2017 & 2019 Burgundies from Coudray-Bizot
6/28/2024
I live in New Jersey, and I'm not ashamed of this. Having grown up in the East Village of Manhattan in the 80s and 90s, and after living most of my life in New York City, I now live in the Garden State. What I gained in fresher air and more space (I'm not kidding! There are green pastures past the smoke stacks and cranes we see across the river from Tribeca), I have sacrificed in a commute that is at best smooth and timely and at worst one of the most vexatious tests of the human psyche I have ever endured. What does this have to do with well-aged Burgundy? Well, last week, after a commute home that was far from ideal, lasting over 3 hours due to cancelled trains at Penn Station and pandemonium at the aging Port Authority Bus terminal, I had the great pleasure of running into my friends from Bonhomie Wine Imports in the parking lot of Ristorante da Benito (arguably the best Italian restaurant in NJ with plenty of deep cuts for Italian and French wine aficionados). I was easily convinced to take a moment and taste the 2017 Vosne-Romanée from an under the radar traditional Burgundy estate named Coudray-Bizot. I knew the wines, as Chambers Street alumn John McIlwain generously shared some bottles with the staff during his CSW years, and they always impressed me with their elegance and finesse. It turns out this is in great part due to their choice to release wines when they are drinking well, often holding vintages back for several years before release.
Case in point, we offer today a lineup of wines from the 2017 vintage, which were just released by the estate. If the Vosne-Romanée was any indicator of the quality of these wines and their openness, then I would happily vouch for every red. I admittedly have much less of a grasp on 2017 white Burgundies (as they do have one Puligny-Montrachet from estate vines), but in an article that includes me revealing that I live in New Jersey, I don't fear any shaming for how little I know about white Burgundy vintages! I did taste the 2019 Meursault that we are offering and it was pristine and balanced, clearly aged on the lees without excessive batonnage, a wine that was also open for business but should age well for another 5-10 years.
Any lover or admirer of Burgundy will likely know by now that the 2017 vintage is drinking beautifully, NOW. Though these wines could be aged a bit longer, they in a perfect spot, with lovely red fruit, integrated and delicate tannins. We advise you to pick out one or two (or more) and enjoy them in the moment. The vintages that succeeded 2017 may need a great deal more time in your cellar or Eurocave before they are at their peak, so take this opportunity while your other Burgundies slowly evolve!
-Eben Lillie
Stéphanie Pouzin-Coudray & Jean-Jacques Coudray-Bizot
What follows below is the "press-release" from Bonhome Wine Imports on the wines we are offering today:
"One of the highlights of the year for us at Bonhomie is our annual offering of exceptional Burgundy from Domaine Coudray-Bizot. Offerings from this legendary estate are always special as it is one of the few estates in the Côte d’Or that holds wines for release until they believe they are ready to drink. The domaine’s parcels have been in the family since the early 1800s, situated in incredible terroirs. The Echézeaux Grand Cru ‘En Orveaux’ sits just to the south of Le Musigny, just west of Clos de Vougeot. The Vosne Romanée ‘La Croix Rameau’ is surrounded on three sides by Romanée St Vivant. The Puligny-Montrachet 1er cru ‘Les Combettes’ abuts Meursault 1er cru ‘Les Charmes-Dessus’ to its north. You get the point: this is top-flight Burgundy from the terroirs that collectors thirstily hunt for.
The weather showed a lot of contrast throughout the 2017 vintage. A cold winter followed by much fluctuation in the Spring, some hot episodes, but an overall cooler summer. Rain was sufficient and vines did not struggle from dryness, harvest temperatures were ideal. In general, 2017 was possibly a bit overlooked on earlier releases, but over time the experience of the wines are lovely and characterized with aromatic expression and a balanced and elegant palate.
We are pleased to share again this year a Meursault bottling from the negotiant project began in 2018. Because of the exceedingly low volumes of Puligny they can make, Jean-Jacques and Stéphanie wanted to offer another white wine. The fruit for this rich and delicious wine comes from two small plots just below the village of Meursault."
-Bonhomie Wine Imports
