Description
Le Grappin, Beaune Premier Cru “Boucherottes” Rouge
Le Grappin’s origin story is one that many Burgundy connoisseurs have daydreamed about but never acted upon. In the mid-aughts, Australian-born Andrew Nielsen savored an “epiphany bottle” of Dujac Clos de la Roche and quickly made a pivot into winemaking. Andrew eventually found an opening at iconic Domaine Simon Bize in 2011 where he homed in on his vision. With his wife, Emma, they launched a micro-négoce focused on older, underrepresented parcels throughout Burgundy. They are one of the few, truly exciting bright lights on the contemporary scene. I’ll go one further: For my money, no other newfound producer can compete with the finesse, purity, and complexity of Grappin.
The mention of “Boucherottes” might have many of you reaching for your Wine Atlas books, but here’s all you need to know: It’s directly downslope from one of Beaune’s most renowned Premier Crus: “Clos des Mouches,” which enjoys universal recognition through Joseph Drouhin’s bottling. Within the much-smaller “Boucherottes,” Andrew Nielsen targeted two contiguous iron-rich parcels with vines aged between 26-44 years old.
The sustainably farmed Pinot Noir was harvested by hand and two teams spent an entire day sorting the fruit, cluster by cluster. Five percent of the stems were used to line the bottom of a wooden vat and the remaining whole clusters were added on top of the juice throughout a native-yeast fermentation. The clusters were only punched down twice during this time. After 14 days, the incomplete wine was gently pressed off its stems and moved into tank to complete fermentation. A full year of maturation in mostly neutral French barrels of varying sizes occurred before a gravity-fed bottling without fining or filtration.
Le Grappin’s Pinot Noir from Premier Cru “Boucherottes” is remarkable in its constitution, with perfumes like a top Chassagne Rouge but a broadly structured and deeply mineral palate that gives away its Pommard-adjacent, southern Beaune identity. But what truly shocks me is the mouthfeel—this isn’t an aggressive, angular red but a silky smooth Burgundy with incredible mid-palate depth, superb drive, and glorious berry fruit structure. This doesn’t need flashy new oak to compete with the big boys; it has it all, purity and complexity especially. Enjoy now and over the next decade.
