Tasted in Bligny with Bernard Zito, 18 July 2023.

Maison Bernard Zito
Chateau de Bligny
14 Grande Rue, 21200
Bligny-lès-Beaune

Bernard Zito is one of the foremost viticulturalists in Burgundy – I first met him more than 20 years ago when he was working together with Pascal Marchand at Vougeraie/Boisset.

He is a specialist in both organic and biodynamic viticulture and consults for many domaines. In addition to his consulting rôle, he has been making wine under his own label too, starting from a base in Nuits St.Georges and more recently from the Château de Bligny where a few other producers are also based.

Bernard’s parents were from Italy – in the south, Puglia – where they came from a background of polyculture. The family moved to Lyon, Bernard’s father was working there in construction. At 17 Bernard started working in the nearby region of Beaujolais, soon (1982) enrolling at the CFPPA/Lycée Viticole in Beaune. Bernard gained more experience working with Jean Guiton and then Boisset. In 1990 he was already doing his first tests of organic viticulture.

Bernard is still working in a consulting rôle for many very important domaines – mainly in the Cote de Nuits – also as a courtier (wine/grapes middle-man), but he’s only working with domaines whose philosophy is organic or biodynamic. He started making wines for himself in 2009 – “I managed too much at Boisset – I wanted to do the things myself too.” Funnily, he’s not actually certified organic himself – “It’s administratively very complicated because I’m making here at the Château de Bligny” – but he’ll be making his wines in Chassagne from 2023 and things will probably change as he settles in.

Bernard has no vines of his own but he’s got some fermage contracts these days. For other contracts “I harvest myself and only in the mornings. I don’t cool my grapes so there’s no pre-fermentation maceration but I always retain some whole-clusters – the amount determined by the particular vintage or parcel. These whole clusters are always in the bottom of the tank with destemmed grapes on top. I pige but only the top part leaving the bottom grapes intact. Then there’s 10-15 days of cuvaison and I like to finish the fermention with the last sugar from the pressed grapes.

“I don’t like reduction and I don’t like too tannic wines. I want drinkability – but drinkability that will hold – for me, that means a minimum of 10-15 years. I have small lots so I try to avoid too much new oak. I’ve been using a little ceramic elevage in recent vintages – ecologically it’s interesting too. I use a little for both colours but not much more than 20% of my production. .”

The range consists mainly of Côte de Beaune wines but there are a few from the Côte de Nuits and even Beaujolais. His wines are mainly, 80%, exported – from about 15k bottles that are produced. Typically it’s 8-10 cuvées – of course, it was much fewer in 2021. Bernard has agents around France though, he laughs, “The most is probably sold in and around New York! For the future, I’m soon planting a couple of hectares, both colours, on the plateau above Dijon – and I’ll be hoping for the recovery of the old Côte de Dijon label – that would be nice!”

Talking about sulfur and wine styles, Bernard tells me “I like a discrete entry but a flavour that holds. I don’t use much sulfur, waiting until after the malo – but I usually don’t have to wait long for my malos… But if the grapes are less clean like in 2021 I will sulfur and I will fully destem – it depends on the year and the parcel.”

Bernard on 2023 – so far:
“I’m happy with this year – so far the volumes look good – we saw some hail of course in the Meursault to St.Aubin area – and, of course, it will be the 3 weeks before the harvest that will make the wine!”

The wines…

Some delicious wines here. I also took away a 2021 Beaujolais and it was a wonderful bottle – I ordered more! I, obviously, will have to follow much more closely!!

“The 2021s were bottled in March this year. I usually have 2 bottlings but there was so little wine in 2021 That I did only one.”

2022 St.Romain La Perrière
Vines next to those of Potel and Gilles Buisson – a part that has been historically planted to red as there is some clay in the soil here.
Finer, more airy – open and perfumed. More juicy, more structured, more stony wine – that’s got a super finishing complexity and energy. Yum!

2022 Savigny-lès-Beaune Les Connardises
‘The vigneronne here does a great job in organic and I just come to harvest!’
Broader, complex aromatics, some soil notes. This sits beautifully on the palate – with depth of flavour – open, almost fluid, creamy finishing. The nose is not quite in place today but the flavours are top – so just a nose short of great wine today!

2022 Beaune 1er Tuvilains
Very draining soil for 90-year-old vines that still make the rendement. 60% wc
There’s a little herbal green as a first impression. The herb is in the flavours too – but also playing with a joyous red fruit with a fine vibration of energy in this finish. Just a hint too much wc in this vintage – but still a delicious wine.

2021 St.Romain La Perrière
A nose that’s airy and open – like the 22. The same for the palate – open, mouth-filling, almost a minerality to this stony flavour. You can see it’s essentially the same wine as made in 22 – impressive!

2021 Savigny-lès-Beaune
Deeper, more overt and vibrant red fruit. A faint reduction, deeper darker fruit on the palate – but like the 22 also with a creaminess in the finishing intensity. Super.

2021 Beaune 1er Tuvilains
High-toned and more focused than the 22 – the same 60% wc. Supple and open, the herbacity of the 22 is invisible in this case. A very linear and fine persistence of finishing flavour – that’s super! Finishing with a chalky accent to the texture

2020 Beaune 1er Tuvilains
‘13.6° my most ripe ever here.’
More colour. A concentrated dark-red fruit. Hmm – fluidity and energy – that plays beautifully over the palate – a faint sensation of over-ripe but with cool energy at the same time – the tension between the two is the fun of this wine and it holds well too. I think my favourite is the 21 but this has tons of potential too.

2022 Marsannay Les Crais Blanc
‘Just an idea from the ceramic’
A broad and vibrant nose. A faint gas but this is open, complex and quite mineral wine – there’s a savoury side to it too. I like the explosion of finishing flavour here – this is very good – the last flavours are persistent too…