All Roads Lead to Bâtard-Montrachet

A stormy night brings us together to taste mindblowing whites and delicate reds from Burgundy

Hurricane Milton’s outer whip was closing in on Miami the night of our long-anticipated Burgundy tasting at Brix Miami in Wynwood. We made the brave decision to move forward…and good thing we did. The tasting, led by co-presidents Shawn Zylberberg and Matt Hege, included the following wines from the Côte d’Or:

Côte de Beaune:

• Domaine Leflaive Bourgogne Blanc 2021 (Puligny Montrachet)

• Jean-Nöel Gagnard Batard Montrachet Grand Cru 2011

• Domaine Tollot Beaut Chorey Côte de Beaune 2008

• Domaine François Buffet Volnay 1er Cru ‘Clos de Chênes’ 2014

Côte de Nuits:

• Domaine Josef Drouhin Clos de Vougeot 2008

• Domaine des Lambrays Clos de Lambrays Grand Cru 2017

Palates need deep experience in the battlefield of global wines before grasping the greatness of Burgundy. No other region in the world shows the full potential of wine better than this historic French region located south of Dijon, Champagne and Chablis. A thousand years ago, monks were the first to tend the vineyards and make wine here, followed by large families that passed the vineyard ownership to their families generation after generation.

What did you end up getting? A region where people own rows of vines rather than a whole block. Even more important was a grand cru, premier cru and villages quality hierarchy system that has become an accurate indicator of quality today.

On the palate, Burgundy takes patience and focus. While light, these wines have a structure stronger than carbon fiber and a complexity that’ll leave you buried in questions. The winner of the night was the Jean-Nöel Gagnard Batard Montrachet Grand Cru 2011. Upon decanting, the deep yellow color and mesmerizing, kaleidoscopic aromas brought pure pleasure to the senses and body. Our glasses were fighting for the last drops of this liquid grand cru serotonin.

“Yep, this one’s the winner,” Shawn said before everyone even sat down.

Herbal. Flinty. Complex. Long finish. Winding road of layered citrus. Nothing much to say but a bliss in the abyss of white Burgundy! The Domaine Leflaive was also such a good wine. The 2021 vintage was very difficult and yielded a small crop for many growers. Lucky for us, Leflaive declassified their Puligny Montrachet grand cru bottling and used those grapes in this entry level label! Thank you Vinonueva for the tip.

The red winner was the Lambrays 2017. Coming from a ‘clos’ or walled vineyard block, this unique wine from the sub region of Morey St. Denis took a while to open up but like most prized red burgs, evolved in an up-and-down fashion. Think a dolphin jumping up and down into the water over and over again until it grows wings and flies amongst the seagulls. Was it too early to open? Yes. Was it still epic? For certain!

Brian Atkinson, founder of Brix Miami, hooked it up with an incredible roasted lamb, escargots, and an unbeatable charcuterie board to pair with these baller wines. Lastly, member David Yarus gave us a special treat by bringing the Pierre Yves Colin Morey Aligote to the dinner, which was a refreshing addition to the lineup and popping off with notes of cool reduction, vibrant green apple and hints of almond. An easy yes for Wine Club Miami.

Up next? Our Annual Event…