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Winner Details

FRANCE: White Burgundy

2019 GOLD: 8      SILVER: 6      BRONZE: 1      COMMENDED: 15
2018 GOLD: 6      SILVER: 4      BRONZE: 4      COMMENDED: 5

 There aren’t many parts of the Sommelier Wine Awards where £20-£25 constitutes ‘mid-price’, but this is emphatically one of them. Our entries here are into double figures with an almost indecent haste, and barely pause for breath until they reach the high £20s. All of which makes the achievement of the Elodie Duprés Macon Villages even more impressive. It fully deserved both its Gold and its Pub Partners award.

That said, complaining about price with Burgundy is as pointless as moaning about the thorns on a rose bush: it comes with the territory, keeps the hoi polloi away – and the end product still looks great.

Interestingly, our tasters all took away different findings from their experiences tasting here this year. Some found drinkability at the lower end, others were impressed with the middle prices, while still others felt you might as well dive in with both feet and head for the top-end wines.

All of which suggests that there’s good stuff here to suit every venue, from gastropub to Michelin-starred restaurant.

FROM THE TASTING TEAMS

‘While you still look for value, it’s true that the staggering wines here are all around £22 to £28. When you reach the bottom price points, you wouldn’t know where the wines were from.’ Christopher Delalonde MS, The Dorchester

‘In the middle price range there was really good value, with fruit-driven, elegant wines.’ Marco Marcuzzo, Aster Restaurant

‘Rich and imposing and not always in a good way. It was difficult to find good value, but the top end is still promising.’ Tanguy Martin, New Street Warehouse

‘There was a common trend of ripe acidity that was a surprise. The ones that stood out were leaner. It was exciting to see good value at entry to mid-level.’ Joshua Castle, Noble Rot

‘Classic white Burgundy – great acidity, great use of oak, finesse and balance.’ Ross Antonelli, Hawksmoor Borough

‘Very much what you’d expect – very classic, very consistent, the highest quality line-up we’ve had, but the least exciting. Safe and reliable, but perhaps not as fun as other wines we’ve tried today.’ Romain de Courcy, Gazelle Mayfair 

Award winners

Found 30 wines

France: White Burgundy

Domaine de Rochebin, Elodie Duprés, Macon-Villages 2017, Burgundy, France

Gold medal winner By the glass

‘Ripe, creamy and bold – a lot for the price,’ praised team leader Hamish Anderson as this earned itself a Gold medal, with ‘a savoury, bright nose, and warm bread and apple notes’. Fellow team leader Angela Reddin agreed, finding it ‘very well balanced and nicely put together’, with ‘pears on the nose, and rock melon and peach on the palate’, while Markus Dilger of Dilger Sommelier Selection appreciated ‘floral notes of acacia and elderflower, as well as peas, yellow apple, creamy vanilla and white pepper’.

£7.76 Majestic Commercial

Domaine Ferret, Pouilly-Fuissé 2016, Burgundy, France

Gold medal winner

For Marco Marcuzzo of Aster Restaurant, this Gold winner was showing ‘classic Burgundian spice and autolytic character, like lees yeast and bread’, as well as being ‘full-bodied, with very fine and precise acidity, and integrated oak’. Team leader Angela Reddin appreciated its ‘talcum powder nose, with oak notes over tropical fruit’, describing it as ‘a clever, subtle wine, and very classy’, while Markus Dilger of Dilger Sommelier Selection noted ‘melon, grapefruit, honey blossom and white pepper notes’.

£24.22 Enotria&Coe

Domaine Latour-Giraud, Cuvée Charles Maxime, Meursault 2016, Burgundy, France

Gold medal winner

‘Pure and restrained,’ praised team leader Hamish Anderson as this took home Gold, describing ‘a delicate floral nose, leading to a very driven, citrus-led palate with citrus pith and a long, intense finish’. Fellow leader Laura Rhys MS was equally complimentary, finding it to be ‘elegant and complex, with bold, juicy citrus and stone fruit’, while Daniel Nuttall of Adam’s Restaurant appreciated its ‘bright acidity and easy-drinking savoury palate with saline notes’.

£38.00 Bibendum

Lequin-Colin, Back to the Roots, Bourgogne Blanc 2017, Burgundy, France

Gold medal winner

This ‘exceptionally generous wine for the price’, according to Joshua Castle of Noble Rot, naturally took home Gold, with its ‘lovely array of smoky aromas and ripe orchard fruits, and a palate that’s tense and mineral, with a bright mineral finish’. Team leader Martin Lam particularly enjoyed its ‘leesy, barrel-ferment character’, while fellow team leader Hamish Anderson described ‘a powerful nose of smoke, spice and flowers, with cream, lemon pith and vanilla on the palate’.

£16.90 Top Selection

Domaine Antoine Olivier, Le Biévaux l'Air de Rien, Santenay 2015, Burgundy, France

Gold medal winner

As this took its rightful place on the Gold List, New Street Warehouse’s Tanguy Martin praised its ‘very classy Burgundian notes, and a palate that’s vibrant and refreshing’, while team leader Martin Lam remarked on its ‘good concentration and typicity’, finding it ‘ripe and rounded, with a zesty acidity’. Ross Antonelli of Hawksmoor Borough, meanwhile, found it ‘smoky, with toasted seeds, pronounced fennel and popcorn, as well as some lemon, grapefruit and pineapple’.

£29.51 Hallgarten & Novum Wines

Domaine Pierre Naigeon, Côtes de Nuits-Villages, Les Vignois 2015, Burgundy, France

Gold medal winner

The first of a pair of Gold medals for Domaine Pierre Naigeon in this year’s competition, this Côtes de Nuits-Villages was ‘complex, rich and savoury’, according to Gazelle Mayfair’s Romain de Courcy, who described notes of ‘fresh apple, ripe lemon and custard, as well as some minerality’. Team leader Hamish Anderson found it to be ‘a delicious, bold wine, in an opulent, toasty style that’s starting to develop’, describing ‘cream, toasty depth and some warm spice’.

£24.91 Hallgarten & Novum Wines

Domaine René Monnier, Puligny-Montrachet 1er Cru, Les Folatières 2016, Burgundy, France

Gold medal winner

Judges were generous in their praise as this was elevated to Gold, with team leader Laura Rhys MS finding it ‘delicious, with elegant fruit character, such as ripe citrus, apple and peach, and well-integrated oak’. Daniel Nuttall of Adam’s Restaurant described it as ‘steely, flinty and mineral’, while Kai Mayfair’s Elisa Soggia appreciated its ‘lemon and lime peel, with green apples, gooseberries and elderflower, too, as well as some vanilla and honeycomb, with oak and white pepper on the finish’.

£63.23 Hallgarten & Novum Wines

Sylvain Loichet, Côte de Nuits Villages, Réserve La Comtesse 2015, Burgundy, France

Gold medal winner

Marco Marcuzzo of Aster Restaurant appreciated this Gold winner’s ‘typical Burgundian ripe stone fruit with spice and good oak integration, and a long, creamy palate with autolytic character of bread and lees’, while team leader Angela Reddin thought it ‘intense and intricate’, identifying additional ‘seashell and sea breeze notes, as well as lemon and stone fruits’. Kahani London’s Ennio Pucciarelli added praise for its ‘round yet crisp structure, with white peach and apple notes, as well as hints of honey, vanilla and toasted nuts’.

£30.04 Hallgarten & Novum Wines

Famille Carabello-Baum, Bourgogne Chardonnay 2015, Burgundy, France

Silver medal winner

According to Gymkhana Restaurant’s Valentin Radosav, there was ‘good, ripe fruit here, with some melon and pineapple, along with a nice honeyed richness on the mid-palate’, adding that this was ‘drinking now’.

£22.88 VIVANT INC

Bouchard Aîné & Fils, Pouilly-Fuissé 2017, Burgundy, France

Silver medal winner

Dario Barbato of Individual Restaurants found ‘a floral nose of apple blossom that leads to nicely ripe fruit and well-integrated, judicious use of oak, probably using large barrels; the wine has a nicely balanced acidity and good length.’

£20.40 Matthew Clark

Domaine Jean Rijckaert, Le Mont Châtelaine, Viré-Clessé 2017, Burgundy, France

Silver medal winner

Christopher Delalonde MS of The Dorchester noted: ‘A floral nose of spring flowers with some oaked notes of baked brioche and toast; there’s a creamy texture to the ripe, primary fruit that’s both elegant and pure, with great lift and composure; the finish is long.’

£14.84 Bibendum

Domaine du Vissoux, Chermette, Beaujolais Blanc 2016, Beaujolais, France

Silver medal winner

‘White stone fruit with nectarine and apples on the nose, and there’s a nice leesy, nutty character, too,’ said Ross Antonelli of Hawksmoor Borough. ‘The mid-palate is creamy with good fruit support and a nice mineral finish,’ he added.

£11.95 Enotria&Coe

Domaine Ferret, Pouilly-Fuissé, Tete de Cru Les Perverse 2016, Burgundy, France

Silver medal winner

‘This has a subtle nose of petals and lime skin,’ said The Dorchester’s Christopher Delalonde MS, ‘there’s a complex delivery of ripe fruit here – this is a very stylish expression where everything is in balance. The layers of fruit are delivered with focus and lead to a ripe, spiced, long finish; top!’

£35.07 Enotria&Coe

Louis Jadot, Pernand Vergelesses Blanc 2013, Burgundy, France

Silver medal winner

‘There’s a touch of gunflint reduction on the nose,’ said team leader Laura Rhys MS, ‘the palate is really lovely with lots of elegant citrus, spice and toast; there’s good weight and intensity to the fruit and the finish is long.’

£18.75 Hatch Mansfield, Matthew Clark

Henri de Villamont, Rully Blanc 2015, Burgundy, France

Bronze medal winner

Team leader Angela Reddin noted: ‘Hawthorn flowers, and camomile with a touch of crème anglais; there’s bright acidity that enjoys a kiss of oak and a lovely layering of flavours. Drink or keep.’

£18.75 Berkmann Wine Cellars

Domaine Jean-Pierre Sève, Mâcon-Solutré 2017, Burgundy , France

Commended medal winner

Domaine Jean Rijckaert, Pouilly-Fuissé Vieilles Vignes 2015, Burgundy, France

Commended medal winner

£20.81 Bibendum

Henri de Villamont, Bourgogne Chardonnay Prestige 2015, Burgundy, France

Commended medal winner

Château de la Maltroye, Chassagne-Montrachet 1er Cru 2017, Burgundy, France

Commended medal winner

£39.56 Enotria&Coe

Domaine Ferret, Pouilly-Fuissé, Cuvée Hors Classé Les Ménétrières 2016, Burgundy, France

Commended medal winner

£43.67 Enotria&Coe

Domaine Saumaize-Michelin, Pouilly-Fuissé 2016, Burgundy, France

Commended medal winner

£18.63 Enotria&Coe

Domaine Lupé-Cholet, St Romain Blanc 2013, Burgundy, France

Commended medal winner

£23.72 Enotria&Coe

Domaine Ferret, Pouilly-Fuissé 2017, Burgundy, France

Commended medal winner

Louis Jadot, Château des Jacques, Beaujolais Blanc 2017, Beaujolais, France

Commended medal winner

Domaine Laurent Boussey, Monthelie Blanc 2016, Burgundy, France

Commended medal winner

£22.44 Top Selection

Lequin-Colin, Clos Devant, Chassagne Montrachet 2017, Burgundy, France

Commended medal winner

£31.04 Top Selection

Domaine Antoine Olivier, Clos des Champs Carafe, Santenay 2015, Burgundy, France

Commended medal winner

Domaine Ferrand, Pouilly-Fuissé, Prestige 2017, Burgundy, France

Commended medal winner

Domaine René Monnier, Bourgogne Chardonnay 2016, Burgundy, France

Commended medal winner

Sylvain Loichet, Ladoix 1er Cru, Les Gréchons 2014, Burgundy, France

Commended medal winner