Antoine Lienhardt, Cotes de Nuits Villages 'Emphase', 2022
Why We Like It
Don’t judge a book by its cover.
Now, that is obviously true, but sometimes a cover looks so good you just have to have a look inside. Kit’s teenage obsession with Belle & Sebastian is a perfect example of this, but we’re here to talk about wine, and my-oh-my do Antoine Lienhardt’s labels look bloody gorgeous. Good job the wines live up to them.
If you haven’t already noticed, Burgundy’s getting a tad pricey, so don’t be surprised if you can’t find a bottle of Meursault or Vosne-Romanee at Plouf. We’re more interested in what’s going on outside the classic AOCs… so let us introduce you to Comblanchien.
Bottled as Cotes de Nuits Villages, this narrow strip of east facing limestone shares much of its geography with neighbour Nuits St George’s itself; a fact that Antoine is very keen to remind people of. His grandfather Maurice was the first vigneron here to bottle his own wines, such was his belief in this terroir. Antoine has carried on this forward thinking, implementing changes such as farming biodynamically, using cement eggs in the winery, and reducing hedging in the vineyards to combat the ever present threat of climate change.
The winemaking here is whole-bunch, with gentle and short maceration. Elevage is in cement, or seasoned oak, thereby putting the focus on the fruit and the site. This is the hallmark of new-wave Burgundy and the joy of this approach is that these are drinkable from release (with a short decant of course), but don’t be afraid to lay them down for a few years. You might be pleasantly surprised.
What To Expect
Emphase is Antoine’s top wine and is an assemblage of his seven parcels in Comblanchien. Soils vary from clay, to limestone and sand. The vines are old, between 70-85 years old, and it’s that concentration that shows. A touch darker and more intense than Les Plantes aux Bois, this brings the sour cherry and potpourri to the fore. The elevage in cement and old seasoned foudre ensure that the fruit does the talking.
Pinot Noir / 12.5% / Comblanchien, Cotes de Nuits, Burgundy, France / 75cl
Why We Like It
Don’t judge a book by its cover.
Now, that is obviously true, but sometimes a cover looks so good you just have to have a look inside. Kit’s teenage obsession with Belle & Sebastian is a perfect example of this, but we’re here to talk about wine, and my-oh-my do Antoine Lienhardt’s labels look bloody gorgeous. Good job the wines live up to them.
If you haven’t already noticed, Burgundy’s getting a tad pricey, so don’t be surprised if you can’t find a bottle of Meursault or Vosne-Romanee at Plouf. We’re more interested in what’s going on outside the classic AOCs… so let us introduce you to Comblanchien.
Bottled as Cotes de Nuits Villages, this narrow strip of east facing limestone shares much of its geography with neighbour Nuits St George’s itself; a fact that Antoine is very keen to remind people of. His grandfather Maurice was the first vigneron here to bottle his own wines, such was his belief in this terroir. Antoine has carried on this forward thinking, implementing changes such as farming biodynamically, using cement eggs in the winery, and reducing hedging in the vineyards to combat the ever present threat of climate change.
The winemaking here is whole-bunch, with gentle and short maceration. Elevage is in cement, or seasoned oak, thereby putting the focus on the fruit and the site. This is the hallmark of new-wave Burgundy and the joy of this approach is that these are drinkable from release (with a short decant of course), but don’t be afraid to lay them down for a few years. You might be pleasantly surprised.
What To Expect
Emphase is Antoine’s top wine and is an assemblage of his seven parcels in Comblanchien. Soils vary from clay, to limestone and sand. The vines are old, between 70-85 years old, and it’s that concentration that shows. A touch darker and more intense than Les Plantes aux Bois, this brings the sour cherry and potpourri to the fore. The elevage in cement and old seasoned foudre ensure that the fruit does the talking.
Pinot Noir / 12.5% / Comblanchien, Cotes de Nuits, Burgundy, France / 75cl
Why We Like It
Don’t judge a book by its cover.
Now, that is obviously true, but sometimes a cover looks so good you just have to have a look inside. Kit’s teenage obsession with Belle & Sebastian is a perfect example of this, but we’re here to talk about wine, and my-oh-my do Antoine Lienhardt’s labels look bloody gorgeous. Good job the wines live up to them.
If you haven’t already noticed, Burgundy’s getting a tad pricey, so don’t be surprised if you can’t find a bottle of Meursault or Vosne-Romanee at Plouf. We’re more interested in what’s going on outside the classic AOCs… so let us introduce you to Comblanchien.
Bottled as Cotes de Nuits Villages, this narrow strip of east facing limestone shares much of its geography with neighbour Nuits St George’s itself; a fact that Antoine is very keen to remind people of. His grandfather Maurice was the first vigneron here to bottle his own wines, such was his belief in this terroir. Antoine has carried on this forward thinking, implementing changes such as farming biodynamically, using cement eggs in the winery, and reducing hedging in the vineyards to combat the ever present threat of climate change.
The winemaking here is whole-bunch, with gentle and short maceration. Elevage is in cement, or seasoned oak, thereby putting the focus on the fruit and the site. This is the hallmark of new-wave Burgundy and the joy of this approach is that these are drinkable from release (with a short decant of course), but don’t be afraid to lay them down for a few years. You might be pleasantly surprised.
What To Expect
Emphase is Antoine’s top wine and is an assemblage of his seven parcels in Comblanchien. Soils vary from clay, to limestone and sand. The vines are old, between 70-85 years old, and it’s that concentration that shows. A touch darker and more intense than Les Plantes aux Bois, this brings the sour cherry and potpourri to the fore. The elevage in cement and old seasoned foudre ensure that the fruit does the talking.
Pinot Noir / 12.5% / Comblanchien, Cotes de Nuits, Burgundy, France / 75cl
