Great Value Reds, September 2003

Vincent Girardin has developed one of the most well-known and respected Burgundian wineries in a very short time. In addition he was on the forefront of those wineries combining their traditional wine making from land they own with a negociant activity of buying grapes from other growers in order to produce more wine. This became a necessity for him since he started with only 3 hectares (7.5 acres!) when he took over the quarter share of his parents’ estate back in 1982. And ever since then he has been one of the rising stars in Burgundy. His wines are explosive in fruit, have soft, silky tannins, and a clear but well balanced wood flavor. Today he owns over 14 hectares (35 + acres) and buys grapes from some of the best villages and fields in the Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune. His wines are found on wine lists in top French restaurants as well as many others around the world.

Our selection from this tasting case, Santenay 1er Cru Les Gravières 2001 comes from his original estate and is considered one of, if not the best premier cru field in the village of Santenay

Domaine Hubert Lignier - Morey Saint Denis 2000

This winery enjoys a beautiful range of quality fields in and around Morey Saint Denis in the Côte de Nuits, including some in Gevrey Chambertin and Chambolle Musigny, ranging in quality from simple Burgundies to the grand crus Clos de la Roche and Charmes Chambertin. Romain Lignier took over the winemaking duties when his father retired in 1991. He has continued his father’s traditional vinification techniques, with a few exceptions. He removes all stems and fermentation takes place in open-topped vats where only natural yeasts are used. First he performs a 5-day cold maceration followed by the fermentation process which usually lasts 15 to 20 days. Use of new oak is moderate: 20 to 30% for village wines (duration 18 months) and approximately 50% for premier and grand crus (duration 20 to 24 months).

The Morey Saint Denis that we have selected is great example of the fruit found in the 2000 vintage. Romain compares this vintage to 1997 due to their similar structure but the 2000s have a cleaner, fresher fruit. This is a wine that can be enjoyed now or kept for 5+ years.

Domaine Trapet - Gevrey Chambertin 2000

Jean-Louis Trapet is the 4th generation of wine-makers at this estate and has made particularly remarkable advances in quality - both in the vines and in the winery - over the last decade. Terroir is the driving factor at this winery that owns an impressive collection of some of the best fields in Gevrey Chambaertin.

The Gevrey Chambertin 2000 that we have selected shows a dark ruby red color, the nose is mineral and pure with concentrated ripe red and black berries. The attack is soft followed by round texture and well-balanced tannins. The finish is long and elegant with fruity flavors. This can be drunk now for those who enjoy their wines young or kept until 2009 or 2010 for those who prefer a more evolved Burgundy.

Domaine Henri Gouges - Nuits St Georges 2001

Côte d’Or by Clive Coates M.W.

Senior in Nuits-Saint-Georges in terms of both age and quality is the Domaine Henri Gouges. Henri Gouges was one of the very first in the whole of Burgundy to market his wines in bottle, back in the 1920s; and, with the exception of a dip in the early 1980s, when the average age of the vines in the exploitation was less than desirable, the quality of the Gouges wines has always been of the very highest. The older wines are splendid. The vintages since 1987, and particularly so since 1990, are equally exciting.

The Domaine Henri Gouges has been a pioneer in a number of ways. Not only in domaine-bottling but in the production of a white wine, rare in the Côte de Nuits, and in the Gouges’ case uniquely from degenerated Pinot Noir which produces white grapes. Moreover the domaine run by Pierre and his cousin Christian, in charge of the vineyards and the wine respectively, has been one of the first to plant a special grass in order to prevent erosion, which as a beneficial side-effect persuades the roots to delve deeper, resulting in a wine with better acidity and extract than hitherto. Visiting the Gouges domaine today is a refreshing experience. Elsewhere there are prima donnas, some of whom cannot tolerate even a suggestion of criticism of their wines. The Gouges cousins are naturally proud of their heritage and perfectionists about what they do, but there is an engaging readiness to accept past mistakes and to learn by them which is rare even today, and a coherent philosophy of respect for terroir, cépage and millésime for which the unprejudiced viewer can have nothing but the highest regard.