Domaine Alain Burguet

Alain Burguet has been making terrific wines in Gevrey Chambertin for nearly thirty years, during which time his techniques have evolved. He left school in 1964 to work in the vines and made his first vintage under his own name in 1972. Alain is approximately two barrels tall by one barrel wide, and his muscular physique could be seen in the wines he made in the 1980s, where the tannins were occasionally too firm for the fruit. His style has evolved since then, the fruit now being picked later and riper to add a richer dimension to his wines. He is now assisted by his two sons, Jean-Luc and Eric.
 
Most of the 8 hectare domaine consists of village Gevrey Chambertin. Les Justices, En Billard and En Reniard are bottled on their own, alongside two blends – a Gevrey Chambertin Tradition and his excellent ‘Mes Favorites’, made from old vines and favoured sites. There is also a small cuvée of 1er cru Les Champeaux, just 0.18 ha. These are supplemented by three negociant cuvées – Chambolle Musigny Les Chardannes, Vosne Romanée 1er cru les Rouges and grand cru Chambertin Clos de Bèze so that Alain can try his hand at making different appellations.
 
Gevrey Chambertin Mes Favorites
A blend from around 18 different plots of old vines in favoured vineyards – there is also a Tradition cuvée of a similar size for the rest of his Gevrey holdings not bottled separately. Mes Favorites is the quintessence of what Alain is trying to achieve. There is a wealth of glossy fruit on the palate surrounded the mineral core. A very complete wine, at its best from 6 to 10 years after the harvest.