Seiichi Saito of Domaine Petit-Roy (Courtesy of Bowler Wine)

Joyful 2020 Burgundies from Domaine Petit-Roy

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We have written at length here over the last two years about Seiichi Saito and Domaine Petit-Roy. From the first US release with the 2018 vintage, these have been some of our favorite new Burgundies. Like a lot of producers who have emerged over the last few years, Seiichi has found a balance between individual style and respect for terroir The wines generally reflect an airy, forward style, juicy and quenching, even as each bottling shows real individual character.

Seiichi arrived in Beaune from Japan in 2006 to study viticulture. Over the next ten years, he spent time working with a string of outstanding domaines, including Jacques-Frederic Mugnier, Domaine Lefalive, Armand Rousseau and a long stint at Simon Bize. Today he is making and bottling a range of regional and village-level appellations, farming some vines himself biodynamically and purchasing others.

This past June, I had a chance to spend a bit of time with Seiichi in his tiny cellar (not much bigger than the average NYC bedroom) and taste through the 2020s. They were very much in keeping with the vintage as I experienced it everywhere. The whites have great balance and intensity. They are eminently guzzle-able now, but will improve with a few years in bottle. The reds walk a fascinating line - there is intensity of fruit but real freshness as well, magnified by the high percentages of whole cluster that Seiichi keeps in his fermentations.

In addition to the afternoon in the cellar, I also had a chance to have lunch with Seiichi and his family and it strikes me that though he may have arrived from elsewhere, he is a Burgundian at his core. He is jovial, doting on his two small and adorable daughters, and always laughing. But ask him about his wines and he answers seriously and deliberately. It's clear that he wants to make sure that his ideas and process are understood. In general it struck me that Seiichi's wines are very much like him - buoyant and good-natured but with real depth of material and intention.

Sam Ehrlich

**This is a pre-arrival offer. These will be available for pick-up or delivery early next week.**

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Petit-Roy 2020 Bourgogne Aligoté

From vines planted in 1983 and 194 in Savigny-les-Beaune 'Aux Boutieres,' with plenty of clay in the soil along with limestone. Farmed by Seiichi using biodynamics, this is the kind of  Aligoté that gets me going. The fruit profile ranges from citrus to a little touch of crisp pineapple and little floral accents. This is racy and fresh, with saline notes in the finish that leave me thinking about oysters and maybe a final lobster roll or two before the summer gasps its last breath. Sam Ehrlich

  • Out of Stock
  • white
  • 0 in stock
  • $37.99

  • Organic
  • Biodynamic

Petit-Roy 2020 Bourgogne Blanc Aux Boutieres

From Savigny-les-Beaune 'Aux Boutieres,' with plenty of clay in the soil along with limestone. Farmed by Seiichi using biodynamics. This is from the same parcel as the Aligoté. This is mid-weight, with beautiful Meyer lemon, apricot and pineapple notes, with fresh green herbal notes at the edges. The mineral component feels very familiar, coming right on the heels of the Aligoté (which comes as no surprise!) This is one of my favorite wines at the domaine-it has been consistently excellent since 2018. Sam Ehrlich

  • Out of Stock
  • white
  • 0 in stock
  • $44.99

  • Organic
  • Biodynamic

Petit-Roy 2020 Pernand-Vergelesses Blanc Les Combottes

From a terrifically steep and cold parcel tucked back in the combe behind 1er Cru Sous Fretille, this is the most linear of the whites on offer today. Bracing and mineral in its structure, this is all lemon and Key Lime, with terrific energy. For fans of Saint Romain and high-elevation Saint Aubin, those Cote d'Or whites that masquerade as Chablis! Sam Ehrlich

  • Out of Stock
  • white
  • 0 in stock
  • $67.99

  • Organic
  • Biodynamic

Petit-Roy 2020 Bourgogne Rouge Les Lormes

The vines here are located in Pommard, and are between twenty-five and thirty years old. The bunches here are often large and Seiichi always de-stems this, the only red in the line-up that does not see any whole bunch fermentation. This has lovely juicy red berry fruit and some dried cranberry notes up front with some smoky complexity and mineral grip in the mid-palate. This has more structure than in 2019 and really came to life with some time in the glass. Sam Ehrlich

  • Out of Stock
  • red
  • 0 in stock
  • $41.99

  • Organic
  • Biodynamic

Petit-Roy 2020 Hautes-Cotes de Beaune Rouge

From forty-year old vines up above Pommard that Seiichi farms himself. Fermented 100% whole cluster. This is consistently terrific, year after year. It's very silky up front, with strawberry and cherry, all spice and pepper, then narrowing in the finish with a cool stony feeling that encourages another sip. I have put a couple of these away in the past two vintage and will be doing so again with the 2020 release, as I think this wine punches way above its weight. Sam Ehrlich

  • Out of Stock
  • red
  • 0 in stock
  • $48.99

  • Organic
  • Biodynamic

Petit-Roy 2020 Aloxe-Corton Rouge

From lieu-dit Les Boutieres, the soil here is heavy with red clay. That said, there is no heaviness to this. This is incredibly fresh, with bursting crisp cherry fruit and red plum and spice from the stems. More than almost any other wine, you can really feel the benefits of the gentle treatment of the fruit in the tank. There is good grip but it is not rustic in the way that other wines from this parcel can be.

  • Out of Stock
  • red
  • 0 in stock
  • $79.99

  • Organic
  • Biodynamic

Petit-Roy 2020 Pernand-Vergelesses 1er Cru Les Fichots

From purchased grapes but farmed biodynamically, this is deep red fruit, leaning towards pomegranate and plum. The stem spice lends complexity here and the cold nature of the site keeps this feeling incredibly fine. Lovely wine. Sam Ehrlich

  • Out of Stock
  • red
  • 0 in stock
  • $74.99

  • Organic
  • Biodynamic