Domaine Boris Champy, Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Beaune (Burgundy, France) “Bignon 421” 2022 ($60)

Boris Champy has been, as they say, around the block. A native of the Champagne region, he worked at Napa Valley’s Dominus Estate for a decade and then was technical director at Maison Louis Latour, the venerable Beaune-based negociant, for another decade. Oh, he was also the estate manager at Clos de Lambrays, a Grand Cru property in Morey St. Denis for a few years. In 2019, he took over the estate of Didier Montchavot, located in Nantoux in the Hautes-Côtes de Beaune and which was, reportedly, the first Demeter-certified biodynamic estate in Burgundy. The Hautes-Côtes, long known for rustic wines, is an up-and-coming appellation for fine wines thanks to its cooler locale, which helps mitigate the effects of climate change. The label needs a bit of explanation: Bignon is the name of the single vineyard where the Pinot Noir grows and 421 is the vineyard’s altitude in meters. The wine is, in a word, terrific. No rusticity here, as Champy’s Bignon 421 is refined, with a suave texture, and a glorious combination of bright red fruit notes and those savory and alluring not-just-fruit ones. It is a delight to drink now but given its balance and Champy’s reputation as a winemaker, I bet it will be even more exciting after a decade of cellaring.
93 Michael Apstein