As many of you are already aware, 2022 White Burgundy is shaping up to be a strong year for both white and red wines. The wines are sufficiently rich, but with brighter acidities than the 2018 and 2019 vintages before it. It is clear that enthusiasm from growers and critics is at a fever pitch. Allen Meadows wrote that "the 2022 white burgundy vintage can be summed up concisely and thusly: 2022 is the best white Burgundy vintage since 2017 and rivals, if not surpasses, 2014 in quality." While I may not yet be willing to declare 2022's victory over the epic 2014 wines, I share the enthusiasm for the vintage. After our trips to Burgundy this year and tasting through the lineups from over 200 estates, we feel comfortable saying this is a modern classic that possesses the rare grace to offer both generosity of fruit and strikingly mineral terroir signatures. The wines were dense and well delineated and spoke their various soil structures, altitudes, and expositions with clarity. Expect us to keep beating the drum for this year, but without further delay...the amiable and charming François Carillon.
The Carillon's viticultural history extends backwards for many generations, but the more recent history involves two labels, François Carillon and Jacques Carillon. François's label is named after François's great-grandfather, François Virot, a renowned white winemaker from Puligny's most elite estate, Domaine Leflaive. François and his older brother Jacques began working with his father, Louis Carillon, starting with the 1988 vintage. After Louis Carillon's passing, the brothers split the estate, and Francois Carillon has become known as the more divergent style from his father, while Jacques Carillon has more faithfully carried the style into the next generation. Thus, Francois's style is known for being richer and more indulgent compared to his brother Jacques, and he typically harvests later. However, as Jasper Morris notes in Inside Burgundy, "there's a temptation to see Francois as the modernist, Jacques as the traditionalist, but the wines Francois makes are based around a thorough understanding of the potential of each vineyard, and while the glossy style of the wines makes them enjoyable early on, they are certainly built for the long term." We were sad to see prices increase this vintage, but these remain very competitive in the market. In many cases they are the best available. Quantities available are decent with a few cases in stock at the importer, so requests for half case and case orders have a chance at being filled depending on demand. As always, we intend to spread the love and share fairly. - BRANDON KERNE, MASTER SOMMELIER
"The quality is in my view exceptional, in fact, if I could magically sign a 10-year contract for this combination of quantity and quality, I would immediately do so as the 2022s have everything that I want to make. The wines are fresh, elegant, concentrated and transparent and should drink well both young and with age." - François Carillon on the 2022 vintage
93 Points Jasper Morris, Inside Burgundy: "Two plots in Les Voillenots, with 35 and 50 year old vines. Medium depth of fresh yellow in colour. The bouquet comes across as refined after the explosive Mâcon. Mostly about the fruit, just a little biscuit, and certainly adequate tension. This works very well, and has impressive length. François notes the good water supply here. This will be one to look out for."
