This has a bright, vivid and (for a Bourgogne) a dark colour. The palate is deep and brimming with red berry fruit along with spice, fleshy, juicy pinot opulence and slightly ferruginous but silky firmness that is a common thread through the three 2021 Narjoux-Normand reds. I would never pick this charming and deep, concentrated wine as a basic Bourgogne in a blind tasting. The label says 12.8% which partially explains the “freshness” and electric vibrancy. These vines are 10-50 yo and are totally hand-picked and destemmed. There is no rush with the ageing and 100% of the wine is barrel-aged.

Narjoux-Normand 2021 Mercurey Rouge
RRP: $69 | Offer: $51!

This has a remarkably deep colour for a villages level wine! As a blind offering, we would think Northern Rhone on the colour, and something like Gevrey on the nose. As with the Bourgogne this has a vast amount of fleshy richness but also impressive acid and silky tannin cut giving refreshing vibrancy. we have had 1er Cru Chambolles that are not this good! There is a fruit compote of red and dark berries, Asian spice notes aplenty, woody / twiggy / underbrush elements; a tiny twang of vanillin oak in the background, and caressing tannins and acids cleaning up the long and impressive finish. This is a truly remarkable villages Burgundy.
again, the vines are very mature and all are 100% hand-harvested. There are some whole-bunch (between 50-100% depending on the vintage) used and the barrels are 3-6yo.

Narjoux-Normand 2021 Mercurey 1er Cru 'Clos des Montaigu'
RRP: $99 | Offer: $62!

In this wine, we see a great site, winemaker skill and ambition all come together with a kind vintage to this up-and-coming, rising star estate. It is really incredible how the Normand’s weave so much density and class into this 1er Cru. In writing of these notes, I’m trying to convey that all Burgundy lovers should try at least one of these Antoine Normand wines. This 1er Cru, has all of the hallmarks of depth, richness, freshness and balance that the previous two wines possess, but there is more of everything including class. These vines are 40yo from a plot of just 0.9ha, hand harvested and 50-100% whole bunches are used. 

Domaine Gerard Seguin

Gevrey-Chambertin

Domaine Seguin, imported by us for over 7 years now, is based 200m up the road from Rousseau's cellar at the top of the Gevrey village. It's situated on the Craipillot 1er Cru vineyard, of which they own the majority. Vigneron Jerome and his dad Gerard have a deft hand at making well endowed wines that are neither highly extracted nor over oaked. The style is fresh, fragrant and elegant, with deep fruit flavours a particular hallmark - think more bright red cherry than dark plum. These 2020's are a huge success, from a nice ripe vintage with very healthy fruit. Seguin is a domaine which is well-known among London somms for its quality, reliability and affordability. 

The finesse and detail in the wines is a testament to Jerome's increasing experience and the family brains' trust working like a Swiss watch. 
Cheers, Randall

Gerard Seguin 2021 Bourgogne 'Cuvee Gerard'
RRP: $80 | Offer: $52!

Cuvee Gerard is made entirely from vines grown in the commune of Gevrey-Chambertin, the plot purchased by the family in 1990 and boasting vines 30-40yo. It's only .7ha but it's very well-sited in a renowned plot called Charreux, just next to Clos Tamisot upslope from the RN74. It is a textbook exercise in the depth and generosity this village is known for, and as a pair with the Bourgogne from Chambolle below, they both show the classic characteristics of each commune.

The wine is typical of the Gevrey appellation: robust and generous, fairly structured with aromas of red and black fruits and the archetypal Gevrey dry forest-floor / dried pine-needle nuance and "sappy" richness. As Jerome says "wine lovers wanting to experience the very pronounced taste of the Gevrey terroir can do so with this cuvée".

Gerard Seguin 2021 Bourgogne 'Cuvee Chantal'
RRP: $85 | Offer: $57!

The wine produced here is fragrant and fruity with a beautiful bright red colour. It's from a plot purchased by the family in 1992 replete with .37ha of 50yo vines. On the palate, the Chambolle Musigny typicity is apparent: red fruits, spice fragrance and finesse with elegance and some minerality. As a pair with the wine above it shows it's Chambolle heritage with more fragrance and a tighter more mineral tannic drive.

Gerard Seguin 2018 Marsannay 'En Batayard'
RRP: $89 | Offer: $59!

Gerard Seguin 2021 Marsannay 'En Batayard'
RRP: $98 | Offer: $69!

The 2018 is a "museum" release here, and it's a fleshy, juicy, fruit-laden wine, very "Gevrey" in character. 
"Beautiful appearance, open nose, complex and fruity; the mouth is precise, crystalline with coated tannins and a nice balance." - Jerome Seguin

This is vibrant, fragrant and super-juicy, full of fruit, and you could be fooled into thinking it’s a Chambolle Musigny rather than a Marsannay as the latter can sometimes be far more rustic. I recently tasted a 2016 and I was surprised how much like a Chambolle it looked, with red cherry, pomegranate and strawberry fruit with a brushstroke of sweet, spice like dry forest floor. This hillside site called En Batayard is only .23ha but the vines are very mature and the resulting wine is quite full and rich yet with "Chambolle tannins". They are firm, a result of roots pushing into the limestone rock through the shallow topsoil. The 30% new oak used for the maturation has been swallowed up by the wine!

Gerard Seguin 2020 Gevrey-Chambertin 'La Justice'
RRP: $119 | Offer: $79!
Limited Stock

Gerard Seguin 2021 Gevrey-Chambertin 'La Justice'
RRP: $145 | Offer: $98!

There were vines planted in La Justice in 400BC, and this site was a place where 'justice' was dispensed (i.e. hangings and various barbaric punishments as evidenced by bones found in the area). The ancient sand / alluvial wash from the valley 'Combe de Lavaut' was deposited here giving a deeper sandier soil and thus giving the wines more tannin. La Justice is a big site but Seguins small plot of .4ha has 45yo vines and gives a Gevrey of great typicity with dark cherry, dry pine needles and cherry liqueur with damp earth. Jerome would like to see us keep this for 5 years at least.

Gerard Seguin 2020 Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes
RRP: $145 | Offer: $98!

Gerard Seguin 2021 Gevrey-Chambertin Vieilles Vignes
RRP: $161 | Offer: $109!

Made from a small site of ancient vines planted in 1920 and 1950 in a plot called Reniard below Chapelle Chambertin and Aux Etelois. The wine always exudes a sappy, liqueur cherry, forest floor and generally deeper more complex set of aromas and flavours along with a sophisticated velvety texture. The old vines make a wine that has weight and density, with a deep resonance, vibrancy and classy balance. This is always such a benchmark example of why exalted old vines are so cherished; and it’s an absolute classic Gevrey.

Gerard Seguin 2021 Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru 'Craipillot'
RRP: $184 | Offer: $129!

The origin of the name Craipillot comes from the French word "craie" designating a stony terrain, and "pillot" possibly a pile stones. Gevrey vignerons always talk of the "cône de dejection" from the Combe Lavaux, or; in English, the wash of sand, stones and rocks from the Lavaux Valley and its river/glacier that was forced downslope over millennia, across what are now many of Gevrey’s vineyards. These vines in this 1er Cru average over 75yo with some up to 100yo, and make a beautifully concentrated wine. Craipillot often produces lively, very fruity wines with aromas of liquorice and violet, less structured than other 1er crus like Clos du Chateau and Clos St Jacques across the road, it is nevertheless powerful with a lot of finesse.