No other region is as synonymous with the concept of terroir, a wine’s sense of place, as Burgundy. This narrow stretch of land which separates central France from the Jura and the Alps has produced fine wines since the days of the Roman occupation, though the region first attained prestige under the rule of Charlemagne. Nearly 1300 years ago, the Frankish emperor encouraged local monasteries to propagate wine grapes throughout the region, and over hundreds of years the “modern” vineyards of Burgundy began to take shape. The monks’ system of classifying vineyards based on terroir (village wines, Premier Cru, and Grand Cru) would be adapted in many forms throughout the Old World. It is no exaggeration to say that much of the modern wine world owes a great debt to Burgundy!
Over the past 40 years, the wines of Burgundy have experienced a global resurgence, largely due to a string of quality vintages and improvement of winemaking techniques. Also playing a major role is the now-widespread use of organic and biodynamic viticulture, which has improved the vine and soil health of the region, resulting in higher quality fruit. While the wines of the region have seemingly never been better, the obvious trade-off is increased demand, resulting in skyrocketing prices for many producers in Burgundy. Although this phenomenon affected only the high-end “cult wineries” at first, the heavy frosts and low yields present in the 2020-2021 vintages compounded this problem, making many Burgundian wines expensive at best and, more often than not, virtually inaccessible.
As a cooler climate region prone to frosts and high humidity, Burgundy is more susceptible to vintage variation than regions such as the Bordeaux or the Rhône. However, the good news is that the 2022 and 2023 vintages have provided some respite, being warmer and drier with higher yields in the vineyards. As a result, we are seeing increased volume and prices have come down a bit. This month, we will showcase a few offerings from the dynamite 2023 vintage, both produced by the Comtes de Saint-Martin négociant project.
A négociant is a winery which purchases fruit from multiple wine growers and blends them together, producing wines under their own label. Keep in mind that most Burgundy in the 20th century was actually made in this manner, allowing growers without on-site winemaking facilities to be paid fairly for their work. In this case, Comtes de Saint-Martin works with a handful of producers from Chablis in the far north to the great appellations of the Côte d’Or in order to produce quality, terroir-driven burgundy. Overseeing the winemaking is none other than Arnaud Baillot, whom European Reserve club members may recognize for his spectacular Volnay which was featured last year. Arnaud is something of a favorite here at Tim’s Wine Market, and these two wines represent the excellent quality and value a good négociant wine brings to the table, particularly when a talented winemaker is in the driver’s seat.
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