Two Stars - Producteur des tres grande qualite (one of only 25 in Cote de Beaune) Le Classment 2009
Notes:
Chandon de Briailles is an important 13-hectare domaine with Grand Cru Corton vineyards, some Corton Charlemagne, Aloxe Corton premier cru, and some highly impressive Pernand Vergelesses premier cru and Savigny premier cru. It is owned by Comte Aymar and Nadine de Nicolaÿ, Nadine’s daughter Claude is in charge of winemaking, together with their cellarmaster Jean-Claude (Kojak) Bouveret, while her brother Francois is in charge of the vineyards. As Clive Coates says in his Côte d'Or; “Progress has been impressive here over the last decade, and this is now a prime source for Ile de Vergelesses and a clutch of Cortons.” The domaine has been organic since 1988, went completely biodynamic a few years ago and they have also now introduced horse ploughing to the top sites to eliminate compaction. Over the past few years, this Domaine has attained another level in quality and quite a different style. In Burgundy it has long been considered one of the reference domaines but it is now even better. Now there is more flesh and more seductiveness. But remember, Cortons need time (!) whereas the Savigny and Pernand Vergelesses, although they can age well, are typically delicious from the get-go. The key to understanding Chandon de Briailles wines is to know that Claude de Nicolaÿ and cellar-master Kojak are not about making blockbusters. What they seek is elegance, structure and style, and wines that will age very well. Whole bunch fermentation is typical in the reds while no new oak is used. These are outstanding value Burgundy of great purity, style and value. In Burgundy, where they don’t mind waiting for wines to mature, Chandon de Briailles has long been considered one of the reference Estates. It is now even better. Beautifully tended, biodynamic vineyards deliver pin point ripeness, no new oak means that the individual climats can express themselves loudly, and the whole bunch approach ensures a classicism and age worthiness beyond dispute. When you consider the prices, the quality, the viticulture, and the distinctively traditional ‘style’ of the wines, they are undisputed bargains.
Pernand's five Pinot 1er Crus are all south of the village, on both sides of the Beaune road, close to the Corton hill. Historically, Pernand chose to suffix the name of its best red wine vineyard,... read more
This south facing vineyard is considered one of Savigny's finest. The name is taken from the clay layers or laves that make up the soil structure. 2009 yielded in a tiny crop (23 hl/ha) of intense,... read more
Having recently tasted a bottle at a wine dinner, we found this 2006 to be marvelously on song. We have a mere five dozen available. Imbued with the succulence of perfectly ripe and poised... read more
"A ripe if not especially elegant nose that offers an attractive complexity to the red and blue pinot fruit, earth and slightly animale aromas that precede supple, round and naturally sweet... read more
"As is usually the case, this is the most elegant of the three Corton grands crus, displaying a beguiling, fresh, airy and layered nose of stone, red berry fruit and a subtle hint of the... read more
"Very tight and reserved, indeed this is presently almost completely inexpressive aromatically and the flavors are supple and even a bit light though they offer good punch and plenty of authority.... read more
Corton Blanc is an extremely rare wine as most Corton, outside of "Charlemagne", is rouge. This comes from a .25 ha parcel, 80% of which is planted in the climat of Bressandes with the remainder... read more
"This is completely, even radically, different from the prior two wines as the aromatic profile runs to mild exoticism with a much more pronounced sense of earth and underbrush on the riperead more
"Slightly exotic notes of melon, mango, pear and an interesting hint of straw lead to robust, borderline rustic, masculine flavors underpinned by a bone dry, racy, intense finish. The recent mise... read more
"A big, rich and powerful nose merges into fresh and naturally sweet, muscular and punchy flavors of impressive size and weight if not necessarily great elegance. This will make fans of power happy... read more