2017 Gigondas “Terrasse du Diable”Domaine Les Pallières
France | Southern Rhône
$40
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Producers
Young brothers Antoine and Nico at Robert-Denogent are stars of the Maconnais, and rightfully so: they farm incredibly old vines in the region’s top terroirs, allowing their vineyards to shine through organic farming and all-natural vinifications. This 2016 marks a new departure for them, as they began experiments with biodynamics and a move toward larger barrels and less new wood. Their top cuvée, La Croix is a bit of an anomaly: the soil of dark, flaky schist is without equal in all of Burgundy. It provides a stimulating stoniness to counterbalance the thick layers of dense, fleshy fruit. Of the three wines on this page, this tightly wound beast stands to improve the most with cellaring, though it has much to offer today.
—Anthony Lynch
Wine Type: | white |
Vintage: | 2016 |
Bottle Size: | 750mL |
Blend: | Chardonnay |
Appellation: | Pouilly-Fuissé |
Country: | France |
Region: | Burgundy |
Producer: | Domaine Robert-Denogent |
Winemaker: | Jean-Jacques Robert |
Vineyard: | 79 years, 2 ha |
Soil: | Blue Schist |
Aging: | Aged 30 months in barrels |
Farming: | Lutte Raisonnée |
Alcohol: | 13.5% |
Domaine Robert-Denogent France | Burgundy | Mâcon-Fuissé
Domaine Robert-Denogent France | Burgundy | Viré-Clessé
Domaine Robert-Denogent France | Burgundy | Mâcon-Villages
Jean-Marc Vincent France | Burgundy | Auxey-Duresses
Comtesse de Chérisey France | Burgundy | Meursault-Blagny
In eastern central France, Burgundy is nestled between the wine regions of Champagne to the north, the Jura to the east, the Loire to the west, and the Rhône to the south. This is the terroir par excellence for producing world-class Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
The southeast-facing hillside between Dijon in the north and Maranges in the south is known as the Côte d’Or or “golden slope.” The Côte d’Or comprises two main sections, both composed of limestone and clay soils: the Côte de Nuits in the northern sector, and the Côte de Beaune in the south. Both areas produce magnificent whites and reds, although the Côte de Beaune produces more white wine and the Côte de Nuits more red.
Chablis is Burgundy’s northern outpost, known for its flinty and age-worthy Chardonnays planted in Kimmeridgian limestone on an ancient seabed. Vézelay is a smaller area south of Chablis with similar qualities, although the limestone there is not Kimmeridgian.
To the south of the Côte de Beaune, the Côte Chalonnaise extends from Chagny on its northern end, down past Chalon-sur-Saône and encompasses the appellations of Bouzeron in the north, followed by Rully, Mercurey, Givry, and Montagny.
Directly south of the Chalonnaise begins the Côte Mâconnais, which extends south past Mâcon to the hamlets of Fuissé, Vinzelles, Chaintré, and Saint-Véran. The Mâconnais is prime Chardonnay country and contains an incredible diversity of soils.
Domaine Lucien Boillot et Fils France | Burgundy
Henri Perrusset France | Burgundy | Mâcon Farges
Domaine Roland Lavantureux France | Burgundy | Chablis
Olivier Savary France | Burgundy | Burgundy
Henri Costal France | Burgundy | Chablis
Bruno Colin France | Burgundy | Chassagne-Montrachet
François Lumpp France | Burgundy | Givry
Domaine Lucien Boillot et Fils France | Burgundy | Gevrey-Chambertin
Antoine Jobard France | Burgundy | Meursault
Régis Bouvier France | Burgundy | Bourgogne
Régis Bouvier France | Burgundy | Marsannay
Comtesse de Chérisey France | Burgundy | Meursault-Blagny
Let the brett nerds retire into protective bubbles, and whenever they thirst for wine it can be passed in to them through a sterile filter. Those of us on the outside can continue to enjoy complex, natural, living wines.
Inspiring Thirst, page 236
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