Tasted in Aloxe-Corton with Fiona and Michael Ragg, 14 November 2018.

Domaine Mischief and Mayhem
Rue Du Chapitre
21420 Aloxe-Corton
Tel: 00 33 380 26 46 35
www.mischiefandmayhem.com

Long-term readers of Burgundy Report will need little introduction to this label – but it’s also a while since I visited – and the astute might also notice that the label has indeed changed a little in the last years, or at least some of the labels, because this is now also a domaine!

Mischief & Mayhem achieved the ‘status’ of domaine way back in 2012 with the purchase of a small plot in Aloxe-Corton, close to their house, called Les Caillettes. Because they had previously, bought wine in barrel for their négoce company, this meant that available buildings adjacent to their house needed updating so that they could serve as a cuverie. One year later came another vineyard – this time in Savigny-lès-Beaune and a 1er Cru too, in the form of Aux Gravains. The most recent addition was more of jump – it came in 2015 in the form of some Puligny-Montrachet 1er Les Referts.

Fiona and Michael have farming contracts on 3 plots of vines, plus another 3 that are owned. All work is done on managed plots via local labour but for the owned plots they do everything. Of-course as the number of plots grows then their cuverie in Aloxe has obviously needed to further updated to keep pace.

The wines…

Forging their own way with very elegant, medium-bodied 2017 reds – except for the chutzpah and power of their two great cuvées of Beaujolais! The whites in this vintage are both delicious and relatively powerful things. Nice…

Fiona also has a Bourgogne, Meursault and a Puligny but all were just bottled so she’s not showing them.

2017 Bourgogne Aligoté
Biodynamic care in the vines, from Côte Chalonnaise near Givry. In tank to be bottled in December. 2/5 was barrel elevage
A nice faintly saline width of aroma. Bright, direct, a mineral freshness – a wine with zip – not quite lean but plenty of drive.

2017 Pernand-Vergelesses
From Au Belles Filles, all old wood elevage
A much deeper, bigger nose, quite mineral. Silky, lovely line, growing in intensity. Becoming layered in the finish. Lovely sucrosity in the finish – really delicious wine.

2017 Puligny-Montrachet 1er Referts
All organic.
Ooh a big powerful nose – plenty of oak – very aromatic. Supple, a little bead of reductive fireworks aroma – slowly turning more barrel-influenced. Then comes a lovely, wide, wave of finishing flavour – very yum!

Les rouges:

2017 Aloxe-Corton Le Caillettes
Maybe for bottling in the first months of 2019
Modest colour. A pretty and aromatic nose – 20% whole clusters contributing. Open, easy but very delicious pinot flavour. Not full-bodied or hyper concentrated – more rosé style but unquestionably delicious…

2017 Côte de Nuits Villages
All tank vinification then elevage in older barrels. All biodynamic, destemmed.
Deeper colour. Very perfumed – floral. Also a very perfumed flavour profile. Open, more structure, a touch of salinity. Ooh, this is delicious again but in a very different style.

2017 Savigny-lès-Beaune Bas Liards
Biodynamic, plenty of whole clusters – tank vinified. Contract fruit purchase but help with picking.
Very aromatic from the whole clusters – not a bit herbal – quite floral. Round, starting very silky, growing a little tannin but never of concern. Another absolutely delicious – light style but with some depth of concentration too. Excellent.

2017 Gevrey-Chambertin En Champs
Much more colour. Hmm, this has lots of florals – it’s a very attractive nose. Fuller, sleeker, beautiful texture followed by fine waves of finishing flavour almost a crème brûlée suggestion in the middle despite all old wood. Such an elegant style to all these wines.

2017 Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er au Gravains
A little firework reduction on the nose – just an accent. Very gassy, but an open and fresh personality. Easy red fruit that’s very tasty. Certainly less ready than the Gevrey – indeed all the other reds. Fine and mouth-watering in the finish – the best showing part right now and a little mineral and floral here.

2017 Brouilly
The first vintage for this was 2016 – ‘it was our secret project – nothing’s been released yet. Quite old vines, bought as juice – made with half whole bunch, the elevage here in Aloxe. We think of the Brouilly as a wine that you can drink young and the Côte as one to leave a few years in the cellar. All barrel elevage but old barrels.’
Great colour vs the pinots of-course. Hmm, this has a lovely nose, relatively floral not cliché Beaujolais. Hmm, lithe direct, layered and fresh, a certain mineral salinity. Hmm (again) a fresh and quite exciting finish. I like very much!