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The famous cross overlooking Romanée-Conti
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The Burgundy region of France has been producing what are widely considered to be the world’s finest Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays for nearly a thousand years. Burgundy is a relatively small area (only about 13,500 acres of vines in Burgundy’s Côte d’Or, as opposed to Bordeaux’s 235,000 acres or California’s 515,000.) Oregon is nearly identical in size to Burgundy with about 13,700 vineyard acres planted.
As in Oregon, most of the winegrowers and producers in Burgundy are small, family operations. The average estate size is about 18 acres – enough to produce about 2,500 cases of wine each year. Those 18 acres are often split into 10 or more tiny parcels of vineyards scattered around several different vineyards and villages – so production of each wine is often only a few hundred cases or less.
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The vineyards of Puligny-Montrachet |
There are about 3,000 growers/producers in Burgundy now, and only roughly 350 of them export to the United States. Some of the producers in the Scott Paul Selections Portfolio are being presented in the U.S. for the first time. Others are established stars. The common denominator is this: Each of our producers is focused solely on quality. Nothing else really matters. Some farm their vineyards biodynamically, almost all are organic. Their methods, traditions, and villages vary, but in each case the goals are the same – the highest quality possible from the individual terroirs (the specific vineyards.)
As with the wines I produce under the Scott Paul label in Oregon, I believe Burgundian Pinot Noir and Chardonnay is at its best when it expresses grace, elegance, complexity of aromas & purity of flavors – and when it prizes these qualities over power, weight and heavy extraction. As we’ve come to learn from the Burgundians over the centuries, it all boils down to these essentials: old vines, low yields, micro-managed care in the vineyard, and the barest minimum of intervention in the winery. Our mission is that every producer and each wine we represent should be a shining example of the above.
The legendary vineyards of
Romanée-Conti |
While it can seem quite complicated, even perplexing at times, in reality Burgundy is fairly simple to decipher.
- Red = Pinot Noir . If it’s a red wine from Burgundy, it is made from the Pinot Noir grape. (Beaujolais, while technically part of the Burgundy region, is truly a different world altogether. Beaujolais reds are made from the Gamay grape.)
- White = Chardonnay . If it’s a white wine from Burgundy, it’s a Chardonnay. (again, there are minor exceptions you’ll rarely see – there’s a white grape known as Aligoté that produces some very inexpensive, lower-level wines – but it will not come into play in anything we’re discussing here.)
Unlike America, France has legal classifications for their wines. In Burgundy, the actual vineyards themselves, rather than the producer or wines, are given a level of classification. There are four levels:
- Grand Cru – The best of the best. There are 30 Grand Cru vineyards in Burgundy’s Côte d’Or, accounting for less than 2% of all Burgundy wine production. Grand Cru wines mention on the label only the name of the vineyard – as in “Montrachet” or “Musigny” – the name of the village is not deemed necessary in the case of these great vineyards.
- Premier Cru – One notch below the Grand Crus – there are hundreds at this level, and the quality varies widely. The best Premiers rival the Grand Crus, the lesser ones seem barely deserving of the ranking. These makeup about 10% of total production. A Premier Cru wine will mention the name of the village and the vineyard on the label, as in “Pommard-Rugiens” or “Vosne-Romanée – Les Suchots”, and will also nearly always bear the mark “Premier Cru” or “1er Cru”.
- Village – Grapes for a village wine come from one or many vineyards surrounding a specific Burgundian village, for example Vosne-Romanée or Puligny-Montrachet. These are classified below the 1er Cru level, but can often be lovely wines and great values. Village wines are about 40% of the total pie. The label will simply state the name of the village (although in some cases the name of a specific vineyard will also be mentioned, even though it is not of Premier Cru status.)
- Regional ( Bourgogne) – Roughly half of all Burgundy vineyards are classified at the regional level. In the hands of dedicated and talented producers these can be lovely wines. In the hands of others they can be thin, weedy, and rather unpleasant. These wines are labeled as Bourgone Rouge or Bourgogne Blanc, or Bourgogne Pinot Noir or Bourgogne Chardonnay.
The Grand Cru vineyard of Musigny |
Most of the vineyards in Burgundy are owned by multiple owners – as many as 70 or 80 in some cases. (In the rare cases that a single producer owns the entirety of a specific vineyard, this is designated as a “Monopole.”) This means that each winery may own only a few rows of the vineyard, and will make only a few barrels of that specific wine each year (but they are likely to own small pieces of several other vineyards as well.) So, not all wines from the same vineyard are created equal. The quality can vary widely from producer to producer. In Burgundy, the most important consideration is in fact the producer. Get to know the styles of different producers, and zero in on the ones you like best. They will likely give you the most enjoyment year in and year out regardless of the classification level.
To download our complete portolio, including tasting notes and reviews by esteemed Burgundy critic Allen Meadows/Burghound.com – click here.
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Cô te de Nuits - Villages- Les Vignottes |
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Romanée Saint-Vivant Grand Cru
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Chambolle-Musigny |
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Chambolle-Musigny 1er |
Alain Meunier
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One of Burgundy’s most highly-regarded estates, the 20 acres of Domaine Jean-Jacques Confuron is now controlled by Sophie Meunier-Confuron and her husband Alain Meunier, who work together as a team in the vineyards and the cellar. They took over from Sophie’s father in 1988, and converted all parcels to organic viticulture in 1990. The wines are brilliant examples of the concept of “power without weight”, with great depth of flavors wrapped up in refinement and elegance. Their Romanée-Saint Vivant is a reference standard for one of the most refined of all Grand Crus.
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Rotem Brakir & Mounir Saouma
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This micro-producer is based in the heart of Burgundy, the magnificent jewel-box village of Beaune. The team of Mounir Saouma and Rotem Brakir produces over 20 different wines in miniscule quantities – generally only one or two barrels of each – with nearly a dozen of the top Grand Crus including Richebourg, Romanée-St.Vivant,Chambertin Clos de Beze and Bonnes Mares in their arsenal. Their wines routinely score in the hi-90s – in fact 14 out of 20 reviewed were over 94 pts. in the latest Steve Tanzer report.
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René Leclerc, Scott Wright,
& François Leclerc in Gevrey
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The always outspoken and iconoclastic René Leclerc – a true character, flowing white mane and all - took over his half of the family domaine in 1976, and now exploits 29 acres with his son François. The vines average 50-80 years old. Their wines are the epitome of grace and elegance, understated yet very concentrated and pure. The loveliest range of Gevreys I’ve ever had the pleasure to taste. In 2005, as in 2003, they chose to use zero new oak, the 2004’s saw 15%-20%. |
Nicole Lamarche in the cellar in Vosne-Romanée
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Old-school harvest in La Grand Rue
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Proprietors of formidable holdings in Vosne-Romanée (four 1er Crus and four Grand Crus), including the Grand Cru Monopole “La Grande Rue”. These wines are dense and well balanced, and bottled without fining or filtration. Lamarche has been making significant improvements each vintage, fine tuning their vines and cellar techniques. These wines don’t smack you over the head – they sneak up on you and THEN they blow you away. |
Romain & Jean Taupenot
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At nearly 30 acres, Domaine Taupenot-Merme is a rather large estate by Burgundian standards. The roots of the family estate go back to the 1760, and today’s superb vineyard holdings in Gevrey-Chambertin, Morey-St. Denis and Chambolle Musigny were united by the marriage of two winemaking families three generations ago. Now in the hands of 41 year-old Romain Taupenot and his sister Virginie, 36, they are the 7 th generation to continue the family tradition. All farming is organic, and the winemaking is traditional and pure.
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The Sigauts in their vineyards in
Chambolle-Musigny
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The Sigauts have been passionately but quietly making gorgeous wines in the tiny village of Chambolle-Musigny. The secret is out and the quiet is about to be a thing of the past. The estate totals 17 acres, including spectacular old-vine parcels of Chambolle 1er Crus Les Fuées, Les Sentiers and Noirots – many of which are plowed by horse.
Hervé follows the lunar calendar for most activities in the vineyard and cellar, and prefers to touch the wine as little as possible during élévage. The winemaking facility was re-built in 2004, with a sorting table, all stainless-steel fermentation tanks, and full temperature control. New oak is kept to a maximum of 40%. The wines are thoroughbred examples of the magnificent terroirs of Chambolle-Musigny. |
Jean-Marc Millot
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The winery and cellars are in ancient Nuits St.-Georges, and Jean-Marc Millot’s 17 acres of vineyard holdings are concentrated in the prestigious villages of Vosne-Romanée, Vougeot, and Flagey-Echezeaux. Jean-Marc took over the domaine in 1990, but has had most of the Grand Cru sites since only 1998 (his wife was an heir to the old Louis Gouroux domaine.) His wines are the epitome of elegance, purity, and understatement, with a beautiful sense of finesse, harmony and overall balance.
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Thiébault Huber
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The spirited and dashing Thiébault Huber farms his 16 acres completely biodynamically. A former sommelier, Thiébault at 36 is now crafting some of the most exciting wines to come out of the Côte de Beaune. Many are picking him to be Burgundy’s next break-out star. His wines are ours exclusively for the U.S.
“The young and very talented Thiébault Huber, who is something of a protégé of Jean-Pierre Charlot (of Domaine Jospeh Voillot), is from Alsace and is a former sommelier. 1994 was his first harvest in Burgundy as he started with only 3 ha but now exploits 6.5 in 11 different appellations. He started farming biodynamically in 2002 and since 2005, he’s converted 100% of his vineyards to this philosophy. The Huber-Verdereau wines are by far the most interesting discovery I made on this trip and I highly recommend them to you. As the scores and comments suggest, they’re well worth investigating.” Allen Meadows, Burghound.com – April 2006 |
The Bouley Family
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| Pascal and his wife Réyane run this 27 acre estate with style and grace, and it shows in their wines. Reperesenting the 6 th generation of the family, their young son Pierrick has now joined the team, beginning with the 2005 harvest. The vines are very old, the wines are pure Volnay. They age exceptionally well, revealing layers of aromas and flavors that are intoxicating and seductive. |
Thierry Violot in his cellar in Pommard
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A true character in every sense of the word, Thierry Violot sports a wild, bushy, walrus mustache that belies the understated elegance in his luscious wines. Where most others find aggressive tannins, Thierry finds the finesse. You will not find Pommards like this at any other address – an exquisite balance between power and grace. Stunning wines that are ours exclusively for the U.S.
“I have been singing the praises of Thierry Violot for several vintages and the quality of his 2004s is so good that I once again offer my unqualified enthusiasm for the wines.” Allen Meadows – Burghound.com – April 2006
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Aleth Girardin |
Gates at the entrance to
Les Epenots in Pommard |
We are proud to bring the wines of Madame Aleth Girardin back into the U.S. – the last vintage she exported here was 1993. A previous importer reportedly pushed her to use more new oak – and she decided she’d rather stop exporting than change her ways. We love her wines just the way they are. Unadulterated, ripe and lush, these are the most feminine and juicy Pommards you are ever likely to taste. As far back as her family can be traced, they have been making wine in Pommard – too many generations to count. Average vine age here is 60+ years – the parcels of Epenots and Rugiens were planted in 1906! We are honored to represent these wines exclusively for America.
“I have long been an admirer and collector of the wines of Aleth Girardin since the 1990 vintage and bought quite a number of her stunning ‘93s. Her wines have been absent from the US market however for some years. This is the kind of domaine that will appeal greatly to Burghound readers, and I encourage you to take a close look.” Allen Meadows, Burghound.com – April 2006
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Monsieur Michel Buisson
in his cellar
in Meursault
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| This tiny 12 acre domaine is run by Michel Buisson, with his daughter Catherine and son-in-law Patrick Essa, the 4 th generation to exploit these gorgeous holdings in Meursault. Vines are over 100 years old in some parcels. The wines are concentrated, classic, rich, and long. Production is miniscule – a scant two-to-three barrels of some of the 1er Crus in most years. |
Graziella & Philippe Chavy
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| The fruit from these beautifully situated vineyards was sold to the negociant Bouchard Père et Fils for many years. Upon the retirement of his father a few years back, young Philippe Chavy took back the fruit and started making the wines himself. He has really come into his own in the last two years, and the wines are racy, intense, and quite thrilling. We are proud to represent them exclusively for the U.S. |
Fredéric Gueguen in his vineyards in Chablis
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Young Frédéric Gueguen is the son-in-law of Chablis star Jean-Marc Brocard, and he started his own domaine in 2005. He was fortunate to be able to purchase a collection of superbly situated old-vine parcels, with lovely pieces of village-level Chablis as well as the 1er Crus Côte de Lechet, Fourchaume, and the rarely seen l’Homme Mort.
Frédéric makes his wines at the Brocard facility in the village of Chablis. As is traditional in Chablis, the wines are fermented and aged 100% in stainless steel - he uses absolutely no oak whatsoever. The wines are totally pure expressions of the unique and magnificent terroirs of Chablis. |
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The Scott Paul Selections portfolio of wines is also available for tasting and purchase
at our new Tasting Room & Retail shop in Carlton, Oregon
128 S. Pine St. (Rt. 47) – just across from the new Scott Paul Winery.
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