Climbing red Burgundy’s quality ladder in style

We’ve picked out wines from six different producers spanning four different vintages, each bottle ready to go from the moment the cork is pulled. This is a collection that moves through the gears of Burgundy, culminating in an offering from one of its most esteemed appellations and an estate whose story began over two centuries ago.

The first wine comes from brothers Marc and Alexandre Bachelet, who joined forces and founded Bachelet Monnot in 2005, having put in the hard yards to earn their winemaking stripes not only in France but around the world. The pair’s régionale Bourgogne rouge punches well above its weight. We’ve also selected a Marsannay from Bruno Clair (a champion for the appellation) and a sumptuous Gevrey Chambertin from Drouhin Laroze which, as the wine’s name suggests, is blended from 10 separate parcels of vines.

The next rung up takes you to Pommard and firm Justerinis’ favourite Génot-Boulanger via a captivating wine from old vines that manages to balance Pommard’s full-bodied character with finely tuned finesse. We’ve also included a Nuits St-Georges, via another old-vine cuvée, from Robert Chevillon, whose sons Bertrand and Denis now manage the estate and whose exacting standards have seen it go from strength to strength. The brothers’ vineyards stretch from the far south side of Nuits St-Georges to the very north side next to Vosne-Romanée, and all of their wines demonstrate harmony, ripe fruit and structure thanks to both hard work in the vineyard by Denis (who insists on low yields and a strict grape selection) and a carefully controlled fermentation and barrique élevage by Bertrand.

Our final inclusion, the venerable Marquis d'Angerville’s Champans Volnay 1er Cru, boasts a lacy, silken texture, which is so fine as to allow the gloriously full fruit to the fore. Caressing, nourishing and satisfying, it’s a wine that offers pure, unadulterated pleasure, and a fine introduction to the joys and charm of Volnay.