UNDER THE RADAR BURG + A DURRMANN DROPš”
by Megan Jones
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Heyy, Fionn today!
Straight into it with some incredibly limited Burgundy.Ā Chris SantiniĀ has somehow been flying under the radar. How Iāll never know. Considering he is based in Beaune, working for a certain Kermit Lynch, youād think heād be the talk of the town. A negociant since 2013, alongside the day job, he sources organic fruit from unusual or āoff the beaten trackā appellations. In 2016 he acquired his cellar in Auxey that would go on to become the critical incubator for the emerging expat talent in the area. Support was given to Jonathan Purcell ofĀ Vin Noe, Christian Knott ofĀ Dandelion, Bastien Wolber, andĀ Arnaud LopezĀ to name but a few. I guess we owe Chris a big thank you. A few bottles recently trickled over here. I grabbed as much as I could. Sadly, that was F*** all. Lucky for you I stocked up whilst in France. Otherwise, the whole allocation would be coming home with meā¦
Firstly, aĀ delightful blendĀ of Pinot and Gamay. This is Burgs without the serious shackles, a pure-fruited, joyous thing that deserves a chill. Going up a gear with anĀ ethereal Pinot, that is far from overworked/overpriced stuff. Finally, aĀ Bourgogne BlancĀ that is racy, saline, and nutty.
NewĀ Durrmann ā23sĀ have also entered the chat. Easily, the best vintage in recent memory. A warm-ish year, but with rain in the right places so the fruit was in excellent nick. Happy, healthy ferments meant no sulphur across the board too.
God, I just adore these wines. Theyāre always so energetic and vibrant.
HereĀ is an excellent Sylvaner that I cracked into last weekend. Herbal and citrus-laden. Stable over a few days, it was just getting better and better too.
With theĀ Pinot Blanc, weāre met with a slight smoky reduction. It blows off quick to reveal gorgeous fruit and a chalky texture.
KraxĀ is back with itās wild aromatics, pithy citrus, and just enough grip.
Gaz de SchistesĀ is giving big mango Rubicon energy this year.
As ever, theĀ GewurzĀ is restrained, refined, and most importantly dry. Think more tropical than the usual bath bomb soapy thing.
Excellent year forĀ the redĀ too, this vintage is mineral and persistent. Reckon, itāll age a right treat too!
Despite the current rain and temperature, I simply must mention thisĀ RosĆ©. Gamay over granite is a match made in heaven, yet rarely do we see it directly pressed for something pink. I donāt like to drink the same wines over and over again, especially note in short space of time. I take this wine thing serious, gotta search for new wines for you all and one can only drink so much whilst being responsibleā¦ That said, Iāve consumed this bottle at least three, yes three, times in the past few weeks. Oops. Make of that what you will.
Have a good one,
Fionn
xoxo