2019 Burgundy Vintage

The Billaud family have been producing great Chablis since 1815. Sixth generation Samuel set out on his own in 2010 and it is fair to say that after a decade, his dynamic approach and great winemaking touch have taken his Domaine from a status of Rising Star to one of the very best, established growers in the region. Samuel makes precise, elegant and terroir-true expressions of every vineyard in his care. His wines are electric and simply crackle with the tension and vibrancy which can be found in the region’s best wines. Offering scintillating wines from the refreshing, steely fresh Petit Chablis through to bold and dynamic Grand Crus, Samuel Billaud is a master of his craft, and as Neal Martin points out, “We should see him right at the top of Chablis producers alongside the likes of Raveneau and Vincent Dauvissat”. These are singular Chablis and the sheer embodiment of purity and poise.

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André and Gabrielle Tremblay harvested their first grapes in the Fourchaume vineyard in 1949. They passed on what is now Domaine des Malandes to their daughter, who in turn bequeathed the estate to her children Richard and Amandine, who are now at the helm of this excellent Domaine. The wines here shine in the 2019 vintage, and manage to combine the minerality, precision and classicality of traditional Chablis, with a touch more roundness, expression and generosity. The Premiers and Grands Crus are a beacon of quality.

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Claudie Jobard may have established her Domaine in Demigny relatively recently in 2006 (adding her grandfather’s Pommard property to her holdings in 2011), but she represents the 7th generation of the Jobard family, and with a father running a vine nursery and an oenologist mother, she has been very much steeped in the world of wine since birth. All the plant material used here come direct from their own nursery, and indeed this Domaine is a rare exception, in that Claudie has absolute control of every stage of wine production, from the vine’s seed all the way to labelling and bottling. Her experience and meticulous attention to every detail is clear to see in the glass – the resulting wines are impressively harmonious, concentrated yet with lifted aromas and a fine texture.

VIEW Domaine Claudie Jobard WINES

This 7 hectare Domaine in the small village of Verzé has been in Nicolas’ family for 4 generations, and after 70 years of them supplying the local cooperative, he has been bottling his own wines since 1999. From his state-ofthe- art winery come wines of superb purity, precision and textural weight, without a hint of heaviness; upon tasting the wines for the first time this year we were blown away and it became clear at once why top Meursault producer (with a large Domaine of his own in the Mâconnais) Dominique Lafon is a big fan - this is a super classy wine that belies its relatively humble origins.

VIEW Nicolas Maillet WINES

Olivier Lamy runs what is widely considered the finest estate in Saint-Aubin, and indeed one of the finest in the Côte d’Or. The wines here frequently put to shame Puligny or Chassagne at twice the price. Clearly one of Burgundy’s greatest talents, Olivier’s overriding pursuit of excellence in the vineyard, and 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, and in scintillating form once again.

VIEW Domaine Hubert Lamy WINES

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

VIEW Domaine Jacques Carillon WINES

A truly brilliant winemaking force and a winemaker very dear to the heart of Mr.Wheeler; 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 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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Domaine Boyer-Martenot is run by Vincent Boyer who recently inherited the running of the famous Meursault Domaine from his father Yves. Thanks to his drive, enthusiasm, investment and talent, the wines are now reaching dizzying new heights. Vincent has enhanced the estate’s elegance by picking earlier than his father, using concrete eggs for the ageing and lengthening that part of the process from 12 months to 24. Vincent is now making wines that have greater acidity, brilliant minerality, length and ageing potential. This is an estate to watch!

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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 in 2019 where concentration meets with backbone and guile in the Volnay commune. He remembers his first ever visit to the UK back in 1999 where he spent some time staying with Richard Wheeler (Johnny’s father, sadly passed away last year), memorable not least for the friendly dispute regarding the relative merits of local Mersea native Oysters versus their French counterparts! Benjamin’s Volnay 1er Cru Les Mitans reflects the greatest attributes of this excellent vintage. Density, richness and structure are all to the fore in a cuvée which gets better with every passing vintage.

VIEW Benjamin Leroux WINES

One of the very finest producers in all of Burgundy, Domaine du Comte Armand is approaching its 200th anniversary very much at the top of its game. After Pascal Marchant from 1985 to 1998, Benjamin Leroux from 1999 to 2013, Paul Zinetti is the third highly talented winemaker at the helm of this grand estate, and he is producing wines of rare depth, purity and character. The monumental Clos des Epeneaux, for a long time the only wine produced here, still gives the best Grands Crus a run for their money, but just as impressive is the unbeatable value delivered by the Auxey-Duresses cuvées and the delicacy and perfume of the Volnays. You can’t go wrong at this address.

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An exciting new addition to our offer last year, and continuing on good form in 2019, Domaine Du Pavillon is located south of Pommard in the Côte de Beaune. They practice organic viticulture with an ongoing respect for the complex equilibrium found in nature. The winery was modernized in 2016, allowing the vinification of more of the Côte de Beaune’s star single vineyard wines. From the 2018 vintage, all the wines from the estate bear the certified “organic wine” label.

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Domaine Tollot-Beaut has sat modestly in the centre of Chorey-lès-Beaune since it was created by the Tollot family in the 1930s. Holding around 28 hectares of vines throughout the region, the estate boasts ownership within some of Burgundy’s most famed terroirs and produces delicious wines from humble Bourgogne through to Grand Cru. Nathalie Tollot, who runs the property, is a most welcoming host and her wines are certainly amongst the most consistent in Burgundy. A release that we know so well, Nathalie’s Chorey-lès-Beaune, illuminates our offer this vintage. Unquestionably one of the best value wines of the Cote d’Or with every passing vintage, the generosity offered by 2019 allied to the fine structure and sappy red fruit flavours that Nathalie’s Chorey is so well known for combine brilliantly this vintage. This is a must-buy!

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Officially recognised as organic from the 2018 vintage, Domaine du Clos Frantin is the star estate within the wider Maison Albert Bichot Group. The Domaine holds an exceptional range of Grand Cru and Premier Cru sites in the Côte de Nuits and in recent years, a reduction in yields, carefully judged extraction and prudent wholebunch fermentation means that the wines now compete against those from some of the very best producers in Burgundy, whilst remaining fantastically well-priced. Mr.Wheeler is delighted to have secured a small allocation of a range of dizzying Premier and Grand Cru cuvées in 2019 and as such, an early indication of interest is highly recommended.

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Frédéric 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, purity of fruit and elegance partnering the trademark Magnien richness and depth, with subtle use of new oak. Under any normal circumstances these are burgundies to make you sit up and take notice, but in the 2019 vintage this is especially true!

VIEW Domaine Michel Magnien WINES

Florence Heresztyn and her Champenois husband Simon Mazzini lead Domaine Heresztyn-Mazzini, one of the most progressive, terroir-true of all Gevrey- Chambertin growers. A relative newcomer in Burgundian terms, the estate has delighted the Mr.Wheeler tasting team across numerous vintages, with 2019 the latest to enthral and excite. Most of the estate’s wines are made along biodynamic principles, with partial whole-bunch fermentation which has once again produced wines of notable perfume, richness, texture and depth of fruit. The generosity but equally, tight-lipped restraint and crunch of their Gevrey Chambertin cuvées is utterly beguiling and from the estates’ Morey St Denis and Grand Cru Clos St Denis parcels can be found wines the equal of any grower in the region. Simply, these are wines you are certain to fall in love with and we cannot recommend them highly enough.

VIEW Domaine Heresztyn-Mazzini WINES

A new find for Mr.Wheeler in the 2018 vintage and one we are pleased to follow since then; Domaine Livera is widely considered the “next Burgundian star” tellingly both by consumers of their exceptional wines together with their winemaking contemporaries. The Livera family have been settled on the Domaine for almost 100 years, but Damien, who has been in charge for 13 years now, has taken the wines to a different level altogether. His style is 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 an up-and-coming address and very much one to watch.

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From his modest winery hidden off the beaten track in the little village of Arcenant in the Hautes Côtes de Nuits, Aurélien Verdet crafts wines of astonishing purity and precision. A highly talented young winemaker whose following is growing steadily every year, Aurélien is no exception to the adage that “Great wine is created in the vineyard”. Indeed, he lavishes great care and attention on his 5.5 ha of vines, which he farms organically to produce fruit of superb quality. The winemaking is then all about respecting that fruit to bring the terroir through, which he does with great aplomb. A rising star to watch!

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