It's my distinct and nerve-wrecking pleasure to offer you access to our allocation of one of the emerging blue chips in Gevrey-Chambertin, Domaine Heresztyn-Mazzini. This emerging titan has already received a ton of hype. You'll find the wines on lists at the best programs in the area, including Bludorn, Pappas Bros Steakhouse, Mastro's, and even at Houston Oaks and Number 13 in Galveston. We've been thrilled by the reception from our local sommelier friends, and we are excited to have a strong run of wines to offer our clients.
After a run of particularly dense and powerful vintages, it is a true joy to have a filigreed and mineral-driven vintage like 2021 from this exciting producer. I have been encouraged by clients and collect friends recently who've begun noticing the virtues of this terroir-driven vintage, and I do believe that this is an incredible vintage worth seeking out. Amongst the top wines of the vintage, these are every bit as exciting as 2018-2020 for reds and whites, but in a cooler tone that you'd find comparable to 2010-2014-2017.
I believe these wines are poised to be one of the next great Burgundy estates. The writings on the wall, and Allen Meadows, a critic who is typically understated in his support, even went as far to describe the 2019 and 2020 vintages as "outstanding" at this estate. Jasper Morris, when he visited last year, requested them for his presentation in order to demonstrate exciting changes in the hierarchy of Burgundy estates. The estate's name has existed for several decades. Before 2012, the estate was Domaine Heresztyn, which was the family vineyard from the father of Florence Heresztyn, the current winemaker and owner (alongside her husband Simon Mazzini). He was a Polish immigrant who worked hard to acquire plots and put his estate together. In 2012, in a generational transfer, the daughter Florence and her husband purchased the 5.5ha of plots they liked best, creating Domaine Heresztyn-Mazzini. Since their first vintage, they've gained astonishing momentum over the last few releases as their decision to switch viticulture in the direction of Biodynamics has begun to pay off. The estate is a strong supporter of whole cluster fermentation, and I believe one of the very best producers in this style. They play with a lot of different coopers to achieve a well-integrated oak profile. The oak impression builds seamlessly over the finish in my experience with no interference in the fruit and mineral expression. The wines deliver that pepper and exotic spice that I love in well executed whole cluster Burgundy. Flavors are intensely concentrated across the board with a firm core of minerality and the vibrant acidity we expect out of world-class wine.
I am fairly certain that if they had a few parcels of Chambertin, Clos de Beze, and Charmes-Chambertin Grand Cru, they would draw far more attention, but alas, they must settle for an exceptional plot of Clos Saint Denis located just underneath Domaine Ponsot's estate. The wines offer a golden combination of flavors with Gevrey structure that is painted by dark, Vosne-esque fruit and an exotic spice profile. Our friend and importer Bertrand Leulliette, who is also an AOC Member, describes them as the most exciting producer in his portfolio. Considering he has Anne Gros in his portfolio that is saying a lot. I can tell you that after spending 9 days in Burgundy lthis past summer, the discussions about top emerging Gevrey estates involve two names: Heresztyn-Mazzini and Duroché. If you look on Wine-Searcher, you'll see there's virtually no retail availability outside of European brokers in parallel markets for these wines. Buying these Burgundies means you have your ear to the rails and are seeing and securing the most contemporary and exciting Burgundies that will form the giant's of the next generation. Enjoy! - BRANDON KERNE, MASTER SOMMELIER
89 Points From Neal Martin, Vinous
A blend of different vineyards of 70-year-old vines, the 2021 Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes has less whole bunches compared to previous vintages (40%). It has a slightly conservative nose, backward at first, unfolding with tertiary/floral scents. The palate is medium-bodied with fine tannins, just a splash of balsamic behind the red berry fruit. Just missing a little length but fresh from start to finish. Fine.
“Each vintage is a new story,” Florence Heresztyn-Mazzini eloquently tells me as I take a pew in her tasting room in the heart of Gevrey. “It was not so bad except for the frost - we lost 50% to 60% of volume depending on the vineyards. It was not the worst vintage because, unlike in 2016, in 2021 we were calmer and more prepared because of the work we have done with the organically-farmed vines. We used silica spray that helps improve the atmosphere around the leaves to enhance photosynthesis. We are more precise now and follow the vineyards more closely. We had just a three-days holiday in Paris as we had to come back and do some rognage [hedging]. You had to be technical in 2021 and we didn’t have a large amount of mildew as we maintained cover crops. The main difference is that we decided to decrease the whole bunch to 30-60%. The winemaking is traditional and prudent with pigeage as we felt it was a ‘feminine’ vintage, and we didn’t want to extract too hard. We also monitored the temperatures during fermentation. Except for the frost, it was not such a difficult vintage.”
89-92 Points Jasper Morris: "40% whole bunch vinification. A sound crimson purple. There is a fine weight of fruit on the nose, the Chambolle may be more stylish but this old vine Gevrey displays a stricter savoury character that works very well. The fruit fills the palate to just exactly the right degree, treads lightly across the dance floor with a long elegant finish for a wine which is relatively light in body. Drink from 2025-2029."
