alain billard’s 2009 beaune 1er aigrots

11.2.2016billn

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Not so much a tasting note, as an appreciation note!

As part of this month’s Volnay project (all the producers in the village!) I met with Alain Billard who lives and vinifies in Volnay, but his ‘tasting/selling’ room is actually the other side of the hill in Monthelie.

Like all the producers I’ve visited, I’ve tried to concentrate on their Volnay wines, even if they do have Rugiens! After tasting his excellent Volnays Alain suggested something ‘a little older’ and asked me what – I stumped him by suggesting the Beaune, his vines neighbour those of Lafarge. It turns out he has very little stock but found this bottle – I thought it excellent. Indeed I thought it so good I said I’d buy it for my evening apero – he refused cash and pushed the bottle into my eager hands.

I decided to run before dinner and apero – it was a modest 50 minutes up and around the ‘mountain’ of Beaune. As I walked the last 400m to my apartment (so being moderately less sweaty on arrival) I met a friend and asked them – ‘fancy a coffee – or a wine?‘ 45 minutes later there was no more wine – that’s all you need to know – a really super wine from a lovely, unheralded producer. Yum!

Agree? Disagree? Anything you'd like to add?

There are 2 responses to “alain billard’s 2009 beaune 1er aigrots”

  1. Mike Beltran11th February 2016 at 4:37 pmPermalinkReply

    Do you know who now runs the former Pothier-Rieusset estate vineyards?? He had a rather large cellar of older vintage wines that were perfectly cellared and made.

    • billn11th February 2016 at 4:45 pmPermalinkReply

      Pothier-Rieusset was a Pommard domaine, not Volnay 😉
      Domaine Fernad & Laurent Pillot is it’s new resting place. Laurent’s wife Marie-Anne inherited half of Pothier-Rieusset, and Laurent and his father have now bought the other half, I believe. As for the cellar of old wines – I don’t know if they came with the estate. Hope that helps.

  2. Marko de Morey11th February 2016 at 9:49 pmPermalinkReply

    Monthelie is an interesting, unheralded source is it not as I found out last September. Keen to go back & explore a bit more if post 2016 vendange free time allows. Might be loosely compared, for me, as akin to a Cote de Beaune equivalent to the Cote de Nuits Fixin ?

    • billn12th February 2016 at 9:56 amPermalinkReply

      Hi Mark – for me there are certain Monthelie (depends on producer – eg Lafon) that are really Volnay quality and personality. but yes, as note with a certain lesser volume in the direction of a Hautes/Côtes de Beaune – but a good one 😉

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