By Florian Rossignol, 7 Oct 2020

Writing this note on my way back to Hong Kong with a heavy heart to leave but also happy to be back with you.

During the month I spent in Volnay, apart from the harvest at the family domaine and visits to our current partners, I also took the time to celebrate my 2-year anniversary spent in Hong Kong at The Fine Wine Experience. With friends and family, it is always easy to find time to celebrate around a bottle of fine wine. I try to keep a balance life between hedonism and excess; from partying till 2am to hunting ducks the following morning at 5am, the balance has been well respected.

I also try to include some sports activity but I kinda failed this part. But my friends call me Superman now. (See in the video below my performance at our local cable park in Burgundy - I was trying to perform on a wakeboard for those of you asking what activity it is.)

During an evening with my best pals at a restaurant, we decided to open a bottle of Domaine Sylvain Cathiard Vosne-Romanée 1er Cru ‘En Orveaux’ 2014, as not many of us knew the style of this fine producer. Not a vintage that makes me dream about it, but it was a great example of a top domaine on an amazing terroir. The nose was spicy, typical from Vosne-Romanée. I was surprised about the mouthfeel – a very smooth texture, a complex and deep wine. Next time I would let it breath beforehand, I guess we were too thirsty for it though. For sure, I’ll be interested to try another wine from this domaine. We have the last 6 bottles of this wine from the 2017s, I would suggest you to grab the last chance.

We also drank a bottle of Domaine Denis Mortet Chambertin 1990 to celebrate my friend’s 30th birthday. What a great example of Gevrey-Chambertin’s best terroir. It made me think about our Burghound Symposium program that got cancelled in March 2020. We were planning to do ‘30 years on’ dinner with a tasting of top-notch burgundies. Maybe you can do it at your home with bunch of friends or in our restaurant Bâtard. I’ll be pleased to help you select our best 90’s! Back to our Mortet Chambertin. It was the quintessence of what a red burgundy should be: elegance, subtle aromas, rounded tannins. From the first sip to the last, the wine kept evolving. We only have 2 bottles of that wine, so hurry up to get yours!

I also drank some less fancy wines like Armand Heitz - Folie Sauvage 2018. Armand Heitz describes it himself as a wine for friends, meaning you open it without hesitating. It’s full of fresh fruit with a vibrant acidity. Why is it such a fruit bomb? 50% pinot noir classified as Coteaux Bourguignon in the village of Volnay and Meursault, plus 50% gamay in Beaujolais village Appellation, made by Domaine de la Combe Vineuse. The blending is done just before bottling to keep the typicity of both grape varieties. A nice discovery for my friends and me.

I am also planning to celebrate this 2-year anniversary in Hong Kong after my 14 days quarantine. What should I open? I have two weeks to answer this, but a few things have got my interest already. It’s very difficult to put your hand on Domaine Claude Dugat wines in France as most of their production is exported. I long to taste a Charmes-Chambertin 2015 from them. Always so precise, pure and expressive pinot noir. 

I visited Domaine Emmanuel Rouget with Anthony Hanson MW while they were harvesting their Échezeaux. That could be a good reminder to open a bottle that has some age, like a 1999, round and seductive wine with some intensity to it.

Emmanuel and Guillaume Rouget at the sorting table