Allen Meadows, Burghound: "(from a huge 4 ha parcel in Concoeur). Bright, fresh and pretty aromas include those of various red berries and soft spice wisps, especially anise. There is both good volume and punch to the delicious and unusually rich flavors in the context of what is typical for the Hautes Cotes, all wrapped in a saline-inflected, clean and dry in the best sense finish. This is very good for its level and worth a look. 87/2026+
BY BRANDON KERNE, MASTER SOMMELIER & KELLY RAU
If you've ever complained about not having value-driven wines in Burgundy, today's offer is for you. Over the last decade, Domaine Berthaut-Gerbet has been one of the few remaining underrated and undiscovered estates in Burgundy. The estate may be unknown to many of you in Texas since it was a Spec's exclusive for a long time (that many of our savvier members would clean off the shelves as soon as it arrived). We've secured better sourcing for the wines and they continue to be absolutely worth seeking out. For lovers of the lighter and more elegant style of Burgundy, these are for you. The wines are gorgeous, with beautifully perfumed floral notes, ripe and crunchy red fruit, tons of spice character, and firm but refined tannins. Below is the short list of wines available, and read on below for more information on the estate, winemaking style, and the 2022 vintage in Burgundy.
The Berthaut-Gerbet estate is now run by the young Amélie Gerbet, and in just a few years as head winemaker she has proven to be exceptionally talented. She runs the estate with her husband Nicolas Faure (yes, that Nicolas Faure), and they manage her family's historic vineyards, which are mostly in Fixin and Vosne-Romanée along with a few small plots in other villages. Fixin is an unassuming village that often doesn't get the attention it really deserves. The hard Bajocian limestone soils produce wines with lifted floral notes, high acidity, and a strong tannic backbones. Wines here often represent real power plays and punch way above their weight class in quality to price ratio. The Fixin wines, from the village to the Premier Crus, from Berthaud-Gerbet are all outstanding and deliver the Burgundian "je ne sais quoi" we're all searching for at a fraction of the price for wines from more famous villages.
Put simply, if you are a lover of elegantly styled Burgundies by producers like Domaine des Croix, Simon Bize, Mugneret-Gibourg, or Charles Lachaux, you should eagerly seek these out. The entry-level wines are true cellar defenders that give you Burgundian joy on any night of the week, and the elite wines are amongst the best in the entire region.
