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Bitouzet-Preiur

Bitouzet-Preiur

"It’s been 627 years since Philip the Bold, duke of Burgundy, issued his notorious edict banning Gamay from the Côte d’Or as “a very bad and disloyal variety”—yet, even in 2022, underdog Gamay persists in these hallowed lands. Nobody in their right mind would plant Gamay in such valuable real estate these days, so most of the surviving vines are quite elderly. And, despite what Philip may have thought, Gamay and the Golden Slope’s golden boy Pinot Noir make a lovely pair."

One of the last great remaining values in Burgundy is Passetoutgrains.  When opportunities arise to purchase them from great producers, it's a gift. What is Passetoutgrains? Traditionally, since the appellation was created in 1937, legally the reds must be a blend of Gamay and Pinot Noir. It can be made anywhere within the Cote d'Or that has vines within the Bourgogne appellation.  

Through the years, with the rise of prices for Burgundy made from Pinot Noir and Chardonnay rising, many producers have ripped out their Gamay to plant the more profitable Pinot Noir.  We've heard this story before with Aligote being ripped out for Chardonnay.  But producers wishing to carry on tradition instead of trends, have left their old vines firmly planted in this golden soil, continuing to produce these "value" wines for their domaines from old vines.  Often times, a good domaine's Passetoutgrains or Bourgogne Rouge are just as allocated as their Grand Crus--the Burgundy lovers desire to drink their favorite producer's stellar, more affordable entry-level bottling while they await the maturity of their higher end wines leave us often with just single bottles to sell. When we got the heads up that one of our favorite producers in the Cote d'Or was releasing their very sought after Passetoutgrains, we jumped.

Bitouzet-Prieur hails from the Cote de Beaune, from the village of Volnay, which is known for producing the best red wines in this region.  For two centuries, the Bitouzets have been firmly planted in Volnay. in the 1900s, Vincent Bitouzet married Annie Prieur, and the two family's holdings joined together to make a 12 hectare powerhouse of vineyard holdings throughout Volnay and Meursault, with some holdings stretching into Puligny-Montrachet as well.  Their holdings of 1er cru vineyards is almost an embarrassing array of riches.  Today, the domaine has been boosted into stardom under the helm of their son, Francois.

Winemaking and vineyard practices here are staunchly traditional here. Organic methods are in place, harvest is done by hand, and vinification methods are as classicly Burgundian as they come--indigenous yeasts, grapes are destemmed and undergo a cold maceration with the skins for 2 weeks, and a light-handed "pigeage" is practiced a couple times a day until the grapes are pressed. In the case of the Passetoutgrain, it sees 1 year in used oak and another year in bottle before release.

When we opened a bottle last week, it was clear why the Bitouzet's still release a Passetoutgrains, and why all 200 cases that are exported to the US sell out before they arrive.  The elegance of this old vine Gamay (planted in 1953!) and Pinot Noir (planted in 1974!) reminded us how much we love the wines of Volnay.  The terroir of the village comes through in spades, with class, refinement, precision and beauty. The Volnay-like sense of savory earth, its finesse and balance gives us a strong glimpse into Bitouzet’s style, even at this modest level.  The gamay offers a juicy, dark red-fruited touch to complement the underlying savory note of the Pinot Noir, that only improved over the 3 days we had it open!

Most of the 200 cases that come into the U.S. are already spoken for, but we have secured a nice allocation to offer out.  A great red to drink now, or over the next few years from the cellar.

We are also including their very highly anticipated Aligote, along with a smattering of their village and 1er cru reds, which are all offered at pre-tariff pricing, going back to the 2018 vintage!

Wines arrive Friday! Shipping and store pickup available.

Save an extra 10% off on 6 and 15% off 12 bottles of the passetoutgrains!

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