BURGUNDY: MEET 10 EXCEPTIONAL TALENTS

The complexities of Burgundy, its appellations, walled slopes and dynastic stories are a source of fascination for many wine lovers. Inspired by research for her latest book, Jeannie Cho Lee MW highlights 10 personalities leading dynamic change in the region

- Jeannie Cho Lee MW

On a rainy Friday afternoon in March 2020, the second day of the Zachys Burgundy auction at Le Bernardin Privé New York was in full swing. Champagne flowed from 10am, and by lunchtime, grand cru red and white Burgundy wines were being generously shared among 150 registered bidders in the packed room. This was a hardcore Burgundy wine lovers’ gathering in celebration of the La Paulée weekend – even as Covid-19 was wreaking havoc around the world, with the US confirming 550 cases that weekend and only two weeks before the citywide lockdown.

For the past 10 years, as other wine regions including Bordeaux gained and then lost favour among fine wine lovers, Burgundy has been on a steady, steep, upward trajectory. Charles Antin from Zachys auction house says: ‘2016 was the first year we saw Burgundy surpass Bordeaux in terms of annual sales dollars. In 2018, Burgundy was 35% of lots and 54% of value, and in 2019 it was 38% of lots and 55% of value.’

This growing consumer demand around the world coincides with seven consecutive years of small yields in Burgundy (starting in 2010), mostly due to various climatic challenges. As prices crept up, so did the ambition and pressure to produce consistently high-quality wines, fuelling the motivation among producers to compete with the likes of Domaine de la Romanée-Conti, Domaine Armand Rousseau and Domaine Leroy. The new younger generation and a bevy of sought-after micro-négociants are giving star domaines a run for their money.

Riding high