Pierre-Henry Gagey heads the renowned négociant Maison Louis Jadot, where he keeps his feet planted firmly in the firm’s exceptional domaine holdings, including Beaune’s Clos des Ursules.
The New Age of the NégociantBy Todd M. WernstromWhile names like Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Ramonet, Comtes Lafon, Michel Niellon, Coche-Dury, Sauzet and Marquis d'Angerville give collectors sweaty palms and nervous stomachs as they anticipate their allotment of a few bottles, the reality is that the vast majority of white and red Burgundy bought and consumed in the United States is produced by négociants. Historically important firms, such as Drouhin, Bouchard Père & Fils, Louis Latour, Louis Jadot and Chanson, have been filling orders for many generations - and, in some cases, centuries. These names, perhaps with the exception of Chanson, a house that was purchased by Champagne Bollinger in 1999 and currently is in the midst of re-asserting itself in the United States, are well known to both "Pinotphiles"and supermarket shoppers because of their superior market penetration and reputations for consistency.
With that familiarity, however, comes contempt of sorts. Frédéric Drouhin, the head of his family's 125-year-old concern headquartered in Beaune, Burgundy's most important city, explains, "'Négociant' has a negative perception for the consumer. I'm proud to be a négoce because I give the same care to my négociant wines as I do to my domaine wines."
According to the engaging Pierre-Henry Gagey, who has run the esteemed négociant Maison Louis Jadot since 1991, "The term négociant is sometimes misunderstood, as it encompasses any company involved in buying and selling goods. Our activity is always as négociant and éleveur, which means we buy grapes, and we are actively involved in the whole process of winemaking in our cellars. Furthermore, we own our own vineyards." This last part, while somewhat understated by Gagey, is the key aspect of his house's operation, and the same could no doubt be said of most of the more recognizable names.
While the négociants handle, in some manner or the other, a whopping 55 percent of Burgundy's fruit each harvest, they also own large - by Burgundy's standards anyway - amounts of the very best vineyards. It is these domaine holdings, particularly in the Côte d'Or, that in many ways define the best négociants, though their domaine production is often a fraction of their négoce offerings.
The payoff for consumers who know a bit more about the subject than that the reds are made with pinot noir and the whites with chardonnay is immense. Few wine drinkers would argue the point that the ultimate expression of both of these varieties is found in Burgundy, and fewer still with the claim that the Côte d'Or reigns supreme within it. But the Côte d'Or's who's-who list of climats, including some of the wine world's most revered spots - such as Montrachet, Corton, Clos de Vougeot, Romanée and Clos de la Roche, just to name a few - are divided up between literally thousands of owners making serious study of them next to impossible for any but the most devoted and possessed of free time. And given that even the most modestly priced premier cru wine is more likely to be found in the $50 range than the $20, having intimate knowledge about the producer and the vineyard is not simply an academic exercise (grand cru wines routinely top $100).
"Very few consumers really know the character of the terroirs of the Grand Crus and Premier Crus, the single vineyards that produce wines in very small quantities in Burgundy," Gagey flatly states. Indeed Burgundy, and particularly the Côte d'Or, the 38-mile-long strip of hallowed vineyards situated just to the south of Chablis and the north of the Côte Chalonnaise and more-familiar Beaujolais, is bewilderingly complex. There are nearly 1,400 significant place names that can appear on bottles within this relatively compact, 40-square-mile viticultural area in northeastern France. Of the country's 460-plus AOCs, 25 percent are located in Burgundy, and the lion's share of the region's premier cru designations, as well as 32 of its 33 grands crus, are found in the Côte d'Or.
So, even though a consumer probably couldn't go far wrong when finding a bottle put out by a négoce, there are still more than 100 registered firms in this category, diminishing the margin for error significantly. "Consumers need to trust the man behind the name; the name is the better indicator than the appellation. You can be a good grower and a bad winemaker - and vice versa - but to be able to combine the two and add in the complexities of sales is very hard," Frédéric Drouhin says.
While his assessment seems to be very sound advice, it points to the conundrum that is Burgundy. After all, Burgundy, perhaps more so than anywhere else in the wine world, is the very epitome of the concept of terroir, a place where a vine's aspect, exposure and soil base is supposed to trump all other considerations when it comes to the resultant wine. But there are négociants, and there are négociants.
A négoce's traditional function in the Burgundy wine business over most of the last 250 years was to buy wines, perhaps age them a bit, and then ship them out, often in bulk, to Paris and foreign markets. And even nowadays, there are many négociants who more closely resemble a mid-18th-century practitioner - the time when the trade really started to become established in Burgundy - than those like Olivier Leflaive (his eponymous house dates only to 1984), who bristles at the tag when he says, "We are a négoce by law only; we're winemakers. Look it up in the dictionary; that's not what we are."
That Leflaive can make such an assertion in the face of the fact that his domaine holdings contribute only 10 percent to 15 percent of the grapes toward his 70,000-case production (85 percent of which is white) is emblematic and speaks directly to the difference between "us" and "them." What separates the historical version of the négoce and the newer one is the attitude toward the fruit, be it owned or purchased. Leflaive works with 120 suppliers. His winemaker, the earnest Franck Grux, explains: "My role is to be outside in the vineyards, especially in August - I have to see what my growers are doing. When you're a négoce, you have to be outside."
"I don't want people to think of me as a négoce;
I describe Drouhin as a winery," Drouhin says, in a variation of the non-négoce négociant mantra. That sentiment is precisely the one that assures consumers that they are getting the best of what Burgundy has to offer: nuance the equal of any of the heavily worshiped domaines. And few producers could be said to combine the advantages of the négociant and the domaine owner, without any of the disadvantages associated with each, than the house of Joseph Drouhin. Both forward thinking - the family invested in Oregon in 1988 long before the state had established itself as prime pinot country - and traditional, the firm was founded in 1880 and began serious vineyard acquisition in 1918, the last year of the war to end all wars, and a time of tumult to say the least.
While each of the house's leaders over the decades has left a mark on the business, it is perhaps Robert Drouhin, father of Frédéric, Philippe, Véronique and Laurent (all of whom are intimately involved in the operation today), who separated Joseph Drouhin from a crowded field, particularly in the 1970s and '80s when Americans were slowly but surely acquiring a taste for more than Hearty Burgundy. He added significantly to the family's now 72 acres of vineyards in the Côte d'Or and 93 in Chablis, was at the helm when the last section of the firm's subterranean, serpentine cellars were acquired and long-represented the face of Burgundy for many collectors of Drouhin's consistently brilliant flagship, Clos des Mouches whites and reds.
"Consistency" may be the most apt descriptor of Drouhin's operation and wines. The house has somehow managed to avoid the trappings of success as well as manage the vagaries of inevitable currency fluctuations, bad weather and globalization while continuing to impress critics. A fairly large producer of wine by any standard - the average number of bottles put out per year ranges from 3.5 million to 4.8 million, depending on vintage conditions - Drouhin, more than most négociants, is identified with its grand and premier cru wines. The family has accomplished this, in large measure, by owning the vast majority of the vineyards responsible for the firm's high-end production. In fact, a full 90 percent of its grand cru wines are from its own vineyards, and a hefty 66 percent of its premiers crus are as well. The balance is derived from long-term agreements such as the one that results in the luscious powerhouse that is the Marquis de Laguiche Montrachet.
As though it were just this simple, Frédéric Drouhin says, "To make a good wine, it's common sense. It's the sum of the little details." But it's the details that make the difference. The family is honest in its assessments: Collectors will be saddened to hear that there will be no 2004 Clos des Mouches red; after two hailstorms, enough of the crop couldn't be salvaged so it will end up in the regular Beaune bottling for the first time in 30 years. They are sensitive to trends, but not at the expense of house style, which is always perfumed and full of ripe fruit. When commenting on the wine world's obsession with barriques, Frédéric says, "My father always said that we are not carpenters; we are winemakers."
And, most importantly, they are committed stewards of their land. Philippe Drouhin, the estate manager for all of the family's holdings since 1988, is "deeply convinced that organic farming is the only way to farm vineyards." When he was studying viticulture, it struck him that whenever chemicals were used for anything, "there were always so many warnings - don't use this more than twice a year or a resistance will develop, that kind of thing - and then it would take years to know what affect synthetic chemical residues have on wine and people, and sometimes we can't know for even longer. What we do instead is reinforce the natural defenses of the vines, and this results in even less organic chemicals being needed," Philippe explains.
The same great balance that can be attributed to one of Drouhin's grand or premier cru efforts can be said to extend to its vineyard practices as well. "Being organic is a plus because it better allows the vines to reflect the terroir," Philippe continues. "After all, soil is alive. But organics and biodynamics are fine-tuning tools; you have to pay attention to all the elements. You can't overfertilize just because it's manure. Selection in the vineyard, picking dates and everything else you do matters."
The connection between organic and biodynamic practices and Drouhin has probably never occurred to most fans of the house. "I think we've been very humble over the years, and we have to do a better job of saying what we mean because we mean what we say," Frédéric adds. So, will consumers soon see "organic" printed on the label? "I want people to buy my family's wines because of the quality guaranteed by our name, not because we are organic," he adds. (Drouhin is in the midst of the long bureaucratic process to be certified organic.)
While the outlook for Drouhin continues to look rosy, particularly in the United States, the house's No. 1 market and the destination for some one million bottles annually, Frédéric is well aware of the challenges facing Burgundy and the wine world in general: "There are about 40 million hectoliters of wine produced each year that end up unsold. Where will it all go? China? India? Yes, but it will take a long time to develop those markets. The U.S. market is improving, but slowly. France and Italy are declining," he notes. Examples of some of the answers may be found closer to home. "We need to find more outlets for Burgundy worldwide, and the rules should be flexible enough to allow for 'commercial' wines to be made that are attractive to consumers, but the grands and premiers crus need some cleaning up, too - you can find Yellow Tail even in Burgundy," he offers.
Attention to detail, consistency and overall quality are certainly attributes that are applicable to Maison Louis Jadot as well. More than 60 years before the house was even founded, a chunk of the famed Les Demoiselles vineyard, a sliver of prime real estate within Chevalier-Montrachet - the Grand Cru said by many to be most representative of the very essence of white Burgundy's buttery stone and tropical fruit characteristics grounded by lip-smacking minerality, all ennobled by an élan unmatched by the rest of the world's Chardonnay - was deeded to the Jadot family. It is one of the house's original domaine holdings, the last of which was acquired in 1914 (another propitious year on the Continent). These prize plots are dubbed Domaine des Héritiers Louis Jadot and they consist of eleven grand and premier cru vineyards totaling about 40 acres (a notation on the Jadot label indicates when a bottle is from one of them). Since its official founding in 1859, Pierre-Henry Gagey says the strategy has been straightforward: "We produce wines from Burgundy exclusively, with only one label, and we try to develop our customer loyalty through one simple message: We believe that the wines produced from the grapes we buy are in the same line as those produced from our own vineyards. Some vins de négoce are as good, sometimes better, than some wines from our own properties; those grapes are sold to us by winegrowers who are also our friends and are of high quality."
The house now holds some 360 acres in Burgundy, including extensive acreage in both the Côte de Nuits, the northern "half"of the Côte d'Or and the Côte de Beaune, its larger southern "half." Like a number of major négociants, Jadot is heavily invested in Beaujolais and the Mâconnais. It would be hard to argue the point that Jadot's Bacchus label is the most recognizable Burgundy imprint in the U.S. market. Other top négoces have expressed - off the record - friendly envy of Jadot's market share and reputation here. For good reason. While the United States is Burgundy's No. 2 export destination by volume behind the United Kingdom by nearly two-and-a-half times, in terms of price to volume ratio, we drink a far better quality of Burgundy than the British, spending significantly more on average than do they. There is, then, much at stake.
No négociants are more aware of the enormity of those stakes than the houses of Bouchard Père & Fils and Chanson. Despite long histories in the wine business - since 1751 for Bouchard, which is when wine was added to the trading firm already dealing in cloth for 20 years prior, and 1750 for Chanson - both houses have been up and down until recently, and are now eager to curry the favor of consumers and critics again.
Despite having a huge cache of grand and premier cru vineyards at its disposal (of the firm's 320 acres, 30 are grand cru and 183 premier cru, a proportion nearly unheard of and unrivaled in Burgundy) that are located just about everywhere one would want to own in the Côte d'Or, with a heavy concentration in the Côte de Beaune, Bouchard Père & Fils (manage-ment is very particular about the complete name being used because the surname Bouchard is very common in France) went through a considerable period when critics seemed to take great pleasure in writing that its wonderful terroirs were being wasted on indifferent wines. The consensus now is that, since the 1995 takeover by Champagne's Joseph Henriot, things have improved markedly.
Bouchard Père & Fils wines have regained their reputation for purity and intensity, and the future looks even brighter now that the house's $15 million production facility on the outskirts of Beaune is in operation. The juxtaposition of the state-of-the-art, multilevel, two-and-a-half-acre building with the staid and ancient "house" in the center of Beaune where guests are received is telling. Though Bouchard was among the very first négoces to emphasize domaine holdings by beginning to buy vineyards in 1775, the firm is certainly no slave to tradition. The antiseptic and shiny new building was a full five years in the making - three to plan and research and two to construct - and is a mixture of many technologies and schools of thought, some of which have no basis in standard Burgundy practice. "We went everywhere around the world to see the best and the worst in each country," notes the newly in charge Stéphane Follin Arbelet. The multilevel, gravity-flow configuration has dual purposes: "Those who have contact with the wine in the lower level don't have contact with the dust and dirt from the people who bring in the grapes above," he explains.
"We're very conscious of hygiene," adds Philippe Prost, the affable maître de chais. There are 130 vats of varying size of both stainless steel and wood. The barrel room is about 30 feet below ground and even though it is clean, cement lined and well lit, it has that unmistakable damp and dusty smell about it that permeates the dank cellars more commonly associated with Burgundy. "Being this far underground gives us the same climatic conditions we would have in our Beaune cellar - we even have similar natural yeasts in the air," Prost says. The cellar has a storage capacity for 2.5 million bottles.
As Bouchard Père & Fils makes its move again in the United States, some things stay the same. "The first rule and the last rule is that there is no rule for a Burgundy vintage," Prost reassuringly states. Its size has sometimes been held against it, a not-uncommon prejudice directed against most négociants, though Prost, pointing out that, "we have one barrel of that, and only two of this" reinforces the fact that Burgundy is different and not particularly suitable to mass production. As if to anticipate the renewal of questions about the firm's direction, Arbelet says, "We are very ambitious for the U.S. market. We have a long way to come from."
Perhaps not as long as he thinks, however, because the wines were never as deficient as some claimed. Regardless, Bouchard Père & Fils has in its arsenal an unmatched weapon it is employing to gain the return to prominence its domaine holdings merit: Beaune du Château. The rouge is a blend of pinot from 22 Beaune premier cru vineyards held by the house; the blanc is made from five Beaune premier cru chardonnay vineyards. Priced at about $25 per bottle, can there be a better way for a post-Sideways consumer to move up a few notches from Bourgogne Rouge? That's a mere $1.14 per premier cru vineyard! Considering that generic red Burgundy routinely pushes $20 per bottle in price, Beaune du Château may just be the best buy in the Côte d'Or. Bouchard Père & Fils is hoping that a subsequent move up to Corton Grand Cru won't be too far behind for consumers.
Chanson's reemergence and past struggles are somewhat different, though the positive direction the house is taking is the same. "One of the main points since the acquisition by Bollinger is really to change the perception of Chanson from a négoce to being a winemaker. I don't even use the term négociant," insists the direct but pleasantly soft-spoken Gilles de Courcel, Chanson's directeur général since 2002.
It hasn't been easy for a few reasons. First of all, Chanson is the very epitome of the Burgundy négoce; it was founded by Simon Verry expressly to sell merchandise to export markets; cheese, olive oil, corks and grapevines, in addition to wine, were part of his trade. The firm, as it always seems to have done, prospered, buying the 16th-century Bastion in the heart of Beaune during the post-Revolution fire sale of assets seized from the Church and nobles that had the perverse affect of allowing the non-noble rich to get richer because they were the only ones with the cash to purchase these nationalized properties (so much for égalité). Though considered one of the five great shippers of Burgundy (along with Jadot, Louis Latour, now being run by the tenth generation of the family and the holder of the most grand cru vineyards in the Côte d'Or at 72 acres, Drouhin and Bouchard Père & Fils), Chanson has had to deal with a more recent problem, one that brought into question its status in this exclusive club.
A criminal investigation resulted in a finding that bottles labeled as Burgundy contained Languedoc wine over the course of several vintages, the last in 2000. Understandably, the new Chanson team prefers not to talk about that dark cloud. Perhaps on some level, the controversy helped to refocus Chanson. After all, Chanson has something going for it that no other négoce of note can claim: Its entire 94-acre Côte d'Or domaine consists of premier and grand cru vineyards. It can also claim, along with Drouhin, Clos des Mouches pinot and chardonnay vineyards (11 acres). More than two-thirds of its holdings are clustered around Beaune, including Beaune-Grèves and -Bressandes, Savigny-lès-Beaune (10 acres), Pernand-Vergelesses, Corton (1.2 acres, and the only grand cru in the domaine), and Chanson's pride and joy, 10 acres of Beaune Clos des Fèves, a monopole situated 700 feet above sea level, and so difficult to maneuver about, that it's more hospitable to horses than humans. The concentration in Beaune is unusual for a big-time négoce, most of whom have much more diffuse vineyard positioning.
The excellence of Chanson's vineyards suggests precisely what the firm should be emphasizing, and now it appears that this is just what is being done. Though the domaine accounts for just 25 percent of the house's production, a domaine attitude is applied to all of the grapes that end up in Chanson bottles. "All of the other wines are from small domaines and from clearly identifiable vineyards," Courcel says. "We make sure the vignerons take care of their vines the way we do for our domaine. More than 50 percent of the harvesting of the contract growers is done by our own team. In the past, we didn't even know where our wines came from. Now we vinify parcel by parcel. It's about control, but the contracts aren't even written because that's about confidence and trust. Maybe only two relationships haven't worked out," Courcel notes. The change in the house's philosophy, he says, is a result of "a combination of reasons: Bollinger's reputation, for one. And I know exactly what a domaine wine is supposed to be."
Both Courcel and Jean-Pierre Confuron, Chanson's winemaker, have their own domaines to worry about, too. Courcel was born and raised in Pommard, where his family has been making wine for more than 400 years. Domaine de Courcel is his 22-acre Pommard domaine. Confuron's, called Domaine Confuron-Cotétidot in the Côte de Nuits' Vosne-Romanée where he is from, encompasses 30 acres. "Having a domaine is very important. It gives me the right perspective for my work at Chanson," Confuron observes.
Much has changed since the Bollinger takeover in 1999. Emblematic of those shifts is a simple statement made by Confuron while tasting a barrel sample of the 2004 Bonnes Mares: "There's only one cask; this is Burgundy." For a house that, perhaps at one point, lost site of its responsibilities as well as its privileged place in the négociant hierarchy, bothering with a single cask may not have been in the business plan then. The new Chanson seems to be catching on. "I was just in the United States. Americans love our wines. They really enjoy them. Americans are our best customers," Courcel says with almost gleeful surprise. "I think we're doing things right. I won't be around, but I hope in a century, when some of our 2002s, 2003s and 2004s are opened, people will say 'Wow. Chanson made great wines.'"
The retooling of an image cannot have been accomplished any more abruptly or dramatically than that done by Jean-Claude Boisset, one of the numerous pieces in the huge Boisset empire. The sum total of those "parts" defines Boisset as a négociant's négociant. From the huge Mommessin concern, a house that dates to 1865, vast holdings throughout France from Chablis to the Mediterranean, California, Uruguay, South Africa, Italy and even spirits, Boisset took a decidedly different approach to its "boutique" label named for Jean-Claude Boisset, the father of Jean-Charles and Nathalie, who are two of the principals behind the change in attitude. They constantly speak of the renewal of Jean-Claude Boisset and date it to 2002. "It was a lot to move from being a négoce to being a vinifier. But at the same time, it wasn't too great a stretch because of the focus on quality we've had," notes Nathalie Bergès-Boisset, who directs public relations for the house. Or, as more succinctly put by Jean-Claude Boisset's winemaker, the dynamic Grégory Patriat, "Listen, 2002 is the first vintage of the renewal. Forget the past.
"When Jean-Charles spoke to me [about our new direction] he gave me carte blanche to raise the quality," Patriat continues. "I can't think of any other big brand in Burgundy that has tried to raise the level this way. He wanted these wines recognized for their quality. We want the best of whatever we're making - if it's only 600 bottles, so be it." Jean-Claude Boisset is producing an enviable range of wines, including grands crus such as Bâtard-Montrachet, Echézeaux, Clos de Vougeot and Clos de la Roche, but it's being done in a decidedly different way. "It's not our land, but it may as well be," Patriat explains.
According to Jean-François Curie, Boisset deputy vice-president, "Jean-Claude Boisset and Domaine de la Vougeraie [a small, highly-regarded Côte d'Or domaine and part of the group] are sort of our laboratory. We can show our grower partners that low yields, etcetera, can be done everywhere. We think the mass-market wines are raised by the smaller-production wines. Maybe one day we'll control 100 percent of our crop." Though Jean-Claude Boisset isn't about domaine holdings, its model is a smaller-scale version of the way business is done in Champagne. Jean-Claude Boisset actually directly controls a much higher percentage of its fruit than do most Champagne houses that buy huge amounts of grapes and juice, but often aren't able to exercise any meaningful supervision over them.
Patriat's search for suitable grower partners is also a bit unorthodox. "I'm looking for 'sick' vineyards - those affected by fan leaf because their yields are reduced by two. When I was at Leroy [vineyard manager and winemaker from 1998-2002], 80 percent of the vineyards were affected by fan leaf, which only attacks old vines. It results in small berries and low yields," he explains. The reason for his search is aptly reflected in his winemaking approach: "Winemaking is 10 percent of the wine and 90 percent in the vineyard. At every level the wines were spectacular because the source was so good that nothing was done in the cellar."
The United States is Boisset's No. 2 export market, making the splash of Sideways a fortuitous bit of timing. "The movie had a big-time affect, including on Deloach [another member of the Boisset group], which had wines sold out. Last year, we shipped double the amount of Bourgogne Rouge. I think it will last; it may even out a bit, but we'll stay strong because it's a great varietal. It's even having an impact in the UK and Japan," Curie notes.
And the Jean-Claude Boisset brand, though a drop in Boisset's figurative ocean of wine, will have an outsized impact in the firm's success in the future. "For the group, we have to maintain that quality philosophy in the mass-market brands. We must have them, but at the same time we want the two worlds to coexist. It would be easy to forget about the vin de pays and focus on Jean-Claude Boisset, but we have to take the economics into account. We want to show the world that you can do both."
Two more important names trying to show the world - or more accurately, the United States - that they are focused and ready to supply consumers with boutique-quality Burgundy are Albert Bichot and Antonin Rodet. Both have been around a long time - Bichot dates to 1831, Rodet to 1875 - both own a lot of vineyards and make a great deal of wine. Rodet alone produces about three million bottles per year and has a collection of domaines and vineyards that would be the envy of any négociant, including the famed Domaine Jacques Prieur (51 acres of grand and premier cru vineyards in the Côte d'Or) and Domaine des Perdrix (27 acres in the Côte de Nuits).
Rodet, however, gets less press in the United States than many other big houses despite "saying" all the right things. "We learned that ripeness was good from the New World. Now, everyone in Burgundy pays attention to ripeness and sugar levels so we have to stand out by making our wines taste like their terroir. We don't just produce Pinot Noir. We produce Pinot Noir in Clos de Vougeot, Mercurey and Beaune," says Nadine Gublin, Rodet's cellar master since 1990.
Bichot is and has always been family owned, something that is no small feat given France's inheritance laws that seem to encourage breaking up domaines and are, in large measure, the reason that Burgundy's vineyard ownership is a crazy quilt. Albéric Bichot is 42 and the sixth generation to run the house whose domaine holdings total 247 acres. Wines are made in 80 appellations in the Côte d'Or and Chablis. Bichot, like many négoces, has a strong export presence, yet it is mostly to markets that would be considered emerging at best by many of its peers. India, Russia, Brazil and Japan (the exception) are its primary destinations at this point, but the firm is aggressively seeking re-entry into the United States and the UK. "This year is a key year for the company," says Fabienne Gaillard-Nicot, Bichot's director of marketing.
"We are a négociant, but we buy 100 percent grapes except for some of the generic wines. We've really improved in the last ten years. We take seriously the 'little wines' in addition to the grands crus. I look at the wines as my children," says Christophe Chauvel, Bichot's winemaker for 86 acres of Côte d'Or vineyards. "I don't practice only biodynamic or organic, but I think there are lots of interesting things to get from them," the first of which was "to improve our soils. We're a blend of traditional and modern; we use logic to decide what we're going to do." Echoing the sentiments of those négoces who see themselves more as vignerons, he adds, "Each wine must be different because the terroirs are different. You have to respect the fruit."
The house of Joseph Faiveley is also long on history, though of late there has been a youth movement. The current proprietor, Erwan Faiveley, took the reins from his father, François, in 2004 when he was only 25. There is a family precedent at work here: Erwan's grandfather Guy handed off to François in 1976 when the latter was about the same age. "It's part of our tradition now. One day, my grandfather gave my father the keys and within six months my father was in charge. My father comes in once a week or so now. He tired of the day-to-day part of the business. People think the wine business is sexy and fun - and it is - but it's a business with people problems, supply issues. He didn't want to do those things anymore. He wants to focus on the big issues," Erwan notes.
The house was officially founded in 1825 and continues to have its headquarters in Nuits-Saint-Georges though Faiveley may be better known for its extensive holdings in Mercurey, the most important red wine commune in the Côte Chalonnaise. The domaine is huge at 296 acres, but unlike most négociants of any size, Faiveley's own fruit is the source for 80 percent of the house's output, making it perhaps the most domaine-like of any of the important names in Burgundy. More than 950,000 bottles are produced per year, ranging from the humble to the esteemed. Vineyards are owned in Corton, Corton-Charlemagne, Echézeaux and Clos de Vougeot, among other places of note. About 100 acres of the domaine are found in the Côte d'Or, with three-quarters of those in the Côte de Nuits.
Faiveley was one of the first Côte d'Or négoces to invest heavily outside of this commercial safe zone, something that is very much in fashion these days. Faiveley also holds the distinction of being Burgundy's largest holder of monopoles. The seven that the house owns total about 96 acres, a number higher than the domaine holdings of many négociants. Under Erwan, the firm has remained nimble despite its great size. For example, they don't store their older wines in a deep cellar, preferring instead to keep "fast-rotating wines" close at hand so even small orders can be efficiently labeled and shipped.
A visit to the cellar in Nuits-Saint-Georges reveals how bottles were moved from cellar to packaging area years ago via what looks like an upside down Model T assembly line. That same approach continues today because Faiveley is France's "restaurant Burgundy," in part because of its willingness to ship handfuls rather than containers of wine to a long list of small customers.
Faiveley fils exudes a quiet energy, and seems to be plotting his own course. In discussing the challenges facing him at such a relatively tender age, Erwan observes, "First: to make the same high-quality wines as my father. Second: to focus a bit more on whites from the Côte de Beaune. We don't own vineyards there, but I want to make long-term contracts with growers. There are loads of challenges, but I feel confident about things." Tasting the wines suggests that the transition is going well, and if he succeeds on the second point, Burgundy fans will be all the better off for it. The Corton-Charlemagne is absolutely stunning, making the paucity of Beaune whites even more distressing. By way of explanation - and maybe apology - Erwan says, "My grandfather wasn't very keen on white Burgundy. He would say the first asset of a Burgundy is to be red."
Though not as well known as Faiveley, Saint-Aubin-based Roux Pére & Fils has also transitioned to a notably young generation. The move was made at a time when the house is trying to raise its image, expand its holdings and upgrade its facilities. Rather than wait for the master plan to be implemented, Christian Roux, the great-grandson of the founding père (the house was established in 1885), has handed over just about all of the day-to-day operations of the 419-acre family domaine to his three children, all of whom are still in their 20s.
The first-born Mathilde now manages the French market and media relations within it; Sébastien, the middle child, is export and development manager; and the youngest, Matthieu, is winemaker. Together with various other family members, these three are trying to raise Roux's profile in both Burgundy and abroad. "It's unusual in Burgundy to be this young. Sometimes we'd like to have more wisdom, but we're doing what we like to do," Sébastien says. Adds Matthieu, "In small domaines there are young people like us, but not among négoces. We have great respect for Jadot, Drouhin, Bouchard, Bichot, Latour because we are so young. We're happy to be in this very small world of the négociant."
This "kiddie corps" certainly has the ammunition to mount a successful campaign with 161 acres of vineyards in the Côte d'Or and more than 60 appellations represented by their label. The annual production is about two million bottles, thanks to purchased grapes as well as vineyard holdings in the Languedoc. Until recently, as much as 60 percent of Roux's output remained in France. Now, due largely to Sébastien's efforts, 60 percent ends up exported. "Our ambition is to have a full-time U.S. brand ambassador. To extend the brand - that's our goal - we have to have objectives. We want to be a strong brand in the U.S. We're ambitious, but we're not pretentious." The United States now takes 30 to 40 percent of the exports. "Two years ago, we were nowhere in the U.S.," he adds.
In order to accomplish this phase of the Roux plan, Sébastien spends about five months per year in the United States supporting local distributors. "It's very easy to sell our wines because I have many advantages: I have good wines and I have my family," he says. But it's not just sentiment. They're crazy about quality control. The family even hired a company to inspect the corks they buy; 10 to 15 percent of them end up being returned to the supplier. This extra step costs money, of course. "We're an outsider in America. We can't afford to take any chances," Sébastien says.
Matthieu shrugs when asked how he deals with so much responsibility, saying, "I've wanted this for a long time. I had good training - Michel Laroche, Drouhin - so I want to do things right. But this is the beginning; I have a lot I want to do." His focus isn't surprising given his early childhood activities. "When I was a little boy, I played in the cellar and liked to drive the tractor," he recalls.
Sébastien's path was different: "I came later to wine; not like Matthieu. Our parents never imposed the business on us," he admits just before his brother interjects, "Before, he was terrible! But when he went to business school, he became a hard worker."
Burgundy will never be easy to understand. These négociants, however, certainly help narrow the field of necessary knowledge significantly. And while Côte d'Or premier and grand cru wines will never be considered cheap, consumers will get their money's worth when choosing one from any of these distinguished houses.
Todd M. Wernstrom is the executive editor and frequently writes about French and Italian wine.
Tasting Bar
The wines that follow, with the exception of Jadot's, were tasted at the houses. Where applicable, whites are listed first. The wines were not tasted blind.
Albert Bichot
2002 Domaine du Pavillon, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru - $85: Classic Corton-Charlemagne nose of lime peel and flint with ample honey and baking spice notes. Thick, layered and mature in the mouth, with lime, orange, honey and tobacco flavors. Score: 93
2003 Domaine du Pavillon, Clos des Maréchaudes Corton Grand Cru - $80: Great out-of-the-glass intensity with scents of raspberry, earth, bittersweet chocolate and tobacco. Sweet flavors of cherry and cedar box reflect the ripeness of the vintage. Score: 94
2002 Domaine du Clos Frantin, Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru - $90: Beautifully austere aromas of citrus peel, dust and dried tobacco. The antithesis of the nose with exuberant raspberry and citrus flavors, and earthy cedar notes. Score: 92
Jean-Claude Boisset
2002 Clos de la Roche Grand Cru - $105: Very perfumed; a typical characteristic of the Jean-Claude Boisset wines. Scents of cherry, strawberry and flowers. A great package with just enough tannins to lift the cherry and forest floor flavors. Score: 92
2002 Echézeaux Grand Cru - $140: Meaty and youthful; scents of cherry, bacon fat and cedar box. More forthcoming in the mouth; bold black fruit and silky texture, the preferred markers for this appellation. Score: 93
2003 Clos de Vougeot Grand Cru - $140: Big aromas of blackberry, oak char and grill pan. Peppery though supple flavors of blackberry and licorice come together seamlessly. Score: 92
Bouchard Père & Fils
2004 Domaine Bouchard Père & Fils, Meursault Premier Cru Genevrières - $70: Beautifully floral nose of lemon curd and banana cream. Lush tropical fruit flavors and a grounding tobacco note. Score: 92
2004 Domaine Bouchard Père & Fils, Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru La Cabotte - $390: Restrained, focused nose of melon and cream. All about mouth-feel; soft, silky, balanced flavors of pineapple, citrus peel and apricot with great minerality. Score: 93
2004 Domaine Bouchard Père & Fils, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru - $100: Very minerally at first; opening to luscious aromas of banana and apricot. Classic Corton-Charlemagne profile; lime, tobacco and cedar flavors, very long and nervy. Score: 95
2003 Domaine Bouchard Père & Fils, Corton Grand Cru - $90: Big, but pretty aromas of cherry and bittersweet chocolate. Similar flavors accented by cedar and black pepper notes. A great wine that shows a sense of restraint that can't be replicated outside of the Côte d'Or. Score: 95
Chanson
2004 Domaine Chanson, Savigny Premier Cru Hauts Marconnets - $37: Like walking into a florist's shop: scents of white flowers and orange blossom with notes of honey and tropical fruit. Minerally and refreshingly tart; lime and wet stone flavors. Score: 93
2003 Domaine Chanson, Beaune Premier Cru Clos des Mouches - $88: Bright, lemony nose; floral and well meshed. Layered, complex flavors of pear, apricot and honey are kept lively by gravelly acidity. Score: 94
2003 Domaine Chanson, Beaune Premier Cru Clos des Fèves - $73: Commences with a lovely, perfumed delicateness that evolves into aromas of kirsch-like intensity with strawberry and licorice notes that are replicated in the mouth. Score: 93
2003 Domaine Chanson, Beaune Premier Cru Clos des Mouches - $68: Subtle scents of berry-cherry fruit in the squeaky clean nose. Very vibrant and clean in the mouth; flavors of cherry, licorice and mocha. Typical of the Chanson style that delivers well-defined purity of fruit. Score: 94
Joseph Drouhin
2004 Beaune Premier Cru Clos des Mouches - $70: A wine of laser-like intensity. Very perfumed nose of apricot, butter and honey. Flavors replicate the nose on a waxy texture. Closes with a white pepper flourish. Score: 94
2004 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru - $102: A perfect example from this hallowed vineyard. A nose of lime blossom, dried apricot and white flowers. Tightly wound flavors of peach, citrus, honey and minerals are impossibly long. Score: 96
2004 Marquis de Laguiche, Montrachet Grand Cru - $360: Infinitely appealing. Honeyed aromas of lemon, flint and butter. Balanced and soon-to-be luscious flavors of apricot, tobacco and butter. Score: 97
2003 Beaune Premier Cru Clos des Mouches - $76: Somewhat subdued scents of cherry, earth and baking spice. Picks up in the mouth with tingly flavors of cherry, raspberry and bacon fat. Score: 93
2003 Bonnes Mares Grand Cru - $227: A little closed at present in the nose; notes of red berries, dust and flowers. Youthful, and a great package. Flavors of cherry, citrus and minerals. Score: 94
Joseph Faiveley
2004 Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru - $209: An astounding wine. Deep, smoky nose shows apple, lime peel and bacon fat notes. Rich, luscious flavors of stone fruit, flint, honey and crème brûlée linger endlessly on the palate. Simply magnificent. Score: 98
2003 Beaune Premier Cru Clos de l'Ecu - $64: Sweet and perfumed; very Beaune. Aromas and flavors of red currant and cedar are pretty yet structured and toothy. Score: 92
2003 Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru Clos des Issarts - $83: Beefy, black-fruited aromas. Flavors of cherry and black pepper with a touch of vanilla that lightens the wine's mood. Score: 92
2003 Echézeaux Grand Cru - $167: Pretty, floral nose that is still quite focused: black cherry, licorice and smoke. Very powerful, yet supple in the mouth. Forward flavors of black cherry and mocha. Score: 94
2003 Latricières-Chambertin Grand Cru - $167: Lovely, floral and generous red fruit in the nose. Velvety texture; flavors of damson berry, cherry, earth and violets. Typical of Faiveley's reds in that the nose often suggests a lighter-bodied wine than the palate ultimately delivers. Score: 95
Louis Jadot
2002 Domaine Gagey, Puligny-Montrachet Premier Cru Champ-Gain - $63: Subtle, floral nose of stone fruit, butter and toasted almond. Lemon curd and minerals in the mouth. Score: 92
2003 Domaine Louis Jadot, Puligny-Montrachet Premier Cru Les Combettes - $103: Pretty, classic nose of lime blossom, marzipan, toasted hazelnut and butter. Flavors of lemon curd, pineapple and wet stone. Great weight and quite cleansing. Score: 95
2001 Domaine des Héritiers Louis Jadot, Chevalier-Montrachet Grand Cru Les Demoiselles - $200: Direct, youthful aromas of orange honey, dried apricot and crème brûlée. Nutty, juicy and complex. Flavors of yellow peach, broiled grapefruit and cedar are very long and very delicate. Score: 95
2003 Domaine Louis Jadot, Gevrey-Chambertin Premier Cru Clos Saint-Jacques - $122: Very much a product of the vintage. Ripe nose of blackberry jam and chocolate. Luscious and sweet, but in control. Flavors of black cherry and mocha. Score: 93
2000 Domaine Gagey, Clos Saint-Denis Grand Cru - $100: The epitome of Pinot. Warm, earthy and concentrated aromas of strawberry jam, black cherry and smoke. Sweet, floral flavors of cherry, licorice and black pepper. Score: 96
Louis Latour
2003 Vosne-Romanée Premier Cru Les Beaux Monts - $75: Pretty floral aromas. Flavors of black cherry and black pepper speak to the vintage, the hottest on record in more than 100 years. Score: 92
1999 Bienvenues-Bâtard-Montrachet Grand Cru - $175: Lusciously sharp aromas of lime peel, honey and minerals. Similar flavors have a long, almost chalky freshness; very age-worthy. Score: 95
Olivier Leflaive
2004 Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru Clos Saint-Marc - $58: The Chablis of Chassagne; lime blossom scents and lots of flint and slate. More of the same in the mouth, along with kiwi and lemon. Score: 93
2004 Meursault Premier Cru Charmes - $65: Subtly rich nose of pineapple, kiwi and nuts. Vibrant and chalky at first sip; copious tropical fruit and butter emerge with air; perfectly balanced. Score: 95
2004 Puligny-Montrachet Premier Cru Les Folatières - $83: Big and beautiful; aromas of banana, hazelnut and butter. Freshly lush flavors of tropical fruit and butter, with great backing acidity and lime notes keeping it all in balance. Score: 95
Antonin Rodet
2003 Cave Privée Antonin Rodet, Savigny-lès-Beaune Premier Cru Aux Gravains - $65: Lovely floral and perfume notes complement aromas of lemon and hazelnut. Creamy, svelte flavors of banana and flint. Score: 92
2003 Domaine Jacques Prieur, Corton Grand Cru Les Bressandes - $125: As pretty a nose as one would hope to encounter: violets and raspberry with a dusting of earth. Long, velvety, spicy flavors of cherry syrup, orange peel and chocolate. Score: 95
Roux Père & Fils
2004 Saint-Aubin Premier Cru Les Cortons - $42: Rich and buttery without being sweet and cloying in a way that Chardonnay can only be in Burgundy. Aromas of lemon curd and lime. Honeyed flavors of apricot and barrel spice. Score: 94
2004 Chassagne-Montrachet Premier Cru Les Macherelles - $66: Quite buttery aromas of stone fruit and caramel. A spicy mouthful of honeyed apricot and subtle wood. Impeccable balance. Score: 94
2003 Pommard Premier Cru Les Grands Epenots - $62: Floral scents of strawberry and bramble bush. Lush flavors of black cherry and sweet tobacco show off the wine's style and balance. Score: 93
2003 Vougeot Premier Cru Les Petits Vougeots - $75: Big, vibrant aromas of red cherry and tobacco. Silky, licorice-laced flavors of raspberry jam, cedar and tobacco. A great example of a super-ripe, but totally in control wine. Score: 94 - TMW
Jean-Pierre Got
Cover artist Jean-Pierre Got began designing posters in 1992 with his first commission coming from a Bordeaux négociant firm celebrating its 100th anniversary.
A French wine exporter by trade, Got's portfolio ranges from high spirited, joyful subject matter, such as this issue's "La Vieille Fontaine" to more tender portrayals in the Belle Époque and Art Deco styles.
His commercial posters lend those subjects the aura of a bygone era and evoke a reassuring nostalgia. "Through my designs, I wish to pay homage to the great French posterists who invented the art more than 100 years ago," Got explains.
Always in a limited edition of 500 signed and numbered prints, he creates his work in Bordeaux where the strong tradition of commercial poster production lives on. - KFS
Visit www.jeanpierregot.online.fr to view more of Jean-Pierre Got's poster art.
