Chantal Lescure 2020 Bourgogne Blanc La Rente Giron

Chantal Lescure, along with De Villaine and a few others, have begun a project to rejuvenate the coteaux around Dijon, known for great quality Burgundies up until the late 19th century. With organic farming, Francois Chaveriat of Chantal Lescure aims to bring the soils back to life to honor these superb marnes blanche terroirs.  On a famous parcel formerly called "Le Bas des Marcs d'Or"  at 340 meters in altitude, the parcel is now called "La Rente Giron" (sorry, don't know why) and  was considered equal to Meursault from the 14th to the 19th centuries. The vines here are quite young and there isn't quite the mineral spine that these wines will have as the site ages, but it is quite delicious, with juicy and exuberant citrus and pear fruit and a bit of spiciness, almost like white pepper. The acidity is ample and adds plenty of  freshness as the wine arrives at a snappy finish. Sam Ehrlich

Chantal Lescure 2018 Côte de Beaune "Grande Châtelaine"

About a kilometer or two northwest of the Beaune 1er Crus, La Grande Châtelaine is superb parcel on a cooler south-facing slope with thin soils of clay over limestone. The wine undergoes a long, slow fermentation in used barriques, and is aged sur-lie without battonage for 15 months. Showing a pale gold in the glass, the nose initially reveals aromas of lemon curd, green apples and pears and stony minerality. As it opens and warms up in the glass, honeydew and hints of vanilla come to the fore. Bright acidity,  citrus and minerality dominate the palate with an underpinning of judicious oak notes. Long and lean like a marathoner, the finish goes on for miles. An exquisite seafood wine. Giselle Hamburg

Chantal Lescure 2019 Côte de Beaune Clos des Topes Bizot Blanc

"Le Clos des Topes Bizot" is a unique spot, high on the slope in Beaune just above the 1er Cru "L'Ecu," facing east, in a terroir of clay and pebbles over limestone. Harvested by hand into small crates, slow fermentation (4 to 8 months) with wild yeasts, 15 month élevage in barrel without battonage, 10% new. Showing a brilliant gold in the glass, the nose is redolent of baked golden  apples, hay and white oak. The palate offers up apples, lemon curd, white oak and rocks with a hint of white pepper. Fuller bodied yet taut with high acid, structured, underpinned by vein of stony minerality with a long, persistent finish. Extremely elegant and balanced. For lovers of higher priced appellations such as Meursault and Puligny Montrachet for a fraction of the price. Pair with roasted white meats and  shellfish such as scallops or lobster in a beurre blanc sauce. Giselle Hamburg

Chantal Lescure 2019 Meursault

The Chantal Lescure Meursault is from a tiny parcel called "les Pellands" on deep sandy clay soils over limestone  below "Charmes Dessous." The wine is fermented and aged in barrel with no batonnage. This is a nice example of '19 Meursault,  quite buoyant and full with lemon pith, apricot and white peach, and a bit of South Indian spice in the mid-palate. The finish is stony and cool and there is very good length. This is lovely right now and will be even better as it settles into itself in a year or two. Sam Ehrlich

Chantal Lescure 2018 Bourgogne Passetoutgrains

I'm a sucker for Passetoutgrains and this one is a corker, especially for twenty dollars.  50% destemmed fruit and no sulphur until bottling. According to Virginie at the domaine, the Gamay is especially vibrant in this vintage, adding plenty of freshness. The nose is very pretty, teetering between strawberry and cherry, with a touch of red plum. Despite the warmth of '18, on the palate this wine is lithe, juicy rather than heavy. There is the telltale note of cracked pepper at the back end, emblematic of Gamay on limestone. I drank this with matzoh ball soup but honestly you could have it with anything. Sam Ehrlich

Chantal Lescure 2019 Bourgogne Rouge Les Verduns

The Chantal Lescure Bourgogne Rouge "Les Verduns" is from 45 year-old vines on a soil of "marnes blanches"  in this unusual southwest-facing parcel at the top of the slope adjacent to Pommard "Les Vignots." Vinification is 100% with whole-clusters giving a firm structure to this very classy Bourgogne Rouge. No SO2 added during vinification, small amount added before bottling, minimal extraction, aged in old barrels for 14 months. The wine shows elegant high-toned  quite floral aromas of earthy Morello cherry and strawberry with hints of spice, mint and rose petal. The palate is earthy and mineral with saline acidity underlying ripe wild strawberry and red currant fruit. The finish is long and sappy, dominated by mineral and red currant  flavors that linger on the palate. This is not a fruit bomb, but is a very satisfying red Burgundy that will benefit from many hours of aeration or cellaring for 5 to 8  years.

Chantal Lescure 2019 Côte de Beaune Clos des Topes Bizot Rouge

"Le Clos des Topes Bizot" is a unique spot with vines planted in 1960,  high on the slope in Beaune just above the 1er Cru "L'Ecu," facing east, in a terroir of clay and pebbles over limestone. The grapes from this high elevation vineyard are harvested late and undergo a short pre-fermentation maceration, aging is in two and three year-old barrels. This is a wine for tonight if I've ever seen one, tasty and accessible. There is a considerable amount of red fruit here, ripe raspberry and confit cherries and the overall weight of the wine at opening is quite fullish, with the barest touch of wood spice. However the wine firms up a lot with some air - the fruit tapers back and the acid structure becomes much more prominent, with some stoniness poking its head out. This is quite satisfying and while it will likely improve in the bottle, I would find trouble waiting. Sam Ehrlich

Chantal Lescure 2019 Volnay

The Chantal Lescure Volnay is from 50+ year-old vines on sandy clay soils over limestone. There is a long, slow fermentation with wild yeasts in cuve inox followed by 18 months in barrel, approximately 20% of which are new (500L), bottled without fining or filtration. The wine shows a deep red/garnet color with black cherry, blackberry and red currant aromas, quite floral and elegant with complex hints of earth,  brown spice and tea. With aeration, the palate shows a velvety, chalky texture backed by firm acidity with complex black fruits, mint, bitter chocolate and earth that continue in the long, sappy finish. This is a lovely "village" Volnay that is delicious, if a bit intense in its youth - decant if drinking now, this will really sing in three to five years and until 2035.

Chantal Lescure 2019 Chambolle-Musigny Les Mombies

 The lieu-dit "Les Mombies" has limestone clay soils washed down from higher on the slope, the vines average 40 years of age. The vinification is in tronconic wooden vats, aging is for 18 months in 30% new barrels, the wine is bottled unfined and unfiltered. On the nose, the wine is dense with rich aromas  of cocoa and ripe black cherry. Hints of healthy earth and black pepper and violets add enticing complexity. Dark flavors of  plum and blackberry are supported by the zing of fresh bitter greens and an  excellent mineral core. Lovely, powerful acidity balance this Pinot's surprisingly concentrated structure. A great wine, brimming with energy, that tastes complete today but will definitely gain layers over the next decade. David Hatzopoulos! 

Chantal Lescure 2019 Nuits-Saint-Georges

The Chantal Lescure Nuits-Saint-Georges is assembled from three parcels at the foot of the slope near Vosne-Romanée, averaging 30 years old on sandy clay over limestone. This is quite approachable now, with an appealing nose of raspberry and ripe strawberry fruit, accented by smoky and gamey notes - a real meat over an open flame vibe. On the palate there is more red fruit, along with musky sandalwood-y tones and a bit of savory saltiness that is a reminder how close to Vosne these vines are. The finish is mineral-driven, with a river stone bitterness that I like. A very nice village wine and good value. Sam Ehrlich

Chantal Lescure 2019 Nuits-Saint-Georges Les Damodes

From the village portion of Les Damodes on the Vosne side of Nuits St. Georges, at 320 metres, on a slab of hard pink limestone with shallow clay soils. Long-time organic farming, minimal use of SO2. 30% new barrels by Francis Miquel. Chantal-Lescure is a domaine blessed with a range of crus—all farmed organically, thank you—and imbued with more energy than mass in my experience. And what Burgundy! Les Damodes is a village level lieu-dit that sits astride the 1er Cru of the same name on the Vosne side of Nuits-St-Georges, so things are more perfumed and high-toned than backwards and foreboding. The robe is a dark ruby inching toward purple-hued. The nose is more plummy and boysenberry and violet inflected than red-fruited and crunchy. There are some exotic spicebox and blood orange zest aromas that vie with deep soil notes for attention, as well as a whisper of sweet barrel character. The palate is concentrated—not extracted—and offers a pebbly, firmness that is balanced by the ripe fruit. A young wine, the acidity and still-resolving tannic structure bode well for medium to just-shy-of longer term aging. Lovely with loads of upside for the patient. Dynamite for village wine and pleasurable in current iterations. Well worth seeking out. John McIlwain

Chantal Lescure 2018 Beaune 1er Cru Les Chouacheux

From a 1.5 hectare parcel of 50+ year-old massale selection vines on clay/limestone soils rich in iron, in this excellent 1er cru vineyard at the foot of the slope in Beaune. (Near Pommard and below "Les Vignes Franches" and the "Clos des Mouches") 2018 is a great vintage for the Chantal Lescure "Chouacheux" which  shows very floral aromas of ripe, fresh red and black fruits, with hints of brown spice, citrus zest and earth. There is ripe, sappy, chalky fruit on the palate which is silky and elegant with raspberry, red currant and cherry fruit, really lovely and very long - backed by firm acidity and the ever-present core of minerality found in the Chantal Lescure wines. Quite delicious now, this beautiful Chouacheux is highly recommended and should be best 2024 - 2035+.  David Lillie

Chantal Lescure 2018 Pommard Les Vignots

From south-facing vines situated on the right hill of Pommard, on the Beaune side, in a terroir of marnes blanches. These 35 year-old vines grow in high elevation, about 330 meters above sea-level. The grapes are hand harvested and undergo a long, slow fermentation in stainless steel tanks, punched-down and vatted for 18-25 days. The wine ages in a cold cellar on lees in barrels, 30% of which are new. Medium dark ruby, verging on purple robe. The nose offers attractive aromas of plum skin, violets, loamy earth, and a whisper of cocoa nib. The palate is ripe as befits the solar vintage, but there’s nothing hot or roasted about this—black and blue fruits, a bit of chalk, and spice. The tannins are firm but ripe and there’s fine acidity for the vintage and good succulence to the finish. This has fine brio and length and dodges the torrid nature of the vintage with plenty of energy rather than weight. Pommard of pretty persuasion. John McIlwain

Chantal Lescure 2019 Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru Les Suchots

Nestled in between Richebourg and Romanée-Saint-Vivant and Echezeaux, Les Suchots is a premier cru break in the line of grands cru that runs from La Tache to Mazis-Chambertin, this is likely due to the small dip in the hillside that makes the climat cooler. But what a premier cru! ("the best terroir for Pinot Noir in the world" says Francois Chaveriat...) Rarely do we get a chance to open something this grand anymore. The color is quite deep, though stopping short of inky. On night one, the nose here showed crushed red and black cherry, with a tiny hint of reduction that actually adds character and complexity, a certain funk that one wants in Burgundy. There is more of that ripe dark fruit on the palate but what stands out is the savory saltiness, reminiscent of soy and five spice. It marks the wine immediately as Vosne and a lovely example at that. As I drank it I craved char siu and Peking Duck. On night two it tightened up  a bit, less showy but a bit finer and more elegant as well and no less grand.  Suchots is a special site and this is a terrific example that will develop into something brilliant. Sam Ehrlich