Tasted with Luc Bourgogne in Meloisey, 14 March 2022.
Domaine Bourgogne-Devaux
2 Chemin de Mavilly
21190 Meloisey
Tel: +33 3 80 26 04 02
www.domaine-bourgogne-devaux.com/
A tiny, 2.75 hectare, domaine but one with a long history. Today, run by two brothers – Luc and Fabrice Bourgogne-Devaux – the domaine dating back to 1899 and their great-grandfather, Théodore Devaux.
It was Théodore’s son, Alexandre Devaux who took over the business with his wife Marie-Louise, in 1946. During the 1960s, they enlarged their holdings with the purchase of a few plots in Pommard, even exporting some wine. Their daughter, Sylvie Bourgogne-Devaux, took over the running of the winery in 1986 though after the death of her father, in 2005, she chose to sell the domaine’s grapes to the négoce.
I met and tasted with Luc Bourgogne during the evening because he works full-time elsewhere. His brother Fabrice, is also a winemaker at the Hospices de Beaune. Luc and Fabrice officially founded the Domaine Bourgogne-Devaux in 2015, though vinified their first cuvée together in 2012 and the whole production in 2014. Their vines are split, with just over 2 hectares in the Haute Côtes (de Beaune) and the rest in Pommard. They no longer sell grapes and about half the domaine’s production (of around 20k bottles) is exported.
Luc Bourgogne on his 2020s and the 2021 vintage:
“The 2020s are all now in bottle – and for not much more than a month. The half-harvest that we got in 2021, not quite. This low volume was principally due to the frost rather than maladies, the parcels delivering between 15 and 40 hl/ha. Fortunately, we had a good vintage volume in 2020 and unlike the 2019s – which went through a difficult phase in elevage – our 2020s have always tasted really well.”
The wines…
Such is the quality of the two vintages shown here that it is too easy to forget that we are talking about (mainly) Bourgognes – bravo wines here. Simply a brilliant range of 2020s and 2019s – lucky you if you can find them.
2020 Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Beaune Pussey
A new parcel for the domaine – this their first harvest from these young vines
Hmm, generous and fresh, a little confiture and a lot of aromatic invitation – growing more perfumed. Round, lots of mouth-filling flavour – but with energy too. Finishing open vibrant and not a little mineral in the finish too. Simply delicious…
2020 Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Beaune La Dalignère
This wider, less deep – there’s more emphasis on the mineral side and freshness. Supple, easy over the palate – less overt fruit yet still plenty. Slightly structural finishing but great here – less generous wine but more exciting wine – have a few months patience with this, it will be excellent…
2020 Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Beaune Clos de la Perrière
More airy but deep too – elegantly aromatic and subtle – very good. Structural but with no hard edges – layered, spiced, some extra tannin but extra finishing perfume too. Long. Keep this a while though it’s very drinkable today…
2020 Pommard
This the assembly of Riottes and Croix Blanches plus a little En Beoufs
A much fresher nose, less open but with a very attractive purity of fruit here. Hmm, thats mouth-filling but beautifully open red fruit, accented almost to whole-clusters (yes there is a little). Whilst there’s no overt tannin, there are some nice finishing bitters. Super wine and compellingly delicious…
The last vintage (for a while) as the vines were over 100-years-old and had to be replaced.
A very different nose, a slightly roast but still attractively red and growing more and more perfumed. Direct, ultra-silky – a wine with proper structure but no hard edges. Wide, slightly contemplative but really very fine, and certainly excellent… Quite floral bitters in the finish but never any dryness from the tannin. Bravo villages…
2020 Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Beaune Le Clous (Bas)
Lots of colour. Spiced, high toned florals. I love the combination of openness and silk that slowly turns to a velour texture. Darker fruit here, not quite licorice accents but close. A small strictness and a width of faintly tannic flavour – almost bitters. That’s a compelling wine with fine freshness…
Two different elevages – different barrels – not really different parcels – just the top row and bottom row of the barrels! There’s no change in the label for these, it’s just a case of who (which markets) will get which.
A little extra width to this nose – extra depth to this flavour too. I would think from a more gifted place – florals on the mix too. For ‘Bourgogne,’ practically all of these are great – but this is extra! There are named Gevrey villages that would have to be on their mettle to match or improve on this.
And for the road:
A lovely nose – not fully open yet open and of scale – a fine purity to this fruit too. Mouth-filling, airy but concentrated, with the great fluidity and texture of this vintage. Bravo!
2019 Pommard Vignots
Faintly spiced freshness – almost pepper-accented. Super silky again, extra depth of flavour. Mouth-wrapping flavour that’s beautifully textured – even finer textured than the Clous – I still think I have a modest preference for the previous but, paraphrasing, the old saying; ‘I would climb over this to get to the other!
2019 Pommard
Fine, airy, perfumed. Wide and with energy – concentrated yet fresh – another face but what a beautiful face. Concentrated but energetic, a little more of the structure showing, but never hard or wild. Super.
Less colour – similar perfume but more shy. A super combination of concentrated red fruit but with fluidity and fine texture. A gorgeous wine, bravo!
2019 Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Beaune La Dalignère
A little more forward and extra depth to this red fruit. Supple, mouth-filling easier wine but no less delicious, the structure is evident but a little softer. Simply delicious wine. Modest extra structure in the finish too.