Our first winery visit in Burgundy was Naudin-Ferrand in the Hautes Côtes. I had no prior experience with the producer but Otto had talked positively of the wines and arranged the visit. We tasted a good number of 2023s including Aligotés, Hautes Cotes whites and reds, a CdN Villages and the NSG 1er Cru Les Damodes. They have both natural and more conventional wines but to me they are all super bright and unadulterated with low ABV (12.5% mostly) and great freshness to them. Claire was a really wonderful host and a kind and radiant person. I really enjoyed the old vine Aligoté (Le Clou 34) and the Damodes but would happily have almost any of their wines in my cellar.
To say a couple of words about visiting wineries in Burgundy, first of all fixing them is not that easy. We contacted maybe 30-40 and ended up visiting six in total. Many responded by saying that they either do not take visitors at all or not after February as time is already spent in the vineyards. Some didn’t respond at all and one (I think it was Gouges) offered 3-wine tasting packages for a fee. In the end we got a ”full schedule” that we were very happy with, though, and there were some late responders so there would have been potential for more.
The second aspect is the number of wines to taste. Some have plenty and some very few. The third one then is purchases and clearly it is not uncommon that there is either nothing left to sell or the winery just doesn’t do any cellar door sales.
Right away we adopted the habit of asking the vignerons for tips where to have lunch. Claire suggested we try L’Auberge du Coteau in the quiet village of Villars-Fontaine. Definitely off the beaten path, probably we would never end up there on our own. The value was quite fantastic at 21.50€ for a three course lunch menu. The quality is on point too as gazpacho, bavette and the creme brûlée were all on point. Wine list is not at all Burgundy-focused due to the beef theme and indeed we ended up with the classic Bandol from Pibarnon. The only wine on the trip that I apparently don’t have a note on, it was as expected, ie rich, structured and heady with a lot to chew on but still very enjoyable. Happy to have in the cellar but not going to open for another ten years at least.
Apparently I suck at taking photographs or alternatively I was too much into living in the moment (or the mild hangover had something to do with it) as I have nothing really to show from our visit to Domaine Dujac. Jeremy welcomed us together with a winemaking couple from Paso Robles and a guy from Australia. He explained that he loves to receive visitors but obviously has limited time for it. Yet he was in no rush, showing a bit of vineyard, talking a lot about his philosophy there and in the cellars and then offering a VERY comprehensive tasting including a number of 2023s and also many older vintages going back to 1999. I had never had a Dujac wine before but was thoroughly impressed, especially of how long-lived they are. Jeremy’s generosity and hospitality were equally impressive and I am just very grateful for the visit. One thing that Jeremy said stuck with me: ”there is usually some really wrong decision to take when it comes to the winemaking process but other than that there is a number of different right decisions to choose from. Don’t trust a winemaker who says that there is only one right way to do things.” As for the wines tasted - mostly Grands Crus - Otto obviously has a long TN for each of them so stay tuned for those and his thoughts.
After Dujac we had to rush to make it to our visit at Benoit Moreau in Chassagne. It is a brand new winery in a rather industrial area outside the town, next to PYCM and Paul Pillot. Clearly these newer operations are about practicality and efficiency, which is not hard to get, but there is not much to encourage one to take photos. Benoit has only had his own business for a number of years after the family business (Bernard Moreau et Fils) was split between him and his brother Alex. I have had some of the family wines and the stylistic difference is stark. Benoit’s wines are absolutely electric with a somewhat singular acid-driven style and minimal oak imprint. Sort of like Chablis made in Chassagne, perhaps, these also differ from neighbour PYCM’s wines. On 1er Cru level the differences between vineyards are crystal clear due to the transparent winemaking - there is the producer style but it is not overtly strong in the sense that there would be a tiresome sameness to the wines. The quality is ultra high and fans of such style should buy without hesitance. Les Grandes Ruchottes is clearly the star of the range (”my Grand Cru”, says Benoit) but also priced as such. By the way the stylistic difference with Ramonet’s version is huge, I think I prefer Benoit here. Also the reds were very nice and I reckon they could be interesting values, as Chassagne Rouge tends to be. Benoit is a super nice guy and even promised some purchases on our future visits. This is a superstar in the making, if he is already not there.
After a rather hectic agenda (2+ hours drive and three winery visits) it was time to relax and head by foot for what would be the only disappointing dinner of the trip. The original Aprés du Clocher in Pommard was a nice casual restaurant with cheap Coche and experienced staff that didn’t hesitate show some character to make the experience more personal and memorable. In my understanding the owner sold the restaurant and opened Au Fil du Clos in Meursault. It is an elegant-looking place right next to a vineyard and across the street from Roulot.
I opened the visually impressive (size, material) winelist and right away spotted a nice Champagne and a cheap Lamy-Caillat Chassagne. No soup for us, both sold out. It happens, but what ground my gears was that the somm mentioned it very matter of factly, without offering any guidance for good alternative options so we were pretty much on our own. Overall the service wasn’t very personal, it felt like the waiting stuff are working there, no enthusiasm to be sensed, which is a stark contrast to many other restaurants on our trip and my experience with the restaurant in Pommard. Anyhow the Coches were no longer values so we ended up ordering a Roulot after some debate. We picked a Champagne and Volnay as well but the vibes were off already.
- 2015 Franck Bonville Champagne Grand Cru Cuvée Les Belles Voyes - France, Champagne, Champagne Grand Cru (17.5.2025)
Deep yellow color. Rich and ripe on the nose with apple and mirabelle fruits, some autolytic notes and a vegetal hint. On the palate it has a gentle mousse and a rich, round mouthfeel. Lowish acidity but not flabby. A decent drink but a product of its vintage: ripe and not the most focused.
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A horrible experiment of trying to do something modern with escargots. An egg?? Raw cauliflower???
This was one of if not the weakest restaurant wine of our trip. As I mentioned to the somm that I would have expected quite a bit more she shrugged her shoulders and said something along the likes of ”some people really like Roulot and then there are many who don’t think much of the wines”, sort of indicating that while it’s their neighbour she is not at all a fan herself. I discussed this with a friend who is a bit of a White Burgundy fiend and he said that the recent vintages have not at all been strong for this domaine and he has completely stopped buying them. I haven’t noticed any talk of this kind here on WB and also on CT the notes seem positive for even this very wine.
- 2020 Domaine Roulot Meursault Les Luchets - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Meursault (17.5.2025)
Restrained on the nose with yellow, ripeish fruit flavors and mild oaky and buttery tones. On the palate extremely tame with low flavor intensity and weak acidity. Flabby and uninspiring but without anything that would clearly indicate it being a faulty bottle. A horrible value.
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A turning point: from here on out the food got increasingly better and this quail dish was already well cooked without much unnecessary flair. Plenty of comfortable flavor here.
- 2019 Domaine Jean-Marc / Thomas Bouley Volnay - France, Burgundy, Côte de Beaune, Volnay (17.5.2025)
The nose is ripeish as expected but not jammy or over the top. Wonderfully savory and packed with good cherry fruit. On the palate rich for a Volnay but again manages to stay balanced and civilized. While not complex it is very tasty with good drinkability.
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The signature Mousse tiède d’Époisses is what remains from the old restaurant. So hedonistic, does a lot to save what damage was done earlier.
An equally hedonistic super chocolatey dessert.
So while I would not recommend this place in a region of full of nice restaurants it was not a total disaster. Fortunately it was all uphill from here and already the next day there would be everyone’s favorite Le Soufflot waiting for us. Also there will be some photos from winery visits, thank goodness.