Walk this way! (Courtesy of John McIlwain)

A Trio of Cracking 2020 White Burgundies

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The white Burgundies of the heralded 2020 vintage continue to trickle in. If you are curious why there has been so much chatter and praise surrounding them then you couldn't do much better than starting her with the brilliant Saint Romains of Henri and Gilles Buisson. These are just electric wines and not to be missed.

The Buissons have been ensconced in St. Romain for hundreds of years but the domaine dates back to just after the Second World War. Farmed organically by their father starting in the 1970s, today they hold EcoCert certification - no small feat in a hamlet as cold and tucked away as this. They have just shy of twenty hectares today and produce a range of St. Romains as definitive as one is likely to find. 

St. Romain (Courtesy of John McIlwain)

St. Romain itself sits high in the hills just to the west of Meursault. When I lived in Beaune, I used to ride my bike there quite regularly. Heading south, I would turn right toward Auxey-Duresses and I could always feel a slight change in the temperature as the road wound slowly upward - even in the height of summer. St. Romain has traditionally been considered second-tier terroir due to both its isolation and the fact that the cooler clime meant later ripening vines and wines that could feel thin or austere. But like some other appellations with the same reputation, in the era of climate change St. Romain is experiencing a renaissance. In recent vintages, Buisson has produced some truly outstanding wines, both red and white, in vintages that have been considered tricky at best. 

Today we are offering three single-vineyard wines today and tasted in tandem they are a model lesson in terroir. These are intensely mineral, and with terrific acidity and structure that should allow for 5-10 years of improvement in the cellar. You may find it difficult not drinking them now though - these are truly delicious wines. 

****This is a pre-arrival offer. Wines will be in stock and available for pick-up and/or delivery early next week.*****

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Buisson, Henri & Gilles 2018 St. Romain Rouge Sous la Roche

From 60-year old vines planted in limestone-rich soils. When I tasted this with the team, John piped up immediately, "Whoa, that smells like Burgundy." While this might seem on its face like the very least one could ask, it is in fact a high compliment. And this wine smells like BURGUNDY. There are the classic red and blue-ish fruit notes, the bright lively acidity and suave fine tannins. But more importantly there was such a sense of soil in the wine - not just the coolness of the limestone, but a dark earthiness reminiscent of a forest full of damp leaves, rotting wood and living things. Delicious now or can be easily held in a cellar for ten to fifteen years, with space for improvement. Sam Ehrlich

  • Out of Stock
  • red
  • 0 in stock
  • $59.99

  • Organic
  • Biodynamic