Last month, I had the pleasure of spending five days in France. We landed in Geneva, which like New York had been bombarded with snow this winter. Fur coats are alive and well in Switzerland. You have to love that about Europe – sometimes it’s just so refreshing to be somewhere where nobody stresses about being politically correct.

 

Our first stop was the Jura, a region just east of Burgundy that borders Switzerland. We knew we would be on small roads to get there, but little did we know we’d actually have to scale a mountain pass in our little Renault compact car. Our Tom Tom GPS kept changing his mind as to where we needed to go, so we finally ignored him, followed our instincts, and hoped like hell our instincts right and that it wasn’t snowing at the top. We got lucky. The roads were quite icy in parts, but at the top we came upon a winter wonderland so picturesque and sweetly Swiss, with French and Swiss families unloading their cars to cross-country ski. We got back down the pass and the landscape changed from quaint Swiss ski village to French mountainous wine country. I had expected it to look like Burgundy, but it was in fact such an amazing combination of mountains and wine. I was in love!

 

We pulled into the hamlet of Pupillon (population 250 people), and it was as darling as you could imagine. When the winemaker gave us directions, he said “Drive into my village and you will see my winery”. I asked for his phone number thinking he was a small-town farmer who didn’t have perspective on a newcomer visiting his village for the first time. Well, he was right – you do couldn’t swing a cat in that town center without hitting his front door.  The wines were exquisite - Pinot, Chardonnay and an indigenous grape to the area called Savagnin. They have a briny minerality that is not only unique, it’s just so beautifully expressive of its terroir. Stay tuned on more about these wines, as we will be getting them in a few months.

 

We cruised down to the Beaujolais to meet very quickly with another new producer who we also loved, and then hit the road to arrive in Beaune in time for dinner. We were two for two, which rarely happens, and though we were jet-lagged and tired the adrenalin of having found two new producers within six hours of landing propelled us to Beaune. We all have those places that just feel like home, and Beaune is one of those places for me. In part because I used to live there, in part because I am there so often, in part because it feeds my soul to be there.

 

I wasn’t sure what I would find with the 2008 vintage in Burgundy. Granted I had heard great things, but until I go there myself and form my own impression, it’s impossible to draw any conclusion. It is important to go about 18-24 months after a vintage to get a handle on it. Burgundy is a place where the wines continue to reveal themselves within 15 years (or more) of their lifetime. Like a person you get to know over a long period of time, their initial impression usually proves itself to be the base of who they are, but they can continue to surprise you as they evolve. 2008 was a big surprise for me. I was open to being either enthused or disappointed, and I was very much the former. Unfortunately, with the power of the wine press these days, hype is built around the few and far between exceptional vintages (2005, 2009). Those that fall in between get completely looked over, especially in this economy. Being a lover and distributor of Burgundies is truly a labor of love. There is rarely a vintage in which you don’t have to hand-sell almost every bottle. It takes persistence, passion, and lots of samples! The good news is that the winemakers that we do represent have developed a following over the years by our tenacity and their talent, so the road is somewhat paved by now. We have worked hard to develop our reputation as having authentic wines that speak of where they are grown; wines that year in and year out deliver. We filter the wines that do not show as well in a vintage during these trips, so the wines that make it to New York are the best of the best (in our humble opinions). It really is a great job and I am blessed to do it.

 

Before I get everyone excited about 2008, the vintage we are currently focusing on is 2007. 2007, like 2008, was one for which I was expecting little and got a lot. For whites, I can sincerely say that it is one of the best vintages I have ever had. Everyone compares it to 2004 and some winemakers I deeply respect even compare it to the exceptional 1992 vintage. For a white Burgundy lover, it doesn’t get any better than 2007. They are precise, focused, nervy, lean, but expressive, and mineral driven. They are the kind of wines that, and I ask forgiveness for what I am about to say from my dear friends who make California wine (many of whom I also am honored to represent), people on the West Coast would dream of being able to make.

 

The reds were the real surprise to me. In the past in Burgundy, when there was a great white vintage, it meant the red was poor and vice versa. Now between global warming and better, cleaner winemaking techniques, that is no longer the case. Granted, one might be the stronger showing, but the differences are now much less extreme. After 2006, which I loved for red and didn’t care for in white, 2007 reds were a real breath of fresh air. I say this as a lover of 2006 reds. The issue was that after such a concentrated vintage like 2005, 2006 red Burgundies showed as ‘light’ to some people, though to us Burgundy lovers they were very pure and transparent. Many people got turned onto red Burgundy during the 2005 vintage, which was so dense, and many now think a bit over-hyped. To go from that vintage to the very delicate and more typical 2006 vintage was a shock to the system. Then came 2007. 2007 has bright, lush and flashy forward fruit. Yet it also has a bright acidity that makes it great for Burgundy connoisseurs as well. It’s as though 2005 and 2006 had a baby – it’s both über-authentic and ready to drink.

 

I just received Kellen Lignier’s 2007s from Morey St. Denis. You may recall the newsletter I wrote about this young American woman last September, who took over her husband’s family’s domaine after his tragic death a few years ago. Her wines keep getting better and better, and I feel justly rewarded now for taking her on in 2004, which was a very difficult vintage and for which I put blind faith in someone who had great vineyards and the drive to do great things with them. Like several of my producers, Kellen is transitioning her vineyards to biodynamic farming. Biodynamics is a totally natural way of farming. Not only is it better for the environment, it is better for the land and those that will inherit it, as the grapes get healthy through natural selection and without the help of harsh chemical treatments. As Kellen puts it “I realized if these chemicals were bad for me to touch then they must be bad for the vines, and thus bad to digest later as an inevitable ingredient of the wine”.

 

We have also done very well with Maison Camille Giroud’s wines in this vintage. Not only do they benefit from great reviews, they have a wonderful following here. This may be partly due to the group of Goldman Sachs investors who rescued this domain from bankruptcy years ago, but mostly it’s due to the pure expression and reasonable prices of the wines. David Croix, the winemaker, is like a brother to us to, so our feeling about the wines is no longer objective. We simply can no longer separate our love for David from our love of the wines. This is quite common in our business, but in this case is warranted on both levels. We also get older vintages from this winery. These are wines that have been sitting in the cellar since their release, and they are in pristine condition.

 

I will end this newsletter with Benjamin Leroux. I have known Benjamin since he was a teenager. His mother worked very closely with Butterfield & Robinson when I worked there, and I knew his family well through several different connections. Benjamin was thought of as quite a wine prodigy at a very young age. After a trip to New Zealand, I connected Benjamin with an internship with a winery I knew there. After working in Bordeaux at Cos d'Estournel, he returned to Burgundy to work at Jadot under Jacques Lardière and then went on to become the winemaker at the very prestigious Domaine du Comte Armand Clos des Epenaux. He was only 24 years old, following in the footsteps of Pascal Marschand, another wünderkind winemaker (from Canada of all places!). Comte Armand is famous for being biodynamic, and Benjamin is very committed to this way of raising vines. To do it successfully, one has to spend a lot of time with their vines, so that they can tap into what the vines are telling them they need. After ten years as winemaker there, he decided it was time to strike out on his own (he still makes wine there but not being part of the family will never be an owner). He started the eponymous Benjamin Leroux label. We are truly blessed to have these wines. It is very rare to meet someone who is truly gifted at making both white and red wine in Burgundy, and Benjamin is among the few. His first vintage is a boon, and from what I have seen of this 2008’s and 2009’s things are only getting better!

 

Please do not hesitate to email me if you’d like further explanation of the specific wines listed below. Thanks so much!

 

Liz

 

The following wines are for sale through ---. Please contact Travis at Bottlerocket Wines 212-929-2323 or travis@bottlerocketwine.com. Minimum order is 3 bottles

 

Lucie et Auguste Lignier

After the tragic death of Romain Lignier, Domaine Hubert Lignier was divided between Hubert and his grandchildren, Lucie et Auguste. 2006 was the first vintage made by Romain’s widow, Kellen Lignier. Kellen trained at Domaine Romanée-Conti and has proven to have absorbed much of her late husband’s talent.

 

2007 Bourgogne Aligoté

$18/btl                                                                                                                                           

 

2007 Fixin Blanc

$35/btl                                                                                                                                           

 

2007 Bourgogne Passetoutgrains (blend of Gamay and Pinot Noir)

$18/btl                                                                                                                             

 

2007 Bourgogne Pinot Noir

$32/btl                                                                                                                                           

 

2007 Chambolle Musigny ‘Les Brussières’

$53/btl                                                                                                                                           

 

2007 Morey St. Denis ‘Les Sionnières’

$50/btl                                                                                                                                           

 

2007 Morey St. Denis ‘Vieilles Vignes’

$54/btl                                                                                                                                           

 

2007 Morey St. Denis 1er Cru ‘Les Chaffots’ – 90/2014+Burghound

$100/btl                                                                                                                                                         

 

2007 Clos de La Roche Grand Cru - 92/2017+Burghound

$175/btl                                                                                                                                           

 

              Camille Giroud – Becky Wasserman Selections

The eponymous winery was founded in 1865. It was passed down through the generations, first to Camille's son, Lucien, and then to his grandsons, Bernard and Francois. The winery was then bought by Joe Wender and Ann Colgin in 2001. One of the ways they insured the traditional style of the future wines was to hire winemaker David Croix. The grapes are mostly de-stemmed and pressed in a pre-1920's wooden press. David uses no new oak in his village wines and up to 20% in the Grand Cru, preferring to let the fruit and terroir from each appellation speak for itself.                                                                                                                                                                                                                   

2007 Chassange Montrachet 1er Cru ‘ Les Vergers’

$73/btl                                                                                                                                           

 

2007 Corton Charlemagne Grand Cru

$150/btl                                                                                                                                                                         

 

2007 Bourgogne Rouge

375ml: $20/btl                                                                                                                                           

 

2007 Marsannay ‘Les Longeroies’    

$32/btl                                                                                                                                           

 

2007 Maranges 1er Cru ‘Croix aux Moines’   

$35/btl                                                                                                                             

 

2007 Gevrey Chambertin ‘Les Crais’                                                                                                                             

750ml : $49/btl                                                                                                                             

375ml : $29/btl                                                                                                                                

 

2007 ‘Latricières’ Chambertin Grand Cru

$150/btl                                                                                                                                                         

 

2007 Chambertin Grand Cru                                                                                    

$250/btls                                                                                                                                                           

 

Older Vintages, Straight from the Cellar

 

1976 Gevrey Chambertin 1er Cru ‘Les Cazetiers’

$300/btl                                                                                                                                                         

1976 Clos St Denis

$325/btl                                                                                                                                                         

 

 

Benjamin Leroux

Benjamin has made his name as the winemaker at the famed Comte Armand in Pommard. We are thrilled to debut his eponymous project. Benjamin is known for his commitment to biodynamics at Comte Armand; for this project he focused on vineyards that were practicing good viticulture in appellations he liked. Eventually the goal is to convert all the vineyards to biodynamic practices.

 

2007 Auxey Duresses

$39/btl                                                                                                                                           

 

 

2007 Meursault ‘Vireuils’ - Burghound 88-91

$48/btl

                                                                                                                                           

 

2007 Chassagne 1er Cru ‘Embrazées’

$75/btl 

                                                                                                                                                         

 

2007 Savigny Les Beaune – 88 Burghound

$39/btl

                                                                                                                                           

 

2007 Nuits-St-Georges ‘Les Allots’

$49/btl

                                                                                                                                                         

 

 

2007 Volnay 1er Cru ‘Roncerets’

$65/btl               

                                                                                                                                           

 

2007 Nuits-St-Georges 1er Cru ‘Aux Thorey’ - Burghound 90-92

$69/btl