Burgundy 2017

Early January is always an exciting time in the UK wine trade, the highlight of which is most certainly the release of Burgundy’s latest vintage. Coinciding as it does with our exhaustive tastings across growers and ranges, it is an industrious time for the Mr.Wheeler team as we busily add the final touches our own hand selected offer.

Hot on the heels of 2015’s exuberance and irresistible charm followed by 2016’s elegance and classical refinement, comes the vintage that Burgundian vignerons had been hoping for – 2017...

READ OUR 2017 BURGUNDY OVERVIEW

Domaine Séguinot-Bordet can trace its history back to 1590, although the winery, now run by Jean-Francois Bordet, is anything but dated. The wines are made in a well-equipped modern winery, with vinification taking place in stainless steel vats. The domaine’s vineyards occupy some of Chablis’ most prime sites, and following 3-5 months ‘lees ageing’, the wines have a wonderful luscious and pristine style.

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One of the most consistently brilliant addresses in Chassagne-Montrachet, Domaine Jean-Marc Pillot is one of the very best sources of fine Burgundy. Whilst his reds clearly demonstrate why Chassagne first established its reputation as a red wine commune, Jean-Marc’s whites are seductive and richly textured with superb precision, opened aromatics and flawless balance. From the modest Santenay and St Romain to the exalted Chevalier-Montrachet, there is also something to suit all budgets – only one thing is certain: we all need one (or three) of Jean-Marc’s wines in our Burgundy selection.

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Olivier Lamy runs what is widely considered THE best estate in Saint-Aubin. The wines here are of the quality of Olivier’s neighbours in Puligny-Montrachet at a fraction of the price. We were absolutely delighted to welcome the last 3 vintages from Lamy back to our portfolio – and the 2017s are looking exceptional. Clearly one of Burgundy’s greatest talents, Olivier’s overriding pursuit of purity and definition in each and every cuvée yields wines of scintillating freshness, brilliant terroir expression and superb age worthiness. A Domaine to follow year in, year out.

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We have been visiting the Carillon cellars in Puligny for many, many years, and this is undeniably one of the very greatest domaines in the village. These are classic, ‘grown-up’ burgundies, exhibiting a unique fusion of mineral linearity and supreme tension. Up there alongside the greatest winemakers in the world, Jacques’ wines speak so clearly of their unique terroir and so eloquently of their ‘place’. “I admire the precision and terroir expression in Jacques’ wines, pure and fizzing with energy. They come highly recommended” Neal Martin, Vinous.com

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At the helm of the family estate since 2000, Henri Darnat and his wife Marion manage their vineyards, including family Monopole (and smallest 1er Cru in Meursault) Clos Richemont with the utmost care, following the principles of organic viticulture. The proportion of old vines means that they can leave the fruit on the vine a bit longer without losing too much acidity, so the style of the estate is one of rich, seductive and opulent whites with excellent balance and harmony.

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Benjamin has been a good friend of ours since his days at Comte Armand, and his powerful, impressive winemaking style shines through this vintage. Recalling his first ever visit to the UK back in 1999 during our recent tastings, Benjamin spent some time reminiscing about his stay with Richard Wheeler, not least for the friendly dispute regarding the relative merits of local Mersea Oysters versus their French counterparts! As for the wines, Benjamin’s Volnay 1er Cru Les Mitans is rapidly becoming a must-have from our offer, the 2017 perhaps his greatest expression of this famous terroir to date.

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One of Savigny’s oldest domaines, originally founded in 1529. Jean-Jacques has been producing wine here as the sole proprietor since 1998, and with significant recent investment in the cellar and winery, is producing outstanding wines. With his long experience of viticulture, Jean-Jacques firmly believes that the best wines are made in the vineyard and thus focuses his efforts on optimising the quality and health of the grapes themselves. This effort is reflected in his delightfully supple, elegant and classic wines.

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Yves Confuron’s family have been making wine in Burgundy since the 17th Century. Based in Vosne-Romanée, the Confurons are undoubtedly a ‘big name’ in the region, and even have a clone of pinot noir named after them – ‘Pint Confuron’.

The style here is deep, dark and substantial – whole-bunch fermentation is used, vineyards are farmed organically and use of oak is careful. Late picking is common practice here, producing wines of great ripeness and texture. These are substantial offerings, with serious ageing potential.

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Fréderic Magnien is the fifth generation to run this biodynamic family estate in Morey-Saint-Denis. This is one of the finest estates in the region with wines of extraordinary aroma, fruit and elegance partnering the trademark Magnien richness and depth, with subtle use of new oak. These are burgundies to make you sit up and take notice.

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Nicholas and David Rossignol make some of Burgundy’s most sumptuous, exotic, complex and exciting pinot noir. Based in Gevrey-Chambertin, their wines offer great depth, concentration and exude a wealth of character. Always true to their terroir, these wines are stylish, accessible and beautifully made across the range.

We are thrilled to have secured an allocation of Nicolas and David’s splendid and highly sought-after 2017s, with their rich, pure and refreshing fruit flavours and extraordinary depth and texture. The sheer confidence in the glass and the fine balance between luscious fruit concentration and scintillating tension simply electrified Rossignol-Trapet’s wines – they are truly a joy. Star wines from the vintage include the Gevrey-Chambertin Vielles Vignes, 1er Cru Beaune Teurons, and rare Grand Cru Chapelle-Chambertin, all of which were simply breath-taking.

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An exciting addition to our range – often the best way to find the “next star” is word of mouth from local winemakers and serious Burgundy collectors who regularly visit the region. So when Domaine des Tilleuls (now known as Domaine Livera) came up in conversations in twice in the same week, we thought we’d better pay attention. The Livera family have been settled on the Domaine for almost 100 years, but Damien, who has been in charge for 12 years now, has taken the wines to a different level altogether, with his style one of purity, precision of fruit and impressive depth, quite reminiscent of the wines produced by Arnaud Mortet (who is a close friend and advisor). This is very much an up-and-coming address to watch closely.

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The arrival of a new vintage from one of our most popular producers is always a time of great anticipation and excitement. And having just tasted the new vintage the excitement was fully justified. The quality of the 2017 vintage shines through here, somewhere between 2015 and 2016 in style - with some of the ripeness and texture of the former, and the citrus freshness and class of the latter.

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