SPOTLIGHTING SOME OF OUR FAVORITE OFFERINGS FROM LA PAULÉE MONDIALE, POWERED BY ZACHYS
Coup de Coeur Domaine Matrot by Daniel Johnnes
Matrot is one of the leading estates in Meursault and a first class producer of great white Burgundy.
Thierry Matrot, who has now passed the baton to his daughters, Adèle and Elsa, attended the first Paulée 20 years ago. Not only are his wines soulful and long lived but Thierry encompassed the spirit of La Paulée with an incomparable “joie de vivre”. Adèle and Elsa carry on that spirit as their wines remain in the top tier of producers and are a bit more refined than their dad’s wines.
The “Matrot Wine Pack” offered to La Paulée is a perfect snapshot of the Domaine’s holdings. The 3 appellations showcase 3 distinct terroirs. Blagny 1er Cru Piece Sous le Bois is a lesser know commune at a high elevation, sandwiched between Puligny and Meursault. The wines are taut and bristle with energy. The Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Chalumaux is one of the marquee “climats” of the estate, displaying depth and a hint of floral honeysuckle notes. The third wine is Meursault-Charmes, a great 1er Cru with noble breeding and a potential for long aging.
La Paulée Presents the Domaine Thierry et Pascale Matrot 3-bottle Producer Pack
A discovery in Meursault, Domaine Rougeot by Raj Vaidya
In mid 2019 I had a friend who is in the wine business in France reach out and tell me that I needed to find some time to visit Pierre-Henri Rougeot who had recently taken over his family Domaine in Meursault. I made an appointment to visit and was immediately struck with his intelligence and precision. An impressive young winemaker to say the least, Pierre-Henri is also an intrepid innovator. When I asked him what he had changed when he took over the domaine in 2010, he effectively answered “everything”! The vines today are farmed with great care and conscience and the wines are super elegant and precise, while managing this with minimal sulphur additions and maintaining a truly charming fruit profile. The diversity of wines in this offering are inspired; a fruit forward and overwhelmingly drinkable Passetoutgrains blend of Pinot Noir and Gamay, a serious and classic Volnay Premier Cru and a truly stunning example of one of the great vineyards of Meursault, Premier Cru Les Charmes. Taste these for yourself, you won’t be disappointed!
La Paulée Presents the Domaine Emmanuel Giboulot 3-bottle Producer Pack
An Introduction to Burgundy with Domaine Hudelot-Baillet, by Max Goldberg Liu
It may seem impossible for an estate in the world-famous village of Chambolle-Musigny to be considered “under the radar” but Domaine Hudelot-Baillet is only relatively recently getting the recognition it deserves. Winemaker Dominique Le Guen, a native of Brittany, moved to Burgundy in 1998 after an earlier career in France’s Air Force to work for his father-in-law Joël Hudelot, who was at the head of this family domaine at the time. When Joël retired in 2004, Dominique took over, and has dramatically overhauled the quality. While the domaine’s holdings include pieces of some of Chambolle’s best terroirs, like Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru and the Premiers Crus of Les Cras and Les Charmes, this particular pack showcases the humbler appellations in the portfolio, and is a fantastic trio of wines for anyone who is just getting started with Burgundy (although longtime connoisseurs will appreciate it as well!). The charming Passetoutgrains, 50-50 Pinot Noir and Gamay, displays Burgundy’s playful side, the Hautes Côtes de Nuits Blanc shines with a surprising juiciness that bodes well for the performance of the high-altitude Hautes Côtes in the coming years, and the Chambolle-Musigny Vieilles Vignes is a delicious example of the complexity and value to be found at the Village level.
La Paulée Presents the Domaine Hudelot-Baillet 3-bottle Producer Pack
Fantastic whites and reds, Domaine Génot-Boulanger, by Justine Puaud
Domaine Génot-Boulanger is one the few estates which makes fantastic white wine and red wine. The estate has over 22 hectares spanning the most beautiful terroirs of the Côte d'Or. It has always practiced a quality policy with old vines, which makes it possible to offer vintages of remarkable consistency. The whites are fresh and elegant. The reds have delicate tannins while still having body.
Guillaume Lavollée selected some of his favorite wines for La Paulée Mondiale. Les Nosroyes is a very high-quality parcel from the village of Puligny! It sits just below the Premier Cru Les Perrières. This wine is characterized by a beautiful finesse. Chambolle-Musigny is a blend of Les Mombies and Les Nazoires. This wine is well balanced. The medium-bodied palate displays supple tannins and a fine bead of acidity. His Meursault 1er Cru Bouchères is one of my favorite! It is a delicious wine with soft texture and rich flavors of honey. I LOVE IT! Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru has everything you can expect when you drink Clos de Vougeot: a satisfying intensity with supple tannins.
La Paulée Presents the Domaine Génot-Boulanger 4-bottle Producer Pack
There is also some 2017! By Edouard Bourgeois
We’re all super thrilled with the wine selection we were able to offer through Zachys with most of the wines presented being from the rightfully celebrated 2018 harvest. The vintage certainly produced high quality wines in both colors but it should be noted that the reds are particularly powerful today. Luckily, in a world of infinite tastes, Burgundy has this ability to offer a different tone with each vintage. And for those who are looking for a more delicate style of Pinot Noir, I wanted to highlight here the beautiful selection from a legend in Volnay, Domaine de Montille, featuring the 2017 vintage. The Puligny-Montrachet is a classic mineral bomb and won’t disappoint. But it is really on the red wine that I want to shine the light, as they are so different from those from 2018. Here, you will find the signature elegance of Volnay and the depth of the Beaune “Les Sizies”.
So, if you like your pinot noir on the more delicate side of the aromatic spectrum, this pack is for you.
La Paulée Presents the Domaine de Montille 3-bottle Producer Pack
Jaime Dutton highlights Benjamin Leroux’s
4-bottle pack
If you do not know the wines of Benjamin Leroux, take the opportunity with this 4-pack to make a discovery you will not regret. The wines show great definition and precision, while being accessible and delicious. Adept at making both red and white wines, these two Meursault 1er Cru will shine in your glass and show off Ben’s deep knowledge and experience making wines from the Cote de Beaune. Both reds are from the Cote de Nuits and showcase Ben’s capability to express different terroirs in all of his wines, a beautifully elegant Vosne Romanée Villages and a robust Clos de Vougeot from the lieux-dit Petit Maupertuis.
Ben is from Beaune but he was not born into a winemaking family. His roots and experience have anchored him in the region and today he is regarded as one of the most reputable winemakers of the region amongst his peers and around the world. Focused on building his own domaine with vineyards in Auxey-Duresses, Meursault and Volnay, he is particularly excited about his wines from Meursault-Blagny like the Meursault 1er Cru Sous La Pièce sous le Bois.
Tasting his wines and listening to him speak about each of them offers great insight into technique, the expression of terroir and a true respect for the land and nature. Enjoy !
La Paulée Presents the Benjamin Leroux 4-bottle Producer Pack
Coup de coeur for Domaine Clerget
by Eléonore Lafarge
I am very happy that the vintage 2018 is presented at La Paulée this year since I love this vintage. My love for this comes mostly from the fact that I did the harvest at my parents’ domaine that year. You automatically love a vintage when you do the harvest and the memories and good times come back when you taste. I am particularly excited for the Domaine Yvon Clerget pack. Established in 1268, this is one of the oldest domaines in Burgundy and Thibaud is the 28th generation. In the last five years, he has shown himself to be a worthy successor of all this history.
Since he took over in 2015, Thibaud has been improving and now has his own style.
I like this 2-bottle pack with two Volnay 1er Cru. Le Clos du Verseuil is a monopole that you see when leaving the village of Volnay. It is situated next to the Taillepieds and gives a very precise wine.
The Volnay 1er Cru Les Caillerets is right under the Clos des Chênes. This is a very structured wine with fruity notes.
These are two wines to keep in your cellar for a few years!
La Paulée Presents the Domaine Yvon Clerget 2-bottle Producer Pack
