Burgundy (Red)

This outstanding 14.5 hectare estate is run by Pascal Lachaux and his son Charles. Charles has increasing influence over the winemaking, and since the 2012 vintage there has been a greater use of whole bunch pressing (in preference to 100% de-stemming).  Father and son make a brilliant team, and the position of this domaine among the greats of the Côte de Nuits is assured.

Bouchard Père et Fils is the largest vineyard owner of the Côte d'Or, with truly spectacular holdings in the Côte de Nuits and, more particularly, in the Côte de Beaune - where almost all the greatest sites are represented, all the way up to Chevalier and Montrachet.  The firm was founded in 1731, and has had its headquarters in the Château de Beaune, with its magnificent 15th centuray cellars, since 1820.  In 1995 the Bouchards were bought out by Joseph Henriot, whose family has been long-established in Champagne.  The house benefitted from much needed investment in the years which followed - some 30 additional hectares of vineyards were bought and, in 2005, the ultra modern winery came into operation, giving Philippe Prost and his winemaking team all they need to make some of Burgundy's finest wines.

This outstanding domaine, producing among the very finest white wines of the Côte d’Or, is run by Céline Fontaine with the still very much active involvement of her parents Richard and Laurence – particularly since the birth of her daughter Lison on 2^nd July 2014.  Demand for these wines has become enormously strong in recent vintages, and production of the Grands Crus in particular is always very limited. The domaine produces wines of exceptional richness, finesse, and kaleidoscopic mineral complexity. While Fontaine's stellar reputation is based primarily on the immense quality of his whites, the domaine also produces very lovely reds, which are not only beautifully pure expressions of Pinot Noir but also very attractively priced.

More information can be found on the domaine's website: http://www.domaine-fontaine-gagnard.com/

Since the death of the wonderful Jacques Gagnard in July 2009, this domaine has been run by his widow Marie-Josèphe (daughter of Edmond Delagrange) and their grandson Marc-Antonin Blain.  Over the last fifteen years or so, most of the vineyards have been handed on to their two daughters (Laurence, married to Richard Fontaine; and Claudine, married to Jean-Marc Blain).  However, the domaine continues to produce outstanding, long-lived wines from the approximately 3 hectares it retains.  These include a 1er Cru red Chassagne from vines planted in 1928, the year of Jacques' birth.

One of the greatest domaines of the Côte de Nuits, the Groffiers (Robert, retired but still undertaking some of the vineyard work, his son Serge and grandson Nicolas) are producing some of the most sought-after wines of Burgundy.  Although only about 7 hectares, the domaine boasts the largest holding of Chambolle’s greatest 1er Cru vineyard, Les Amoureuses, as well as a number of other very fine appellations. At the lower end of the appellation scale, the village (Gevrey) and regional (Bourgognes) wines are of absolutely outstanding quality.  It is unusual for being in the village of Morey St Denis, but of owning no vines of the village.  The Groffiers' wines are consistently outstanding, and rightly highly prized.

Charles van Canneyt, grandson of Alain Hudelot, runs this famous estate, with the very able assistance of Vincent Mugnier, who has been at the domaine since March 2005.  Most of the vineyards come from the family of Alain's wife, née Noëllat, and while Alain remains a force to be reckoned with, so too does Madame Hudelot whose outward charm surely conceals an inner determination.  Charles has however clearly been given full support in making a number of improvements to the vineyards since the 2008 harvest, and it is clear that under such dynamic leadership, the future of this great estate looks extremely bright.

Jean-Marc runs this fine estate with his wife Christine.  They operate out of lovely old cellars in Nuits St Georges and work assiduously to produce pure, soft, mesmerising Burgundies with the accent firmly on the quality of the aromas and the fruit.  The wines are very highly regarded.

The Moutons are in Poncey, one of the small satellite villages of Givry in the Côte Chalonnaise, where Gérard Mouton has now been joined by his son Laurent who has taken over day to day managment of the domaine.  They have 9 hectares of Pinot Noir which include 4 different Premier Cru sites, as well as 1 hectare of Chardonnay.  The wines are aged in oak for 12 to 18 months prior to bottling, and represent some of the finest wines of this appellation, once known for providing the favoured wine of King Henry IV of France.  More information on the domaine can be found on their website: http://www.domainemouton.com

This 7.3 hectare domaine with its old cellars in the centre of Volnay was founded by Gaston Poulleau.  Gaston’s son Michel carried on his father’s work, expanding the vineyards when he married Jacqueline, whose family owned vines in Aloxe, Chorey and Corton Charlemagne.  Today it is Michel and Jacqueline’s son Thierry who runs the domaine, with the help of his wife Florence.  This is a classic small Burgundian domaine – owned and run with real dedication by its founding family.

Hervé and Anne Sigaut run this 7 hectare domaine based in Chambolle Musigny where the Sigaut family built its cellars in 1847. Their approach combines the best of tradition, tempered with judicious modernity – some of the vines are worked by horse, others (where the terrain is more appropriate) by tractor; much of the treatment is carried out according to bio-dynamic principles; vinification is carried out in temperature-controlled, stainless steel tanks.  Use of new wood is kept to a maximum of 1/3^rd.