You may have noticed that we’ve only offered two bottles of red Burgundy this month. The explanation is simple: While we know SommSelect’s audience has a voracious appetite for Burgundy, we never let the tail wag the dog. In other words, you have my commitment that only outstanding Burgundian Pinot Noir will be offered on this site—and if we can’t find the truly outstanding stuff, then we refuse to settle for the next best thing. Fortunately, this absolutely smoking wine is the genuine article. Delicious and flattered by cellar age, this bottle is on fire.
Domaine Jacob’s Savigny-lès-Beaune 1er Cru “Les Pueillets” is concrete proof that 2011 red Burgundy has finally outgrown its shy adolescence. This a vintage that once inspired my hero Clive Coates MW to remark that “nature is smiling on the Burgundy lover,” and the crop of delicious 2011s I’ve opened recently is making it hard to argue. So, for those clever enough to set aside bottles of 2011 from top estates—or snatch up this gorgeous and perfectly mature wine—it’s officially time to start pulling corks. With more than five years of bottle age, soul-stirring aromatics, and the prismatic structure one only finds in Burgundy, this red is very much in its prime. Add to that a top Premier Cru site, organically farmed by a generations-deep family of local vignerons, and you have a pretty remarkable wine (and value) on your hands.
I sometimes hear sommeliers discuss Savigny-lès-Beaune like it’s an “A-minus” Burgundy village, but one look at the atlas should correct this misunderstanding: Pommard and Volnay sit immediately to the south and the majestic hill of Corton is just north. In short, Savigny is in the heart of the Côte de Beaune. This is the geographical center of red Burgundy country and the village’s top Premier Cru sites produce reds on par with the region’s best. The especially high standing of the single vineyard that produces this wine is shared by a honor roll of Burgundy titans. Nicolas Potel, Domaine Pavelot, and other regional stars bottle wines from Premier Cru “Les Peuillets,” so the elite quality of this vineyard’s soil is not exactly a secret—but it’s never cheap, either. So, we’re doubly thrilled today to be able to offer a mature bottle of “Les Peuillets,” from a respected estate, at such a fair price. This is a special wine and a great value.
The story of Domaine Jacob begins in the early 1900s with the grandfather of current proprietor Jean-Michel Jacob. The Jacob family has resided in Burgundy for generations but their broadly respected reputation was originally built not upon grapes and wine, but rather berries and liqueur. Jean-Michel’s grandfather saved his earnings from growing framboise (raspberries) and cassis (black currants) in the hills of the Hautes-Côtes-de-Beaune and eventually selling their eponymous spirits to bars and restaurants in Lyon and Paris. In time, the family was able to purchase a few small vineyards parcels in nearby Savigny-lès-Beaune. By the 1950s, Jean-Michel’s father, Lucien, was expanding the family’s vineyard holdings and making wine a focus. Today, Jean-Michel continues the growth of the family’s acreage in Burgundy with recently purchased vineyards in Beaune, Pernand-Vergelesses and Gevrey-Chambertin. After almost a decade of experience with the Domaine Jacob’s wines, I feel confident in my conviction that this “Les Peuillets” bottling, while nowhere near as expensive as their Beaune and Gevrey bottlings, is the family’s most consistently delicious and cellar-worthy creation.
With its first splash into the glass, the 2011 Les Peuillets displays its classic, old-school Burgundian pedigree. An unfiltered crimson/ruby core transitions to light garnet and orange reflections on the rim. Well-delineated aromas of black cherry, red currant, violets, cut roses, wet moss, morels, and wet clay come together to perform a hushed symphony in the glass. This is a wonderful wine to just sit with and smell. Still, I think the remarkably complex palate is its greatest asset. While medium-bodied, juicy and eminently drinkable, there is a depth and “seriousness” here that suggests a wine of a far more punishing financial commitment. It’s definitely not a hulking modern behemoth that clobbers you over the head with powerful fruit and oak, though. Rather, this is a wine that whispers and seduces with delicacy and finesse. It’s true-blue, classic red Burgundy, and ready to enjoy tonight. If that’s your plan, please decant for one hour and serve at 60 degrees in Burgundy stems. It has only just entered its prime and I’d be remiss in not mentioning the remaining 5-7 years of peak maturity this bottle still has in the tank. As always with a detailed and complex wine, I encourage you to enjoy this with pure, elemental flavors. I can think of no more appropriate sidekick to this savory, soulful wine than legendary Burgundian chef Paul Bocuse’s Chicken Fricasée with Morel Mushrooms. With a little effort, you should be able to hunt down fresh morels this time of year and any top-quality, organic free-range chicken will substitute for the mighty Bresse. This is a forgiving recipe and you really can’t go wrong. Cheers!
