Saturday Sips: Domaine Michel Gay’s Côte-de-Beaune Reds & Beaune’s Lone Red Grand Cru, Corton (6-Bottle Wine-Pack $390, All Included)

We are pleased to announce the return of Saturday Sips! We will be applying in-store tasting protocols to ensure everyone stays safe and will limit the number of people tasting at any given time and adhere to proper social-distancing using assigned tasting spots marked on the floor. Our tasting glasses will be one time use for the day but feel free to bring your own glass if you wish.

Domaine Michel Gay’s Côte-de-Beaune reds and Beaune’s only red Grand Cru, Corton. 6-Bottle Wine-Pack $390, All Included. The all-red 6-bottle selection includes one bottle of each of Corton-Renardes (Grand Cru), Savigny-lès-Beaune Vergelesses (Premier Cru), Aloxe-Corton, and three bottles of Bourgogne “Côte d’Or Rouge.

Domaine Michel Gay et Fils

Great wines may be made in the vineyard, but the finesse is often created on the sorting table. When Sébastien Gay took over Domaine Michel Gay after his father’s 2001 retirement, among the improvements he initiated was a shift to organic farming, doing multiple “green harvests,” limiting yields by hand-pruning the vines and adding a pair of sorting tables where dozens of workers determine the quality levels of individual grapes. According to Sébastien, “Our wines show more balance now because modern techniques allow us to better control the different steps in the winemaking process.”

At just over 37 acres, the estate is relatively small, but it incorporates vineyard plots in communes with storied names and spreads across a kaleidoscope of terroirs, including Chorey‐lès‐Beaune, Aloxe‐Corton, Savigny‐lès‐Beaune Premier Crus Serpentières and Vergelesses, three premier crus in Beaune, Toussaints, Aux Coucherias, and Les Grèves, as well as a small parcel on the Corton hill in the Renardes vineyard. Vines are between forty and sixty years old, and receive the same individualized attention as the grapes do at harvest. A fifth-generation winemaker, Sébastien who recently was joined by his son Laurent, has embraced modernity while revering tradition and the result is a portfolio of wines that see improvement with nearly every vintage.

Corton – Grand Cru

Age is a treasured commodity in wine, but the limestone of Corton, lying between Ladoix and Meursault is younger than anywhere else along the Côte. The largest Grand Cru in Burgundy, Corton forms a natural amphitheater on the northern tip of the Côte de Beaune. Other than the dense woodlands that caps the summit, the renowned hill of Corton is almost entirely planted to grapes, although the Grand Cru designation covers only the southern half. On the western slope, Chardonnay benefits from surface layers of limestone, while the eastern side—being exposed to morning sunlight and richer in marlstone—is perfectly suited to Pinot Noir.

Corton-Renardes Grand Cru “Vieilles Vignes” 2016, $145
Les Renardes is a well-known lieu-dit of the Corton Grand Cru appellation; it sits on an eastern slope of the Montagne de Corton and produces exceptional Pinot Noir. The soils in this corner of Aloxe-Corton are rich in iron oolite, giving the wines a characteristically feral richness, which is both encouraged and embraced by the winemakers. This supple 2016 shows juicy red plum and anise with delicate overtones of smoke and earth resplendent with the leathery layers for which the vineyard is famous.

Savigny-lès-Beaune

The territory between Corton and Beaune is heavy with the remains of French aristocracy; here, land and vineyard owners have included dukes, Cistercians and even Popes. Savigny-lès-Beaune wines are said to reflect that heritage, with a special emphasis on elegance. The whites may appear deep gold with emerald highlights, while the reds—representing more than 85% of the total production—are in equal measure powerful and robust. In terms of terroir, the lower slopes are rich with alluvia from the Rhoin, and the highest plots, at elevations even greater than those of the hill of Corton, are rooted in gravelly soils with a scattering of ironstone.

Savigny-lès-Beaune Premier Cru – Vergelesses 2016, $59
Of Savigny-lès-Beaune’s premier cru vineyards, Les Vergelesses is known for red wines of depth and distinction. It sits on the south-facing side of River Le Rhoin at a point where the valley opens out onto the plains between Beaune and Corton. The 2016 vintage produced low yields of exceptional quality, showing focused wild strawberry and peppery spice wrapped in supple tannins.

Aloxe-Corton

The appellation of Aloxe-Corton stands guard near vinous gates of the Grand Crus of Corton and Corton-Charlemagne, enjoying (if not the prestige) many similar growing conditions, producing almost exclusively red wines known for both a depth of color and an intensity of flavor. With vines facing east, the terroir is soil driven, with flint and limestone rich in potassium and phosphoric acid lending supple firmness to the wines, especially those from the appellation’s southern end.

Aloxe-Corton “Vieilles Vignes” 2016 $59
Drawing from four unique vineyards within Aloxe-Corton—Les Crapousuets, Les Caillettes, Boulmeau and Les Boutières—Michel Gay’s “Vieilles Vignes” refers to vines with an average age of more than 60 years. The complex characteristics of old vine wine are present with deep garnet hues and a toasty reduction of cassis, licorice, currants and silken tannins.

Bourgogne (Regional)

Authorized in 1937, the designation AOC “Bourgogne” encompasses all 385 villages in the Burgundy region. To use the appellation on a label, the grapes must come from one, or all, of the three departments of Yonne, Côte-d’Or and Saône-et-Loire. Although often considered an ‘entry-level’ Burgundy, few of the vineyards are situated near illustrious vineyards and quality may reflect that. It’s fair to say that whereas some wines bearing the “Bourgogne” deignation may be acidic or harsh, some of the greatest values may also be found here.

Bourgogne Côte d’Or Rouge 2017 $35
The AOC “Bourgogne Côte d’Or” encompasses 40 villages between Dijon and Maranges; as a restriction within the general Bourgogne AOC, it is fairly new, intended to highlight the unique potential of the Côte d’Or to produce wines superior to either Yonne or Saône-et-Loire. Michel Gay’s 2017 displays a solid, fleshy Burgundian profile, with ripe cherry, cinnamon, forest floor and a soft tannic backbone.

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Posted on 2021.04.08 in France, Burgundy