Drouhin, Jadot, Comte Armand, Lafarge, Tessier, Ballot-Millot
The Drouhin family deserve a chapter of their own in the book on the history of Burgundy through the twentieth century. Part négociant, part owner and farmer, the Maison holds some fantastic sites across the region, most famously their iconic Clos des Mouches. Maison Louis Jadot also has access to some truly great plots, and much of their production is now biodynamic. It was previous cellarmaster and winemaker Jacques Lardiere who properly put Jadot on the road to greatness, a path now carefuly followed by his successor Frédéric Barnier.
In Pommard, Comte Armand are most known for their Clos des Epeneaux, which has been in the family since 1826. Volnay is home to Lafarge, undoubtedly one of the finest Cote de Beaune producers. They craft pure and understated wines, real terroir-driven Burgundy, made as it always has been without any great fuss or marketing noises. The 2018s were a joy to taste. Frédéric Lafarge believes the 18s are a blend of the great 1959 for its terroir definition, and 1990 for its potential. Who are we to argue?
Perhaps the single biggest surprise for us was how exceptionally well the 2018s whites fared. A hot year always brings challenges for a white winemaker, but those producers who got their picking dates right - and a surprising number did - produced scintillating wines. Taut, mineral, pure, infused with energy and driven by freshness; the 2018s at Tessier are intense and brilliant. And the single best white wine tasting we had in 2018 was at Ballot-Millot; Charles has made a blindingly good set of wines brimming with verve, tension and energy. /NT
Offered subject to remaining unsold; for shipment 2020/21
