Pinot Noir

This wine is named after the two-hectare south-facing vineyard from which the fruit is sourced. Benefitting from a clement climate  (grapes ripening 10 days earlier here than in Sancerre), Denis not only grows grapes, but also tends to a forest of oak trees from which his barrels are made.

Greystone Vineyards in North Canterbury (previously known as Waipara) continue to excel, once again making this lovely Pinot Noir for us. The 2015 is rich with notes of sweet, dark cherries, yet all is counterbalanced by an herbaceous freshness. There is impressive depth and structure to this wine, reflecting the warmer conditions of the vintage, but it retains the appealing savoury complexity of its predecessor. This is an intriguing, rewarding Pinot Noir to sink into.
Catriona Felstead MW – Wine Buyer, Berry Bros. & Rudd

A combination of low yields and ideal ripening conditions have produced a bright, ruby Pinot Noir. This has aromas of red cherry and juicy plum on the nose, while the delicate soft tannins and spiced berries develop into a savoury twist on the finish.
Katherine Dart MW, Wine Buyer

While it's rarely acknowledged, Germany is the third largest producer of Pinot Noir (aka Spätburgunder) in the world. This is a wonderful example of an accessible, refreshing Pinot that offers an interesting alternative to Burgundy. Bright, medium red intensity colour with red cherry, redcurrant and raspberry fruit aromas. Herbal top notes with a savoury spice character that continues through to the palate. Chalky tannins with refreshing and lively acidity. Moderately light bodied with a juiciness that provides additional weight. 

While it's rarely acknowledged, Germany is the third largest producer of Pinot Noir (aka Spätburgunder) in the world. This is a wonderful example of an accessible, refreshing Pinot that offers an interesting alternative to Burgundy. Bright, medium red intensity colour with red cherry, redcurrant and raspberry fruit aromas. Herbal top notes with a savoury spice character that continues through to the palate. Chalky tannins with refreshing and lively acidity. Moderately light bodied with a juiciness that provides additional weight.

Such was the quality of the vintage that Camille Giroud winemaker David Croix said that he would be happy to see 2015 more often! A blend of fruit from Givry and Volnay, this is packed with crunchy and juicy red berry fruit. Medium-bodied with supple and succulent tannins and spicy redcurrant flavours, this is a wine which will have you reaching for the next glass. Quintessential red burgundy from a 5-star vintage and made by one of the region’s rising stars. 
Adam Bruntlett, Wine Buyer

Lovely, glowing, fresh, purple colour; this has a fabulous cherry and raspberry nose, clear pure fruit. With a little structure to keep it honest, this is otherwise very easy and appealing, with a nice touch of freshening acidity. Compelling at this price.

“Those who did the work in the vineyards will find it paid off in 2014”, opines Laurent Fournier. There is no problem with concentration if the yields were reasonable. He went through the vineyards twice, at the end of August and again just before picking, to remove any bunches he was not happy with. Even then he discarded two small plots of Clos du Roy so as to ensure that what made it to barrel, and then bottle, was first-rate. As indeed it is.

Olivier replanted the previous, inferior vines with cuttings of Pinot Fin taken from the Clos des Epeneaux 20 years ago. Pale ruby in colour, this is an elegant, delicate expression of Pinot Noir, full of red berry fruit and silky tannins. The limestone adds complexity in the form of fine, chalky tannins. Drink 2019-2023.
Adam Bruntlett, Burgundy Buyer

Olivier and Corinne Merlin have been established in the Mâconnais village of La Roche Vineuse since 1987. Over the years they have bought the domaine which they originally rented, built a new cuverie, planted new vineyards locally and spread out into further appellations such as Pouilly-Fuissé and Moulin-à-Vent. Theirs has been one of the great success stories of the modern Mâconnais. They expect to be joined shortly by sons Théo and Paul. Having made his first wines in 1987, this year represents Olivier’s 30th vintage in La Roche Vineuse. It is fair to say that in this time he has contributed much to raising standards in the Mâconnais. Proof of his great skill as a winemaker came in the form of a bottle of 1990 Mâcon La Roche Vineuse Vieilles Vignes, a highlight of a lunch at Berry Bros. & Rudd in July to mark Jasper Morris’s retirement.

Set in the southern-most part of the Yarra Valley, winemaker Andrew Marks’s philosophy is to make ‘smashable’ wines, as he puts it. By this he means wines that are light and elegant and easy to drink. Despite being smashable, these wines offer some of the finest expressions of Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc from this part of Australia.
Their village Pinot Noir is no exception. Here, punnets of sweet ripe strawberries are balanced by herbal aromatics and fine-grained tannins.
Katherine Dart MW, Wine Buyer

This is an assemblage of village vineyards and younger (but not young) vines of the hoped-for, future Premiers Crus. With lively raspberry, cherry and alpine strawberry notes, the wine has a silky texture and fine, long finish. Drink 2018-2023.
Jasper Morris MW, Wine Buyer

Laurent Fournier has made beautiful wines in 2015, keeping him cheerful during the trickier 2016 growing season. He began with his whites on 8th September before attacking the reds, finishing by 16th September. There was no need for sorting the completely healthy grapes nor for extraction because all came out naturally. The wines have been matured in a mix of bigger and normal-sized barrels. There is also an excellent Bourgogne Rouge Le Chapitre.

Concentrated purple, rich deep red fruit, supported by some new oak (30%), soft plump dark red fruit, medium weight and length. A charming and approachable village Santenay from an excellent site. Drink 2016-2019.

Bernard Morey, and he met his wife Sophie, originally from neighbouring Santenay, when they found themselves working side by side in the vineyards. They set up their own domaine after Bernard’s retirement, beginning with the 2007 vintage. Vincent began picking on 3rd October, starting with the whites. He thinks that Chassagne and Santenay were less badly affected than other areas by the stormy weekend, in contrast to 2010. All the whites have been in bottle since mid-August with the reds following before the end of the year.
Jasper Morris MW, Burgundy Wine Director

This is a mix of Marsannay, Côte de Nuits Villages and Bourgogne Rouge from a plot called Les Chaillots. Medium purple, there is plenty of lovely juicy fruit, good velvet, a little touch of reduction. The wine is seductive yet also with a bit of muscle. Plenty here for the future.
Jasper Morris MW, Burgundy Director

These are David’s oldest vines, with two parcels planted in 1943 and 1947, on argile rouge and marne respectively. The slightly younger plot is Premier Cru and makes up 45 percent of the blend. The wine has a fresh and composed bouquet with a note of Morello cherry but, typically, there is a good line of firm but elevating tannin on the palate. Drink 2019-2023.
Adam Bruntlett, Burgundy Buyer

David Moreau took over part of his octogenerian grandfather’s domaine in Santenay in 2009. Prior to that, he worked with Olivier Lamy, Domaine de la RomanéeConti, and at Neudorf in New Zealand. David now has seven hectares in production and has made significant changes in both viticulture and vinification. The vineyards were almost all planted in the 1960s, so David has old vines to work with. He will soon become president of the local vine-growers syndicat a measure of the regard in which he is held. Once again, David is very happy with this year’s results. There was very little frost damage this far south and all his wines performed well in our barrel tastings. There is a confidence in David’s winemaking that raises expectations for some outperforming wines from this lesser-known part of Burgundy. The purity and transparency of 2016 suits his range very well.

Situated just a few hundred metres from the vineyards of Nuits-St Georges, Les Dames Huguettes is at an altitude of 300 to 450 metres, giving the wine a vivacious freshness and vibrancy. The cuvée was all barrel aged, but without any new oak, giving the wine a more rounded feel and just a touch of spice to accompany the juicy red berry fruit. The finish is chalky with a slightly wild edge which gives just a glimpse of Nuits character. Drink 2019-2024.
Adam Bruntlett, Burgundy Buyer

Patrice Rion and his wife Michèle began their own small domaine in 1990 with just two wines, Bourgogne Rouge, Les Bons Bâtons and Chambolle-Musigny Les Cras, while Patrice was still working as winemaker with his family at Domaine Daniel Rion. In 2000 Patrice left the family business to develop his own estate further. Today most of the vineyards are in Nuits-St Georges and Chambolle-Musigny. Recent vintages have seen the increasing involvement of Patrice’s son Maxime. The Rion cellar is a bit emptier this year, partially because of the frost but also, more significantly, because their arrangement in Chambolle for Villages, Fuées, Amoureuses and Bonnes Mares has terminated, and 2015 was the last vintage of those lovely wines. Maxime Rion initially found the 2016s a little “monolithic” after fermentation, but they have discovered their terroir in barrel. The vintage shows more red fruit than black, with the fruit of frosted vineyards having more colour. The long, cool end of season reminds him of 1996 but, whereas that vintage is only starting to drink now, the 2016s will open up earlier. The estate also has a new wine, a Bourgogne Hautes Côtes de Nuits from the Dames Huguettes vineyard. It’s made from bought-in fruit, but chosen from an especially well-sited and tended vineyard.

Marsannay, Cuvée St Urbain is a blend from various sites. It shows a fine midpurple colour, with dense rich fruit on the nose with some dark notes. Elegant and lively, the fruit spreads out very well across the palate, silky and delicious.
Jasper Morris MW, Burgundy Wine Director

One of the brightest talents in the northern Côte de Nuits is Laurent Fournier who runs the estate which carries his father’s name, as well as being the man in charge of the dossier for defining some Premier Cru vineyards in Marsannay. We have been hugely impressed with his wines for several years and are now offering them En Primeur for the first time. There is a quality of fruit here which fully reflects the joys of the Côte de Nuits, yet at rather more affordable prices.