A Graceful Little (Certified Biodynamic) Burgundy

Clean.

Terroir-driven.

Highly aromatic.

Wonderfully balanced.

Energetic.

Earthy.

Biodynamic.

Those seven lines should probably be enough to sell you on this little gem from a producer who's quickly becoming one of our new standards for micro-production, biodynamic Burgundy from the 'frontier' appellations.

What I mean when I say 'frontier' is this...

Just like the high cost of NYC real estate has seen many New Yorkers venturing further and further out into BK, Queens or NJ, you can say the same thing about Burgundy.  Most major-appellation (Puligny, Gevrey, Chambolle, etc.) real estate is so pricey that, in order to plant their flag, younger or smaller people looking to make wine have to explore further and further out into appellations that were considered hot spots for 'bistro' wines.  

The benefits are twofold - 1) young, energetic, creative winemakers now have places to get going and 2) the people who were already in such places are seeing the esteem and value of what they produce increase, thereby incentivizing them to focus more and more on quality.

One such appellation is Maranges, where Isabelle and Jean-Yves Vantey began with just 1ha of vines in 1998.  They now have 6ha of certified Bio holdings in Maranges, Santenay and Haut Cotes de Beaune, including parcels in two of Maranges 1ers Crus - La Fussiere and (today's wine) Clos Roussots.

This little beauty offers a very cool (as in airy and invigorating, not 'hey man that's cool'), pure red fruit, subtle-but-present earthy nuances, a wonderful aromatic profile and a vigorous acidic backbone to keep it standing upright.  With already a couple of post-release years under its belt, said earthy nuances are showing nicely!

You all know how much I love the 2014 vintage in France, especially in Burgundy.  It reminds me of a gentler, more supple 2010, with near-perfect overall balance and great transparency.

And those're two more great descriptors to use with this Clos Roussots - balanced and transparent.

I sort of hate to say it this way, because, like terms such as 'pizza wine', I think it unfairly pigeonholes the wine, but to call it the 'perfect weeknight Burgundy' really kinda sums it up nicely!

Sure, you can have it with much a more serious meal on a weekend, but if tonight's a no-nonsense, grab-a-Rotisserie-Chicken kinda night, this is the perfect companion!

ROUGES-QUEUES Maranges 1er Cru Clos Roussots 2014   $39/btl


Matt Franco

MCF Rare Wine, Ltd
249 West 13th Street
New York 10011
mcf@mcf-rarewine.com
212.255.8870
www.mcf-rarewine.com