin soil, rich in limestone. Concentrated red fruit, with red peppercorn. Ripe, with good tension. Neatly layered, springs onto the palate. A crisp and tight texture to the tannins. Peonies on the palate. Good energy and tension and a salty finish. Like this. 2025–30. | 93
Nuits-St-Georges Premier Cru Les Cailles
Smooth satin and lightly glossy texture. Aromatics of garden herbs. Lithe and neatly structured, with freshness and intensity. Black fruits and an energetic finish. 2026–35+. | 94–95
Pommard Premier Cru Rugiens
From the top of the hill. Tension and reserve. It is compact and tight. This feels very cold. Even a touch severe. Assertive finish. 2028–35. | 94
Volnay Premier Cru Clos des Chênes
Smooth, satin texture enfolds the dense palate. There is richness and slight opulence. Svelte muscle. Light austerity on the cold, sapid, and powerful finish. 2030–40. | 95–96
Chambertin Grand Cru
Satin-textured, channelled, pure, and super-intense. 2028–40. | 98
Chambertin Clos de Bèze Grand Cru This comes from the upper part. An aromatic profile, with black cherry, violets, and white rose. What a fragrant, airy, and beautiful Clos de Bèze, with a stream of mineral freshness to finish. Expressive and delightful. 2028–40. | 97 –98
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