Description
Domaine Bourgogne-Devaux, Hautes-Côtes de Beaune “La Dalignère”
By now, you’ve heard me wax poetic about the dogged determination necessary to find the best value-for-dollar in Burgundy. Most wine lovers have accepted that it costs a little more to play in the Pinot Noir Big Leagues, but if you’re willing to do some digging—and to venture outside your usual haunts—there are still plenty of bargains to be had. Lately, we’ve been making the Hautes-Côtes de Beaune the first stop in our search for those “Goldilocks” wines—not too pricey, but uncompromisingly delicious. I’ve been keeping Domaine Bourgogne-Devaux a secret, but have finally accepted that it’s time to share this treasure with our subscribers.
Every so often I’ll sneak Bourgogne-Devaux’s single-vineyard, old-vine “La Dalignère” into a blind tasting with bottles twice or three times its price, and am fascinated by how everyone seems to gravitate towards it for a second pour. It’s sophisticated enough to fool a bunch of sommeliers who’ve seen it all but accessible enough to slake your thirst with a plush mouthful of summer berries and suave tannins. Our recent encounter with today’s 2017 had everyone shaking their heads: We had a lot of very serious Burgundy on the table, across a variety of price points, and this one was the runaway favorite—don’t let the outlier appellation fool you!
Luc Bourgogne’s pitch-perfect last name makes him sound like a winemaking superhero, which isn’t far from the truth. As the fourth generation of his family to steward Domaine Bourgogne-Devaux, he farms their 2.75 hectares with fervor and attention to detail that shames many better-known vignerons in the region. He’s worked tirelessly since 2012 to revive the Bourgogne-Devaux label after a generational break during which their grapes were sold to négociants. Originally founded in 1899, the bones of the domaine were strong as ever and minor updates (such as temperature-controlled tanks) helped restore the property to its former glory.
It isn’t easy to make wine in the Hautes-Côtes, where higher altitude and wind-swept vineyards make ripeness elusive. But in the past few years, temperatures have increased and vineyard practices have improved, raising the bar for the region’s overall quality. Bourgogne-Devaux’s holdings include choice parcels in both the Hautes-Côtes de Beaune and Pommard, where Luc’s grandfather, Alexandre Devaux, first acquired vines in 1946. “La Dalignère” is a crown jewel among their holdings in the Hautes-Côtes, just .38 hectares of 50-year-old vines perched at 1,050 feet above sea level. Soils are predominantly red clay permeated with pebbly limestone for ideal drainage. The influence of vine age, elevation, organic farming, soil, and southeasterly exposure combine to squeeze unparalleled concentration from each grape, making La Dalignère one of the most complex cuvées from Bourgogne-Devaux.
Luc balances the old-fashioned sensibilities of Burgundian winemaking with meticulous cleanliness and precision, polishing his old-vine fruit to a luminous, unadulterated shine. The fruit is hand-harvested and partially destemmed. Fermentation happens in both stainless steel and gorgeous concrete tanks which add an element of softness and preserve the minerality indigenous to La Dalignère’s red clay soils. The wine is then aged entirely in French oak barrels (15% new) for 18 months before being bottled unfined and unfiltered, glowing like a roughly-cut ruby. It’s a simple process moderated by Luc’s own light touch and willingness to listen to each vintage as it reveals its character over the harvest. 2017 is indubitably a ‘modern classic’ after a warm, dry summer, enjoyable and stress-free. The wine embodies a certain sense of relief after the tribulations of a frost-shortened 2016—this is joyful wine.
In turn, it brings the drinker joy! The 2017 La Dalignère is soft and luxurious as a red velvet ribbon, tense and perfumed down to the very last drop. See if you can hold off for a half-hour in a decanter before serving at 60-65 degrees in Burgundy—or should I say Bourgogne—stems. Aromas of juicy summer berries and cool earth are delicate but deep, inspiring daydreams of walking through the woods. The palate opens with a note of iron and pink peppercorns before a wave of ripe strawberries and raspberry leaf build plushness. Neat, silky tannins bookend a lingering finish with the barest hint of salt and stone. It’s the perfect partner to some homemade pork and fennel sausage, preferably piled on top of a thin-crusted pizza. The 2017 is supple and open-knit right now, completely charming and dangerously drinkable, particularly if you’ve been missing Burgundy in your day-to-day life. Cracking open this bottle is a simple luxury that drastically outperforms its moderate cost, exactly the kind of treat we need right now. Enjoy!
