France - Burgundy

For many years we have been looking for a winegrower who produces great Chablis and who has no obligations in German-speaking Switzerland. Our usual high standards naturally also apply to the Chablis appellation. For those of you who don't know us that well yet, our favorite winemakers in this appellation until 2019 were Vincent Dauvissat and the Raveneau family. Thanks to a tip from our friend William Kelley, we visited Jean-Claude Bessin and his son Romain. And since then, we have three favorites in the appellation!

What do I care about the appellation, only the content of the bottle counts and that is unimaginable here! It says Maranges on it, yes, again! This time it's a young, passionate couple who bought a five-hectare domaine here in 2020 and settled down - Talloulah Dubourg and Hugo Mathurin, you should remember them; okay, Domaine de Cassiopée will do too!

The two of them work in tiny structures and make wines that take my breath away. If, like me, you don't care about big names, you absolutely must try these wines. Finally, some name dropping: Talloulah brings knowledge from Clos de Tart and the famous Marie-Thérèse Chappaz and Hugo von Roulot and Mugnier.

Philippe and Catherine Pascal must have felt the same way as we did when we first drove up the narrow, winding road and saw the beautiful old buildings on the right and the vineyards directly in front of us. History seems to materialize here, becomes tangible. Records date back to 1130, when the Cistercians laid out the Clos des Moines. History, I didn't say it. The Pascals know how to do it right. They consistently focus on the highest quality and in 2015 they brought Guillaume Marko on board, a man who earned his spurs in the best houses of the Côte d'Or, or how would you describe Romanée-Conti and Arnoux-Lachaux?  So this is hot, ultra-hot stuff that will delight you if you love Burgundy and its elegant, finesse-rich, great wines like we do!

Florence has seen what she likes and dislikes and has developed her own personal vision of the ideal wine over the years. In 2019, she took over her parents' business and began to nurture and care for the old vines - some of which are over 80 years old - in order to harvest highly aromatic grapes loaded with minerals, which she transforms into fabulous wines with just a few simple steps. In mostly aroma-neutral wood, Florence grows intense, multi-layered wines that dance across the palate and finish wonderfully mineral, fresh and elegant. A winemaker you should keep an eye on!

Colin, yes exactly, but not Marc Colin; although a little bit, but definitely not Pierre-Yves Colin. Joseph Colin is Marc's son and Pierre-Yves' brother. But his wines have nothing in common stylistically with those of his brother. Joseph, an advocate of biodynamics, harvests ripe fruit with crisp acidity, presses whole grapes and makes the wine with as little aroma as possible and without sulphur. With his enormous experience, great flair and a dash of pioneering spirit, Joseph Colin will make it to the top in no time. We are firmly convinced of this!

In dreamy Blagny above Meursault and Puligny-Montrachet, Hélène and Laurent Martelet live in their tiny seven-hectare domaine, named after Hélène's mother Comtesse de Chérisey. She had the courage to plant vines in this cool corner. Laurent cultivates the vineyard close to nature; his assets are the old vines, which are around 60 years old in the Premier Cru sites, and the proximity to the forest, which cools the vineyard somewhat in summer. Laurent traditionally ages his infernally hot wines in pièces bourguignonnes before bottling them unfiltered. His mother-in-law, the Comptesse de Chérisey, already did this. Precision, complexity, a delicate texture and good acid structure end in a fascinating finish, juicy and so clear that you simply have to take another sip!

First things first: Pierre Damoy is one of the most consistent perfectionists in Burgundy, who has been in the fast lane in terms of quality since the 2016 vintage and is beginning to overtake the field of established names. In addition to his penchant for perfection and his talent, his assets are old vines in excellent locations and positions, a considerable proportion of which are in the Grand Cru area. Pierre Damoy is convinced that only healthy vines bring perfect fruit to maturity. He works with foresight, avoids pesticides and herbicides, rigorously reduces yields and demonstrates a fine hand in the cellar. Like no other, he manages to bring wines from yesterday into today, which you should not miss if you are a lover of great Burgundy!

Domaine Drouhin-Laroze, founded in 1850, is one of the finest producers in Burgundy. This is not only because it is at home in the most sought-after Grand Cru vineyards of Gevrey-Chambertin, but above all because Philippe Drouhin, who has been making the wines since 2001, knows how to bottle captivating wines that are typical of their terroir year after year. Whether it says Clos de Vougeot, Bonnes Mares, Clos de Bèze or simply Gevrey-Chambertin on the label, Drouhin-Laroze will give you a powerful, energetic Pinot Noir, characterized by marl, limestone and the winemaker's hand in your glass. A Pinot Noir that will delight you so much with its precise, seductive finish that you will have to treat yourself to a second sip of this fine wine!

If you want Volnay and Pommard, you should choose the ones produced by Thierry Glantenay, a modest, hard-working winemaker with a lot of talent and great terroirs. Thanks to him, I started exploring these appellations a few years ago and now I really enjoy their wines. I would never have thought that possible before. So you can see that I am capable of learning even in the middle of life. It's exactly the same with you, regardless of age; the important thing is that it's Volanay and Pommard - or even a Bourgogne Rouge - from Thierry Glantenay.

Like the winemaker, like the wine. Do you agree? If, like us, you are sure that there is more than just a spark of truth in this saying, then you will LOVE the wines of Jean-Marie Guffens! Always assuming that you like people with personality, heads of character. But wait, the wines do not live from their character alone, no, they are simply brilliant wines. Jean-Marie and his small team do everything they can to spoil us with wines of maximum quality. Crazy things like "the fruit of the first passage in a vineyard" or "the first juice of a pressing" are all vinified separately here, if the vintage allows or wants it, and then bottled, neatly documented on the label and in the name of the wine. Yes, these are ULTRA-HOT things. Good luck getting a few bottles from us!

In the Macon region, Laurent Huet and his family actually produce Burgundy wines that are worthy of philosophizing about - original, unadorned, noble wines. Just like "our" Chardonnay, which exudes a scent of butter and hazelnuts in its straw-colored robe, sets off a veritable firework display on the palate with plenty of pressure and finishes with a creamy, mineral finish - a well-rounded wine that Laurent Huet gives us great pleasure with.

Olivier is a doer, one who brings the wines into the barrels himself late at night - they are usually larger ones, hold around 600 liters and are almost always used. It is also him who sends me an e-mail after this work and thanks me for the visit - the chocolates from Max Chocolatier - and the conversation. And it is also he who sends us the allocation the following morning, which shows how pleased he was about our visit, our interest in his wines, all before he disappears into the vineyard, the place where he prefers to work, because a great wine is never made, because a great wine always grows, but not without the master putting his hand on the plant, such stories are fairy tales. I take my imaginary hat off to you, Olivier Lamy! No good's no glory!

Shh, listen carefully! This is still all unofficial! Fiona Leroy is perhaps the most exciting newcomer to Burgundy in years! A true winemaker, she lovingly tends her vines by hand, off the beaten track of Burgundy. In harmony with Mother Nature, Fiona Leroy does this completely biodynamically as a matter of course. Natural wines are produced without new wood and with very little sulphur. They tell their stories unadorned, full of energy and dynamically, exciting stories that entertain at the highest level and invite you to philosophize!

In the early 1990s, the ambitious third-generation Christophe Perrot-Minot took over the then little-known domaine, albeit one with old vines in prime locations. With the clear goal of making the best wine in Burgundy in mind, he courageously took on every burden imposed on him. Even today, Christophe works tirelessly to perfect his wines, which have long since entered the hall of fame of great Burgundy wines! These Perrot-Minots will leave you speechless, they are all so indescribably harmonious, complex, elegant and pure, from the Bourgogne to the Chambertin! Perrot-Minot, another dimension of Pinot Noir!

The Bautistas - together with Lorenzon - impressively demonstrate the immense possibilities that Mercurey's terroir offers for all those winegrowers who make the effort. Anthony and his father Manu do things like "the greats" in the Côte d'Or and leave nothing to chance, working organically out of conviction, without certification, picking their fruit by hand, in small boxes and keeping a low profile in the cellar.

This results in supple, wonderfully fragrant, wonderful red wines with superbly lively fruit that wonderfully packs the velvety tannins. This is complemented by breathtakingly aromatic, precise and harmonious white wines. Remember this name, because many great wines will bear it in the future! Mercurey, Tupinier-Bautista, this is what Burgundy lovers must have in their cellars in the future!

Jean-Marie Guffens is just as responsible for the wines of Verget as he is for the domaine that bears his name: Guffens-Heynen. This means that he is the owner, not of the vineyards, but of the winery. The vineyards belong to some of his old friends, companions who, like him, have only the maximum quality of the wine as their goal. No, this is not just a "sales speech" from me, this is nothing but the truth. Believe me, I have not turned over every stone in Burgundy in recent years, but I have turned over many stones to find wines of Verget's quality. William Kelley - the Burgundy Guy at Robert Parker - says that Verget's cuvées are among the best wines of the Mâconnais and that there are real bargains to be found among them! So, what are you waiting for?

A trip to Burgundy with friends made me rediscover the Santenay appellation. However, it wasn't a bottle of the Vincents that brought me back to Santenay. It was the visit, just two weeks later, to Anne-Marie and Jean-Marc Vincent that amazed me. It was the tour through the vineyards, where they work biodynamically, with high, extreme foliage walls for Burgundy. I also tasted the wines from 2017, 2018 and 2019, all of which are of the highest quality and impressed me so much that I simply had to show them to you. "I am hooked!" Trust us, we have found a pearl in Laurent Vincent!