WINE OF THE WEEK: Domaine Machard de Gramont Hautes-Côtes de Beaune 2023, Bourgogne, France

£24.50, House of Townend

I love red Burgundy but it doesn’t often make it as Wine of the Week. You know the reason I’m sure: price.

Red Burgundy is never going to be cheap but, if you know where to look, it can be good value, especially from less famous appellations. Domaine Machard de Gramont Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Beaune makes the case eloquently.

It’s from vineyards to the west of the Côte de Beaune and from vineyards higher up the slopes – hence the name Hautes-Côtes – and that’s the point. Higher means cooler which, in the past, was the last thing you wanted in Burgundy, but climate change has brought warmer, sunnier summers, from which outlying appellations such as the two Hautes-Côtes have benefited (the other is Nuits to the north).

You can see it in this 2023 – in the arresting raspberry fragrance, succulent fruit, silky texture and mineral freshness, which have been deftly enhanced by ageing in large Hungarian oak barrels (20% new). And you could see it in the 2022, so this is no one-off from Arnaud Machard de Gramont and his sons Alban and Alexis.

The three vineyard parcels that go into their Bourgogne Hautes-Côtes de Beaune are south-facing and are only just outside the Pommard appellation. The vines are an impressive age, the oldest 70 years and the average 40 years, and they include a little Pinot Beurot (an old Burgundian name for Pinot Gris) which adds to the aroma.

This is the season for game birds and this is a wine for them, but there are plenty of other options, from duck to venison, roast beef sirloin, sweetbreads and, not least, mushrooms wild and cultivated, and truffles. 12.5%. Empty bottle weight: 555g.

Domaine Machard de Gramont Hautes-Côtes de Beaune 2023, Bourgogne, France

£24.50, House of Townend

#wine #France #PinotNoir #Burgundy #wineandfood #winepairing #red