JC in France May - June 2018 | Day 13
Back to serious work this morning! I was very excited to see the Bret Brothers & La Soufrandière (Domaine de la Soufrandiere) again and to share the visit/tasting experience with Angela & Richard. The two brothers are really at the top of their game and recognised today as the very best producers of the Maconnais region. They are now completely bio-dynamic in their practises and all their wines show the result of low yields on Chardonnay grape. Their 2016 wines are just superb and if you have never experienced them you must do so. We had a wonderful lunch in a little restaurant nearby which I like to visit each time I am passing by - 'L'O des Vignes' in Fuisse.
We had to drive 40 minutes North for our next meeting at Clos Salomon in the Appellation of Givry. The known history of this estate goes back about 700 years, it is a Monopole (7 ha), planted exclusively with Pinot Noir and today owned by Ludovic du Gardin, and his winemaker, Fabrice Perrotto. We tried the 2017 in barrels (or shall I say the many components which are going to make the final blend) as well as the 2016, 2015 and 2014. The wines are consistent with an intense fruitiness and spiciness. The tannins are supple and elegant which give the wines its harmony and complexity of the terroir. It is always a real pleasure to visit here, they are really nice guys too!
Still in the Cote Chalonnaise we went on to taste at Domaine Jean-Baptiste Ponsot from the Domaine of the same name in the village of Rully. This is really the new names and generation of Burgundy (I feel really old!). He farms a total of 8,5 ha in Rully with a deep respect for the land that his family has been fostering for three generations. The whites have an aromatic expression of citrus, apple, pear with aromas of almonds in the background. Fresh, fruity and lively attack, with lemon notes, followed by pear and almonds. The reds are full of red berries and black fruits with spices and tobacco. Smooth, charming but crunchy, showing the style of the Appellation.
We had dinner in Beaune (where I will be spending the next six nights. Richard and Angela will stay with me only two nights) at one of my favourite tiny restaurants – La Buissonniere. We went the full monty with snails, frog legs, black pudding, liver and the rest - it was delicious and probably for me how paradise must be like. - JC
Plenty of wines at Domaine la Soufrandiere Bret Brothers