Gevrey-Chambertin

Burgundy Great Domaines

Charles Metcalfe presents his selection of Burgundy domaines and negociants who are setting the pace and making the most exciting wines. Join him for a series of superb tastings!

Our tour meets in the charming small town of Beaune, which is our base for this fabulous tour.

We’ll visit one of the greatest estates on the Côte d’Or where the owners have bought their own blend of tradition and innovation, which an outsider can sometimes bring, giving truly unique wines of great character. We hope to lunch at the bio dynamic estate of Domaine de la Vougeraie, whose wines have unrivalled purity.

We have a morning in Vosne-Romanée visiting two great domaines. The first we have visited since 1990 when the young winemaker was considered a radical, employing soil science and cold maceration in a quest for the holy grail in wine; firm structure with rich character, great potential to age but lovely when young – above all wines where terroir shines through. Here the winemakerspassion and dedication is reflected in breath-taking wines of elegance.

We hope to be able to continue to Domaine Lamarche, monopole owner of the Grand Cru ‘La Grand Rue’ that separates ‘La Tache’ from ‘La Romanée Conti.’ Under the new generation of Nicole and Natalie Lamarche they are emerging as a real star. Also featured is the illustrious estate of Henri Gouges, founders of domaine bottling in Burgundy. Nuits St Georges being a ‘Vins de Garde’ has been less fashionable than some other villages recently and the domaine being so famous attracted criticism, much of it unfair. Nuits St Georges is back on top and their wines are on great form, as are the wines at our other visit Nicholas Potel. Despite his roots in Volnay, Nicholas describes Nuits St George as his ‘Moses Basket”. The secret of his success is old vines, passion and having no ‘recipe’. (see note below on the visit confirmations).

We also spend a day in the Beaujolais visiting two of Charles’ favourite producers, Loron, who show how wonderful the Gamay grape can truly become in the right hands. For lunch we hope to be tasting at the Beaujolais base of Louis Jadot. Their dedicated winemaker here produces some wonderful supple and fragrant wines.

We take in Domaine des Croix, new star of Beaune where David Croix will present a clutch of lovely, intense wines, mostly from the Beaune 1èr Crus, that have turned heads all around the world. David is also the winemaker for Camille Giroud. On our white Côte de Beaune morning, Charles hopes to feature top Chassagne-Montrachet estate, Fontaine-Gagnard. We continue to Bichot at their Pommard estate who are negociants long famous for their Chablis, and have hit their stride with their entire production from all classifications.

Our last evening is with Bouchard Père et Fils tasting many wonderful wines over dinner, including the Beaune ‘Vigne de L’Enfant Jésus’. Bouchard own 130 hectares on the Côte d’Or, 12 in Grand Crus, making this the largest domaine on the Côte d’Or. Since the change in 1995, yields have been cut, processes have been rethought and the quality has soared.

On the last morning we visit Alex Gambal, a newcomer who describe themselves not as a “négociant“ but as a “winery”, actually a small craft winery. Wine making is natural and minimalist, a fusion of ultra modern and ‘a l’ancienne’ ideas. Fermentation is natural and the single racking is by gravity. Cellar work follows the moon and bottling is without filtration.

We complete this tour de force in Burgundy with a lunch at the beautiful property of Domaine Chanson in Beaune itself – now owned by Champagne Bollinger, the wines are truly back on form as we discover over lunch.

Although Charles has obtained agreement in principle verbally from the estates, final confirmation will not be received until nearer the date. As Charles is extremely highly regarded in the region, along with A&C’s long standing reputation and knowledge, with over twenty years wine touring experience in Burgundy we will offer alternative domaines should our first choices not be able to see us in the manner described.