News from the vineyard 7/6/20

by Max Goldberg Liu

Veraison - the onset of ripening - is a turning point in the vine’s life cycle when it changes gears from producing energy through photosynthesis to storing that energy as sugar in grapes.

After flowering and fruit-setting, the grapes are hard, highly acidic, and green from the plant’s chlorophyll. Veraison replaces the chlorophyll with anthocyanins (giving red grapes their color) or carotenoids (in white grapes) and pumps sugars and other compounds from the vine into the berries. Over the course of ripening, the grapes swell with juice, their percentage of sugar (measured in brix) increases, and their acidity falls. Choosing to harvest when the sugar, acidity, and other phenolic compounds like tannins are perfectly balanced is one of the most important decisions a winemaker has to make each vintage.

In Burgundy, veraison classically happened in late July, although rules of thumb are obviously out the window in recent years with climate change. This vintage, winemakers are seeing veraison start to happen right now. The precocious vintage continues…

"Coup de Coeur" Wines from La Paulée

One of the great joys of Burgundy is finding a wine that over delivers. Sometimes, a lesser-known producer or humbler appellation gives that "WOW" factor that makes the drinking experience all the more exciting. Daniel dubbed this category "Coup de Coeur" (French for "heartthrob") when creating the first wine list at Bar Boulud. Here are some bottles that stood out to us at La Paulée even among all the DRC. Of course, the great producers and appellations provide this emotion as well, but usually expectations are already high. In Daniel’s case, he already had high expectations for the wine but even those were surpassed.

Max: Domaine Fornerol, Côte de Nuits Villages 2008 en magnum

“Remontage” (pumping over) at Fornerol in 2015 - notice the whole clusters of Pinot Noir!

I worked harvest at Fornerol in 2015 so I have a soft spot for the man and the wines, but anyone who loves old-school whole cluster Burgundy will fall in love with this domaine. Didier Fornerol worked for years as the vineyard manager at Domaine de l'Arlot where he became friends with Jean-Pierre de Smet. Didier left l'Arlot in the early 90's to run his family estate in Corgoloin, the southernmost village in the Côte de Nuits. Jean-Pierre retired in the mid 2000's but the winemaking bug never left him and he started to consult with Didier during the harvest and fermentations at Domaine Fornerol.

Fornerol's wines are bright and sappy with an amazing freshness and aromatic depth that comes from his generous use of stems (100% in most vintages). His terroirs around Corgoloin are classed as Côte de Nuits Villages but the quality of his farming and winemaking make a wine that oozes soulfulness and old-school Burgundian class. I only tasted a glass of this wine at the Gala but I could have easily finished off the magnum!

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Edouard: Pierre Morey, Pommard 1er Cru Grands Epenots 1992

I was incredibly lucky to attend the legendary and original La Paulée in Meursault with Daniel back in 2018. After being told by Dominique Lafon's father René (who we visited earlier that day) that I should be able to taste up to 60 wines during the lunch at the Chateau de Meursault, I made it a mission to achieve that number. I almost made it with 50 wines tasted and although it is difficult to pick one particular "coup de coeur" bottle, there was one that really left a mark in me. It was a Pommard from Pierre Morey, a Meursault specialist, and from the challenging 1992 harvest. It was the premier cru "Grands Epenots" and this bottle really surprised me by its incredible youth and vibrancy. I typically favor appellations like the neighbor Volnay or further up the Cote like Chambolle-Musigny or Gevrey-Chambertin but this Pommard had a sweet core and a real stature that made it very charming. Of course, there are many factors that influence the drinking experience and the fact that Pierre Morey himself was sitting in front of me during this 7-hour lunch surely played an important role!

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Raj: Remoissenet Père & Fils Bourogne Rouge “Renomée” 1978 en Jeroboam

This pristine bottle from a seemingly humble appellation had a few surprises held within the confines of its three liter packaging. I learned the sneaky truth some years prior to tasting this bottle when I asked Pierre-Antoine Rovani about the name, “Renomée” upon seeing it on a label.

Pierre, the President of the winery since the mid aughts when it was purchased by American investors and a former wine critic, is one of my favorite people in Burgundy (really the world) because he is the most honest, direct and no nonsense fellow and has an awesome palate. He is also a tremendous wealth of knowledge on the history and inner workings of Burgundy. He clued me in to a little known fact about this era and prior in Burgundy; that the restriction on yields, or the amount of fruit and therefore wine produced from a given vineyard had an odd loophole. Grand Cru, the top of the hierarchy of quality, has strictly controlled yields, but this is measured not in the number of grapes coming from the vineyard or juice in the vats, but rather by the number of bottles produced and declared. In plentiful harvests, like 1978, the top vineyards would often overproduce in quantity, while still maintaining top quality. In such cases wineries would bottle the maximum permitted yield of Grand Cru to sell at market, and any remaining wine (the very same wine that went into bottles with Grand Cru written on the label) were bottled as generic Bourgogne wine, and more often than not consumed by the family.

In Remoissenet’s case, such ‘overflow’ was bottled in large formats as Bourgogne “Renomée”, or “renamed.“ Such was the case of this Jero of ‘78, it had the breadth and expanse of a truly great wine without the appellation. Of course, there were no records at Remoissenet stating what was actually in the bottle, but the wine had a beautiful dark red cherry note on the palate, which evokes a memory for me of wines from the Grand Crus of Gevrey Chambertin. It wasn’t regal enough to be Chambertin or Clos de Beze, rather it had the softness and generosity reminiscent of Charmes-Chambertin. Purely a guess as to identity because i’ve not had occasion to taste the 78 Charmes from Remoissenet, and even if I had, it would have aged differently in 750 ml than in this 3L bottle. But the mystery did nothing to cloud the wine’s deliciousness and concentration. Best regional wine of the Paulée by far, and there was a lot of it so I was lucky to get a second glass!

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Daniel - Henri Jayer, Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Cros Parantoux 1999

This is a challenging task. How to choose one wine that knocked my socks off at La Paulée 2020.

With literally hundreds of wines seemingly floating around the room and nearly every person I pass offering me a taste in the true spirit of La Paulée. I have a terrible confession to make. It is an event I have been hosting for over 20 years and while the temptation is nearly unbearable to taste as many wines as I can, I am strictly disciplined about maintaining a sense of decorum and business-like posture during the event. With hundreds of people (guests, winemakers, chefs, sommeliers and staff) in the room, it is a work day, after all. But a work day like no other. That means I have to be sober. Well, pretty sober. There are some wines I cannot resist but mostly I am focused on the spirit in the room and the well being of as many people as possible.

At the end of the night this year around 5 am when the event was signed, sealed and delivered I, with a few colleagues, settled into a quiet spot and enjoyed a very special and rare treat. In fact, 3 treats. Coche-Dury, Meursault 1er Cru Perrieres 2009, Domaine de la Romanée-Conti 1971 and Henri Jayer Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Cros Parantoux 1999. All 3 spectacular wines and as the saying goes, “There are no great wines, only great bottles”. On this night (morning) the stars were aligned and all 3 bottles were singing at full volume. For me, Henri Jayer has an extra special spot in my heart. I was fortunate to know the man and would even be granted time to just sit and talk with him after he retired from wine making. I gained access to his deep wisdom and thoughts on grape growing, wine making and Burgundy overall. Having known the man only deepened my appreciation for his wines.

What's Pressoir Cooking? Summer Cooking from Empire Farm with Chef Daniel Boulud

June 30, 2020
by Jaime Dutton

We had a great experience last week at Empire Farm in the Hudson Valley where we filmed a 3-episode series with American Express. We were introduced to the FarmOn! Foundation, an organization that works to provide educational programming at the farm, promotes independent Hudson Valley farmers and Farm to Table initiatives.

We were in the kitchen with Daniel Johnnes and Chef Daniel Boulud talking summer cooking and summer sipping wines. Daniel selected a Burgundy and a Champagne to go with each of the 3 dishes that Chef Daniel cooked.

Inspiration came in many forms but a few moments stood out!

Outdoor grilling is key during the summer months. Gas and charcoal grills are our go-to tools to keep the heat outside.

Chef Daniel was cooking pork belly which he braised in the oven and then finished on the grill. He wanted to highlight the smoky aromas in the Chablis that Daniel had selected to pair with this dish. He lit it up when he threw handfuls of hay onto the fire – super fun and added flair to impress! The final dish was delicious – the pork belly melted in your mouth and the smoky and savory flavors were a great pairing with a 2018 Chablis from Moreau-Naudet.

Another fun moment was Chef’s summer rendition on the classic French dish, Poulet à la Mère Blanc – here he brought to the dish the fresh dairy products that are so much a part of the farming culture in the Hudson Valley. Chef cut up a whole chicken. For the sauce he used about a quart of fresh cream, 6 egg yolks and about 1.5 lbs of butter. It was incredibly delicious, maybe not what you expect when you think of light summer meals, but Chef and Daniel added the element of cooking it on an open fire, cowboy style. Taking this dish outside to the fire pit, made it all about the summer. Daniel paired a rich 2017 Meursault from Domaine Vincent Latour with the chicken.

Keep a look out for this entertaining series that will be accessible to American Express Card Members later this summer. Stay tuned.

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Climate, the Latest Challenge for Burgundy

June 30th, 2020

By Edouard Bourgeois

(inspired by an original article from Wine Searcher)

Once again, this year, many European vineyards are being scorched by high temperatures. In a conversation with winemaker Mathieu Lapierre of Beaujolais (who also did a great Pressoir.wine At Home Session with us!) he was telling me that if the weather patterns continue on the same schedule, he will be done harvesting by September. One month early!

The veracity of the terroir and its classification based on geographical traits (altitude, slope, location) is starting to be questioned among wine professionals. Is terroir immutable?

In some areas, some audacious changes have been made, such as in Bordeaux where it is, since 2019, legal for winemakers to blend Marselan and Touriga Nacional (the main varietal of Port!) into their Bordeaux AOC and Bordeaux Superieur AOC. On the other hand, Burgundy, famous for its thousand-year-old, monasterial hierarchy of “climats” seems really set in stone. But with temperatures rising across the region, many fear the historically warmer Grands Cru sites are going to start producing California style Pinot Noirs. In fact, two Burgundy growers hinted (maybe jokingly) that they were going to do some experiments with Syrah. Ironically, vineyards higher up in altitude like Bourgogne Hautes Cote de Nuits, long considered to be too cold, are enjoying better ripening temperatures and indeed just got “cooler”.

What's Pressoir Drinking? Domaine Clair-Daü, Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru 1980

June 25, 2020
by Max Goldberg Liu

This wine was a real treat to taste towards the end of the Gala Dinner at La Paulée de New York 2020. It was fully mature and showed the dark and intense side of Bonnes Mares but with enough fruit to keep things pleasurable. The wine was also a portal into the history of a now-defunct domaine, as Clair-Daü would be sold just five years later, mostly to Jadot.

Founded in 1919 in Marsannay by Joseph Clair and Marguerite Daü, this was one of the greatest estates in Burgundy by the 1970’s with holdings from Clos Vougeot to Bonnes Mares to Clos Saint Jacques. Disputes among the five children, however, caused the domaine to be divided up, with many parcels going to Jadot and the rest being locked into long-term leases with other producers.

Nevertheless, there is a happy ending to the story. Bruno Clair, a grandson of Joseph and Marguerite, was determined to follow in Clair-Daü’s illustrious viticultural footsteps and started his own domaine with his immediate family’s plots in Marsannay and a few other villages. As other family parcels have come out of their long-term leases, he has added them to his now 23 hectare domaine through which the Clair name lives on.

This bottle exhibited the glory of Clair-Daü at the top of its game before it was torn apart, a recurring Burgundian story we see in the histories of so many great estates.

For more information check out:
Daniel, Raj, Edouard, & Max’s podcast discussion of the 1980’s in Burgundy

Eléonore’s interview with Arthur Clair, Bruno’s son

My Day with Noël Ramonet

June 24, 2020

By Daniel Johnnes

The Best Deal of My Life!

In the winter of 1989 I made one of my regular trips to Burgundy to taste the previous vintage. I made my usual stops to taste wines in the Côte de Nuits some days. domaines such as Roumier, Grivot, Mugnier, Rousseau, Dujac, L’Arlot and DRC. I would dedicate other days to domaines in the Côte de Beaune. Domaines such as Comtes Lafon, Roulot, Leflaive, Gagnard-Delagrange, D’Angerville, Lafarge, Pousse d’Or and many others over a 4-5 day stretch.

I learned to schedule my tasting at Domaine Ramonet at the end of the day as these tastings usually went on for several hours and made it impossible to taste anywhere else after this marathon visit. Noël was always generous with his time and wine. Not only would we taste through the entire range of appellations, including the Grand Cru, Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet, Bâtard-Montrachet, Chevalier-Montrachet and Le Montrachet but often we would taste multiple barrels of the same wine as he bought barrels from a wide range of ‘tonneliers’. And then, we would go back to appellations already tasted but from a different vintage (or two or three!).

On this particular day, I arrived with my embroidered jacket from Restaurant Montrachet where I was the sommelier. It was winter and the weather was typical Burgundy damp and bone chilling. It was getting late and I had to leave for Paris early in the morning for my flight home.

After the tasting and about to get in my car, Noël stops me and says, “Hé Daniel, donnes-moi ton blouson!” (Hey Daniel, let me have your jacket). I told him it was cold and couldn’t give to him but I would stop by in the morning on my way to the train. So, the next day, I stopped by looking for him and after about 30 minutes he comes out from the cellar. He was clearly expecting me because, just as I handed him my jacket he gave me a box containing two bottles of wine. I wasn’t expecting anything but when I opened it later to see what my gift was, I was pleasantly surprised to see two bottles of Montrachet. One bottle of 1984 and one bottle of 1983. Now, anyone who knows the 1983 Montrachet from Ramonet, this is one of the most special bottles of white Burgundy ever made!!! Merci Noël.

There is more to the story, so, stay tuned for part 2.

Insider's Look - Wines at La Paulée de New York 2020 Gala Dinner

June 23, 2020
by Max Goldberg Liu

The Gala Dinner at La Paulée de New York’s 20th anniversary was our biggest yet, and winemakers and guests came thirsty! Check out these facts and figures from the full list of wines served that night by our crack team of sommeliers.

Total number of bottles
2 Methuselahs (6L)
41 Jeroboams (3L)
195 Magnums (1.5L)
514 Bottles
2 Half Bottles

813.75 liters of wine or 215 US gallons for 400 guests - an average of over 2 bottles per person. That’s the Paulée spirit of generosity!

Type breakdown
65% Red
31.5% White
3.5% Champagne

As we often see, guests enjoyed the whites but quickly moved into the reds.

Classification breakdown
58% Grand Cru
27.5% Premier Cru
6% Village
1% Regional
7.5% other region or class

Most popular villages
15% Gevrey-Chambertin
11% Vosne-Romanée
11% Puligny-Montrachet

Most popular vintages
2000
1999
1996

The first Paulée de New York took place in 2000, so many winemakers and guests leaned into the nostalgia by bringing wines from the 2000 vintage.

Oldest Wines
Violland, Romanée-Saint Vivant Grand Cru 1943
Drouhin, Clos Vougeot Grand Cru 1943

Most popular appellations
Clos de la Roche Grand Cru
Bonnes-Mares Grand Cru
Chambertin Grand Cru

Most popular domaines
Domaine Armand Rousseau
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti
Domaine Dujac

Approximately 1 in 15 bottles in the room was a Rousseau!

News from the vineyard

June 23, 2020

By Justine Puaud

Right now we are heading into what we call the bunch closure or berry touch (fermeture des grappes in French) meaning the berries are getting bigger and start to touch each other within the bunches. The fruit at this time is about half the size they will be at harvest and it is starting to look like an actual cluster of grapes. While there is no sugar production as of yet, the berries are accumulating organic acids. The bunch closure usually happens between the end of June and the beginning of July. This confirms we are definitely ahead of the average growing season.

Clothilde Lafarge shared with us a snapshot of the bunch closure in the Clos des Chênes.

What's Pressoir cooking? The secret recipe of Oeufs en Meurette

June 18, 2020
by Justine Puaud

My husband Martin is from Burgundy. As a child, he spent every single weekend in the kitchen with his grandmother Françoise. She was a fantastic cook and loved teaching him the basics of French cuisine. Oeufs en meurette is his “Proust’s madeleines”.

The secret is to add a little bit a crème fraîche which makes the sauce smooth and delicious.

Ingredients:
4 ounces slab bacon (115g), cut into small bits
2 onions, chopped
2 cloves of garlic, minced
1 bottle of pinot noir
2 spoons of crème fraîche

Flour
Thyme
Bay leaves
10 slices of soft bread
Butter
4 eggs
6 oz mushrooms

Flat parsley, chopped

Sauce
Brown the bacon, onions and garlic in a pan
Add some salt, pepper and Espelette pepper
Add flour and cook for about 3-4min while mixing
Add wine
Add 2-3 bay leaves and some thyme leaves. Bring to a boil, reduce heat, and simmer until the sauce has reduced by about half
Add 2 spoons of crème fraîche. The sauce will gradually become smooth and creamy

Mushrooms
Sauté the mushrooms separately

Soft-boiled egg
Boil a big volume of water in a pot
Add the eggs and cook for 6 minutes
Remove the pan from the heat and set it in the sink of cold water to stop the cooking
Gently peel the eggs

Homemade croutons
Cut the slices of soft bread into some pieces
In a pan, fry the bread with butter and garlic until it gets brownish

The dish
For each person, place in a deep dish: one egg, the sauce, mushrooms, croutons and parsley

Enjoy!
Justine

Interview with Arthur Clair

June 18, 2020

by Eléonore Lafarge

Can you give us an overview of your domaine? How long have you been working at the domaine?

Domaine Bruno Clair is a 25 hectares (61.7 acres) based in Marsannay-la-Côte. The majority of the appellations of the domaine are in Marsannay and Gevrey-Chambertin but we farm parcels spread over seven villages of the Côte de Nuits and the Côte de Beaune.

I started working at the domaine in 2017, after my studies. However, I always helped my father during summers and during the harvests. 

Did you make some changes in the vineyard and cellar work when you took over?

When my brother Edouard took over, some changes were made in the vineyards and in the cellar as well. I agree completely with these changes and always try to make things better. 

All our parcels are now farmed organically, even though we do not have any certifications. 

We are always engaged in dialogue with my father and my brother. For example, since we are trying to make fine wine with more complexity, we made the decision to add more whole clusters since 2015.

Do you have new projects for the domaine? 

The next important project we have is to build a new winery after the 2020 harvest. This renovation is necessary because we need more space and therefore we would be more organized. 

Have you always wanted to be a winemaker? Was it an obvious choice to take over the winery or did it take a few years to realize you wanted to be a winemaker?

I always love working outside, with plants or animals. Before choosing to pursue a career in viticulture and oenology, I tried agriculture, which I thought I would enjoy. Then the choice was obvious considering that my father gave me his passion for the vineyards and family traditions. 

What is your general winemaking philosophy?

To me, respecting our soils and terroir is very important. We have to keep life in our soils. For many years, chemicals have been used in Burgundy. Since my father started to plow in the 90’s, we are able to work with soils with biodiversity. 

Another important thing is the selection of the plants we use. This selection will influence the quality of the grapes and hence the wine. Therefore, I try to be very careful with the rootstock I choose for the different parcels. 

Do you have a favorite vineyard to work in? 

I have two favorite vineyards: Clos Saint Jacques in Gevrey-Chambertin and La Rue de Vergy in Morey-Saint-Denis. The landscapes in these two vineyards are amazing. 

With this complicated situation, can you still work in the vineyards and the cellar?

We have been able to adapt to this unexpected situation without any damage to our work in the vineyards. 

Considering the pandemic, we cannot welcome customers for tastings and I have to admit that I miss talking about the wines, our viticulture techniques and philosophy. 

What is being done in the vineyards and the cellar right now?

In the vineyards, we are doing the trellising.  

In the cellar, we are doing some analysis to follow on the cuvées which haven’t completed their malolactic fermentation. 

Does climate change make it more difficult to work in the vineyards now compared to the generations before? Later frost? More hail? 

Climate change has an important impact on the harvest dates and maturity of the grapes. Before, winemakers had more struggles to reach good maturities, whereas today, we have to be careful not to let the grapes over ripen. The grapes have, now, a lot of matter, it is important to make sure the wines don’t have too much tannins or alcohol or are too “heavy”. So, the extraction is lighter than before.

News from the vineyard 6/18/20

June 18, 2020
by Max Goldberg Liu

Continued warm weather in Burgundy means that the vines are still progressing at a very fast clip. Here, Nicolas Rossignol shows us La Nouaison (Fruit Setting) of his Volnay Taillepieds where the berries are growing rapidly. In some of his parcels, the clusters are nearly fully formed. Winemakers all over France are marveling at the precocity of their vines this year, with some areas an entire month ahead of the average growing season.

What’s Pressoir Drinking? Snowden Vineyards Brothers Vineyard Napa Valley 2016

June 13, 2020
By Edouard Bourgeois

I rarely drink Cabernet Sauvignon. I was reminded that I’ve been making a mistake of overlooking this varietal when I opened a bottle of Snowden Vineyards Brothers Vineyard 2016 last Friday. Sure, the label read 14.8% alcohol, which is much higher than the lighter Pinot Noir I love from Chambolle-Musigny or Volnay. Yet I was really impressed by the elegance and lift this bottle expressed. This is the proof that looking at the alcohol level solely to determine the intensity or power of the wine is far from enough information. The levels of acidity, sugar and tannin, even though not listed on the label, are the key factors to understand to complete the full picture. Don’t get me wrong, it is a powerful wine as it should be being a Napa Cab! But the balance was there. Is that because it is made by Diana Snowden Seysses, the wonderful lady also in charge of winemaking of Domaine Dujac in Burgundy?

Fire up the grill and get that T-Bone going like I did that night. You will be rewarded…

What's Pressoir drinking? Champagne Billecart-Salmon Brut Rosé

June 13, 2020
By Edouard Bourgeois

The art of blending not only different varietals but also vintages and grapes coming from different villages is, in Champagne, the signature process that defines the style of each Champagne house. Unlike smaller growers, these wineries have access to a large diversity of “Vins Clairs”, enabling them to create, year after year a very similar taste for a given cuvée. I find that one of the best examples of this consistency is illustrated by the famous Brut Rosé bottling of Billecart-Salmon. I have been drinking this Champagne for over a decade and despite vintage variations in the Champagne region, this Mareuil-sur-Ay based house has always been able to maintain the beautiful signature of this very elegant and fresh rosé. It’s a delicious, quaffable wine with an usual high proportion of Chardonnay compared to other Rosé Champagne. The red wine from Pinot Noir grapes that’s blended to give its color is of very high quality. I would recommend the Billecart Rosé for any occasion and there is nothing pejorative about Its “simplicity”.

News from the vineyard 6/12/20

by Edouard Bourgeois

It is a busy week for the Bordelais as they just started the Primeurs!

As you may know, in Bordeaux a ‘vente en primeur’ is the sale of a grand cru classé wine before the final product has been finalized. The wines are then matured for 18 months in barrels inside the storehouses. This tradition ties the Château to the merchant. The Château ensures that its cash flow is guaranteed and buyers can obtain a discount on the final price of the wine, which is only marketed two years later. 

It's been a rough last couple years for Bordeaux between Brexit, the Hong Kong protests and of course now, Covid-19. The global export has plummeted while, ironically, Mother Nature has been quite generous with around 660 million bottles produced on average in 2018 and 2019. Automatically today, Bordeaux is sitting on a lot of wine to sell. Although received with great enthusiasm by the press and collectors, the 2018 vintage already suffered a weak "En Primeur" campaign. 2019' campaign is not so much more flamboyant with Château Pontet-Canet setting the pace, selling its 5th growth Pauillac 68 euros a bottle, a 30% decrease from the 2018 vintage...

The pandemic obviously is not helping, forcing the Châteaux to plan a different strategy by sending samples all around the world and limiting the number of clients during tastings in their cellar.

Is it the right time to buy and drink more Bordeaux?  

What's Pressoir Drinking? Château Brane-Cantenac 1959

6/12/20
by Edouard Bourgeois

Defying time...
While Fidel Castro was taking power in Cuba and the first Barbie dolls were made, the Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot grapes in this bottle were patiently maturing under the generous sun of the Gironde during this exceptional Bordeaux vintage. Like an old and wise grandmother, this bottle was a little bit tired but still had wit and a nice story to tell. 

Interview with Mathilde Grivot

June 12, 2020
by Eléonore Lafarge

Can you give us an overview of your domaine? How long have you been working at the domaine?

Domaine J.Grivot is a family estate in Vosne-Romanée. We farm 15 hectares (37 acres) spread in 18 appellations from Vosne-Romanée, Nuits-Saint-Georges, Chambolle-Musigny and Vougeot. Regarding our work in the vineyard, we are farming sustainably all our vineyards. We make every decision according to what the plant needs and what the weather gives us.

As far as winemaking, we de-stemmed all our grapes. We love working with pinot noir. With this grape variety, we are always looking for precision, harmony, balance and freshness in our wines. We love to associate complexity, energy. We like when a wine gives you a thrill...

I started working at the domaine 10 years ago during the 2010 harvest! I have worked with my brother Hubert since that harvest and our parents, Etienne and Marielle are still helping us. Over the years, Hubert and I took more responsibilities. We added a new energy to the domaine while combining our parents’ experience. It's a very nice adventure. 

Did you make some changes in the vineyard and cellar work when you took over?

When I started working with my parents, our desire was to keep an evolution regarding the style of the wines. 

In the 90’s, my father worked on the stability of the wines as well as their ability to age and travel well. This can explain why his wines may have been a bit firm in their early years. When we taste them today, they are still young. In 1997, he focused on communication of the wines with his previous completions still in mind. At the end of the 2000’s, the new challenge was to keep the ageing ability associated with more precision, and more silky tannins while keeping the expressions from each terroir. I am thrilled to see the evolutions year after year. Wines combine freshness, precision, salinity and a graphite and juicy yet sappy side that I love!

In the vineyard, my father made many changes in the mid 80’s when he stopped using acaricides, herbicides and chemical fertilizers. After this big change and a precise monitoring of our vines, we noticed a balance in our soils, a stability in the organic acids which allows us to reach perfect skin maturity and extract more without lacking acidity. 

Do you have new projects for the domaine? 

This has been a family domaine for 6 generations, it is important to us to keep its identity. All of my family members, my parents, brother, aunts and cousins all get along. It is important that everyone remains happy in this family structure. The ones working at the domaine as well as the rest of the family. 

The domaine has had a very good reputation for many years and we continue to establish our notoriety and make the wines evolve towards what we like: freshness, sophistication, energy and resonance. 

Have you always wanted to be a winemaker? What is an evidence to take over the winery or did it take a few years to realize you wanted to be a winemaker?

I have a nice story about this! When we were 8 and 10, my brother and I decided to take over the domaine together. When we told our parents, they were touched! And we never changed our minds!

I feel lucky to have this passionating job at an amazing location with dreamy appellations! I am the 6th generation to take over the estate and I am still fascinated by the complementarity of savoir-faire of my job. 

I was lucky to make vinifications in Pomerol at Vieux Château Certan as well as Domaine Drouhin in Oregon before coming back to Vosne-Romanée. These two amazing experiences made me more open-minded and taught me to always question myself. 

What is your favorite wine? Do you have a favorite vineyard to work in? 

I am not sure I have a favorite wine. What i know is that each wine has its own personality. Among our 18 appellations, some of them are soothing, some are dynamizing. I’m typically choosing the wine I want to drink according to how my day went.

For the last few years, we have been working on long growing seasons and a better extrability. The result of this work is wine with more body and more fruit. For example, we discovered incredible quality in our Nuits-St-Georges 1er Cru “Les Pruliers” or in our Clos de Vougeot. We also found out that Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru “Les Chaumes” had a distinctive elegance and our Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru “Les Rouges” was unsuspectedly intense! 

Do you have a particularly memorable wine tasting experience ? 

A part of our vineyards belongs to my grandmother’s sister, Jacqueline Jayer. She kept wines from her winemaker’s years and she shared a bottle of Echezeaux 1947 a few years ago. 

With this complicated situation, can you still work in the vineyards and the cellar?

Covid-19 made everything more difficult. At the domaine, we adopted safety precautions. Now everyone uses their own tools and we practice social distancing in the vineyard. 

As winemakers, we are lucky to have this opportunity because Nature doesn’t wait! 2020 is an early vintage. With our team, we have been able to take care of our vineyards. We are not working in the cellar at the moment since the 2018 vintage is already bottled and the 2019 vintage is still in barrel. 

What is being done in the vineyards and the cellar right now?

The flowering is now over in all our vineyards and we are enjoying perfect weather. The vegatative cycle is harmonious but we’re three weeks early on schedule!  

Right now, we are doing what we call “relevage”. We place the vegetation in the double wire in order to guide it upright. The vine is a creeping plant that would naturally grow on the ground if we didn’t do this.

We also plow our vineyards to eliminate weeds using either a tractor or a horse.

Is it more complicated for a woman to be a winemaker?

Even though there are more and more women managing domaines, it is not easy everyday! We always have to prove that we are able to do it. 

However, I like this challenge. I have a warrior temper and associated with the finesse and feminine sensitivity, it gives great results. We are complementary with men and I think it is important to use everyone's strengths to succeed. This is what my brother and I do and it works very well.

Does climate change make it more difficult to work in the vineyards now compared to the generations before? Later frost? More hail? 

For the last few years, winters are warmer and it tends to kick off the beginning of the growing season at an earlier stage. Summers have been drier and warmer. This makes us reflect on the behavior of the vine in the face of this. What is certain is that we are getting better maturities now than in the 90’s. Since we started with my brother in 2010, we haven't had a bad vintage in 10 years ... We have had early vintages, like 2011 or late vintages like 2013 but no vintage with grapes of poor quality.

1980's Burgundy Vintage Podcast

 0:16: 1980

Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault 1er Cru Goutte d’Or
Domaine Michel Lafarge Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Chênes
Domaine Robert Chevillon Nuits-Saint-Georges 1er Cru Les Cailles
Domaine de la Romanée Conti La Tâche Grand Cru
Domaine Armand Rousseau Chambertin Grand Cru
Domaine Ponsot Clos de la Roche Grand Cru

2:13: 1981

Maison Drouhin Montrachet Grand Cru Marquis de Laguiche
Domaine Coche-Dury Meursault
Henri Jayer Echezeaux Grand Cru

4:54: 1982

Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault 1er Cru Charmes
Domaine Leflaive Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru
Domaine Ramonet Montrachet Grand Cru
Domaine de la Romanée Conti Montrachet Grand Cru
Henri Jayer Richebourg Grand Cru
Domaine de Montille Volnay 1er Cru Les Taillepieds

8:22: 1983

Domaine Vincent Dauvissat Chablis Grand Cru Les Preuses
Domaine Leflaive Chevalier Montrachet Grand Cru
Domaine Ramonet Montrachet Grand Cru
Domaine Michel Lafarge Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Chênes
Domaine Marquis d’Angerville Volnay 1er Cru Clos des Ducs
Domaine Armand Rousseau Chambertin Clos de Bèze Grand Cru

13:03: 1984

No highlighted wines.

14:25: 1985

Henri Jayer
Domaine de la Romanée-Conti 
Domaine Francois Raveneau Chablis Grand Cru Les Blanchots
Domaine Guy Roulot Meursault Tesson Clos de Mon Plaisir
Domaine Pierre Morey Meursault 1er Cru Perrières
Domaine Drouhin Beaune 1er Cru Clos des Mouches
Domaine de la Romanée Conti La Tâche Grand Cru
Henri Jayer Richebourg Grand Cru 

18:43: 1986

Domaine Francois Raveneau Chablis Grand Cru Les Clos
Domaine Ramonet Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru
Domaine Coche Dury Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
Domaine Georges Roumier Bonnes Mares Grand Cru
Domaine Jacques-Frédéric Mugnier Musigny Grand Cru
Domaine de la Romanée Conti Richebourg Grand Cru

22:13: 1987

Domaine Louis Michel Chablis Grand Cru Vaudésir
Domaine de l’Arlot Nuits Saint Georges 1er Cru Clos l’Arlot
Domaine Bonneau du Martray Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru
Domaine René Engel Clos Vougeot Grand Cru
Domaine de l’Arlot Nuits Saint Georges 1er Cru Clos des Porrets Saint Georges

25:06: 1988

Domaine François Raveneau Chablis Grand Cru Valmur
Domaine Blain Gagnard Bâtard-Montrachet  Grand Cru
Domaine Coche Dury Meursault 1er Cru Les Perrières
Domaine René Engel Grands-Echezeaux Grand Cru
Domaine Henri Jayer Echezeaux Grand Cru
Domaine Armand Rousseau Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru Clos Saint Jacques

28:05: 1989

Domaine Guy Roulot Meursault Les Luchets
Domaine des Comtes Lafon Meursault 1er Cru Genevrières
Pierre Morey Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru
Domaine Ramonet Montrachet Grand Cru
Domaine Simon Bize Savigny-les-Beaune 1er Cru Aux Guettes
Domaine de la Pousse d’Or Volnay 1er Cru Clos des 60 Ouvrées
Domaine Dujac Clos Saint-Denis Grand Cru

What's Pressoir Drinking? Champagne Taittinger, Comtes de Champagne 2007

May 28, 2020
by Edouard Bourgeois

I was really charmed by this silky and fresh Blanc de Blancs from Taittinger. This very seductive and creamy Comtes de Champagne, the prestige cuvée of the house was first released in 1952 and since then only made in the best vintages. Made only with Chardonnay from 5 Grand Crus villages of the chalky Cote des Blancs, this 2007 was aged 10 years upon release.

News from the vineyard 5/28/20

Nicolas Rossignol shows us the progress of his Volnay Taillepieds - we see here the flowers transforming into the beginnings of grapes. Henri Jayer used to say that maturity would be reached 100 days after the start of flowering, so Nicolas estimates a pick date between August 28 and September 2 at this point - another early harvest!

Interview with Clothilde Lafarge

May 27, 2020
by Eléonore Lafarge

Can you give us an overview of your domaine? How long have you been working at the domaine?

Domaine Michel Lafarge has been established in Volnay since the beginning of the 19th century. Today, it’s my parents - Frédéric and Chantal (8th generation) - and I (9th generation) who take care of the vineyard and the winemaking. 

We farm 12 hectares of vineyards based in Volnay but spread between the prestigious villages of Meursault, Pommard and Beaune.

Since 2000, all the vineyards of the domaine are biodynamically farmed. The total production is divided into 3 tiers:

One third of regional appellation: Bourgogne Aligoté, Bourgogne Pinot Noir and Bourgogne Passetoutgrain

One third of village appellation: Meursault, Volnay and Côte de Beaune Village

One third of Premier Cru appellation:

• Volnay Premier Cru Clos des Chênes

• Volnay Premier Cru Clos du Château des Ducs Monopole

• Volnay Premier Cru Les Caillerets

• Volnay Premier Cru Les Pitures

• Volnay Premier Cru Les Mitans

• Pommard Premier Cru Les Pézerolles

• Beaune Premier Cru Les Grèves

• Beaune Premier Cru Clos des Aigrots - Red and White

I started working alongside my parents in January 2018. After graduating from a Wine Marketing and Management MBA in Bordeaux, I pursued my studies in the wine world. I studied viticulture and oenology in Beaune while doing an apprenticeship at Domaine Trapet in Gevrey-Chambertin. Then, I wanted to expand my horizons, so I traveled to do a harvest at a biodynamic domain in New Zealand  called Seresin and another harvest at Lingua Franca in Oregon, to eventually come back to the family estate. All of that the same year! 2017 was a busy one for me with three harvests!

Did you make some changes in the vineyard and cellar work when you took over?

As we say in French, on ne change pas une équipe qui gagne - we don’t change a winning team!

I haven’t made big changes yet. I am still learning everyday with my father and my winemaker friends. 

My biggest personal contribution was to bring back the horse for ploughing. I chose to reintroduce this ancient practice as a baby step in the small 1er Cru parcel of Les Caillerets in Volnay. This vineyard has been farmed without any machinery for the last three years. 

I am passionate about horses and did horse riding for years, hence this decision. 

I took over a two century old estate and I think my role is not to change everything. I like the wines made by great grandfather (I had the chance to taste a few vintages), my grandfather and my father. I want to continue in the same traditions. 

Have you always wanted to be a winemaker?  Was taking over the family domain as a winemaker an obvious decision or did you have to think about it?

When I was younger, I never imagined I would take over the domaine. I grew up surrounded by vineyards and wine and I wanted to see something different. That’s why I left Burgundy for a few years only to come back! I studied in a business school. Since I was enjoying wine I made a MBA in wine. As soon as I started studying wine it became an obvious choice to come back to Burgundy and work with my family. 

What is your general winemaking philosophy?

There is no secret, a good wine starts in the vineyard!

By being careful in the vineyard, the grapes give us some love. We have our hearts set on letting the terroir express itself in our wine. For example, all of our Volnay Premier Crus taste different because of the different terroirs. They all have in common some traits of Volnay style such as the finesse and elegance. 

My grandfather started working as a winemaker in 1950. Even at that time, he refused to use any chemical in his vineyard. When my dad started working with him, he discovered biodynamic farming. Today, our 12 hectares of vineyards are farmed biodynamically. I was raised with the idea that we have to respect the land we farm. It is important for me to continue in this philosophy. 

During the vinifications, we are not really interventionist. Fermentation is done naturally with indigenous yeasts. We do a few punch downs and pump overs to get nice tannins. The elevage then lasts for 18 months in our 13th century cellar. 

What is your favorite wine? Do you have a favorite vineyard to work in? 

You can’t pick your favorite child but of course I really like Volnay Premier Cru Les Caillerets because of the work we are doing with the horse. The soil is now softer in the vineyard and these changes make me happy.

I also like Les Lombois, one of our parcels of Bourgogne Passetoutgrain that was planted with half of Pinot Noir and half of Gamay by my great grandfather 92 years ago and never pulled out since!

For the 2018 vintage, I created an unique cuvée “Anthologie” to celebrate the 90 birthday of my grandfather and the vineyard.   

Do you have a special memory of a wine you’ve tasted? 

The most memorable bottle of wine I’ve tasted was a Clos des Chênes 1928 from the domaine. This wine was made by my great grandfather, Henri Lafarge. The first time I tasted it was with my parents, my siblings and my grandfather Michel who was born in 1928!

It was an emotional moment considering the age of the wine, its ageing in our centuries old cellar and the explanations from my grandfather who was telling us about the vintage. It felt like tasting history. 

We shared this bottle at the Troisgros restaurant in Roanne. Pierre Troisgros, also born in 1928 was with us. 

Wine is meant to be shared. This experience was an amazing moment of sharing with family and friends. 

With this complicated situation, can you still work in the vineyards and the cellar?

This situation is disturbing but we are trying to adapt because nature doesn’t wait! We are able to work in the vineyard and in the cellar. But we are being very careful. We provide masks and hand sanitizer for the employees so they can stay safe. 

In April, we bottled the 2018 and we are now done with ébourgonnage in the vineyard to control the yields and help with upcoming pruning. The temperatures are very high in Burgundy this year, so the vineyard is three weeks earlier compared to last year. 

What is being done in the vineyards and the cellar right now?

Currently, we are doing the palissage to make sure the vines are growing straight and get nice sun exposure so the grapes can reach the perfect maturity before the harvest. 

We are working our soils as well. We ploughed our vineyards to get rid of weeds between the vines. 

Is it more complicated for a woman to be a winemaker?

There are more and more women in the world of wine and as winemakers today which is a great change. I actually think being a woman is an asset because we bring more precision in the wines. 

There is a nice solidarity between women in Burgundy nowadays. My friend, Camille Thiriet, created the “Mi filles, Mi raisins” tasting to promote lesser known wine appellations made by women. I am happy to be part of this group of women helping each other. 

Does climate change make it more difficult to work in the vineyards now compared to the generations before?

Climate change is bringing us new challenges and we’re trying to adapt. We have more hailstorms than before and later frost situation as well so we had to find solutions against these.

A few years ago, we would count 100 days after the flowering started to fix the harvest date. Since 2003 and its heatwave, this is no longer a rule of thumb at the domaine. Depending on the vintage, harvest can start 85 days or 120 days after flowering. The harvest date requires a lot of precision. Today, not all our vineyards reach maturity at the same time. We have to adapt by stopping the harvest for a few days. 

We must therefore help our vines cope with this climate change. We are very lucky with our grape varieties. Due to their popularity, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay are planted around the world. That proves they can adapt to a lot of environments and weather conditions.