Wine & Spirits - Winter 2020 - 45

Domaine Chanson
FRANCE | BURGUNDY
Chanson's prestigious classiﬁed crus from the 2018 vintage
promise potential well beyond release, and value to boot.

VINCENT
AVANEL

FOUNDED IN 1750 BY THE VERRY FAMILY, this longlived négociant house has deep roots in Beaune:
Shortly after the French Revolution, they purchased the Bastion de l'Oratoire, a defensive
structure built more than ﬁve centuries ago.
Enlarged over the years, it now serves as the
domaine's wine-ageing cellar, its thick walls
keeping the temperature and humidity steady
throughout its four ﬂoors. The business has
undergone only two ownership changes, ﬁrst
transferring to the Chanson family in 1850 and
then to the Bollinger family in 1999. The Bollingers installed winemaker Jean-Pierre Confuron, who split his time between Chanson and
his family estate, Domaine Confuron-Cotetidot.
Confuron stepped away from Chanson this year
and Lucy Auger has stepped into the winemaking role, but the changes he made- an immediate transition to organic farming for all 111
of Chanson's premier and grand cru acres, and
a move away from purchasing ﬁnished wines
toward buying grapes only from farmers whose
values align with those of Chanson-have had a
lasting effect, tangible in the quality of his 2018s.
-C.W.

Louis Jadot
FRANCE | BURGUNDY
Jadot's vast portfolio is ﬁlled with wines that carry a sense of
tension and energy in 2017.

LOUIS HENRY DENIS JADOT ESTABLISHED HIS wine
ﬁrm as a négociant in 1859, just over three
decades after he'd purchased the Clos de Ursules
in Beaune. The modern iteration of the business
owes much to André Gagey's leadership in the
mid-20th century. He expanded the company's
vineyards with the addition of prized parcels
from Domaine Clair-Daü in the Côte des Nuits
and Château des Jacques in Moulin-à-Vent, laying the basis for a portfolio that includes 260
acres of premier and grand cru estate vineyards.
He also hired winemaker Jacques Lardière, who
became legendary for his holistic approach to
farming and the wines that came out of it. Since
Lardière retired in 2010, Frédéric Barnier has
been in charge of winemaking while PierreHenry Gagey, son of André, manages the 528acre estate. Together they continue to craft classic Burgundies, both estate and négociant, with
consistency and a quiet brilliance. -C.W.

2018 Beaune 1er Cru Clos des Mouches Blanc
($178, 94 points) This chardonnay grows in a ﬁveacre plot of sandy soil over limestone near the top
of the Clos des Mouches, a premier cru at Beaune's
southern border with Pommard. It's a powerful wine,
rich with concentrated ripe-pear ﬂavors held taut by
a mineral tension. Those ﬂavors last, developing a
whisper of apple blossom hours after the bottle has
been open, losing none of their intensity. Luscious
and nuanced, it's already so delicious it's hard to feel
bad that it's been opened too early.
FOUNDED:

FOUNDED:

1750
OWNERS:

The Bollinger
family
WINEMAKER:

Lucy Auger
VITICULTURIST:

Justine Savoye

2018 Beaune 1er Cru Clos des Mouches Rouge
($122, 94 points) Chanson's plot of pinot noir vines
in this premier cru sits in the middle of the slope,
where the limestone is mixed with clay. In 2018, the
wine has a brightness that makes it feel immediately
elegant, the juicy blackberry ﬂavors scented with rosy
ﬂorals. Dark, mineral tannins add structure and the
promise of a long life ahead.

ANNUAL
PRODUCTION:

75,000 cases
ESTATE GROWN:

30-35%
IMPORTER:

Vintus, NY

OWNERS:

French-American
Vintners; PierreHenry Gagey
(CEO)
WINEMAKER:

Frédéric Barnier
VITICULTURIST:

ACRES OWNED:

111

1895

2018 Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Cru Les Vergelesses ($68, 92 points) This wine comes from Chanson's 13.3 acres in Les Vergelesses at the base of the
Corton hill. Silken and soft, with ﬂoral accents and a
rhubarb and strawberry electricity, this wine overdelivers for its price, a feat becoming rarer in Burgundy
as the price of wine from classiﬁed sites continues to
climb each year.

2017 Chablis 1er Cru Fourchaume ($47, 93
points) This wine instantly communicates springtime
in its earthy scents and crisp spring-water snap. A
salty acidity keeps the wine fresh in spite of its earthy
opulence. With energetic verve and arresting ﬂavors
rare for a négociant wine, it lasts and lasts, clear as
a tolling bell. This wine will have more to say in ﬁve to
ten years, so buy a case of it to track its progress.
2017 Pommard ($74, 92 points) Ethereal rose
scents open into substantially darker cherry ﬂavors
that integrate into the mineral notes with air, adding
a sweet fruit edge to the gracious tannins. Enticing
and complex, this may be an instance of Jadot's use
of réplis, blending some of its higher-tier fruit into the
larger appellations below it.

Bruno Dolymnyj
ACRES OWNED:

342 (Côte d'Or)
ESTATE GROWN:

60%
IMPORTER:

Kobrand,
Purchase, NY

2017 Bouzeron Domaine Gagey ($29, 90 points)
Gracious and satisfying, this comes from Jadot's
holdings in Bouzeron, the only AOC in Burgundy dedicated solely to the oft-forgotten aligoté. Its supple texture will get along well with crispy roast chicken and
root vegetables, the wine open and approachable in
its balance of richness and delicacy.
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Wine & Spirits - Winter 2020

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