Short notes from Burgundy 2024

These were wines tasted during my recent week in Burgundy in September 2024, outside of formal estate visits. Only in Burgundy can one find bottles from “renowned” producers at decent prices on restaurant lists. How else would we have been able to afford Comtes Lafon? As burgundy is best appreciated by understanding its terroir, we made a point to drink the wines of the commune we happened to be at. Yvon Clerget’s Clos du Verseuil 1er monopole was a real standout while the Chassagne-Montrachet Blanchot Dessus 1er by Olivier Leflaive (or any producer, really) shone for the whites, with Jean Chartron being a revelation as well. Some estates were still harvesting here and there, even though the weather had turned wet. Yields are dismal for 2024, marked by extensive mildew and rot.

2022 Familie Savary Chablis Fourchaumes 1er, from the list of Une Air de Famille in Auxerre, 21 Sep 2024. Pale. Rounded bouquet of green fruits, somewhat restrained. There is a certain minerally shine on the medium palate though it disappeared after it fleshed out with growing intensity. Drinking well.

2020 Olivier Leflaive Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Blanchot Dessus, from the list of Klima, Puligny-Montrachet, 21 Sep 2024. Pale greenish. Restrained reductive notes of lemon and clear citrus on the nose. The medium palate is wonderfully sleek, imbued with a stylish agility that complemented its minerally intensity and precision, developing greater richness and distant white tones over time with a hint of nutmeg, attaining exemplary balance and delicate elegance all through to its glowing lingering finish.

2019 Olivier Leflaive Pommard Rugiens 1er, from the list of Klima, Puligny-Montrachet, 21 Sep 2024. Quite deeply coloured, exuding a deep rosy fragrance matched by a concentrated spine of ripe raspberries and cherries, wonderfully fresh but still relatively understated in its supple intensity. Fleshed out with pliant detailed tannins and refined balance though a tad forward in fruit. Moderate finish.

2022 Domaine Jean Monnier et Fils Meursault La Barre, tasted at the domaine in Meursault, 22 Sep 2024. Pale. Clean fresh while tones on the nose, slightly reductive. Elegant, understated intensity, structured with clean precision and refined length.

2022 Domaine Jean Monnier et Fils Meursault Genevrières 1er, tasted at the domaine in Meursault, 22 Sep 2024. Pale luminosity. Highly enticing nose of nutmeg and white fruits. Wonderfully sleek, displaying lovely detail and integration with great harmony and balance, made even more elegant through its understated intensity.

2021 Domaine Jean Monnier et Fils Meursault Les Rougeots, tasted at the domaine in Meursault, 22 Sep 2024. Pale. Slightly darkish on the nose but no less complex in its floral overtones, delivering refined power with a distinct salinity and bright minerally intensity, made more pronounced by its high-toned acidity. Modest finish.

2018 Domaine Bouchard Père et Fils Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru, from the list of Le Charlemagne, Corton, 22 Sep 2024. Greenish with distant minerally hues, developing a gentle gleam through its concentrated density, seamlessly layered in fruit and minerality. Settled down with a more relaxed tone and exemplary balance after two hours, imparting refined acidity and intensity.

2019 Domaine Follin Arlebet Corton Bressandes Grand Cru, from the list of Le Charlemagne, Corton, 22 Sep 2024. Deep purple. Very lovely on the nose where dark cherries and deep red plums dominate, carrying over onto the palate with concentrated controlled power, gelling together very well with superb harmony and subtle detail. Moderate finish.

2019 Domaine Jean Chartron Puligny-Montrachet 1er Clos de la Pucelle monopole, from the restaurant list of Como Le Montrachet, Puligny-Montrachet, 22 Sep 2024. Light golden hue, exuding a very elegant delicate floral glow that blossomed with rich detail. The full palate is supported by a distinct minerally spine, imparting a highly focused intensity that leaves a dry puckering mouthfeel with an austere tinge at its modest finish. Exerts its terroir with tremendous authority.

2014 Domaine Tollot-Beaut Corton Bressandes Grand Cru, from the restaurant list of Como Le Montrachet, Puligny-Montrachet, 22 Sep 2024. Purplish core, slightly opaque. Glowing bouquet of raspberries and dark cherries with a tinge of reduction that gave way to a sharp plummy lift. Medium-full. Expansive but a little darkish, somewhat minerally with medicinal undertones, becoming quite integral over time. Modest finish.

2020 Domaine Des Comtes Lafon Meursault, from the list of Auprès du Clocher, Pommard, 23 Sep 2024. Greenish hue, proffering cool glacial tones amid an evolving complex of dense citrus, opening with a coiled oily density that gradually unfurled its layers with exquisite tension and rounded depth, supported by an undertow of subdued minerals. Quite the epitome of sophistication and chic elegance.

2017 Domaine Nicolas Rossignol Pommard Charmots 1er, from the list of Auprès du Clocher, Pommard, 23 Sep 2024. Plummy crimson. Seductive bouquet of rosy hues and red fruits though the palate is layered with darker shades amidst the predominant red fruits, open with supple sweet tannins that exert lovely tensile presence. Very well integrated and balanced, developing growing intensity over time. Excellent.

2016 Domaine Hubert Lamy Saint-Aubin Les Murgers Des Dents de Chien 1er, from the list of Ma Cuisine in Beaune, 23 Sep 2024. Luminous golden hue. This wine opens with a restrained oily density on the nose without any hint of the terse high-toned acidity and intense reductive minerality that leaves a mouth-puckering buzz. A little more open over time with food, but still not for the faint-hearted.

2019 Domaine Yvon Clerget Volnay Clos du Verseuil 1er monopole, from the list of Ma Cuisine in Beaune, 23 Sep 2024. Darkish in colour, opening with muted dark cherries on the nose, leading to a fullish palate of structured tensile tannins that exert supple intensity. Settled quite quickly with well-integrated lighter textures, beautifully balanced, developing a layered lithe agility after an hour. Great potential.

2018 Domaine Jacques-Frédèric Mugnier Nuits-Saint-Georges Clos de la Marechale 1er monopole, from the list of La Cabotte, Nuits-Saint-Georges, 24 Sep 2024. Deep garnet. Equally darkish on both the nose and palate where black fruits dominate with supple density, structured with tensile tannins. Still rather tightly coiled, opening up with emerging cherries though the darker shades still prevailed. Well-proportioned and balanced.

2022 Vincent Dancer Meursault Les Corbins, from the list of Bistrot de l’Hôtel, Beaune, 24 Sep 2024. Pale golden, proffering a gleaming chalky bouquet of fig and chromatic tones amid traces of earthy funk. The high-strung palate is imbued with a bold minerally density underscored by terse acidity and concentrated clear citrus, adding up to a tensile reductive presence that persisted throughout the evening.

2018 Domaine Jean Grivot Vosne-Romanée Bossières, from the list of Bistrot de l’Hôtel, Beaune, 24 Sep 2024. Darkly coloured, exuding delicious dark currants and black cherries with a huge tensile presence underscored by a minerally earthiness that imparted an austere undertow. Opened up only at the end of dinner with supple layers of red fruits that is the hallmark of Grivot.

2022 Domaine Sylvain Langoureau Puligny-Montrachet La Garenne 1er, a half-bottle from the list of Le Millésime in Chambolle, 25 Sep 2024. Pale luminosity. Chalky cool glacial tones on the nose. Well-proportioned with excellent concentration of fruit that impart fine precision and dryish intensity.

2016 Domaine Georges Roumier Chambolle-Musigny, from the list of Le Millésime in Chambolle, 25 Sep 2024. Deeply coloured. Dense bouquet of dark cherries and raspberries amid some mild earthy funkiness, leading to a full-bodied weighty palate. Supple enough at first before gaining further power and intensity in the glass, almost closing up. Still not ready.

2022 Domaine Quivy Gevrey-Chambertin Les Journaux. Tasted at the domaine, 25 Sep 2024. Good colour. Dark rosy hues. Lovely density on the palate, imbued with minerally elements. Fleshy and rounded with supple intensity. Well integrated. Modest finish.

2022 Domaine Quivy Gevrey-Chambertin Les Evocelles. Tasted at the domaine, 25 Sep 2024. Slightly darker in colour. Deeper nose of red fruits and haw. Good density and purity of fruit, imparting excellent mouthfeel. Structured with precise tannins. Not heavy. Very well crafted.

2022 Domaine Quivy Gevrey-Chambertin Les Corbeaux 1er. Tasted at the domaine, 25 Sep 2024. Classic pinot tint. Effusive rosy fragrance. Medium presence. Seamlessly integrated with lovely balance and purity. Somewhat understated but very correct in Gevrey character. Modest finish.

2022 Domaine Quivy Gevrey-Chambertin Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru. Tasted at the domaine, 25 Sep 2024. Classic pinot tint. Lifted bouquet of red fruits and rose petals. The slender palate is well integrated with teasing intensity and overtones of exotic spices. Good length.

2021 Château de Chamirey Mercurey 1er La Mission monopole, from the list of Le Richebourg, 25 Sep 2024. Luminous. Soft bouquet of delicious floral tones matched by a fine expanse of citrus and chalk that grew with delicate intensity and layered detail in the glass, structured with cutting precision. Superbly balanced.

2022 Domaine Georges Noëllat Vosne-Romanée, from the list of Le Richebourg, 25 Sep 2024. Darkish pinot tint, proffering delicious red fruits and currants with open detail, its understated tannins never in the way, seducing the palate with delicious intensity. Totally harmonious. Finished well.

2020 Domaine de L’Arlot Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Clos De L’Arlot monopole, from the list of Castel de Tres Girard in Morey-Saint-Denis, 26 Sep 2024. Deep purple. Bold and weighty in black fruits and dark currants on both the nose and palate. Very well extracted with intense darkish fruit and dryish tannins to an overwhelming extent where the NSG terroir is lost, even though it opened up a little with deep velvety layers. I’d have thought this is Vosne.

2022 Pierre Mayeul Santenay 1er, tasted at the domaine, 26 Sep 2024. Pale. Aromatic diesel fumes and lavender. Medium-full. Rather racy with lively acidity sitting on a deeper vein of ferrous elements. Good verve.

2022 Pierre Mayuel Puligny-Montrachet, tasted at the domaine, 26 Sep 2024. Pale. Hint of créme and white flowers on the nose. Rather high-toned with a distinct note of saline, producing some minerally glare.

2022 Pierre Mayuel Beaune Clos des Mouches 1er, tasted at the domaine, 26 Sep 2024. Pale. Hint of petroleum on the nose. The palate is rather lean and reductive, tightly coiled with lively acidity amid overtones of olives. Modest finish.

2022 Pierre Mayuel Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru, tasted at the domaine, 26 Sep 2024. Pale. Effusive bouquet of nutmeg and early complex characters with a sense of oiliness, though the palate is only medium-weight, displaying delicate clarity from a distinct minerally presence. Well integrated. Plenty of promise but it is in no hurry to unfurl its potential glory.

2021 Pierre Mayuel Pommard 1er Clos de Verger, tasted at the domaine, 26 Sep 2024. Classic pinot tint. Waxy red fruits with rosy hues. Quite delicate, tinged with distinct saline minerals that a bit of austerity, laced with high-toned acidity.

2021 Pierre Mayuel Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Les Cailles, tasted at the domaine, 26 Sep 2024. Classic pinot tint. Effusive in aromatic red fruits. Good presence. Well integrated with lively acidity, underpinned by a distinct earthiness that is entirely appropriate for NSG.

2022 Pierre Mayuel Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Les Champonnets, tasted at the domaine, 26 Sep 2024. Good colour. Alluring lift of ripe red fruits. Highly supple, its pliant silky tannins imparting delicate textures and fine clarity.

2022 Pierre Mayuel Corton-Marechale Grand Cru, tasted at the domaine, 26 Sep 2024. Deeper in color. Ample presence of dark plums and ripe raspberries with a sense of “wet” pebbles. Generously structured and proportioned with bold darkish tones.

2021 Pierre Mayuel Clos Vougeot Grand Cru, tasted at the domaine, 26 Sep 2024. Rosy hues. Medium weight. Quite intense and fleshy though the fruit is set a little too backward, resulting in dryish tannins with a tinge of austerity.

2021 Domaine Des Comtes Lafon Meursault Charmes 1er, from the list of La Cuverie in Vosne, 26 Sep 2024. Pale golden. Complex nose of jackfruit and white fruits. Sleek reductive quality, underscored by sublime acidity though the fruit was a tad backwards initially. Fleshed out well over time, more richly layered with overtones of créme de la créme. Very evenly proportioned. Highly refined and sophisticated.

2021 Domaine Michel Gros Vosne-Romanée Clos Des Réas 1er monopole, from the list of La Cuverie in Vosne, 26 Sep 2024. Deeper tint of pinot, proffering a lovely profusion of cherries and dark roses. Rather sleek, imbued with inner detail of ferrous elements that impart a bit of minerally shine. Developed superb fullness and depth over time with a focused intensity underpinned by a rich darker vein. Fine finish. Excellent.

2015 Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault Clos de la Barre, from the list of Tan Dinh, Paris, 27 Sep 2024. Luminous. Complex bouquet of nutmeg, chalk and white. More oxidative than reductive, laced with some salinity and a high-toned acidity amid cool glacial tones that confer superb clarity and definition. Impeccably balanced with very lovely Meursault character.