Côte Chalonnaise

Domaine Paul et Marie Jacqueson

The adventurous and sportif Paul Jacqueson makes wines of impeccable quality, when not climbing in the Himalayas, close indeed to their much more expensive cousins on the Côte d'Or. His daughter Marie now looks after much of the winemaking. We have a particular fondness for the whites, and especially the Pucelle, which is a model of what a great Rully can be year after year.

Like the 2009, a gorgeous fruit-packed Pinot for drinking on its young, juicy fruit, while also having all of the attributes of the Burgundy 'terroir' from which it comes. Dense with juice-filled, fine cherry-skin tannins.

Domaine François Raquillet

François took over the running of this estate from his father, Jean, in 1984, and records show that the same family have made wine in Mercurey since the 1600s. With eleven hectares under vine, François has substantially reduced yields, introduced higher quality oak barrels and significantly increased the quality of wines made at this domaine.

Juicy and yet more than just that, a gliding, rounded weight too. Brilliant value drinker from this spring and over the next couple of years.

François' old vines cuvée is, as usual, fully ripe, an atttactive sweet edge on the wine with enough body and plenty of juicy, fleshy fruit.

Medium-weight, juicy texture, nicely dry mid-palate, with fine cherry-skin style tannins, full of bright juice tang on the long finsh.

After the Vasées this seems riper yet with a weighty, plummy mid-palate and more depth and seriousness. Drink 2014-2019.

Pure, balanced and directed, but still quite closed. More minerality and glide than any of the other cuvées, and more long-term potential too. Drink 2014-2020.

Domaine François Lumpp

François and Isabelle Lumpp own this impeccable 16 hectare estate in Givry, a region which is so often overlooked by Burgundy lovers and yet which is capable of producing wines of exceptional quality as well as value. François is a passionate viticulturalist and places great emphasis on making the wine in the vineyard. He aims to pick at 'just ripe' rather than into overripe, and wants to make bright wines which are developed rather than masked by their time in barrel. Making the best wines in Givry, by some stretch, if he were in any other part of Burgundy he would be heralded as a super-star. Francois' reds are among the most popular red Burgundies we sell, but his whites also deserve recognition.

François was afraid that this might be rather restrained when I visited but, in fact, although only just racked it showed a soft, gentle purity, a very fine texture and gently insinuating red and black fruit. Really could be drunk from now although ideally 2013-2016+. Slightly closed after bottling at our January tasting but the note is consistent, the texture very silky.

This one was not shown at the January tasting as it was not being bottled until March. From cask it was, as usual, the biggest and broadest of François' wines, but in 2010 all the work that they have done in this vineyard is really showing - there's more tension, so that behind the ripe plums and obvious weight there's a cherry-bright firmness and drive. Really quite exciting. Although it could be approached younger we'd advise drinking this 2015-2022+

In a similar vein to the Clos Jus, this is perhaps a little bolder, a bit more concentration. Similar keeping potential - drink 2014-2020+

Again a silky texture, gentle yet confident, with an intriguing saline edge. Worth waiting a little for. Drink 2014-2020+