I don’t think there’s anything I enjoy more than sleuthing around for the stories behind wines labeled ‘Bourgogne Rouge.’ Actually, there is one thing—tasting these wines blind, then doing the sleuthing. Obviously, it’s only worth doing when the wine is exceptional, and today’s vineyard-designate stunner definitely qualifies: Tasting it blind, I pegged this 2017 from Domaine du Vieux Collège as a village-level Gevrey-Chambertin from a serious producer.
Those who know Burgundy know that such a wine would cost at least twice as much as this one, so there you have it—a no-brainer to share here on SommSelect! Soon after, we learned that the “Les Champs Foreys” vineyard is a distinguished
lieu-dit (named site) in Marsannay, just one door down (or rather, up) from Gevrey-Chambertin and an important Côte de Nuits village in its own right! A classically “Burgundian” technicality keeps this wine from being called Marsannay (see below), and I’d wager that many in Gevrey-Chambertin would be proud to have it, too. At this practically unheard-of price, this ’17 is a screaming Burgundy deal—a wine to purchase in case quantities and share with fellow travelers. To call this quality/price ratio “rare” is putting it mildly. Jump on this!
Burgundy’s 37-mile road, the Route des Grand Crus, begins in the village of Dijon, the figurative gateway to Burgundy’s Côte d’Or, which is further divided into the Côte de Nuits and Côte de Beaune. Connecting the dots from north to south, the road spans more than 35 villages, taking snapshots of world’s best Pinot Noir vines. One of those dots is Marsannay-La-Côte, the second stop after Dijon on the Route des Grand Crus. Wines from the Marsannay appellation have continued to grow in esteem and popularity, so much so that they don’t really need their “next-door” status to Gevrey-Chambertin to gain traction in the market—Marsannay has become a destination village unto itself, and Pinot Noir from this northern neck of the woods delivers powerful red and black fruits supported by lots of underbrush-y savor.
Since 2006, Eric Guyard has managed his family’s Domaine du Vieux Collège, whose vineyards now span 25 hectares through Marsannay, Fixin, and Gevrey-Chambertin. In his tenure, Eric has focused on showcasing tiny, special sites like “Les Champs Foreys,” and propelled the estate towards its organic certification (via Ecocert) in 2014. “Les Champs Foreys,” translating to “The Foreys Fields,” is a lieu-dit in the village of Marsannay-La-Côte that brushes up against a more famous site called “Les Récilles.” By law, “Les Récilles” is a classified site for the Marsannay appellation, while “Les Champs Foreys” is not, meaning it attaches its name to the catch-all “Bourgogne” designation. So, what’s the invisible logic? It is the Route des Grand Crus, which cuts through the mid-slope of the village to form a great dividing line—sites west of the road are village-level wines, sites below the road fall to regional wines.
But their “fall,” so to speak, is our catch. The 1.7-hectare “Les Champs Foreys” has plenty of positives to make seriously delicious Pinot Noir. The vine age is 30 years, above average in comparison to other Bourgogne wines, and at 268 meters elevation, soils contain more alluvial gravel. A thick coat of excellent-draining pebbles is underlined by iron-rich clays, producing Pinot Noir of an aromatic generosity that we typically expect out of village-level, even Premier Cru bottlings, and the tannin structure is softer and less austere than its cousins across the road. Today’s wine is essential, back-pocket red Burgundy—a category that is dwindling, so stockpile wisely!
Guyard’s winemaking process is straightforward and unfussy. The Pinot Noir is hand-harvested, destemmed, and sorted at the winery. Fermented in upright wooden vessels, the wine is racked into barrels (mostly used) for 12 months. Choose a Burgundy glass, or the widest glass you have, and serve the wine just above cellar temperature, in high 50s/low 60s. A ruby core moves towards pale violet with a day-bright hue. On the nose, the wine zips with cold red and black fruits—sour cherry, strawberry, dark raspberry and plum. The palate is soft, more juicy than lean, lying over a cushion of savory terroir—iron, stone, violet, and gentle sweet spice notes. While some red Burgundies stack structure for the long haul, “Les Champs Foreys” is for now, stringing together all the precious pearls of aroma and taste. The finish is medium-plus, ending with a brushstroke of acidity, a nice complement for countless foods. A spot-on Burgundy Pinot Noir like this goes with just about anything, in fact, so don’t sweat the pairing too much. With truffle season nearly upon us, I’m trotting out a favorite roast chicken recipe for enjoying with this wonderfully proportioned wine. Check it out!
