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This article covers Dr. Jules Lavalle’s forgotten Grand Crus of the Côte de Beaune. For an intro to the concept of “Super Firsts” and the Côte de Nuits villages, check out Part 1
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The Côte de Beaune
Today we’re continuing our look at the supposed “supremacy of terroir” in Burgundy by looking at the vineyards Dr. Jules Lavalle considered Tête de Cuvée (his version of Grand Cru) in 1855. Sure, some of the usual suspects are still at the top of the heap today (Romanée-Conti and Montrachet, we’re looking at you), but far more interesting are the vineyards that have since faded into relative obscurity. Are they unworthy of their previous fame, or are they the best bargains in today’s Burgundy? Let’s take a closer look.
Beaune
The commercial center of Burgundy has long languished in relative ignominy when it comes to the commercial prowess of its vineyards. But Lavalle considered both Les Grèves and Les Fèves the equal of vineyards like Echezeaux and Romanée-Saint-Vivant. Even as late as Steven Spurrier’s infamous Judgement of Paris tasting in 1976, Drouhin’s Beaune 1er Cru Clos des Mouches was placed as an equal alongside Ramonet Batard-Montrachet, Leflaive Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru Les Pucelles, and Roulot Meursault 1er Cru Charmes, but modern tastes have abandoned both the whites and reds of Beaune for more southerly and northerly climes, respectively. Perhaps it’s time to revisit Beaune with an open mind, with producers like Michel Lafarge and Domaine de Montille producing exceptional examples capable of both immediate enjoyment and long-term cellaring.
Pommard
No conversation about “Super Firsts” in Burgundy is complete without the mention of Les Rugiens in Pommard, particularly the lower section of the vineyard, Les Rugiens Bas. However, Lavalle minces no words about Pommard in his 1855 treatise: “No climat is placed sufficiently above the others to deserve to be classified separately; but a large number of vineyards must be placed in the first rank, and are worthy of being counted among the 1er Crus.” Even in ranking the 1er Crus, he considers Les Arvelets superior to Les Rugiens, which makes us think a blind tasting of the two is in order, perhaps between Anne-François Gros Pommard 1er Cru Les Arvelets and Domaine de Montille Pommard 1er Cru Les Rugiens Bas.
Volnay
Two and a half vineyards in Volnay make Lavalle’s list of Burgundy’s best. Caillerets and Champans will come as a surprise to no Burgundy enthusiast, and the “half” should be familiar as well. In Lavalle’s time, the Côte de Beaune villages now dominated by Chardonnay production (specifically Meursault, Chassagne, and Puligny) were still awash with Pinot Noir and even Gamay. Therefore, he lists Santenot as “Santenot, à Meursault”. While this is still technically correct, the modern tradition is to bottle red wine from this vineyard as Volnay, due to Volnay’s greater association with red wine production in the minds of collectors. For value, look no further than Comte Lafon Volnay 1er Cru Santenot du Milieu, one of the iconic Domaine’s most affordable bottlings, and quite undeservedly so. For Caillerets and Champans, Michel Lafarge and Marquis d’Angerville continue to be under-appreciated. The former makes a beautiful Caillerets, and the latter works with both vineyards.
Meursault
Despite a very terse section on white wines (where only Le Montrachet is awarded top marks as a white wine vineyard), Lavalle calls out Meursault Perrières out as the equal of Batard-Montrachet and Corton Blanc, while Charmes, Genevrières, and Goutte d’Or are also praised in another “and then” section of the Première Cuvées. Meursault had already achieved quite a reputation for white wines by Lavalle’s time, and Meursault Perrières is now priced as high as the Grand Crus of many top Domaines. But relative value can still be found at addresses like that of Michel Bouzereau.
Chassagne-Montrachet
We will skip over Puligny, since finding a red wine from Clavoillon has become a rather challenging proposition, and we have already mentioned Montrachet and Batard-Montrachet. In Chassagne, however, a robust group of Pinot Noir winemakers still operate, and both of Lavalle’s top vineyards – Clos Saint Jean, and Clos Pitois (now a part of the enormous Morgeot 1er Cru) – can still be found in red form. Paul Pillot Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru Clos Saint Jean Rouge is an excellent value, and in the best vintages almost makes one nostalgic for the red-dominated days of Chassagne’s past.
Santenay
Even among Burgundy enthusiasts, Santenay is often forgotten. It stands at the southern end of the mostly-unbroken slope of the Côte d’Or, as the haphazard patchwork of the Côte Chalonnaise begins. But the vineyards at its northern edge share more with Chassagne than they do with Maranges or Bouzeron, and Lavalle places two lieu-dits within what is now 1er Cru Les Gravières as the equals of the likes of Romanée-Saint-Vivant: Le Clos Tavannes and Noyer-Bart. The latter does not have any modern bottlings, But Clos Tavannes survives in a bottling by Pousse d’Or that represents incredible value.
The Legend of Terroir
Burgundy remains a dualistic place, on one hand deeply committed to the supremacy of the dirt, with clear hierarchies between vineyards, even those that share nearly identical geology and climate. On the other hand, the market understands perfectly well (especially when one considers the range of prices within a given vineyard) that producer is paramount. I once heard Anne Parent reply with indignation to a question about the “best” vintages in her native Pommard with, “There are no bad vintages in Burgundy, only bad winemakers.” Provocative though it may seem, the same might be said of some vineyards. If Fixin Perrière and Santenay Clos Tavannes were turning out wines as good as Echezeaux and Romanée-Saint-Vivant in Lavalle’s time, is it the dirt or the winemakers that have changed? Or perhaps there are too few of us who really taste them side by side with an open mind, and the power of the words “Vosne-Romanée” are enough to drown out the true signals from our taste buds. I think a thorough blind tasting (or maybe three) are in order! In the meantime, open-minded tasters can stock up on cellar steals among Burgundy’s “Super Firsts”.