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Words and illustration by Dan Keeling GENERATION BURGUNDY There’s never been a better time for Burgundy. Noble Rot meets some of its rising stars 42 Noble Rot ou can feel it in the summer sun on the high slopes of the Hautes-Côtes Yde Nuits, where vines which once struggled to ripen produce grapes plump with sugar. You can smell it in the heady perfume of poulet de la ferme ruchotte and Époisses that pervades Caves Madeleine, one of legion Beaune haunts where you’ll find local vignerons crammed shoulder to shoulder with pilgrims from New York, Hong Kong and London most weekday nights. Most of all, you can taste it in the wines. With the zeitgeist having shifted from the oaky concentration of the ‘90s to purity and finesse, Burgundy is alive with a renewed sense of purpose. At the vanguard a new generation are producing the wines of their lives, and not just from the famous Crus of the Côte d’Or. With vines in Grand Cru Échezeaux changing hands for upwards of 850,000 Euros an ouvrée – 20 times more than in 1998 – shrewd vignerons are improving the wines of Burgundy’s lesser-appreciated terroirs. Away from their bases in Vosne-Romanée and Gevrey-Chambertin, A-list domaines Jean-Yves Bizot and Bernard Dugat-Py now have land in humble Chenôve and the Hautes-Côtes de Nuits respectively, while Beaune’s David Croix, Fixin’s Amélie Berthaut and a handful of emigrant micro-négoce such as Chanterêves and Le Grappin are redefining what the outliers can achieve. Back among the prime vines, Dujac’s Diana, Jeremy and Alec Seysses, Georges Nöellat’s Maxime Cheurlin and Alex Moreau, Chassagne-Montrachet Sébastian Cathiard have seamlessly taken the helm of their family domaines. As well as continuing to produce mesmeric Premier and Grand Crus, their Domaine Bernard Moreau et Fils entry-level cuvées prove how much pleasure is to be found in ‘simple’ Bourgogne. Alex and Benôit Moreau’s reputation for exceptional Chardonnay Indeed, with premature oxidation seemingly under control, and rising continues to gather apace. Tasting through the range at the domaine temperatures making anaemic vintages a thing of the past, apart from the (situated opposite 1er Cru ‘La Maltroie’) is a fascinating insight into frost and hail damage that blighted some appellations in recent years, Chassagne-Montrachet’s different terroirs, each wine expressing very specific characteristics; not something that every vigneron in Burgundy’s biggest concerns come from outside speculation. With many Burgundy always achieves. Splitting their focus between vineyards heiresses and heirs unable to pay inheritance taxes, or buy out siblings due to (Benôit) and winery (Alex), the domaine uses natural yeasts, long immense land prices, is the Côte d’Or destined to become part of a handful of alcoholic fermentation, doesn’t stir lees and, on the evidence of the global corporations’ investment portfolios (see François Pinault’s recent outstanding results of recent vintages, the sky now seems the limit acquisition of Clos de Tart) rather than remain a historic community of for this historic domaine. “The average quality of wine in Burgundy paysans? As depressing as that may sound, we can all rest assured that, for has never been higher, and not just in the very famous appellations,” now, Burgundy is in the midst of a golden era. Here, Noble Rot celebrates says Alex, a man Noble Rot can vouch for having the blind-tasting skills of a bloodhound. “This is very good because Burgundy faces some of its brightest rising stars; long may they shine. huge demand, and drinkers can find wines to match the amount of money they want to spend.” Photography by Juan Trujillo Andrades Trujillo Juan Photographyby 44 Noble Rot Noble Rot 45 Cécile Tremblay The grand-niece of sainted Vosne- Romanée vigneron Henri Jayer, few wine-maker’s stars are on as steep an ascent as Cécile Tremblay. Producing a mesmeric range of organic and biodynamic Pinot Noirs which combine sensuality with classical structure, unlike her famous relative’s inclination for completely de-stemming grapes, Tremblay often uses whole clusters in her fermentations. With just four hectares of vines across 11 appellations to meet fervent demand, Tremblay’s wines have become increasingly hard to find, but there’s good news on the horizon; in four years’ time she will take back 1.8ha of Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru ‘Beaux Monts’ that is rented out, to add to her current 0.14ha. A stylish, silken-textured wine which epitomises the village’s exoticism, like the rest of her portfolio, it is a future classic in the making. Photograph by Jon Wyand Jon Photographby 46 Noble Rot Noble Rot 47 David Duband (left) A chance meeting between French motor-home mogul François Feuillet and David’s father led to the then 19-year-old being installed as wine-maker for both families’ vines, a relationship that continues to this day. Together, David and PushinskyRick Photographby François have added parcels in Vosne-Romanée, Echezeaux, Laticières-Chambertin, Chambertin and seven hectares of vines from the now-defunct Jérôme Galeyrand Domaine Jacky Truchot over the years, splitting the production Jérôme Galeyrand makes between the Duband and Feuillet restrained old-style Burgundies labels. These are beautifully refined with a richness that belies some of Pinot Noirs with complex perfumes their humble origins. The domaine’s as a result of a stylistic change to 2015s represent fabulous value for whole bunch fermentation in 2008 money, from a lovely Gevrey- (“Once I had tasted old bottles from Chambertin ‘Les Croisettes’ to a Dujac and DRC made with whole supple and satisfying Côte de Nuits clusters I knew I wanted to make Villages ‘Les Retraits’, made from similarly aromatic wines.”). With 90-year-old vines in the southern Duband’s Hautes-Côtes de Nuits end of the appellation abutting winery surrounded by much activity Freddie Mugnier’s iconic Nuits- (you can see land recently bought Saint-Georges 1er Cru monopole, by Dugat-Py being developed from ‘Clos de la Maréchale’. Originally his tasting room window), he’s very from the Loire Valley, Jérôme optimistic about the future. previously worked as a cheese “Climate change means that we now wholesaler before becoming get good maturity here. In 2017 it enraptured with wine-making; was beautiful – sometimes the from there he spent time with Hautes-Côtes de Nuits had more Domaine Alain Burguet in Gevrey- sugar before Nuits–Saint–Georges Chambertin and studying at or Chambolle–Musigny.” Beaune wine school before starting out on his own in 2002. Burg lovers after delicious wines on limited budgets need look no further. Photograph by Jon Wyand Jon Photographby 48 Noble Rot Noble Rot 49 Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru ‘La Maltroie’, opposite Domaine Bernard Moreau Photography by Juan Trujillo Andrades Trujillo Juan Photographyby 50 Noble Rot Noble Rot 51 Sylvain Pataille No one has done more to improve the reputation of Marsannay – the small, modest village on the outskirts of Dijon – than Sylvain Pataille. A trained Both photos by Jon Wyand Jon byphotos Both oenologist who continues to consult for a number of elite domaines, Pataille now has over 15 hectares of vines within the appellation’s boundaries since starting out with a single hectare in 1999. Aiming for balanced yields of 35hl/ha from his organic and biodynamic vines, Sylvain makes accessible, satisfying Pinot Noir, Chardonnay and Aligoté using indigenous yeast and minimal added sulphur. His Marsannay village represents one of the region’s very best-value wines (recently retailing at The Wine Society for just £16), while his layered, cerebral top cuvée ‘Ancestrale’ is a buy on sight selection from vines planted between 1930 and 1945. Domaine Naudin-Ferrand Anyone who doubts more modest Burgundian appellations’ ability to foster world-class wines should seek out Claire Naudin’s Hautes-Côtes de Beaune ‘Orchis’. Another fan of whole cluster fermentation “for more aromas”, many lesser producers would trade an internal organ for any of their Grand Crus to perform so well. Adhering to low-intervention wine- making, Claire is sceptical about certified organics and biodynamics (“No one in Vosne–Romanée has their windows in July open due to so much organically approved sulphur being sprayed on the vineyards”), and from two different ranges it’s the no-added sulphur wines we especially adore at Rotter HQ. Look out for the brilliant ‘Le Clou’ from 60-year-old Aligoté vines and Hautes-Côtes de Nuits ‘Myosotis Arvensis’; its sensuous perfume of rose and coriander beats any man-made fragrance. 52 Noble Rot Noble Rot 53 Romaric Chavy Domaine Chavy-Chouet Tipped as Puligny-Montrachet’s ‘domaine to watch’ in 1988’s The White Wines of Burgundy by Burgundy expert Jasper Morris, hell-raising vigneron Hubert Chavy never delivered on his early promise. Having passed away in 2015, today his son, Romaric Chavy, is in charge of the domaine and has wasted no time staking a claim as one of Burgundy’s next wine- making stars. Ending selling off grapes to the large negociants, and investing in a spacious new winery, Romaric is making great improvements to Chavy-Chouet’s sizeable portfolio year after year. For a statement of intent, check out the domaine’s energetic and nervy Puligny-Montrachet ‘Les Enseignères’, beautifully textured Meursault 1er ‘Les Charmes’, and Bourgogne Blanc ‘Les Femollottes’; a wine making a reputation for being one of the Côte de Beaune’s consistently great values. Photograph by Benoit GuenotBenoitPhotographby 54 Noble Rot Noble Rot 55 At the vanguard a new generation are producing the wines of their lives, and not just from the famous Crus of the Côte d’Or (Left) Nicolas Faure (Below) David Croix Monthélie Douhairet Nicolas Faure Porcheret Compared to his tiny holdings, Nicolas Faure is building a big Situated overlooking hillside reputation.