Tasted in Gevrey-Chambertin with Jean Luc Burguet, 10 December 2020.

Domaine Alain Burguet et Fils
18 Rue de l’Église
21220 Gevrey-Chambertin
Tel: +33 3 80 34 36 35

Wines from here have long had an important following but until very recently I found the cuvées too oaky for my own palate/cellar.

My most recent tastings in the Roi Chambertin have shown something more attractive to me and suggested that a change was afoot – and also I had the harvest-time 2001 Mes Favourites with a Tastevinage label – and this was light in colour but a really super wine. So, given that there was no Roi CHabertin tasting at the end of 2020, I decided it was time to visit the domaine:

This is a 10-hectare domaine in Gevrey-Chambertin, begun from scratch by Alain Burguet, “Started in 1974 – from nothing,” says Jean Luc Burguet, who continues, “He started working the evenings and weekends in addition to his day-job. Friends gave some land en-fermage which he could eventually buy.” The domaine is named after their father, but today it is run by sons Jean-Luc Burguet, who started working at the domaine in 1997 and his brother Eric who followed him into the family domaine in 1999. I note that some of the most recent bottles are bearing the names of the sons.

Jean Luc explains that the domaine has been, in effect, raisonné in the vineyards for 40 years, and organic for the last 20 of those. “We triage three times, starting in the vines, on a vibrating table that’s 4-metres long, then we destem and make another triage of the destemmed grapes on a second table. We also use very little sulfur at this early stage of operations.”

The wines…

It’s true that the wines here are still generously oaked – but I instinctively feel that the oak is better integrated when young versus 10 or more years ago – as recent vintages of the young Mes Favourites has shown. What is also clear, is that if you have a longer-term perspective, 10-years or more down the line, these are very tasty wines that no-longer show their eleavge.

The Bourgogne is bottled but the rest will be done only after 16-18 months of elevage – the 2018 Mes Favourites was done in May for instance:

2019 Gevrey-Chambertin Symphonie
An assembly of 4 different climats, lots of stones in all these vineyards. 45-year-old vines on average – ‘mineral terroirs in the cone de dejection’
Round, an oaked but sweetly attractive, nose. About 30% average new oak for this wine. Round, supple and layered finishing. Very easy to appreciate.

2019 Gevrey-Chambertin Mes Favourites
An assembly of old vines averaging 75-years-old but on heavier clay soils.
A little extra depth of aroma, growing width too – beautifully textured, layered and very fine. The oak is much less visible but this is from a 1-year-old barrel – 40% new used here – the finish is fine-textured and long.

2019 Vosne-Romanée
A cuvée here since 2002 – bought-in grapes, choosing date and harvesting self. It’s from Les Rouges du Dessus but from the villages part
Thats a nicely spiced nose, complex and attractive, some rose perfume but destemmed. Extra drive and direction vs the Gevreys, a base of tannin but hardly a grain, and no dryness – the finish wider, open, and completely delicious. Super villages.

2019 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Lavaux St.Jacques
19 a small vintage volume so just new oak for this one.
A big punchy nose, clearly plenty of barrel here – the spiced, slightly smoky type. Nicely direct – I like the shape of this wine – the amplitude of flavour too – very oaky of course – give this at least 5 years. Strong finishing too.

2019 Vosne-Romanée 1er Les Rouges du Dessus
A forward, high toned nose, growing red-fruited depth. Airy, fine, no grain to this tannin, long, very delicious and complex. Excellent wine of persistence too.

2019 Chambertin Clos de Bèze
A bit more oak toast, width and complexity too. A more composed nose than the Vosne. In the mouth here is wine thats very open and shows excellent energy – almost a dynamism to the flavour here – much potential.