Antoine Lienhardt, Cotes de Nuits Villages 'Les Plantes aux Bois', 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 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 the practice of ‘hedging’ in the vineyards to increase shading of the grapes and 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
A plot on a gentle east-facing limestone slope, Les Plantes aux Bois is Antoine’s first single vineyard wine. The old vines (50-70 years) provide low yields and focused aromas of red cherry, tart blackcurrant and floral touches underlined by stony acidity.
2022 was a warm, dry, sunny year saved by late rainfall towards the end of the summer and is generally regarded as a great vintage for the reds. Antoine picked on the 27th August, early enough to retain the elegance of a classic burgundy, but by no means unusually early in these days of our changing climate.
Pinot Noir / 13.5% / 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 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 the practice of ‘hedging’ in the vineyards to increase shading of the grapes and 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
A plot on a gentle east-facing limestone slope, Les Plantes aux Bois is Antoine’s first single vineyard wine. The old vines (50-70 years) provide low yields and focused aromas of red cherry, tart blackcurrant and floral touches underlined by stony acidity.
2022 was a warm, dry, sunny year saved by late rainfall towards the end of the summer and is generally regarded as a great vintage for the reds. Antoine picked on the 27th August, early enough to retain the elegance of a classic burgundy, but by no means unusually early in these days of our changing climate.
Pinot Noir / 13.5% / 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 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 the practice of ‘hedging’ in the vineyards to increase shading of the grapes and 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
A plot on a gentle east-facing limestone slope, Les Plantes aux Bois is Antoine’s first single vineyard wine. The old vines (50-70 years) provide low yields and focused aromas of red cherry, tart blackcurrant and floral touches underlined by stony acidity.
2022 was a warm, dry, sunny year saved by late rainfall towards the end of the summer and is generally regarded as a great vintage for the reds. Antoine picked on the 27th August, early enough to retain the elegance of a classic burgundy, but by no means unusually early in these days of our changing climate.
Pinot Noir / 13.5% / Comblanchien, Cotes de Nuits, Burgundy, France / 75cl
