Anyone who knows us at the Chesil will know that Mark has been collecting Burgundy for over a decade, meaning we have a pretty impressive wine list of back vintages at very reasonable prices (roughly ½ what you’d pay in London). We decided it was time to host a Burgundy dinner, showcasing some of our favourites.

We called in the big-guns to help host – our Friend Matt owns a series of successful wine bars in London, and sits on the board for Vindependents who import small-producer Burgundy. We had been together in Burgundy at the beginning of the year tasting the EP offering, so it was a real pleasure to have him with us for the evening talking all things Burgundy.

On arrival guests were greeted with a glass of Paul Pillot Aligoté 2022 with a classic Burgundian snack – Gougères! Both were utterly morish and definitely set the tone for the evening (much like Matt’s introductory story – the very ‘close knit’ families of Burgundy).

Palates warmed up, we sat down for our first course of Guineafowl Terrine, Pistachio Dressing, Radish & Agen Prunes. As well as being a Chesil menu staple, the terrine partnered beautifully with the Etienne Sauzet, Bourgogne Blanc 2021- principally from vineyards around Puligny Montrachet (supplemented by one parcel in Meursault) – this is far from your average Bourgogne Blanc. The wine had an appealing creamy edge from some time in French oak barrique, matching its stone fruit and citrus pith freshness. The palate was citrussy and with a nicely balanced density and complexity on the finish.

We moved on to our first starter course – a light fish dish – Grilled Halibut, Black Garlic & Beurre Blanc. The fish itself was super delicate, with that earthy, slightly sweet black garlic and the buttery sauce. I had decided that we would taste two wines side-by-side for this course. One a village level recent vintage, and the other an older Grand Cru. I wanted to highlight the differences in site, winemaking techniques and levels of tertiary character from bottle ageing – all within the overarching ‘Burgundy’ region.

Up first was Domaine Henri Germain, Meursault 2021. Wines from Meursault are typically rich and savoury with nutty, honeyed hints and buttery, vanilla spice from the use of (a proportion of) new French oak during fermentation and/or maturation. Domaine Henri Germain isn’t a large domaine (roughly 8 hectares), but they have some well-situated plots in Meursault. The wine itself lived up to expectations – rich, buttery chardonnay (yet very elegant) with its crystalline-pure citrus and apricot flavours, a persistent refreshing acidity and a deliciously long finish. Make no mistake, this is a far-cry from the big buttery chardonnays of the New World.

Domaine Ravaut, Corton-Charlemagne Grand Cru 2017 was the second wine, and it was stunning. Located in the small hamlet of Buisson, the family farm with as many biodynamic principles as possible (intervention kept to a minimum and ploughing is used in preference to herbicides), and today Vincent is the sixth generation of the Ravaut family to run this domaine. They produce mainly reds but this Grand Cru white certainly lived up to the Corton-Charlemagne brief – power, muscularity and refinement. The bottle ageing was evident from the get-go, an almost nutty, dried exotic fruit and spice complexity. Confit lemon, stone fruit and gentle vanilla tones warmed the palate, and the finish was decidedly savoury. Those savoury notes picked up the black garlic on the dish wonderfully, and the ever-present backbone of citrus acidity highlighted the delicate fish.

By this point we were all starry-eyed and anticipating the rest of the decadent dishes and outstanding wine to come!

I wanted a quintessentially Burgundian dish on the menu, and there is nothing more Burgundian than Oeufs en Meurette. We made it even more unctuous by using delicate quail eggs, and I paired it with a wine from one of my favourite Burgundy producers – Catherine et Claude Maréchal, Bourgogne Rouge, Cuvée Gravel 2017 (from magnum.

Having sold Domaine Marechal wines for years, it was a special moment being stood in his winery in January 2024, tasting the wine from the tank and discussing his passion for wine. It was a no-brainer for me to put one of Claude’s wines on tonight’s menu. Claude makes his wines as naturally as possible, his wines are pure and sleek with vibrant fruit and great potential to age.  This wine had a bright cherry-driven nose, red fruits all-round, with some development from ripe/crunchy to baked and earthy. Medium bodied on the palate with plentiful nicely ripe fruit and well-integrated tannins. A delicious slightly mushroom, dried leaf and leather character is developing, and in my opinion this wine hadn’t yet reached its peak – I do think that may have something to do with the fact this was from magnum, and the large bottle will have affected the ageing process,  slowing down the oxygen exchange, and retaining freshness for longer. I’d love to revisit this wine in 5 years to see if it has gained more of those complex tertiary characters

The main course was a rich, comforting meaty affair – Roasted Breast & Confit Leg of Duck, Fondant Potato, Port & Cherry Sauce, Haricots Verts. Again I chose two wines to show alongside: Remi Jeanniard, Morey-St-Denis 1er Cru, Clos des Ormes 2016 and Domaine Remoriquet, Nuits-Saint-George 1er Cru, Les Damodes 2015.

The Morey-St-Denis was lush yet slightly delicate with lots of raspberry, cherry and an earthy, savoury character from the bottle ageing. It had a gorgeously long, balanced finish. The Nuit-Saint-George was slightly more robust on the palate, fuller body, more noticeable tannin structure, with both fresh and baked red and black cherry, prune, liquorice and some deliciously meaty, leathery notes. Even though there is only one year difference in the vintage (2015 vs 2016) I did prefer the Morey to the Nuits-Saint-George as I felt it still had slightly more freshness to it. Both were drinking beautifully though and I could not think of a better pair of Premier Cru wines for this duck dish.

When everyone was thoroughly stuffed with food and wine, we offered a small sweet treat of Honey & Almond Madeleines – if anyone had any room left! I did notice a few left at the end of the night, which I think meant we had done a very good job with the other courses and wines!

We had a cracking night, conversation flowed, and the wines were an absolute triumph.

A Bientot!