Burgundy holds a revered status for most of our trade, but it's important to remember that there is still value if you hunt with a careful eye. Up and down the entire lineup of more than 20 wines from Mongeard-Mugneret's 35 hectares, a rich, supple, and approachable style with tremendous value is the calling card here. The prices on wines from revered premier crus like Nuits' Aux Boudots or Vosne's Suchots are always low enough to send me back to the invoice double checking pricing.
TERROIR FOCUS: LA TACHE & MALCONSORTS' SOUTHERN PREMIER CRU NEIGHBOR
We would like to shine a light on one of Burgundy's most overshadowed terroirs, a piece of vineyard that could easily go for multiples of its current value were it a stone's throw further North. There has long been a rule of thumb for Nuits-St-Georges vineyards that those south of the village towards Premeaux-Prissey were more "Nuits" in style, red-fruited, gamey, and edged with age-worthy tannins. The vineyards to the North of the village proper were dubbed the "Vosne side", and collectors and sommeliers imbue in them the properties of a classic Vosne wine, with riper purple fruits, violets and incense spices. “Aux Boudots” is the quintessential "Vosne side" premier cru, a special parcel that sits on the boundary of northern Nuits-Saint-Georges, along the southern Vosne-Romanée border. It touches the famed premier cru of Aux Malconsorts and is a mere stone’s throw from Romanée-Conti’s grand cru of La Tâche. Boudots makes striking full-bodied and sensual wines that vibrate with energy. Allen Meadows describes Les Boudots as “the most gifted Premier Cru in Nuits.” In warmer vintages, the vineyard delivers the classic violet-tinged and dark-fruited profile of Vosne-Romanée, while cooler vintages lean Nuits-St-Georges in style. It's a steep slope for Burgundy with 18 percent incline and a stony surface that delivers the precise minerality the vineyard is known for. In fact, Etienne Grivot has considered dynamite for the strong rocky band along the mid-slope after it broke his horse-drawn plough twice in a single season. One look at the lineup of landholders and producers will give you a who's who of the cognoscenti vignerons of Burgundy, with Leroy, Charles Lachaux, Georges Noellat, and Meo-Camuzet among the leading producers. See below for a listing of our current availability from this esteemed vineyard. - BK