2019 Burgundy Offer
We at Union Cellars have been stocking up, grabbing the best of what is around in this much-lauded 2019 vintage. Below are a collection of what is currently available from us.
“During my week of intensive tasting in Burgundy at the end of July, it became clear to me that the 2019 vintage has hit the bullseye. Almost every winemaker I spoke with talked about the vintage’s rare combination of excellence and great consistency. Sometimes they expressed this graphically. For example, Dimitri Bazas, the director of Maison Champy in Beaune, said to me:
“If you offer me a contract for 30 years and it promises me that every year will be like 2019, then I would say, where do I sign?”
“The reason for the near-ideal ripeness and special personality of the vintage lies in a growing season that was the third-warmest year of the last century, but it brought only two short blasts of extreme heat at the end of June and the end of July. There was enough rain to prevent serious drought stress to the vines, and the only real negatives were some frost damage in April and hail in July – neither catastrophic.” Stuart Piggott, Jamessuckling.com
“With wines that combine concentration and freshness, this is a year to buy with confidence.”
“Before the language of lockdowns and pandemics entered common parlance, the Burgundians were dealing with another unfamiliar phenomenon: a 2019 vintage with previously unseen levels of both ripeness and acidity. This drought year has produced wines with a baffling combination of searing freshness, perfect ripeness and crystalline purity. Our growers simply couldn’t fathom how such a warm and dry vintage could produce such energetic wines – but they were delighted with the results.” Adam Bruntlett, Berry Bros & Rudd. Burgundy Buyer
2019 Domaine Bernard Defaix 1er Cru Cote de Lechet Reserve Chablis $100
“Brilliant winemaking, brilliant wines.” 3 Star Rating (the highest rating awarded to only 9 Chablis producers) A Guide To The Wines of Chablis, Austen Biss (UK)
“The improvement at this estate has been nothing short of phenomenal... Chablis fans should add the Defaix brothers to their shortlist of rising stars.” Allen Meadows, Burghound
"Slightly more apparent wood treatment can be found on the citrusy aromas of iodine, acacia and white peach. The luscious, round and seductively textured medium-bodied flavours possess both excellent volume and a bracing salinity on the clean bitter lemon-inflected finale that is firm but not really austere." 89-92 points Allen Meadows, Burghound
2019 Domaine Billaud-Simon Chablis Tete d’Or $94
A dollop of wood sets off a ripe mix of both white and yellow orchard fruit laced with nuances of iodine and seashore. There is fine mid-palate density to the intense and saline-suffused flavours that terminate in an agreeably clean and dry finish. This could use better depth but since it always seems to age extremely well, more should develop if given a chance. Worth checking out. Drink 2025+. 90 points Allen Meadows - Burghound
2019 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Meursault $296
Less frosted than further south in 2019. Three parcels: 60% Narvaux, 20% Vireuils and 20% Les Grands Charrons. Picked on different days. 40% malo blocked (two out of five barrels). Barrel sample. Greenish gold. He has had the last two parcels for only two years. Hint of crème pâtissière on the nose. Then amazing level of acidity on the palate. The most youthful wine so far. Still a great contrast between nose and palate … 17/20 Jancis Robinson MW
2019 Pierre-Yves Colin-Morey Chenevottes 1er Cru Chassagne-Montrachet $398
Very calcareous and pebbly. Bottom of the hill on the Puligny side with light soils and 47-year-old vines. He has added to his original parcel of 0.4 ha planted in 1972 a higher 60-year-old parcel belonging to his father-in-law. Barrel sample.
Strong lemon aroma and great finesse and raciness. Sleek and racy. Very sophisticated, subtle and dry. Wonderfully clean – mountain-stream impression. Long. 17.5/20 Jancis Robinson MW
2019 Matrot Saint-Aubin 1er Cru Les Charmois $139
Here too there is a hint of sulphur on the lightly wooded aromas of white peach, citrus and pretty floral nuances. The plumper and rounder medium weight flavours tighten up on the equally dry, intense and notably more complex finish. This attractive effort should be accessible young but reward a few years of keeping too. 88-91 points. Allen Meadows, Burghound
From 12 plots, all around the village, with no new wood and now in tank. Light reductive nose, even a touch of something interestingly yeasty. Pale primrose, with a lifted attractive fruit. Plenty of juicy fruit here, lots of energy, good acidity too, maybe not a butter and hazelnuts wine of yore, but a Meursault of substance. 89-92 points. Jasper Morris MW, Inside Burgundy
2019 Matrot Meursault 1er Cru Blagny $213
Pale lemon and lime. A more restrained nose, far from the madding crowd of 2019, this Meursault-Blagny has kept its freshness. It offers greater tensile strength than the village Meursault, but not significantly more volume. Lemon apple finish.90-93 points. Jasper Morris MW, Inside Burgundy
2019 Marc Colin Bourgogne Blanc $78
Clear pale yellow. Really electric chiselled and attractively reductive nose. Almost spicy, then the sandalwood, very good flesh in the middle. A mix from Bourgogne plots in Chassagne-Montrachet and St-Aubin, which seem to works well together. Long finish with a toasty note. 87-88 points Jasper Morris MW, Inside Burgundy
2019 Patrick Javillier Cuvee des Forgets Bourgogne Cote d'Or $85
From vineyards grown on the Volnay side of Meursault this beautiful wine is a generous Meursault-esque style of Bourgogne Blanc with creamy aromas and hints of apricot and mango. Wonderfully drinkable with an enticing refreshing finish. Patrick Javillier is one of Meursault’s most consistent winemakers, also one who usually offers some of its best budget wines. Neal Martin, Vinous.com
2019 Patrick Javillier Meursault $212
2019 Latour-Giraud Bourgogne Blanc $70
The vines are situated behind Domaine Roulot in Meursault. Clear pale colour, not a lot of bouquet but this is a pure clean and stylish mini-Meursault, with some sweetness of fruit in this ripe year, and impeccable length. Even quite lively at the finish. Ripe apple notes. 87 points. Jasper Morris MW, Inside Burgundy
2019 Latour-Giraud Meursault Les Narvaux $150
A more elegant combination consists of cool citrus and airy floral nuances along with apple, poached pear and a whiff of exotic tea. The delicious, racy and impressively concentrated medium-bodied flavours that display excellent power on the compact, mineral-driven and beautifully long finale. This is a really good Meursault villages that should age gracefully for up to a decade 90-92 points. Allen Meadows, Burghound
2019 Latour-Giraud Meursault 1er Cru Genevrières $240
Full mid yellow, with a relatively accessible nose, a little bit buttery. This soon settles down and regains the lovely nuanced, mineral, slightly smoky character of Genevrières. There is plenty going on here, as the fruit opens out beautifully. I would not have wanted this to be any riper but as it is it presents so many different facets. A really complex, intriguing wine. A little touch of bacon to finish. Terrific. 95 points Jasper Morris MW, Inside Burgundy
2019 Antoine Olivier Bourgogne Blanc Les Deux Dindes $53
Wide aromatics – an even nicer freshness – a vibration of energy here. Nice lime citrus in the mix of flavours here. This is 80% Mâcon and it has a juicy joie-de-vivre… lovely wine. BILL NANSON, Burgundy Report
2019 Antoine Olivier Santenay Le Bievaux Blanc $95
Deeper again, this time a little less width. Freshly energetic, citrus intensity, layers of flavour. So mouth-watering… always a great wine here – bravo. BILL NANSON, Burgundy Report
2019 Jean-Marc Pillot 'Le Haut des Champs' Bourgogne Blanc $66
Cask sample. A little cloudy. Inviting blend of creamy and tart. On the palate, this has depth and freshness, a superior Bourgogne. Impressive intensity and length for this appellation. Rich and creamy but bitingly fresh. 16.5/20 Julia Harding MW
2019 Jaeger Defaix Rully Rouge 1er Cru Clos du Chapitre $100
"Here the nose is quite firmly reduced though the underlying fruit seems quite ripe. There is more volume still to the solidly concentrated medium-bodied flavours that culminate in a robust, powerful and slightly austere finale. This is sufficiently firm to require at least a few years of patience." 89-92 points, Allen Meadows, Burghound
2019 David Duband Gevrey Chambertin $195
“Here too there is a whiff of herbal tea to be found on the fresh red berry scents that are cut with hints of the sauvage. Here too there is an attractive texture to the medium-bodied flavours that exude evident minerality on the firmer, more complex and more persistent finale. Drink 2027+.” 88-91 points Allen Meadows, Burghound
2019 David Duband Nuits St Georges $176
“A relatively airy and cool nose freely offers up notes of various red berries, earth and a floral top note. The sleek and relatively refined middle weight flavours contrast somewhat with the youthfully austere and mildly rustic finale that exhibits slightly better depth and persistence on the more structured finale. This is quite a good Nuits villages and worth a look. ♥” Allen Meadows, Burghound