2018 Sylvie Esmonin
Our shops operate within the parameters of constant change. We get incredibly cool wine and we sell it or sometimes when we are entirely too excited, we drink it. This offer marks the first time we have sat down and really had the chance to consider a new allocated arrival of wine. We love this producer and even though the quantities are incredibly limited, we are excited to offer this to you!
– David
““ . . . we want to everything to be “perfect”. But we are human and what is man other than a bunch of imperfections? Wines with “imperfections” also have more character, are more interesting and marvelous than the reassuring, in-the-box and “flawless” wines that to me are just sad.””
The best vines of Burgundy cling precariously to a ridge of limestone and clay, exposed to seasonal dangers including rain, hail, wind, pests, and disease. Gevrey-Chambertin, toward the north end of the escarpment known as the Côte d’Or, is one of the best examples of this rugged environment. The Pinot Noirs produced around this village are a testament to the beauty that can result from the strenuous conditions the vines can experience. Sumptuous and fragrant, solid yet ephemeral, the right Burgundy is magic that conjures up an eyeroll of pleasure.
Sylvie Esmonin is, to say the least, well qualified. The Esmonin family name has deep roots in Burgundy, appearing on documents dating back to at least the French Revolution. As a young woman, she eschewed the vineyard to study biochemistry and agronomic engineering, which made her “bored to tears”. Using her work in biochemistry as a springboard, she dove into oenological studies, eventually becoming a consulting winemaker at several top-notch domaines before returning home to help her father vinify the 1990 vintage. Herbicides were banned, chemical fertilizer forgotten, and traditional methods of farming were adopted. From the 1998 vintage onward, her name alone appears on the label, making her one of the few female winemaker/owners in the Cote de Nuits. The attention to detail in the vineyard shows: purity, class, and sheer elegance are evident in the perfume of the glass alone, let alone the lush, textured palate and the finish that seems to last for days. Whole-cluster fermentation, far from normal in most cellars, is part of what makes these wines so incredibly complex and age-worthy. There is judicious oak use here, but it adds to the complexity of the final product. These wines are more than the sum of their parts. Sylvie is the kind of person you want making your wine. Her motto (and ours, coincidentally), is “I don’t want to poison myself, I want to to drink something pure”.
The 2018 vintage offer
The 2018 vintage was a good one by all accounts. With a few exceptions, all of France yielded a bountiful crop from the warm, well paced growing season. Through a careful regimen of debudding, green harvesting, and simply by owning old vines, the wines of Esmonin are more precise and lilted than some of her neighbor’s examples, with none of the wines weighing in over 13% alcohol, an impressive feat in a solar vintage.
Gevrey-Chambertin
One of the most recognizable names in red Burgundy. From various parcels around the village, with an average age of 45 years. Up to 50% whole clusters are used here, depending on the vintage, and only 20% new oak. This wine is classic Gevrey, broad, rugged, and structured, it is nonetheless a beautiful pinot that can be enjoyed in its youth, with wild strawberry and morello cherry mingled with spice and earth. Very pretty for a typically rugged appellation.
Bourgogne Rouge “Cuvée Sylvie”
From vines just outside the village of Gevrey, average age of vines is 70 years old. Up to 20% of the grapes are pressed whole-cluster depending on the vintage. 10% new oak. The wine is all rose petal and deep-seated, earthy spice on the nose, turning to a dense velvet texture and racy black cherry on the palate. The finish lingers— this is truly the Bourgogne with the soul of a village-level Gevrey. A pleasure to drink slowly with roast venison or fowl dishes while the more serious wines age.
Gevrey-Chambertin 1er Cru “Clos St. Jacques”
From the unofficial Grand Cru vineyard of Gevrey, forever denied official designation because it does not touch the famous Chambertin vineyard. The Esmonin family owns over 2 acres of this vineyard, just beyond their backyard. 45 to 55 year old vines, up to 70% whole cluster, aged in a stunning 90% new oak. Always at the top of its class, the sturdy, vigorous and concentrated wine reveals itself with age, all black fruit balanced with earthy game and spice. This wine truly illustrates why the Clos St Jacques is consistently regarded as a Grand Cru.
Cotes-de-Nuits Villages
From the village of Brochon directly to the north of Gevrey, in the vineyards of La Croix Violette and Les Vignois. Age of the vines ranges from 50 to 90 years. Up to 30% of the grapes are pressed whole-cluster depending on the vintage. 30% new oak. The wines of Brochon are traditionally lighter in body and in style, and here this is evident, even with older vines and more oak. The rose petal that was evident on the Bourgogne wanders toward violet, and the velvet on the palate turns to silk. A definite treat for those who enjoy a more floral turn to their wine while maintaining a serious drinking profile.